Florida’s 27-2 loss to Florida State was hardly the kind of performance the Gators needed to put together before playing for the SEC title this Saturday. The Gators’ glaring deficiencies in several key areas — mainly at quarterback, on the offensive line and in the kicking game — were an issue over the last three games, and each of them was only magnified by the Seminoles.

5 TAKEAWAYS

  1. Florida offense is in full regression: Over its last four games, Florida’s offense has become more and more conservative. Quarterback Treon Harris only averaged 3.5 yards per pass attempt in Saturday’s game, going 19-for-38 for just 134 yards. Harris routinely threw short to the flats, over the middle and to the side for quick screens with the ball hardly ever traveling more than five yards. That was most likely by design, which shows the complete lack of confidence that the coaching staff has in Harris. Meanwhile, Kelvin Taylor had a decent day running the ball with 5.7 yards per carry while going for 136 yards, but the ground game wasn’t consistent enough to string together long drives. Basically, the same thing everyone saw the previous three games continued for a fourth.
  2. The Gators can’t kick: Austin Hardin went 0-for-2 kicking field goals, depriving Florida of any chance to actually capitalize on the few times the offense did put together decent drives. Hardin missed a 51-yarder and somehow got a 37-yarder blocked after kicking it too low. The struggles in the kicking game prevented the offense from building any confidence, and in turn, it put more pressure on the unit to get in the end zone. On one particular drive near the end of the first quarter and the score tied 0-0, Florida went for it on fourth-and-2 from FSU’s 20-yard line. A team with a defense has stellar as the Gators have would’ve kicked a 37-yarder to take a 3-0 lead. However, we all saw how the aforementioned 37-yard attempt turned out later in the game.
  3. The magic disappeared: Florida seemingly always managed to get the big plays when it needed them throughout the season like it did against teams like Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Florida Atlantic. Not this time. There were two particular plays that could’ve changed the nature of the game late. With about nine minutes left, a CeCe Jefferson sack forced QB Sean Maguire to fumble from FSU’s 16-yard line. Neither team could come up with it as the ball eventually rolled all the way into the end zone, but Maguire recovered it himself in the end zone, giving up a safety instead of a touchdown that would’ve made it a 13-7 game. Later, a long punt return deep into FSU territory by Valdez showers was negated by a block in the back penalty. Those were just a couple of plays that didn’t go Florida’s way.
  4. The defense is doing it alone: Too much has been placed on the shoulders of the Gators’ defense, and that takes a toll at some point. Despite the typical disappointing performance from the offense, Florida was still outgunning Florida State in total offense for much of the game, something many may have overlooked during the game. Even the final box score shows the Seminoles only gaining 42 more yards than the Gators. Stud RB Dalvin Cook was held in check for much of the game until the unit started to tire out in the fourth quarter, but that’s to be expected. Once again, the defense had an impressive performance in spite of its offense.
  5. UF in danger of disastrous finish: With the way Florida is playing, it will be a huge underdog against Alabama this Saturday, and the Gators will likely be the underdog in whatever bowl game they play in. UF is staring at a potential three-game losing streak that would somewhat put a damper on Jim McElwain’s memorable first season as coach.

REPORT CARD

Offense: (F) – I was prepared to give an “F-” even though there’s no such thing. There wasn’t when I was attending classes anyway, but Taylor’s 136 rushing yards and 5.7 yards per rush on 24 carries saved it from the dubious grade, but I couldn’t give the unit anything better than a “F.” The Gators managed just 3.3 yards per play, by far their lowest mark of the season in a game where they were facing an arch-rival with a spot in the playoff on the line.

Defense: (A) – Florida’s defense held Florida State to just 304 yards, their third-lowest output of the season. If it wasn’t for the defense, the Gators would’ve been shut out for the first time since 1988.

Special Teams: (F) – Austin Hardin missed both of his field goal attempts, the kick returners only averaged 18.0 yards per return and the punt returners only averaged 4.0 yards. The only thing the unit did do well was hold FSU to 0 yards on 3 punt returns.

Coaching: (C-) – The game plan was obviously to get Harris to make a lot of quick-release throws to mask his lack of pocket awareness and the offensive line’s inability to protect the quarterback. It didn’t work as Harris was sacked 4 times. It may not have been a bad idea to bench Harris and see what redshirt senior Josh Grady had to offer, but McElwain more than likely didn’t want to damage Harris’ confidence even further before facing Alabama. Still, one has to wonder if a few more well-designed plays could’ve made a difference in a tight ball game, but it seems evident that McElwain and his staff are completely limited with what they can call offensively.

Overall: (D-) – If it wasn’t for the valiant performance of the defense before getting gassed at the end of the game, this grade would easily be an “F.” The Gators struggled in every other phase of the game.

GAME BALLS

  • RB Kelvin Taylor: The junior rushed 24 times for 136 yards, the second-best rushing total of his career. He was the only reliable option Florida’s offense had all night.
  • Safeties Keanu Neal and Marcus Maye: These players were incredible for the Gators on Saturday. Neal was tied for the team lead with 9 tackles, including a sack, and was all over the field making big hits. The same can be said for Maye, who finished with seven tackles and a team-high 3 pass breakups.

INJURY UPDATE

  • RB Kelvin Taylor and WR Antonio Callaway were shaken up with injuries during the game but returned to action.