Franks shows his strength
UF quarterback was among stars of opener
Check out three things we learned during the Gators’ 53-6 win over Charleston Southern Saturday. Franks was benched against the Wildcats and watched Luke Del Rio lead the Gators’ 28-27 comeback win.
Meanwhile, first-year freshman Emory Jones is considered the kind of dualthreat QB suited to Mullen’s scheme. One of the popular theories this offseason was Jones would be given a package or two and eventually might get a shot at the starting job this season.
On Saturday night, Jones showed how far he has to go, fumbling twice and taking a sack to finish with minus-7 rushing yards.
Franks, on the other hand, showed how far he has come since a season ago when he was a wide-eyed mistake-prone redshirt freshman. Now he has to show he can do it against better competition. the game because the Buccaneers were overmatched and undermanned at almost every position.
Here’s all you need to know: The Buccaneers’ two defensive ends both weigh less than 225 pounds and were going head-to-head with two Florida offensive tackles who each weigh more than 300 pounds.
The Gators will take a step up in competition next week in the SEC opener against Kentucky. Two weeks later, UF will begin a two-week stretch at Tennessee and Mississippi State.
By the end, the Gators’ win Saturday night could be a distant memory.
The Gators blocked three kicks during the past three seasons. Against Charleston Southern, UF blocked two.
Mullen called his team’s blocked field goal at the end of the first half the play of the game.
“If I’m proud of one play in the game, it’s the blocked field goal before the half,” Mullen said. “We gave up a long run, it’s right before halftime, but we continue to play hard.”
UF did give up a 48-yard kickoff return that concerned Mullen. Punt coverage is a work in progress.
But UF first-year freshman Evan McPherson made it clear to his head coach he can handle the place-kicking duties. He connected on field goals of 21 and 31 yards and handled kickoff duties.
“He was rock-solid,” Mullen said. “I even tried to make him nervous, say some different things to him and that didn’t work. He looked pretty sharp.”
And both of Tommy Townsend’s punts ended up inside the 20-yard line, including a 53-yarder.
Replacing Townsend’s brother, two-time NCAA punting leader Johnny, and kicker Eddy Piñeiro was a big key to the season. So far, so good.