Gators fail to match talent
JACKSONVILLE – UF suffered a 36-17 loss to Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville. Check out the top three things we learned from the game:
Freddie Swain’s 36-yard touchdown catch was the only play longer than 20 yards for the Gators.
To catch the Bulldogs, Mullen and his staff must close the gap with Smart and Co. on the recruiting trail.
Georgia’s 2018 class ranked No. 1 in the nation. And Saturday, Smart did not even need his top recruit, quarterback Justin Fields.
The Bulldogs’ 2019 class is currently ranked fourth by 247Sports. UF is ranked No. 22.
Until Mullen improves the Gators’ explosiveness on offense, Smart’s Bulldogs are going to be tough to beat. on the Gators’ first offensive play. Mullen caught Georgia’s defense by surprise with a first-down flea-flicker. But Franks had too much flicker on the pass, overthrowing wide open Van Jefferson by several yards.
UF’s next series ended on an inexplicable interception by Franks directly into the arms of cornerback Tyrique McGhee. McGhee later stripped Franks of the football on the UF 1-yard line, with the Gators trailing 20-14.
A remarkable goal-line stand that lasted six plays limited the damage. But while Georgia continued to make plays during the fourth quarter, Franks could not rally the Gators, who managed just 68 yards on their final five drives.
Meanwhile, first-year freshman quarterback Emory Jones saw his first SEC action.
Jones had a couple of nice runs, including one for 12 yards, and made a nice throw down field that drew an interference call. Jones also fumbled on a thirddown option play when he ran into a Georgia defender, ending a UF drive.
One of the storylines leading up to Saturday was whether Fields would play for Georgia following Fromm’s struggles at LSU. Instead, Jones, who had been all but forgotten, got on the field, leading Mullen to throw some shade the Bulldogs’ way.
“I guess the talk all week was, one of the freshman quarterbacks was going to be in the game a lot,” Mullen said. “That was true, it was just ours.”
Jones did not create QB controversy with Franks — and Mullen maintained he will redshirt the 18-year-old. But Jones proved he deserved a bigger role, and likely will get one during the coming weeks.
UF’s five-game win streak ended Saturday as Mullen’s so-called “plan to win” fell flat.
The Gators entered the game with a plus-nine turnover margin, but were minus-three against the Bulldogs.
Florida has held its past three opponents to just 9 of 41 (21.95 percent) on third down. After going 5 of 14 at LSU, Georgia finished the day 8 of 14 against the Gators.
Georgia scored four times on third-down plays.
“The situational parts of the game, we can’t do that,” Mullen said. “Two of them we had blown coverages on. Just poor execution. As a team we gotta be much cleaner.”
The Gators’ pass rush also did little to impact Fromm, who picked apart the SEC’s top pass defense. UF entered the game with 21 sacks, but had just one against the Bulldogs.
For a rebuilding team with little margin for error, the Gators cannot afford letdowns in all these key areas going forward.