Saturday's Orange and Blue game was highlighted by a whole lot of fun and unpredictability that didn't fit the traditional format of a spring football game.
If they were still eligible, Lawrence Wright and Travis McGriff might have been the MVPs of the game.
Offense is what fans wanted to see and there were some notable performers from yesterday’s festivities, with one being Kadarius Toney, who displayed great elusiveness and speed.
On the first drive, Toney caught a 17-yard pass over the middle from Kyle Trask and immediately got away from Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Toney has been banged up this spring but looked shifty as ever.
Lamical Perine had showed some good stuff as well. He only had six carries for 24 yards but displayed some great running in-between the tackles. His vision is very good and at one point, he carried a drive for the Orange team.
But the offensive MVP? Jordan Scarlett.
In both scrimmages leading up to the Orange and Blue Game, Scarlett wasn’t utilized very much. He would get a handful of carries early on and sit, but finished Saturday's contest with 57 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.
“Overall, I feel like I had a pretty good performance,” Scarlett said. “It’s all about the team and us getting better on offense.”
Ten carries isn’t a lot, but Scarlett showed he is the leader of the very talented group. Two runs in particular stood out from him. The first was a 27-yard run off the right sideline that he somehow broke open after not having much running room to begin with.
“It felt great,” Scarlett said of the run. “Just hearing the crowd roar as you run, it’s a great feeling to have. I just want to thank my o-line; they definitely made it possible.”
The other run that stood out was a seven-yard power run. Scarlett was stopped right at the line of scrimmage but refused to go down. He kept his feet going and displayed some great strength and powered his way for a seven-yard gain.
Credit the offensive line for providing help, but Scarlett showed he is a very tough back to bring down. Scarlett finished the day with a pair of touchdowns.
“Yes, it felt great just being out there, hearing the crowd go crazy as I ran and scoring touchdowns,” Scarlett said. “So it felt great being back in the Swamp.”
Scarlett still has learning to do as does everybody under this new system, but at such a loaded position, it is difficult to debate who is at the top.
Stay tuned to Gators Territory
