Five takeaways from Florida’s season-ending loss to Florida State
Florida had multiple chances to win the regular season finale against Florida State on Saturday, but the Gators shot themselves in the foot every time they had a chance to bury the Seminoles.
There is little doubt that injuries impacted this game, but it was penalty troubles that kept Florida from getting a chance to win it at the end of the game.
Max Brown looked good early but failed to impress after the first quarter. Ricky Pearsall fell short of 1,000 yards despite entering the game just 52 yards away from the goal. Florida hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver in two decades (and counting).
Year 2 of Florida football under Billy Napier is now in the books, and the team has taken a step back from the 6-7 finish it saw over each of the last two seasons.
Here’s what we learned about the team in Saturday’s loss.
Max Brown still has work to do
Max Brown stepped into the starting quarterback role for Florida with Graham Mertz injured, but it’s safe to say that No. 15’s job is safe if he decides to come back for another year.
Brown is capable of making some tight throws. He proved that today. But, he finished the night with just 86 yards and an interception on 9-of-16 passing. The numbers speak for themselves here. Brown simply needs to take another step or two forward before competing for a starting job in the SEC.
With DJ Lagway coming in next season and Mertz eligible to return, Brown’s clock is ticking. Splitting time between baseball and football could slow things down, too.
Penalties. Penalties. Penalties.
The biggest play of the game came with 3:45 left on the clock in the fourth quarter. The Seminoles were driving down the field thanks to a defensive pass interference call on Jaydon Hill, but the Gators had forced them into a third-and-14 situation.
Florida State’s quarterback, Tate Rodemaker, took off after going through his reads and began sliding well short of the line to gain. Both Hill and Bryce Thornton come crashing in at Rodemaker’s head and the rest is history.
Hill was ejected for targeting. Florida State scored a few plays. The Gators managed to commit another penalty before that, though.
Florida played a relatively clean game for most of the night, but the defense played recklessly when it could not afford to.
Let Trell cook
It wasn’t all gloom and doom Saturday night. Montrell Johnson Jr. had a really good night, putting together multiple big runs for the Gators. The biggest came in the waning minutes of the first half just after Florida State called a timeout in hopes of getting the ball back.
Johnson found a hole, made a cut and was off to the races for 52 yards. The Gators didn’t end up scoring on that drive — Trey Smack missed a field goal — but it was the kind of energizing run the team needed going into the half.
That may have been Johnson’s last game at the college level, too. He’s a junior who’s played a lot of ball in college, and Florida has Trevor Etienne and Treyaun Webb ready to take the next step.
No official announcement has been made, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson head to the draft.
The defensive line played well
Despite the shortcomings of the defense at the end of the game, the Gators played better than expected on that side of the ball, especially up front. Princely Umanmielen recorded a safety in what will likely be his final game with the program, and big Desmond Watson provided plenty of stuff up front.
Florida State running backs combined for 118 yards on 24 carries. Trey Benson scored all three of the Seminoles touchdowns, though.
Umanmielen has been one of the best pass rusher in all of football this year, so it’s good to see him go out with a bit of a bang.
Gamechangers, huh?
At the end of the day, Florida had enough chances to win this game. Trey Smack’s two missed field goals left six points on the board, and the defense stopped Florida State on third-and-long before throwing it all away with a penalty.
If Smack nails those two kicks, Florida’s offense operates a lot more confidently in the second half. Napier calls the special teams unit the game-changers, and it’s hard to come up with a better title for that group right now.
Smack’s job isn’t in jeopardy, but those misses are going to haunt him for a while.
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