Upon Further Review: Gators' overtime touchdown after controversial no call
It’s been two days since the Florida Gators’ SEC-opener against the Kentucky Wildcats and I’m not sure if Florida fans have caught their breath just yet.
The Gators pulled out a close victory against in three overtimes against the Wildcats, thanks to an outstanding performance by sophomore wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound wideout hauled in 15 receptions for 216 yards and two touchdowns. So it’s not surprising that Robinson was heavily involved in the play of the game for the Gators.
Before we break it down, here’s the play below:
What sticks out initially about this play is the on-field chaos prior to the actual play. You can see quarterback Jeff Driskel’s reaction with about 10 seconds left on the play clock – he still doesn’t know what play to run. Quickly, he scrambles to the line of scrimmage, yelling instructions to his receivers and offensive line.
After even more confusion, wide receiver Latroy Pittman runs across the formation to get set in the right position and Driskel gets the ball off before a possible delay of game call. That’s where Robinson comes in.
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Robinson lines up in the left-side slot position, matched up with Kentucky senior safety Ashely Lowery. The UK safety backs off of Robinson, giving him about five yards to operate. At the same time, Florida tight end Clay Burton runs an in-route at about the same time as Robinson begins his stutter step. This creates a near accidental jam between Lowery and cornerback Cody Quinn.
As Robinson makes his move, Lowery freezes for about half a second. Lowery’s momentary lapse gives Robinson just enough separation, thanks to his elite athleticism. Give credit to Driskel as well. The redshirt junior quarterback throws arguably his best pass of the night, hitting Robinson in stride on a perfect fade route for six points to help tie the game in the first overtime.
Robinson has proven in his first two games he’s got the talent to be one of the best receivers in the conference. It’s a play like this from Robinson that should have Florida fans so excited about the Gators’ offense. The sophomore has it all – speed, athleticism, high football IQ and good route running skills. He’s a player Florida has lacked on offense for quite some time now, so I highly doubt this is the last time we’ll be talking about a game-changing moment from the Gators’ playmaking wideout this season.