Interceptions doom Florida football team finding ways to lose

Florida running back Malik Davis took the ball with the game clock winding down, the fourth quarter seconds from expiration. The redshirt senior plunged forward behind his offensive line and picked up three yards, and with 20 seconds left to play, the Gators finally eked ahead of the Bulldogs — 355 yards of offense to 354.

Head coach Dan Mullen met his opposing foe, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, at midfield for a quick handshake as the clock ran down. As the fourth-year Florida coach ignored his school’s band and retreated to the locker room, the scoreboard illuminating the Duval County skies told the true story of the latest Florida-Georgia game. 

No. 1 Georgia left Jacksonville with a 34-7 demolition of the Gators on its resume, and UF tumbled to 4-4 on the year despite its statistical prowess after a disastrous close to the first half.

For a four-loss team, the Gators exist in a realm all their own on the box score. Mullen’s team has outgained all eight of its opponents this year. Florida has won the yardage battle 3,867-2,709 across every game, an average of 144.75 more yards per game. Even in conference play, where the orange and blue have won just two of six games, UF tallied 441.3 yards per contest to opponents’ 345.5 yards.

Teams have outgained undefeated No. 4 Oklahoma three times this season. No. 2 Cincinnati, another undefeated team, lost the yardage battle twice. In the Southeastern Conference, Florida’s the only team who hasn’t surrendered more yards than it gained in a game.

So how has arguably the most statistically proficient team in the conference lost three of its past four games to sit .500?

Florida has been crippled by turnovers in 2021, with no stretch more evident than the final two minutes of Saturday’s first half, an 135-second rollercoaster which surely flattered the ghost of Walt Disney.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Richardson, who got the nod for his first career start against a defense averaging less than 7 points allowed per game, fumbled once and threw a pair of interceptions on three straight possessions to close the second quarter. All three giveaways generated touchdowns for the Bulldogs, the final score coming on a pick-six from linebacker Nakobe Dean. 

In a span of two minutes and 15 seconds, Georgia’s lead ballooned to 24 points. Florida’s chances of winning fell from 21.5% to 0.8% in a matter of 12 plays, according to ESPN’s live calculation.

Georgia only outscored Florida 13-7 in the other 58 minutes of the game.

Richardson and Emory Jones, Florida’s two quarterbacks this season, combined for 15 passing touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions through eight games. No other team in the SEC has thrown more than 11. Jones threw multiple picks in three of his seven starts against a single start without one, and Richardson threw four in his past two games.

In Florida’s seven-point loss to Kentucky, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and a short-field drive gifted by a Jones interception gave the Wildcats 14 of their 20 points. In a seven-point loss to Louisiana State, three interceptions in the first three quarters directly created 21 of LSU’s 49 points, including a pick-six on Jones’ errant final pass in the third quarter.

Florida’s defense has snatched six interceptions of its own and nine total turnovers on the year (11th in the SEC in both categories), but Mullen’s offense has gifted opponents 16 for a -7 differential. No. 1 Georgia forced three more turnovers than its opponents this season, and No. 3 Alabama walked away with a differential of +7.

Now, for the first time under Mullen, the Gators can’t win more than four games in their conference schedule. Florida lost seven of its last nine games against Power 5 teams. But the yardage streak survived another week.

Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley.

---