GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Dameon Pierce and Kyle Pitts have yourself a day.
Florida shut out Towson 38-0 in the Swamp after some big moments from both playmakers on Saturday.
Pierce helped spark a running attack that has underperformed in the first four games.
"[Pierce is ] a force, a little bowling ball," said center Nick Buchanan.
Meanwhile, Pitts proved to be a mismatch nightmare for the Tigers and a reliable target for Kyle Trask.
“He's a great player and a great athlete to have on your team," said Trask about Pitts. "Any time you see him out there with a matchup you just have to get it out there in front of him.”
Pierce carried the ball six times for 84 yards and a touchdown against Towson - including a 31-yard run and a 37-yard touchdown.
"I was just taking what the defense gave me,” explained Pierce. “The offensive line was giving me good looks. You know, we're just out there executing as a team. Kyle had great passes that set me up for the run, offensive line executed and we made plays.
“Halftime adjustments, just tweaking little things. Getting blocks that we didn't make in the first half, just executing, that's what it comes down to. We just executed better and we had calmed our nerves a bit. We came out there in the first half, made a couple of mistakes but we fixed them and came out with a win.”
Pierce showed his vision to cut through one gap and accelerate to the second level with his breakaway speed.
“He brings everything, he’s a strong, physical back,” said wide receiver Trevon Grimes. “A hard-body back and he just runs, that’s what he does. He’s a -- every day at practice he runs hard and it shows on the field.”
Although Pierce provided a spark on the ground, the Florida rushing attack still leaves much to be desired - only picking up 160 yards on the ground, 60 of them coming in the first half.
Dan Mullen has had to rely on Kyle Trask's arm which means, Trask has come to rely on his favorite target, Kyle Pitts.
The sophomore has caught eight passes for 90 yards and three touchdowns in the previous two games. He has proven to be a reliable target in the passing game, and the Gators head coach has seen Pitts’ growth from year one to year two.
“Kyle's a tough matchup on people at tight end,” said Mullen. “You're starting to see him now really get comfortable within the offense. Not Trask, Kyle Pitts. Kyle, he runs routes and the mismatch, he can cause problems when you try to create. As always we try to create matchups across the board and he can cause some of those issues. Me and John put him in those positions when he plays. I think you see his comfort of really growing as a route runner and being comfortable within the offense and running his routes and how he's getting open. I just think you're seeing him growing and maturing.”
Mullen has utilized Pitts all over the field the last two seasons, lining up the tight end as a wide receiver because of his athletic 6-foot-6 build and speed.
"I’m comfortable with both positions, I want to be versatile," said Pitts. "I have no problem blocking or blocking the perimeter, running routes on the outside as well."
It took a lot of studying to become ready.
“Last year, I knew it, but I didn’t know it like the back of my hand," said Pitts about the playbook and his routes. "So this year I really took the time to study hard, which I feel makes me play more loosely and confident.”
Now the Gators will hope to use Pitts as an example as they focus on Auburn.
"Sold out game, a lot of crowd noise, just makes you want to play better," said Pitts.
"We've got plenty of gears that we can kick into," said Pierce. :Every week we try to get better, so that's what he means by 'taking it to another level'. We try to take another step, another step, and eventually, hopefully the outcome will be winning games."
