Taven Bryan calls him Shrek. Jim McElwain calls him one of the “Bam Bam” kids. Jordan Sherit calls him the 400-pound freshman from Fort Lauderdale.
The players were still in their meeting room. The coach had left, but Jordan Sherit knew this issue needed to be addressed. He felt responsible: Florida has caused five turnovers this season, tied for 104th in the nation.
Rhythm, pace and communication were three offensive pillars noticeably lacking in the Gators’ 17-16 loss to LSU on Saturday.
It started with the suspensions. First, the loss of starting wideout Antonio Callaway, then starting running back Jordan Scarlett. Add in a backup left tackle, a couple backup linebackers and three defensive linemen, and Florida was facing depth shortages all over the field following the nine suspensions for possible credit card fraud ahead of the season. After this past weekend’s loss to LSU, the numbers are even worse, and they span the entire field.
The ball was tilted, sure. Leaning slightly to the left. The hold was a bit awkward, and the kick could have been straighter, and the score could have been different. But they weren’t.
Eddy Pineiro’s right foot has redefined the word “kicking.”
Florida’s 17-16 loss to LSU showcased the Gators’ struggles to stop opponents on third down, a lack of preparation for pre-snap trickery, and the absence of a sense of urgency when the game was on the line.
Eddy Pineiro has watched plenty of extra point attempts sail through the uprights of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium over the course of his career.
For the past two years, Florida has finished near the bottom of the SEC in running the football. But through the first month of the 2017 season, the Gators are starting to find success on the ground. UF is rushing the ball for 191 yards per game against conference opponents, up 65 yards from the year before.
LSU may have lost to Troy last weekend, but Florida coach Jim McElwain isn’t letting his guard down.
Quarterback battles. Off-field scandals. Last-second wins.
Josh Hammond didn’t see too many passes thrown his way the last time Florida and LSU went head to head in the regular season.
Brett Heggie and the rest of Florida’s offensive line weren’t the stars of Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. The announcers weren’t hailing them on long runs. They weren’t praised as heavily as the running backs for Florida’s five rushing touchdowns. But without that unit playing better than in previous weeks, the running game couldn’t have done what it did. And the front five have noticed.
One week ago, Gators coach Jim McElwain had options when it came to his starting quarterback. On Saturday, his decision was made for him.
After failing to win Florida’s starting quarterback job out of fall camp and sitting on the bench through its first two games, Luke Del Rio finally got his shot last Saturday against Kentucky.
The pass was a good one. It arced high, finally falling into Brandon Powell’s hands, who raced toward the sideline for a 13-yard gain.
It wasn’t flashy. No, it was a simple gesture. The waving of his arms across his body, as if to tell his waiter he had no room for dessert, and a couple nods to about 90,000 screaming fans. That was Marco Wilson’s reaction after smacking the ball away from Tennessee receiver Marquez Callaway two weeks ago on what was probably the most important play of his young career. It wasn’t ornate. It wasn’t over-the-top. But it was something. For Marco Wilson, there’s always something.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, two days before his high school’s annual rivalry game against Belen Jesuit, Chris Merritt thought about the typical Miami football player. The one with all the scholarship offers. The one with the college recruiters he knows on a first-name basis. The one with the attitude. The one with the arrogance.
Luke Del Rio has seen a lot from the sidelines.
Redshirt junior Luke Del Rio will start Saturday against Vanderbilt, McElwain said, one week after he replaced former starter Feleipe Franks mid game at Kentucky and led the No. 21 Gators to a 28-27 win.
Solutions by The State News
