Season of surprises for Gators
Florida has found running game but hasn’t hit stride.
GAINESVILLE — The Florida Gators are 3-3 heading into their bye week.
After a three-game stretch during which it looked like the Gators would always find a way to pull out wins late, the luck ran out with consecutive losses to LSU and Texas A&M.
There have been highlights and lowlights throughout the six-game stretch to open the season. Here are five of the bigger surprises:
The Gators finally established the run game ...
Florida’s rushing offense was virtually non-existent in coach Jim McElwain’s first two seasons, with the Gators ranking in the bottom two of the conference both seasons.
It has changed for the better in 2017.
After a dismal performance in the season-opener against Michigan, Florida has averaged 201.6 rushing yards over the past five games. That mark would rank 32nd nationally and sixth in the SEC if the performance against the Wolverines wasn’t included.
And Florida is accomplishing this without junior Jordan Scarlett, the team’s starter from last season who is one of nine players indefinitely suspended while being investigated for credit card fraud.
Instead, it has been the combination of freshman Malik Davis and sophomore Lamical Perine carrying the load.
Davis is averaging a teambest 84.33 yards per game and is the only freshman in the SEC with three runs of at least 30 yards. Perine has scored six rushing touchdowns in the past three games.
Even with production from the run game, Florida’s offense still hasn’t been able to turn the corner.
The Gators are ranked 10th in the SEC in total offense (351.2 yards/game, 106th nationally), 12th in scoring offense (23.7 points/game, 97th nationally) and last in third-down conversions (33.3 percent, 103rd nationally).
These struggles stem from Florida’s inability to get something — anything — going in the passing game with redshirt Feleipe Franks at the helm. Outside of two plays — the game-winning touchdown pass to Tyrie Cleveland as time expired against Tennessee and his blistering 79-yard run against Texas A&M — Franks has underwhelmed halfway into his first season as a starter.
He is averaging 132.3 passing yards per game (99th nationally), has three passing touchdowns to three interceptions, was benched in the second half of two games and regained the starting job midway through the game against Vanderbilt only after Luke Del Rio suffered a season-ending collarbone injury.
Where did the fourth-quarter magic go?
Four weeks into the season, when Florida was sitting pretty at 3-1 and undefeated in conference play, it looked like the Gators would just continue to find ways to win games late.
Just look at how those three wins finished:
Since then, the magic has quickly run out. In home losses to LSU and Texas A&M the past two weeks, the Gators have totaled just 64 yards on six fourth-quarter drives.
The defense has held its own despite youth
The defense was expecteded to experience a drop-off after losing eight key players to the NFL. The season-ending injury to fifth-year senior safety Marcell Harris added yet another challenge for an already young corps.
But as the season progressed, Florida’s defense is showing it can hold its own.
The Gators have held three of five SEC opponents to less than 20 points and have held four of five below their season average.
The defensive line — Florida’s most veteran group — has paved the way to help the Gators rank third in the conference in tackles for loss per game (6.83).
An underclassman-heavy secondary is starting to turn the corner as well. Senior Duke Dawson paces the group with nine defended passes (seven breakups, two interceptions) while playing both outside corner and nickel, but the freshman duo of Marco Wilson and C.J. Henderson has held its ground l.
On special teams, kicker Eddy Pineiro has attempted only seven field goals this season. None of them have been longer than 50 yards. Since the Tennessee game, Pineiro hasn’t had the opportunity to kick a field goal longer than 30 yards — his kicks since then have been from 21, 25 and 29. Hard to believe for a kicker who went 20 for 25 last season.