Teams all across the country struggled in Week 1, and very few teams not called Alabama looked very sharp at all. This makes Florida’s comfortable 35-14 win over Florida Atlantic seem comparably solid, but it’s still clear that Florida has a lot to work on, at least on offense, to avoid a step back in 2021.
The run game looked the best it has under coach Dan Mullen, but starting quarterback Emory Jones was not very sharp through the air, throwing two interceptions and missing some passes.
Florida rose from No. 11 to No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, but it remained at No. 13 in the AP Top 25. CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd concurred with the latter in his college football power rankings, ranking the Gators 13th, as well.
One game, and we already have a quarterback controversy. Redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson may have outplayed redshirt junior Emory Jones in any easy win over FAU. Dan Mullen is sticking with Jones, but is Jones sticking with Jones? “I don’t feel that good about [my first start], honestly,” he said.
While Dodd is right that Jones struggled, Mullen reiterated several times after the game that he will remain the starter moving forward. However, with the success Richardson had, it’s likely that he will see his on-field role expand in the following weeks.
Florida has another tune-up game against South Florida on Saturday before it returns to Gainesville for the big one — a home matchup with No. 1 Alabama. UF will need to be much sharper if it wants to even have a chance in that one.
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