Notebook: Thrilling ending to a must-win game
Florida fans will never forget redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks’ 63-yard touchdown pass to Tyrie Cleveland to give the Gators a 26-20 victory after the clock showed all zeros. Head coach Jim McElwain will never forget what he saw in the locker room after the game.
“I just enjoyed watching the guys,” McElwain said. “I just enjoyed seeing their excitement. I know how hard they have worked, and I know what they’ve put into it. So, for me, it was just seeing the people and the organization enjoying the moment. Sometimes things like that are really special. I’ve got some burned images in my mind that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”
It was a must-win game for McElwain, and the third-year coach somehow pulled a rabbit out of his hat even if not by design. He told reporters he did not intentionally drain the clock down to nine seconds.
“Right there at the end, thought Feleipe got the first down where it was marked,” McElwain said. “I was kind of surprised there because we didn’t get a measure. The way it was, I think everybody found out that Feleipe can throw the ball a long ways in the air.”
With the fanbase venting for two weeks over a 33-17 loss to Michigan which lacked any offensive touchdowns, McElwain needed a miracle like the Hail Mary to wash away the frustration. The finish was unforgettable and the win was over a hated rival and ranked opponent (No. 23), but McElwain isn’t calling it a program milestone.
“I wouldn’t say for the program,” McElwain said. “What it’s great for … it’s great for these players, and it’s great for the people, the city of Gainesville and all the Florida fans. That’s who it’s great for.”
Truth be told, it was pretty great for McElwain, too – or at the very least a significant weight off his shoulders. With the win over No. 23 Tennessee, he managed to avoid becoming the first Florida coach to start 0-2 since Doug Dickey in 1971. McElwain can now say he has a quarterback – Franks – and playmakers in the supporting cast.
“There’s something that’s pretty cool about having a human joystick out there,” McElwain said of freshman wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who recorded four catches for 40 yards. “But he’s got to still learn and learn how to play and do some things, but obviously, he was a guy we felt needed to get touches. He’s an electric guy.”
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OFFENSE STILL NEEDS TO IMPROVE
McElwain said multiple times that he’ll “take the victory,” but he acknowledged the Gators still have issues to address on offense. The Gators took approximately 115 minutes of game time in the 2017 season to get on the board with an offensive touchdown. Turnovers and drives which stalled out were still prevalent Saturday.
“Playing with some consistency. Playing with some energy,” McElwain said he wants to see. “Get to the line and go. When they do that, they play pretty good.”
EVALUATING THE DEFENSE
Florida’s defense allowed 17 points in the fourth quarter as Tennessee overcame two double-digit deficits (13-3, 20-10). Overall, however, McElwain was pleased with the effort.
“For the most part the guys did a heck of a job,” McElwain said. “It was really good for all the young guys. More than that, I’m really happy for all of the Gators out there.”
He acknowledged that the offense wasn’t doing the defense any favors. Freshman running back Malik Davis’ 72-yard run and fumble for a touchback was a double whammy. It didn’t take much time off the clock and it gave the Volunteers the ball back. Other short possessions caused the defense to run out of gas.
“I think they wore on us a little bit,” McElwain said. “We did miss some tackles.”
One of the bright spots on defense was the secondary, where multiple freshmen led the way. Freshman cornerback CJ Henderson made his second interception of the season and returned it for a touchdown just like he did against Michigan.
“The interception again, by Henderson, you take a look at that, one of the Bam-Bam Twins [freshman defensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton] got in there for a play and caused a guy to get a little nervous. That was huge.”
McElwain was happy with how the freshmen handled their first taste of SEC football.
“Two freshman corners, freshman nickel, might have had a freshman safety, too… It’s great, man,” McElwain said.
INJURY UPDATE
The freshman defensive backs may be seeing even more action based on what McElwain had to say after the game. Sophomore safety Chauncey Gardner Jr. and senior cornerback Duke Dawson, both starters, got hurt during the game.
“Chauncey had an ankle. He was kind of in and out. He gutted through it. Duke, I don’t know where we’ll be with him. We had to pull him he got hit in the head.”
McElwain will meet with the media again Monday and should have more updates.
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