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Inside the Numbers: Gators’ turnover margin key to their success
By Drew Laing
Published:
Florida seems to have turned a corner in recent weeks thanks to the life brought on by new starting quarterback and true freshman Treon Harris. The Gators still remain in the SEC East title hunt, but it’ll take some outside help at this point.
Before Florida’s upcoming matchup and SEC finale against South Carolina, let’s take a look at some of Florida’s best and worst numbers.
The Good
1: one yard difference. The Gators threw for 215 yards and ran for 214 yards against Vanderbilt. Talk about balance! The Florida coaches have been looking to have a balanced offense all season and it seems they finally achieved it against the ‘Dores.
72: points scored since switching to Treon Harris. The Gators offense, albeit one-dimensional against Georgia, has been effective since the quarterback change. The 72 points scored in the last two games exceeds the combined point total of the Gators’ four games prior to making Harris the full-time starter.
1: turnover in last two weeks. The Gators sit at a turnover margin on plus-4 during their two-game winning streak. Under Muschamp, Florida is 24-4 when it wins the turnover battle, compared to just 3-15 when the Gators lose it.
The Bad
2,588: passing yards by Dylan Thompson. USC has struggled this season, but the Gamecocks quarterback is on pace for setting school records in passing yardage and touchdowns. His 2,588 passing yards currently places him second in the conference, but he will surpass the No. 1 spot Kenny Hill, who has lost his starting job.
10: penalties last week. Florida seemed to have solved its propensity for committing penalties this season, but last week’s performance against Vanderbilt proved old habits die hard. The Gators committed 10 penalties for 82 yards, the highest numbers of the season since the season-opener against Eastern Michigan.
3: combined losses for Georgia and Missouri. In order for Florida to win the SEC East, the Gators must win Saturday but will need serious outside help. Georgia must lose to Auburn and Missouri will need to lose two of its three remaining games with one of those losses coming against Tennessee.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
