The Gators won. That’s about the only thing that went right.
Florida – and its coach – were not ready for primetime.
Missed tackles. Penalties. Turnovers. Questionable play calls. Brutal from start to finish.
To be fair, Miami suffered from many of the same problems. But it was Florida who was the No. 8 team in the country. It was Florida who was favored by seven points. It was Florida who had the experience on the national stage last year.
One play in particular told the entire story. Miami had a 4th and 34 with the game on the line. The game should’ve been over. Instead, Florida defensive back Marco Wilson committed an inexcusable pass interference on a throw that had almost no chance of resulting in a first down, giving Miami a new lease on life.
That play was a microcosm for what was Florida’s ugliest game since its loss to Missouri in November. Two fumbles lost (both without any contact to initiate them). Two interceptions from Feleipe Franks (his first two since that Missouri game). Nine penalties for 100 yards, including two for needless late hits. Countless missed tackles.
“We talk about our plan to win,” coach Dan Mullen said, “and we certainly didn’t do that tonight.”
Miami – which committed even more penalties – was just as bad. The Hurricanes gave up 10 sacks. They missed tackles of their own and they missed a chip shot field goal. They also muffed a crucial punt that essentially handed Florida a touchdown in the third quarter.
In the end, nobody should be happy – including ESPN, the game’s broadcaster, and the fans, who had to sit through that disaster.
You have to ask questions of Mullen. Florida should’ve been throwing the ball downfield, taking advantage of a weak Miami secondary. Instead, the offensive game plan was far too conservative, consisting mostly of screens and checkdown passes.
Perhaps more alarming was Florida’s failure to adjust. The passing was a bit more aggressive in the second half, but not by much. The muffed punt saved the Gators – without it, they probably lose.
For much of the game, Miami looked like the top-10 team. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jarren Williams looked particularly comfortable, going 19-29 with 214 yards and a touchdown. The defense brought out the Turnover Chain four times. The Hurricanes had the lead on three separate occasions.
Miami, however, did just enough to lose. One too many mistakes.
Florida has almost three weeks before its next game against an FBS opponent. In the meantime, Mullen needs to go back to square one. For UF to repeat its success from last year, what happened tonight can’t happen again.
Follow Sam Campisano on Twitter @samcampisano. Contact him at scampisano@alligator.org.
Saturday's season opener was sloppy for both teams. Florida and Miami combined for five fumbles.
