Florida coach Jim McElwain hinted that the Gators would play all three quarterbacks, but we only saw redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks and senior Malik Zaire. Franks got the start and looked poise as a passer, but was unable to lead a sustained drive. McElwain turned to Zaire off the bench, who didn’t fare much better. Both quarterbacks were under constant pressure as the offensive line got manhandled by Michigan.
Turnovers allowed the Gators to hang around, but the Wolverines eventually cruised to a 33-17 win.
Instant Analysis now examines the Gators' win.
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IT WAS OVER WHEN: Florida could not take advantage of a Michigan missed field goal. With 10:46 left and down nine points, the Gators went three-and-out. The Wolverines would miss another field goal, but were able to trim time off the clock.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Michigan running backs Ty Isaac, Chris Evans and Karan Higdon ran with ease on Florida’s defense, even getting back-breaking third-and-long conversions that kept Wolverine drives alive. Isaac averaged more than 10 yards per carry on a day UM ran for more than 200 yards.
Wolverines linebacker Devin Bush was all over the field, causing headaches for the Gator offense.
FRANKS’ DEBUT: The redshirt freshman started the game on a high note, hitting sophomore wide receiver Josh Hammond for 34 yards. He then ran into some trouble, slipping on the next play, but recovering the fumble. He looked poise as a pocket passer, but couldn’t get many drives going, forcing the coaches to try Zaire as a spark off the bench. Franks also made the rookie mistake of fumbling when trying to run for a first down.
THE STATS DON'T LIE: At the time of Florida’s last chance to pull off a win, down 26-17 late in the fourth quarter, Michigan had outgained the Gators 441 yards to 164 yards. Sometimes the simplest stat says it all. Florida could not move the ball on the ground or threw the air on a Michigan defense which replaced 10 starters. The only UF touchdowns came from the defense on a pair of pick-sixes.
WHAT A PLAY: On the pick-six by senior cornerback Duke Dawson, junior defensive end Cece Jefferson had been knocked down on a double team, but got back up to make a key block as Dawson approached the goal line. With Florida’s past struggles in the red zone, who knows if the Gators get the points if Dawson gets stopped short.
THESE MATCH-UPS PROVED KEY: As many saw coming, Michigan won the game in the trenches. The Wolverines loaded the box and were able to keep the Gators from breaking off any long runs (without flags). UM dominated both lines of scrimmage and controlled the game. Florida quarterbacks were under constant pressure. Michigan ran the ball at will. The Gators’ front seven was dominated.
UP NEXT: Florida gets a pre-SEC tuneup against FCS team Northern Colorado in UF’s home opener. We will see if the Gators get back some of their 10 suspended players.
Stay tuned with ITG, as we provide more post-game coverage tonight of Florida's loss to Michigan in Dallas.
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Stay tuned with Inside the Gators, as we provide more post-game coverage tonight of Florida's loss to Michigan.
