Hello Darkness my old friend……
……I’ve come to talk to you again. Another inept offensive performance, another instance of watching the defense wear out after being overworked, another ugly home loss and disappointed Swamp crowd. To his credit, I think the only person that saw through all of the early success and tried to temper the expectation of Gator Nation was Head Coach Jon Sumrall himself. He warned everyone that the O-line was a mess, that the QBs were inexperienced, and that a LOT of work had to be done – over time – to rebuild the football program. And, of course, the fan base got carried away by the big wins of September and now comes crashing back to earth like Charlie Brown after Lucy pulls the football away from him……again.
The Florida offense has epitomized this roller-coaster of a season, falling from Top 3 in the country after 4 games to a pitiful unit that can’t even do basic things well. The same bad penalties and terrible turnovers continued against Oklahoma, allowing a mediocre Sooner team to look competent and possibly salvage it’s season by plodding to a 23-7 win that even their fans know was mostly handed to them. Tramell Jones has had enough chances to show what he is, and it’s a poor passer who can’t read coverages and doesn’t protect the football. Yes, he’s shown toughness playing through injuries, but it’s time to switch back to Aaron Philo to do something – anything – to change the fortunes of the offense. Jaden Baugh never had a chance, and actually Duke Clark looked quicker and more decisive in his first action at RB in a month. Baugh has reverted to the east-west running style that he exhibited too often previously, and – frankly – it looks like he’s made the mental decision to protect himself for the Draft. The WRs can’t get open, which I believe is more an indictment of Buster Faulkner’s poor passing game scheme. Dallas Wilson and Eric Singleton are too talented to be easily shut down, and the excuse of losing VB3 rings hollow – this is big-boy football, and injuries happen. 133 yards passing is disgraceful at any level, and is a bad look for the offensive staff. The O-line was an embarrassment – again, and was pushed around all night. Starting Caden Jones at RT is just another example of why the OL that Billy Napier and Rob Sale recruited during their miserable stay in Gainesville was a complete bust. He immediately was called for 2 early penalties that killed the opening drive, and played poorly. OL Coach Phil Trautwein has to perform a complete flush of this unit, and has to play his recruits and overpay for portal starters for 2027. No consistency, and only 22 minutes time of possession – ridiculous. There are things happening with both individual players and with the game plan that are unpleasant and uncomfortable to discuss, but I’ve already touched upon some here and will in MUCH more depth as soon as the season mercifully ends. Oklahoma’s defense has some good talent and coaching, but Florida’s pitiful result is beyond the pale. If Faulkner can’t adjust and also present a modern passing scheme, then he has to go.
Similar to last week, the Gator defense played well enough to win most games – especially against a Sooner offense that just fired it’s OC and had been dreadful all season. No, the defense wasn’t perfect, especially early when DC Brad White for much of the first half got away from the aggressive style that had invigorated his unit recently. That allowed QB John Mateer to actually look decent, which was hard to watch as he’s been a massive disappointment. By the time White changed the scheme, it was already too late, as Oklahoma had 13 points, which, for this Gator offense, appears a mountain too big to climb. The Sooners had 4 new starters along the O-line due to injuries and poor performance, and Florida’s front seven couldn’t – or wasn’t allowed to – generate consistent pressure after playing so well against Texas and Georgia. This is one of the coaching issues I mentioned above that needs resolving. From the sour grapes department, it didn’t help that the referees ignored DE Jayden Woods being repeatedly held all night. The Gator defenders did what they could, but watching OU put together a 20(!)-play drive in the 4th quarter to score the TD that essentially ended the game at 20-7 was a bitter pill for those kids – and the fans – to swallow. Incredibly, Oklahoma held the ball for almost 38 minutes – unacceptable, and unprofessional coaching.
It’s difficult to see anything getting significantly better the last 3 games. Next up is a road trip to Kentucky to play an improved Wildcat team that has embarrassed Florida 4 of the past 5 years, and it may be more of the same unless Sumrall shakes up BOTH the roster AND some of the coaching schemes. In my opinion it’s never too late to make some changes and swing for the fences when things are going badly, no matter how late it is in the season. But not all – or enough – coaches are willing to do that. We’ll see soon enough.