Seniors ignite pass-1st offense
RB, 4 receivers assume crucial roles in overhaul of attack under Mullen
UF FOOTBALL
GAINESVILLE — The Gators lined up five wide on the first snap of the game.
With senior wide receivers Freddie Swain, Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland and Josh Hammond and senior running back Lamical Perine all on the field at the same time, Florida allowed the pregame Senior Night celebration to continue after kickoff against Florida State on Saturday.
Two of the seniors scored touchdowns during No. 11 UF’s 40-17 win over rival FSU. But all five of them were integral in the Gators’ offensive shift to becoming a passfirst team this season.
“It just shows that we’re going with our strengths,” Hammond said. “We’ve been successful passing the ball a lot this year and we’ve been kind of sticking with it and running with it.”
The last time UF played FSU, the Gators ran the ball 25 more times than they threw and had more yards on the ground than in the air. A year later, that play-calling was flipped. The Gators passed 48 times, ran 25 times, nearly topped 400 passing yards and didn’t break 100 rushing yards in the victory.
Much of that shift is to quarterback Kyle Trask’s credit, as coach Dan Mullen catered to his new quarterback’s strengths. But the seniors helped make the transition seamless.
“I think they mean a lot to this team,” Trask said of the senior receivers. “A lot of those guys I came in with and it’s kind of a very humbling experience just to know that this is their last game in the Swamp and it made me cherish every single moment.”
During Florida’s first drive of the game, Trask hit Swain on a screen to his right. Swain found a hole and broke through for a 19-yard touchdown to start the scoring.
He later scored on another outside pass from Trask from 23 yards out. He had two guys to beat and a narrow gap with the sideline as an added defender and still beat them both.
Swain ended his senior night early, exiting in the third quarter with a knee injury, but he finished with five catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Mullen said he would be healthy for the team’s bowl game.
Jefferson joined the scoring party with a 13-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone and ended his final game in the
Swamp with five catches for 48 yards.
In the second half, quarterback Emory Jones hit Jefferson in the end zone for the wide receiver’s second touchdown grab.
With Swain and Jefferson both scoring before halftime, it appeared all five senior skill players on offense could find the end zone, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Still, Perine had 58 total yards of offense on an array of rushes and receptions. Cleveland, who snagged a pair of first-down grabs back-to-back in the first quarter, finished with four catches for 44 yards and came close to returning a kickoff for a touchdown. Hammond added three catches for 39 yards.
Cleveland said getting the ball to him and his four senior teammates was the plan going into the game.
“You have four senior receivers, so coach Mullen just wanted to throw the ball around to us and let us make plays,” he said. “It looked good out there.”
The five seniors went out to the tune of 256 yards and four scores and helped usher in an offensive revolution not seen in recent Gators history.
“Those are guys that are all going to have the opportunity to play football at the next level because they understand stats are less important than how hard you play and your performance on the field,” Mullen said.