It’s been a long time since the Gators hit the gridiron.
“We have a ways to go,” head coach Dan Mullen said on Saturday. “Not a ways to go with our attitude, not a ways to go with understanding the scheme. I think it was a big deal we haven’t played football in a while.”
Florida played live football in their first scrimmage of the offseason on Saturday night. With the traditional Orange and Blue Game in front of fans canceled for this year, it was a way for Mullen and UF to see their roster in full contact for the first time since last December ahead of its season-opener against Ole Miss on Sept. 26.
But while Mullen said that he saw some missed tackles and fumbling during the scrimmage, there were still some positives to be had.
“I was pleased with some groups more than others,” Mullen said. “I thought I saw some efficiency, especially the older guys.”
Those groups include the team’s running back corps. Mullen mentioned that transfer Lorenzo Lindgard ran the ball well and excelled in catching passes out of the backfield. However, Mullen’s praise was particularly directed at redshirt junior Malik Davis.
“Malik Davis to me looked like the Malik Davis I saw when I got here before I became the head coach,” Mullen said. “I haven’t seen that in a couple of years. I’m thinking, ‘Boy, he’s really back to where he wants to be.’”
Other praises were aimed at quarterback Kyle Trask, who Mullen thought “looked sharp”, as well as the young players on the defensive line, including redshirt freshman Jaelin Humphries, who was injured last year in his freshman season.
The Gators were unable to avoid an injury during the scrimmage. Cornerback Fenley Graham fractured his forearm and will be out for “a couple weeks”, according to Mullen.
Florida will have one more scrimmage a week from Monday, and Mullen is hoping to get the team’s kinks ironed out before then.
“On gameday, you’re not making a correction,” Mullen said. “Gameday is a test.”
Contact River Wells at rwells@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.
This article was updated to reflect that Jaelin Humphries is a redshirt freshman. The Alligator previously reported otherwise.
Former Gators wide receiver Josh Hammond versus Tennessee. At Saturday's media availability, coach Dan Mullen talked about the team's first scrimmage.
