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The Gators’ 642 yards of offense in Week 1 led the SEC. They had the best rushing offense in Week 1 and the second-best passing offense, behind just Mississippi State’s air raid debut under Mike Leach.
And still, there are a number of areas where miscues limited the offense from being even more successful. Considering Florida’s performance on Saturday set a number of school records for a conference game, that’s a scary thought.
| CATEGORY | STAT | SEC RANK |
|---|---|---|
|
Total yards
|
642
|
1
|
|
Yards per play
|
8.68
|
1
|
|
Rushing yards
|
196
|
1
|
|
Yards per carry
|
6.76
|
2
|
|
Passing yards
|
446
|
2
|
|
Yards per attempt
|
9.9
|
3
|
|
Points per game
|
51
|
1
|
|
Third-down conversions
|
60%
|
4
|
G. Allan Taylor from The Athletic took a look at several of these areas, demonstrating several examples of plays that Florida could execute at a higher level.
In the third quarter, he patted the ball in the pocket for four seconds before a Rebels linebacker forced a fumble that Florida recovered. That play became an emphasis for quarterbacks coach and newly promoted offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who wants his guys “making sure we’re really aware in the pocket of where bodies are, and making sure we’re sliding with great ball security.”
Moments later, (Kyle) Trask forced a slant pass to freshman Xzavier Henderson. The ball was nearly intercepted by a diving defender who gambled by peeling off Trent Whittemore in the flat. Had Trask noticed and flipped the throw into the flat, Whittemore could’ve run to Itta Bena.
“That’s just on me — I just got to get through my progression,” Trask said. “They were rotating away from the slant, so I was expecting it to be there. But they did a good job of closing down the hole, and I just gotta see it and get it to the flat next time.”
Whittemore later lined up in the slot and beat the safety on a third-and-goal corner route, but Trask’s throw took the catch out of bounds. “If he would’ve thrown that ball a little quicker to Trent Whittemore, he would have had seven (touchdowns),” Mullen said.
It’s hard to be too critical of an offense that surpassed 600 yards and scored six touchdowns through the air. Trask looked the best he has in a Florida uniform, and his chemistry with tight end Kyle Pitts, one of the most dominant players in the country, is the best it’s ever been.
If the Gators can clean up in these areas ahead of their home opener against a South Carolina team coming off a loss to Tennessee, it could win big on Saturday.
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