It might just be one game, but the Gators’ offense looks to have potential under coach Jim McElwain.
In front of a home crowd of 90,227, Florida put up 606 total yards of offense in a 61-13 victory over New Mexico State on Saturday night, the most points scored in a UF head coach’s debut in school history.
The performance was headlined by stellar quarterback play from both sophomore Treon Harris and redshirt freshman Will Grier, who combined to go 29-36 for 373 yards and four touchdowns.
“I thought they both did a great job,” McElwain said. “I thought we really did. We moved the ball with both of them.”
McElwain announced on Wednesday that both players would play significant time in the game in order to evaluate both in a real game situation, and both came out firing.
Harris started the game for the Gators, going 7-for-7 for 119 yards and a touchdown in his first three series while showcasing the ability to extend plays with his legs and throw accurately on the run. He finished the game with 215 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-19 passing.
Grier took over after that, playing out the rest of the half and into the third quarter. The redshirt freshman did manage to show some mobility of his own, busting a 38-yard run and following it up with a 4-yard rushing touchdown four plays later, but he remained primarily in the pocket.
From a passing standpoint, he looked the more polished of the two quarterbacks by a slim margin, going 15-of-17 for 164 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing an array of difficult downfield throws.
But McElwain said he didn’t see much of a difference in either player, and he could see both playing against East Carolina next week — and potentially all year.
“I could see that,” he said when asked if he could play both quarterbacks for an entire season. “We’ll take a look at this. We’ll probably do something similar next week.”
With the win, the Gators extended their win streak in home openers to 26 games, good for best in the nation.
Florida took a 7-0 lead at the 8:21 mark in the first quarter when Harris connected with sophomore wide receiver Brandon Powell for a 37-yard touchdown pass, the sophomore’s second career touchdown reception.
The Gators would score four more touchdowns in the first half on 361 yards of total offense — more yards than the team scored in seven games last season.
The defense did look shaky in the half, however, allowing the Aggies to keep the game alive at a 34-13 halftime score.
Florida’s defense solved its issues at halftime, though, pitching a second half shutout while the offense scored another 27 points.
Overall, McElwain said he was pleased with how the team played hard and fast but without penalties. But more than anything, he said he hopes this victory instills some confidence into the group.
“I wanted our team to come out and not really prove anything, but prove something to themselves,” McElwain said. “That it’s OK to go out there and play your tail off. It’s OK to go out there and make some plays, and I thought for the most part they did.”
Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @graham_hack24
UF head football coach Jim McElwain (center) smiles as he walks off the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium following Florida's 61-13 win against New Mexico State Sept. 5, 2015
