5 biggest takeaways: Gators click on all cylinders in rout over Eastern Michigan

The offense and defense shined in the Gators’ season-opening blowout against Eastern Michigan. Florida pitches a 65-0 shutout in the debut of Kurt Roper as the new offensive coordinator.

Here’s five takeaways from Florida’s victory, which snapped a seven-game losing streak.

Clay Burton can flourish as starting TE – In the wake of Jake McGee’s season-ending injury, Clay Burton will now be looked upon as the primary TE target for quarterback Jeff Driskel. Burton did get the start today, but it was McGee that was considered the better pass catcher and someone who figured to be a big part of Roper’s offense. In McGee’s absence, Burton shined against Eastern Michigan, catching seven receptions for 42 yards. He won’t be a guy that picks up a lot of yards, but the seven receptions is an encouraging sign. If he can develop into one of Driskel’s most reliable targets, it will certainly lessen the blow of losing a player like McGee for the entire season.

RELATED: Will Muschamp speaks about Jake McGee’s season-ending injury

Gators deep at running back – If there was a star position group for the Gators this afternoon, it was easily the running backs. Combining for 215 yards, Matt Jones, Kelvin Taylor, Mack Brown and Brandon Powell all saw significant playing time. Jones, Taylor and Powell all reached the end zone with the first two scores coming on a pair of runs from Jones and Taylor straight through the middle of the Eastern Michigan defense. If the Gators are to make a run this season, they’ll need to lean heavily on the production of their running backs. The more depth they have, the more dangerous and fresh they can be towards the end of the season.

Kurt Roper will make Jeff Driskel pass…a lot – All eyes were on the new Florida offense under offensive coordinator Kurt Roper. If anything was evident from today’s game, it’s that Driskel will be slinging the ball all around the field. The redshirt junior quarterback attempted 45 passes, 12 more than his career-high of 33 attempts, which came against Miami in 2013. He finished with 248 passing yards and one touchdown. Driskel didn’t take too many shots down the field, but mainly stuck with shorter passes, including several screens and five-yard out routes. He looked sharp in just his first game back from injury.

Florida’s defense looked very strong – Per usual with a Will Muschamp team, the defense looked real strong. Florida’s front seven dominated as guys like Dante Fowler, Neiron Ball, Leon Orr, Alex McAlister and others were practically living in the backfield. The constant pressure really flustered the EMU’s quarterbacks. With an unproven secondary, an effective pass rush will really help the younger defensive backs make some plays down the field.

Demarcus Robinson is the real deal – Because of his off-the-field issues, Demarcus Robinson had yet to really show what he could do for the Gators. Today’s performance gave fans a glimpse of what they can expect from the sophomore. Robinson exploded for six receptions, 123 yards and a touchdown. He showed strength, speed, elusiveness and athleticism and separated himself as one of the biggest playmakers for the Florida offense.

Drew Laing

Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.