Florida coach Jim McElwain has embraced his squad’s campaign for a playoff a bid, calling the Gators a team on a “championship run.” If UF plans to make this run about more than an SEC East championship, it’s time for RB Kelvin Taylor to put the team on his back.
There have been occasional flashes from freshman Jordan Scarlett (30 carries, 167 yards, TD), and fellow rookie Jordan Cronkrite (35 carries, 128 yards, 3 TD) had the most touchdowns against South Carolina.
But the junior Taylor is without a doubt the team’s top running back. When the Gators need a tough yard or two, especially around the goal line, they turn to Taylor, who has a career-high 12 touchdowns on the year. In the next three games that will decide the Gators’ bowl fate, Taylor will need to excel in his more natural role of gaining yards on early downs.
In UF’s 24-14 win over South Carolina, Taylor’s year was summed up perfectly by his 20-carry, 105-yard game. For much of the game, Taylor was getting stuffed by USC’s No. 104-ranked run defense, as evidenced by his first 16 carries that went for just 47 yards, an average of 2.9 yards per carry. On his 17th carry, Taylor broke loose for 53 yards, converting a crucial third-and-8 and setting up a touchdown that would seal the deal on his 18th carry.
Much of Taylor’s junior season (191 carries, 736 yards, 12 TD) has consisted of getting taken down near the line, converting short yardage situations and breaking off a few runs of 40-plus yards. The Gators need Taylor to pick up more gains of 10–to-20 yards that keep them on the field for sustained drives. If the UF offense led by QB Treon Harris isn’t going to frequently light up the scoreboard – and it hasn’t – the most effective strategy for McElwain’s team is to control the clock and keep the opposing offense off the field.
Every running back needs help from his blockers up front, and Taylor is no exception. At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Taylor isn’t going to run over linebackers or break many defensive linemen’s tackles. When he can get into the open field, however, Taylor has shown he has the vision and footwork to make defensive backs miss.
Make no mistake, the Gators might not have defeated the Gamecocks, who trailed by only three points and had all the momentum, without Taylor’s 53-yard run. With Florida State and the SEC West champion looming on the schedule, though, Florida would prefer to spread those 50-plus yards out over five 10-yard runs and stay on the field.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
