Hot and Cold: Five Gators trending up, five who fell short of expectations

1. LB Ventrell Miller

There were several bright spots in Florida's front-seven, but linebacker Ventrell Miller arguably made the biggest splash of all. Miller accounted for a pair of sacks in first half, but turned heads with his ability in open field as well.

The Polk County native arrived in Gainesville with a reputation for producing pad-popping hits, and that hasn't changed, but he's slowly transforming into a more well-rounded player as well. He showed terrific closing speed on a play in the flats and made sure not to over-pursue as well.

Miller also chipped in with a pass deflection and was one of a handful of UF defenders who elevated their game on tonight's national stage.

2. BUCK Jonathan Greenard

Both squads rolled out a whole lot of inexperience at offensive tackle this evening; the difference, though, is Miami sent out a pair of freshmen against two highly-regarded defenders who happen to be seniors as well.

One of those established Gators is Jonathan Greenard, who found himself in the backfield quite often this evening. The grad-transfer accounted for six tackles and 1.5 sacks, but the stat sheet doesn't necessarily reflect his impact. Greenard nearly brought down Jarren Williams for another sack in the first half before the QB slipped free and was eventually brought down by Jabari Zuniga.

Greenard's passion and motor were difficult not to notice as well. The Gators boast one of the SEC's premier tandems at defensive end and that was evident in Orlando.

3. BUCK Jeremiah Moon

Dan Mullen and company always tell reporters not to pay attention on who starts but who finishes the game for the Gators. Well Jeremiah Moon was trusted to finish the game. The Alabama native did just that by closing the game out by hitting Williams as he threw on fourth down.

Moon contributed with two quarterback hurries and two solo tackles. He helped Florida's pass rush find success against Miami.

4. WR Josh Hammond

Whether it's extending the field or coming up big on a crucial third down, Hammond should be assigned the nickname of Mr. Reliable.

Many will remember his 65-yard catch that helped set up the go-ahead touchdown from Feleipe Franks, but Hammond accounted for two additional first down grabs as well. After snagging his first pass of the season, Hammond then broke free from a defender to add an additional handful of yards for the first down.

Hammond is known for his consistency and did a great job of making some difficult grabs this evening, especially on UF's side of the field. He is not the fastest or biggest receiver on the depth chart, but could be the most important in terms of week-to-week production.

5. DE Jabari Zuniga

In my opinion, the top matchup to monitor heading into the evening involved Zuniga and redshirt-freshman offensive tackle, John Campbell, and it's safe to say the Gators came out on the winning end of that battle.

Zuniga was a headache to contain at the snap of the ball and played a significant factor in the multiple false start penalties Campbell was responsible for. He showed some nice finesse to go along with his sheer power and did a nice job of pursuing until the whistle is blown as well.

I've always been intrigued by Zuniga's run-stopping ability and effectiveness when setting the edge, but tonight's performance featured more than that.

The Peach State native was responsible for six tackles, three tackles and 1.5 sacks

1. RB Malik Davis

It was certainly great to see Davis back to full form and participating in a Florida game, but it wasn't the prettiest outing for the Tampa Bay native.

Davis added three yards on his first carry of the season, and then juggled a pitch on the following play that resulted in a loss of eight yards and a turnover. It's only week one, so the redshirt sophomore will have plenty of opportunities to write the wrong, but I'm sure tonight's performance is kicking him in the butt, especially considering UM was a top contender during the recruiting process as well.

Davis closed out the evening with three carries for -9 yards.

2. QB Feleipe Franks

After re-watching film the Gators' quarterback did not have as horrible of a night as previously thought. The Miami defensive line did a good job stacking the box, limiting the Gators' offense. Franks also was forced to roll left, which is less than ideal, as it forced Franks to throw across his body to the left.

However, Franks also left the pocket a bit too early at times, had three turnovers on the night, and missed some open receivers. I'm not sure if the signal caller fully trusted his offensive line yet.

3. The Defense's tackling ability

Florida missed a lot of tackles in its win over Miami. The Canes took advantage of those misses, DeeJay Dallas was able to run 40-yards after Kyree Campbell, James Houston, and Donovan Stiner missed the mark. CJ Henderson appeared to try to go for the strip.

It was the same story again for Dallas' touchdown later in the second half.

The good news is that this is an area that can be cleaned up before Florida dives into its SEC schedule. .

4. Safety Jeawon Taylor

As mentioned above Taylor did not have a good night tackling. One of his missed tackle allowed Miami's Jordan Bevin to score a 25-yard touchdown.

The defensive back looks hesitant to drop his shoulder, so one has to wonder how healthy he is or are the previous injuries making him the skittish. Taylor was wearing a non-contact jersey early on in the fall.

5. TE Lucas Krull

The Gators tight end struggled to block for the Gators on Saturday night. One example came when Krull missed his block and Toney was drilled by two Miami defenders on Florida's second drive.

UF is missing C'Yontai Lewis.