Well, how about that?! Once again, it took being on the brink of being fired for Billy Napier to finally do what Gator Nation has been begging and pleading for most of 43 games.
Florida came out fast and aggressive on offense. The O-line fired off the ball and allowed Jaden Baugh and Duke Clark to combine for 159 yards rushing. Clark showed some burst inside and filled in admirably for the injured Ja’Kobi Jackson. Baugh had 27 touches and kept the Longhorn defense honest – that formula needs to be followed every game. DJ Lagway was allowed to throw to all 3 levels, including some deep shots and back shoulder throws – things that we see from every other school in the country every week. It’s plainly obvious at this point that the best two Gator WRs are both true freshmen – Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson. Wilson introduced himself to the nation with some dazzling receptions and runs after the catch. He made a great catch on a fade route, high-pointing the ball and keeping both feet in bounds. He followed that 2 plays later with an excellent slant route in the red zone and snatching a high throw for a TD and a 17-7 lead. Then he made the play of the game – beating single coverage to collect a deep pass, then breaking the tackles of two DBs to fight into the end zone to complete a 55-yard TD to stretch the lead to 29-14. With his size and speed, he reminds me a lot of Jeremiah Smith at Ohio St. All by himself he gave Lagway and the other receivers more room to operate, and is now an immediate threat to any defense. The O-line still struggles in pass protection – especially whomever plays RT. This is problematic with a hobbled Lagway, who could barely jog on and off the field and is no longer a running threat. His entire right leg was wrapped, and he was essentially a statue in the pocket and can’t escape pressure. Overall, it was the best performance since last year’s win over Ole Miss.
As good as the offense looked, the Gator defense did more than it’s part by dominating the LOS all afternoon. Texas was never able to establish a running game, less scrambles by Arch Manning when the defense failed to keep a spy on him, and the Longhorns finished with only 52 yards rushing. Florida recorded 6 sacks and harassed Manning the entire game while punishing him with hits as he threw. Despite dealing with multiple injuries and some absences within the interior D-line, the rotation of Jamari Lyons, Brendan Bett, Michael Boireau, little-used Brien Taylor, and freshman Jeramiah McCloud held up well. Boireau was especially effective, getting penetration up the middle most of the game and disrupting plays. DC Ron Roberts did a nice job of mixing up blitz packages, including using CB Devon Moore, who picked up a sack in the 4th quarter to go along with an interception. All was not perfect, however. There were some issues with pass coverage in the secondary. Cormani McClain was targeted all game and struggled badly, giving up many long completions and a TD. The safeties were slow to react to some deep throws and busted some coverages, and were bailed out by overthrown passes. Give credit to a solid group of Longhorn WRs, but this has to improve.
Florida’s special teams played well. Trey Smack looked smooth, making 2 long-range FGs and forcing a touchback on every kickoff. Kick coverage was solid, and Brown showed good judgement by not fielding 2 punts inside the 5-yard line – both bounced into the endzone for a touchback and better field position. The one area that underperformed was punter Tommy Doman. He shanked a few punts – again – and didn’t get the ball to turn over on others. He has to improve for the continued tough stretch of upcoming games.
The Swamp was alive, and props to the crowd, who were loud and supportive despite the status of Napier. It also helps when your offense is given a modern game plan and can keep the fans excited – what a novel concept! Once Texas was forced into becoming one-dimensional with no running game, the noise affected their O-line, causing multiple false start penalties. There were a LOT of Texas fans there, and they learned first-hand why The Swamp is perhaps the toughest place to play in the country when the Gators are playing well.
No time for the Gators to rest on their laurels. It’s on to College Station to face another Top 10 opponent in Texas A&M. There is still plenty to improve upon, but the biggest question is……will the offensive coaching and playcalling remain aggressive next week and for the rest of the season? Napier has notoriously gone back into his shell after a single good performance, but his tenuous hold on his job may finally force him to stay the course.