After a relatively horrid weekend for the Southeastern Conference, one that saw at least five SEC teams lose to non-conference opponents, Jim McElwain made his way to the third floor of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Monday to field questions from reporters.
“The first game, you just never know,” McElwain said.
Yeah. You really don’t know.
That was evident on Saturday, when it wasn’t completely clear that Florida would defeat middling, mediocre Massachusetts — a team that owns an 8-41 record over its last four seasons — until UF took a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
It especially wasn’t clear as UF’s over-hyped running back group under-delivered, combining for 96 rushing yards among four players, none of whom had a run longer than 11 yards.
And it wasn’t clear with an offensive line that was supposed to be drastically better than last year’s iteration — when UF led the nation in sacks (45) — and which McElwain singled out as a unit that “has to be a lot better.”
So where does that leave Florida, which opens SEC play this week against Kentucky, a team much better than the Minutemen?
It’s not clear.
There’s no question the Gators have to be better, from their offensive line to their running back core to their defensive back unit.
It was obvious UF’s corners suffered from the absent, suspended Jalen Tabor. UMass’ 53-yard completion along the right sideline on a blown coverage by sophomore cornerback Chris Williamson is all the evidence you need.
And yes, it was just the first game, and there’s no need to careen to premature conclusions just yet. After all, over the weekend, No. 9 Tennessee almost lost to Appalachian State in overtime, Mississippi State did lose to South Alabama, and Kentucky underwent an embarrassing 44-35 defeat to Conference-USA powerhouse Southern Mississippi.
So, yes, it was just the first game. And even though Florida didn’t look like a team that was playing at home favored by 36 points, it’s OK, as long as it looks much different against Kentucky on Saturday.
The Gators need to make a statement in their SEC opener. They need to show their first game was nothing more than a fluke, nothing more than first-game jitters, nothing more than a one-game sample size that won’t be representative of how they play unranked opponents for the rest of the season.
Because if this team wants to build on last season’s SEC Championship appearance and see improvement rather than a setback in Jim McElwain’s second year, then it has to be the team that beats down on Massachusetts and Southern Miss and South Alabama, not the one that scares fans into thinking that their Gators have a legitimate chance of losing to a team — like Massachusetts — that transferred over to the Football Bowl Subdivision just four years ago.
So, is Florida that team?
After Saturday’s game, it isn’t clear.
Ian Cohen is the sports editor. Contact him at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Duke Dawson talks with trainers after a play during Florida's 24-7 win over Massachusetts on Sept. 3, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
