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Florida struggled a bit to find success on the ground on Saturday. Just 90 of the team’s 402 yards of offense came in the rushing game.
But one back in particular is, a bit surprisingly, standing out through the first three games.
Redshirt freshman running back Nay’Quan Wright led the Gators in rushing on Saturday with six carries for 31 yards and UF’s only touchdown on the ground all game.
At his press conference on Monday, coach Dan Mullen said that Wright, who already has more yards than he did a year ago, has become a key part of the Florida offense.
“He’s a guy that, since he’s been here, takes care of his business every day,” he said. “Very quiet, not the loudest guy out there, extremely intelligent football player. I think you can see that not just with his talent but with the plays that he makes. His reads, his patience running the ball, understanding the system, how to run routes, he’s got great hands coming out of the backfield.”
In the first two games, backs Dameon Pierce and Malik Davis saw the bulk of the carries. But Mullen said that having a wide running back rotation makes it very difficult for opposing defenses to prepare for the Gators’ offensive attack.
“I think we have several guys that can contribute and do different things and bring little different styles to the game, that work hard and deserve those touches,” Mullen said. “I also think when you put different people in, plays hit a little different. I always say that. Plays hit a little differently depending on what backs are in the game. We’re not running different plays, but they kind of fit and hit differently and the same with guys running routes and how defenses want to match up with those people are different.”
UF will hope it can exploit some of those mismatches moving forward to balance out its offensive game plan, which has been overwhelmingly pass-first in the first three games.
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