Jon Sumrall critical of Florida’s defense despite Week 1 rout of FAU
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Jon Sumrall is 1-0 as Florida‘s head coach as the Gators breezed past FAU 66-21 on Saturday in Week 1.
That’s not to say he was completely satisfied with what he saw.
Florida put up 624 yards of total offense, including 281 yards on the ground. Aaron Philo threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while adding a fourth on the ground. Notably, the Gators only committed three penalties.
What frustrated Sumrall, though, was the fact that his team gave up 396 yards on its own. Though the Owls managed just 120 yards on 37 carries, Caden Veltkamp nearly hit the 300-yard plateau. Kelby Valsin was FAU’s leading receiver with 10 catches for 92 yards.
If Jon Sumrall‘s comments after the game are an indication, it’s going to be an interesting week in the Gators’ film room.
“Our defense was atrocious at times, quite honestly… I don’t think we’re as good as we think we are,” Sumrall said, according to Gators Illustrated’s Cam Parker.
The good news for Florida is that it’s only Week 1. On top of that, Week 2 shouldn’t (on paper) give the Gators much heartburn, either. They’ll host Campbell at the Swamp on Sept. 12 for a 5:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
