A quick glance at the box score from Florida’s 20-13 defeat to Kentucky Saturday evening, the outcome doesn’t quite add up.
Florida out-gained Kentucky 382 to 211, they picked up eight more first downs, dominated time of possession, and broke even on the turnover margin. But a closer look reveals how costly penalty yardage was for the Gators in Lexington — UF committed 15 penalties for 115 yards.
Florida’s penalty woes were most pronounced on its final two offensive possessions of the game, where a pair of false start penalties on each drive forced the Gators into a field goal and a long fourth and goal attempt that ended the game, but these infractions hindered the Gators all day on both sides of the ball.
To contextualize UF's penalty woes last night — its 15 penalties against Kentucky mark the third time since 2000 the Gators have committed 15 or more penalties, which they did against Mississippi State in 2001 and against Tennessee in 2009. Saturday was also only the second time since 2010 and the seventh time this millennium that UF racked up 115 yards in penalties.
Understanding the historical scale of Florida’s self-imposed errors Saturday night does beg the question: What caused the Gators to commit so many penalties?
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops immediately credited the influence of the sellout crowd at Kroger Field for the Gators’ penalty problems.
“I’d like to start by saying thank you to the BBN (Big Blue Nation),” Stoops said. “They really showed up in a big, big way today and had an impact on the game. They affected the football game in a very positive way.
Mullen also offered props to a Kentucky he said brought “a lot of energy,” but the Florida head coach criticized his team’s fortitude in a hostile environment.
“We didn't, I guess, snap the ball and lock in there to get it done the right way,” Mullen said. “But, you can't do that, that's a lack of mental toughness."
Even prior to the Kentucky matchup, penalties had been an increased point of concern for the Florida offense. The Gators ranked 65th in the nation in penalties committed entering Saturday, averaging 1.5 more penalties and 20 more penalty yards through the first four games of this campaign compared to last year’s regular season.
Jones’ clap cadences seemed to cause confusion at the line of scrimmage, a system which Mullen says has remained unchanged since the start of the season. However, offensive coordinator John Hevesy and Mullen are expected to meet this week to determine how to minimize penalties within the Florida offense.
“I'll get with John Hevesy, and we gotta get better, you know?” Mullen said. “I mean, that's something we're gonna look at with a problem.”
