Tyler Moore played his first game for Florida on Saturday, but he made himself known to Gators fans for the wrong reason early in the second quarter.
Moore, playing right tackle, misheard the call on the line and allowed Toledo defensive back Cheatham Norrils to get around the edge unimpeded and sack quarterback Jeff Driskel.
Driskel fumbled the ball when Norrils tackled him, and the Gators turned the ball over one play after forcing a turnover on downs.
“It could have been an easy pickup,” Moore said, “and we could have just … went down after the big turnover and got another score.
“It made me mad the rest of the day.”
Moore might be too hard on himself. Aside from the two sacks the Gators surrendered, the offensive line provided solid protection in both the rushing and passing games.
No. 12 Florida did not allow a quarterback hurry in its season debut, and the line plowed forward, allowing Gators runners to notch 262 rushing yards despite missing guard Jon Halapio (partially torn pectoral muscle) and tackle Chaz Green (labrum tear).
Moore, junior Max Garcia, and redshirt senior Kyle Koehne stepped in to fill the void.
“We have really good players coming in and out,” Garcia said. “As far as the talent level, it doesn’t really taper off.”
Garcia transferred from Maryland, where he started 12 games his sophomore year.
For their efforts, Garcia, Moore and redshirt senior Jon Harrison earned the Scrap Iron Award from the coaching staff for grading out as the best offensive linemen on Saturday.
“There isn’t a guy up front I don’t have any confidence in,” offensive coordinator Brent Pease said.
Koehne played in only 27 games in his first four seasons but earned praise for his efforts at guard.
“I think he did good,” Pease said. “He’s played a lot of positions … you look back at Kyle, and, I mean, he’s kind of one of those guys. He’s such a hard worker, and he’s just steady.
“There was games last year, we’re beating Tennessee and somebody else where he’s playing tackle. OK, now all of a sudden, he’s guard.”
The Gators suffered another hit to the depth chart during the game. Starting left tackle D.J. Humphries left the game in the fourth quarter with an MCL sprain.
Humphries had given up one sack earlier in the game when Toledo defensive end Jayrone Elliot beat him around the edge after the snap.
Coach Will Muschamp said Humphries will return to practice this week, and he expects Humphries to play against Miami.
Polls released: Both the Associated Press and Coaches’ Polls were released Tuesday. The Gators moved up one spot in the Coaches’ Poll to No. 9 but moved down two spots in the AP Poll to No. 12.
Florida State jumped Florida in the AP Poll and moved to No. 10 after redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston led the Seminoles to a 41-13 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday.
Georgia dropped six spots in the AP Poll but remained ahead of Florida despite losing 38-35 to No. 4 Clemson.
Miami, Florida’s next opponent, remained unranked in the AP Poll, but received the most votes of any unranked team. The Hurricanes were ranked 24th in the Coaches’ Poll.
Christy struggles: Punter Kyle Christy was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award in 2012, but he had an inauspicious 2013 debut in Florida’s opener.
Christy kicked for an average of only 38.2 yards on Saturday — 6.1 yards fewer than his career average and 7.6 yards fewer than last year.
Christy was named to the preseason All-Southeastern Conference team before the season began.
Although Christy did not perform to his usual standards, Pease said he did not expect that to last.
“Maybe it’s first-game jitters,” Pease said. “(He’s the) best punter in the nation, you know. He’ll be all right.”
Follow Adam Lichtenstein on Twitter @ALichtenstein24.
Kyle Christy punts the ball during Florida’s 24-6 victory against Toledo on Saturday in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Christy averaged 38.2 yards per punt in the game.
