GATORS’ OFFENSE FADES
UF offense can’t score to counter Texas A&M rally, leading to a loss
GAINESVILLE — Florida debuted new uniforms that were supposed to mimic an alligator’s ability to camouflage itself. Unfortunately, it worked too well as the Gators’ offense disappeared in the second half of a critcal game.
Kellen Mond accounted for 232 yards and a touchdown and Daniel LaCamera booted four field goals, including a 32-yarder in the final minute, to help Texas A&M (5-2, 3-1 SEC) rally for a come-from-behind 19-17 win over Florida in the Swamp Saturday.
It was the Gators’ (3-3, 3-2) second consecutive home loss after falling 17-16 to LSU a week ago.
Florida took its opening possession of the game and put together a 13-play, 63-yard drive that took more than five minutes off the clock and ended with a 29-yard field goal by Eddy Piñeiro.
Texas A&M tied the game a little later in the first quarter thanks to a seven-play, 38-yard drive highlighted by a 30-yard pass by Mond to Damion Ratley on a thirdand-eight. The Aggies would wind up with a 46-yard field goal by Daniel LaCamera to tie it up with 2:08 left in the first quarter.
Both teams traded turnovers at the top half of the second quarter: Feleipe Franks tried to thread the needle on a 41-yard pass into the end zone, but the pass was picked off by Texas A&M safety Armani Watts.
On the very next play, Mond’s deep throw was picked off by safety Jeawon Taylor. It was Taylor’s first interception of the season and the first turnovers by both teams.
On Florida’s next drive, McElwain rolled the dice on a fourth-and-one at the Texas A&M 17-yard-line with 2:04 left in the first half that set up a 15-yard touchdown run by Lamical Perine, who carried several Aggies defenders with him into the end zone to give the Gators a 10-3 lead that they would take into halftime.
It was the eighth time in 11 attempts UF converted on fourth down this season.
Texas A&M had more punts (6) than first downs (2) in the first half.
Mond took it upon himself to jumpstart the Texas A&M offense in the second half.
During the team’s opening drive after intermission, which began on its own 45-yard line, the freshman quarterback connected with Camron Buckley for a 33-yard completion — the longest play of the day for the Aggies.
Two plays later, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Mond eluded the Gators’ rush and scrambled 18 yards down to the Florida nine-yard line. He took the ball into the end zone on the next play, tying the game at 10 with 11:12 in the third quarter.
Florida continued to
deservedly so, but all coordinators are attached at the hip to their quarterback.
Tag, Feleipe Franks, you’re it.
Everybody has a learning curve. Franks is a redshirt-freshman with only four college starts, had been benched and was starting again because Luke Del Rio suffered a season-ending collarbone injury. Franks came to Gainesville with solid credentials, as a national top-60 prospect overall in the 2016 recruiting class.
Grade so far: Big incomplete, followed by a question mark. A BIG one, as in throwing for only 129 yards and two interceptions.
“Just because Feleipe was a four-star recruit doesn’t mean he’ll pan out,” former Florida quarterback Shane Matthews said Monday on his daily radio show on ESPN 98.1 FM (850 AM WRUF) in Gainesville. “Nothing against the kid, but I don’t know. We haven’t seen enough. I don’t know if we will see struggle on offense as Texas A&M applied relentless pressure most of the night.
The Aggies entered Saturday’s showdown as the SEC leaders in sacks (23.0) and they added to that total after knocking Franks down five times.
However, Franks managed to escape the rush on a crucial 79-yard run at the end of the third quarter that set up Florida’s final score. Receiver Dre Massey cut the corner on the ride side and scampered in for a sixyard score. It was the first rushing touchdown of his career.
Franks finished with a career-high 86 yards on the ground.
Mond and the Aggies, however, were not done. They drove 45 yards to the Florida 20-yard line, but costly penalties forced Texas A&M to settle for a 43-yard field goal by LaCamera that cut UF’s lead to 17-13.
Mond got another chance to come up big for the Aggies, this time connecting with Ratley for a 42-yard completion that took Texas A&M down to the Florida 22. But once again, the Gators’ defense would bend but not break allowing just another LaCamera field goal that cut the lead to 17-16 with 7:37 left.
UF needed an extended drive to hold off Texas A&M, but the Gators couldn’t move the ball when it mattered most. it.”
Success in college can have as much to do with the system as ability. Matthews was once buried on the depth chart after he was signed by Galen Hall but flourished as a starter when Spurrier took over.
The problem is that the new kids in town aren’t getting it. Not Del Rio. Not Franks. Not graduate transfer Malik Zaire, expected to compete for playing time after coming over from Notre Dame. So far he’s only earned a few desperation snaps against Michigan in the opener. Digging back further, Treon Harris disappointed in 2015. Only Will Grier, who transferred after off-the-field transgressions involving using a banned substance, has shown strong promise at the college level playing for West Virginia.
New funky unis. And the same ’ol offensive struggles.
They seem destined to drag on, whether Clarabelle is taking snaps or watching from the dog house.