The Good, the Great and the Ugly From the Florida Gators

Photo credit: Alex Shepherd

The Florida Gators' yearly matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers reached a familiar conclusion on Saturday night. 

Hosting the Vols in the Swamp for week four action, the Gators reigned victorious in dominant fashion. 

Extending their streak of victories to 16 of the past 17 contests, Florida bounced back from a heartbreaking loss at home to Alabama.

Taking an in-depth look back at the 38-14 Gators win, AllGators presents the good, the great and the ugly.

Good: Time of possession

Tennessee’s identity on the offensive side of the football is to move fast.

Understanding that the Volunteers would want to get to the line of scrimmage and go after every play, Florida’s defense was met with a test of endurance

In an attempt to throw off the rhythm that must be made in an offense that likes to move quickly, the Gators would be in a position to control the clock with the dominant run game they have employed to this point in the year.

Florida did just that.

Churning out 283 yards on the ground through four ball carriers, the Gators won the time of possession battle by over 10 minutes of game time.

Employing the offense for an allotted 35:29, UF rushed the football 40 times for 283 yards to average over seven yards per carry. Evoking its will on Tennessee, the Gators' offense took pressure off their defense with how they carried themselves.

Simply, Dan Mullen made it hard for UT to build momentum with the game plan he set in place.

While it was common knowledge that Florida would look to run the football on Tennessee, their ability to keep the ball out of the hands Josh Heupel’s offense on the ground played a significant role in the lopsided 38-14 final score.

Great: Emory Jones

The unrivaled QB1.

Despite outside noise trying to create a quarterback controversy at Florida, Emory Jones proved that he is the deserving start with his performances against Alabama and now Tennessee.

Making his mark through the air and on the ground on, Jones would go 21-for-27 passing for 209 yards and two touchdowns while carrying the ball 15 times for 144 yards on the evening. Producing eye-popping statistics and doing so with limited mistakes, Jones made Gator history with his showing.

On Saturday, he became the first Gators quarterback since Tim Tebow in 2009 to pass for over 200 yards and rush for over 100 yards in the same game.

Turning in his first non-turnover performance as the Gators starter, Jones looked to be a confident piece to the puzzle of Dan Mullen’s offensive attack for the second week in a row and continues to show improvement each time he steps on the field.

Avoiding the disastrous play by relying on his dual-threat ability rather than trying to force balls downfield when the pocket collapsed, Jones’ performance solidified his spot as the starting quarterback, even with Anthony Richardson set to return for their trip to Lexington to take on Kentucky.

Ugly: Missed Tackles

The major concern coming into the 2021 season was how Todd Grantham’s defense would bounce back from a lackluster campaign in 2020.

Taking strides to improve the unit's depth and leadership during the offseason, Florida added a handful of transfers — including three defensive linemen and three defensive backs — to fill the holes up front and in the backend.

While their rankings don’t indicate it, Florida’s defense has shown vast improvement from last season, leading to three of their four opponents being held to 20 points or less.

The yards per game may not be ideal — especially through the air as the group ranks 89th in passing defense — but they have been able to force opposing offenses off the field in a higher volume this season.

However, the Gators still have issues that have carried over from last season that will need to be addressed as the season continues.

What’s the biggest? Their inability to bring down the ball carrier on first contact.

Prior to Florida’s bout with Tennessee, the Gators combined for 29 missed tackles through their first three games — including 14 against Alabama, according to Pro Football Focus.

On Saturday, they missed 17 tackles.

Continuing that trend against the Volunteers, Florida struggled to Jabari Small and Tiyon Evans out of the backfield. Each toting the rock 11 times respectively, the tandem combined for over 100 yards and over 4.5 yards per carry and provided a catalyst for UT’s early offensive success.

In fact, one of Tennessee’s two scores on the night came from Evans as a byproduct of Florida’s tackling woes. Setting up a screen on 3rd and 8, quarterback Henson Hooker dumped the ball off to him in the backfield with room to work for the first down.

Escaping the outstretched arms of Amari Burney in the backfield, Evans would make his way into the second and third levels unscathed.

Reaching the first-down marker at the Florida 39 yard line, Evans would be met by Gators safety Rashad Torrence II, but was able to run through his tackle attempt on his way to a 47-yard touchdown reception.

With multiple instances of poor tackling — and other errors — on display, Florida allowed Tennessee to remain within striking distance until the second half.

Playing in a conference that is more talented from top to bottom than it has been in a long time — namely in the West — Florida cannot afford to beat themselves with inefficiency in a fundamental aspect of the game.

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