Five things we learned from Florida’s convincing win over Tennessee
It wasn’t exactly the follow-up to last week’s gutsy performance that some expected, but the Gators took care of business against a Tennessee team that put up a good fight for a while but eventually ran out of steam.
The Volunteers managed to hit a couple of big plays in the first half and even led 17-14 in the second quarter, but those big plays were few and far between, and the UF defense mostly held them in check otherwise. Florida earned a 38-14 win over the Vols (its fifth-straight in the series) to move to 1-1 in the SEC.
There are certain things UF needs to clean up, but it played very well in the second half, and the outcome of this game was never really in doubt. Here are our five takeaways from the contest.
Florida once again responded well in the second half
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Florida playing better in the second half than in the first has been a common trend under coach Dan Mullen, and for the second week in a row, Florida improved significantly in the final 30 minutes of the game.
Against Alabama, UF trailed 21-9 at the half but outscored the Tide 20-10 in the second half and nearly pulled off the upset. This time around, the Gators held Tennessee totally off the scoreboard after the second quarter while adding three scores of their own.
Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has seen a fair amount of criticism for the play of his unit, and it was far from great (we’ll break down its performance specifically later) but it went into lockdown mode in the second half, and the Volunteers never really threatened, failing to make a single red-zone trip until garbage time. If it weren’t for the early big plays, this one could have been even uglier.
Emory Jones takes another step forward in his progression
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Since throwing an interception early in the loss to Alabama last week, Emory Jones has been phenomenal. He had his best performance as Florida’s starter on Saturday, delivering a very efficient 21 of 27 performance and tossing for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
He was even better on the ground, going for 144 yards on 15 carries. Jones has had his fair share of struggles this season, especially with decision-making, but it’s beginning to become clear why Mullen was so adamant about keeping Jones in the starting role.
It wasn’t all perfect; he’s still missing some throws and waiting too long in the pocket, but for the first time this season, he didn’t turn the ball over and he completed some nice balls, especially on third downs (on which the Gators went 9 of 14).
Jones definitely had a learning curve in becoming the starter, but he seems to be getting more comfortable as the season goes on. That’s a great sign for Florida moving forward.
UF's running back depth is actually absurd
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Florida’s run game has been absolutely dominant through the first three weeks of the season, but the question this week was whether it would crash back down to Earth a little bit against a Vols defense that ranked fifth nationally against the run.
Nope.
Led by Jones, the group totaled 283 yards on the ground. But even without Jones’ gaudy totals with his legs, the running backs still had 139 yards in total. Dameon Pierce (eight carries, 62 yards) and Malik Davis (10 carries, 45 yards) were both solid, and even Nay’Quan Wright made his presence known, scoring a 23-yard touchdown on a physical run.
This group is crazy deep, and it becomes even more apparent when you realize Florida’s pair of five-star reserves in Demarkcus Bowman and Lorenzo Lingard didn’t even see the field in this one.
The run game has been limited the last two years, largely due to poor offensive line play. But UF’s ground attack has been unstoppable so far, and right now, there’s no sign that it will slow down any time soon.
We may need to pump the breaks about defensive improvement
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The talk of Florida’s play last week was its defense and how the unit looked to be much improved from 2020. It wasn’t exactly bad against Tennessee on Saturday night, but it did leave quite a bit to be desired.
The Vols got on the board first with a screen pass to running back Tiyon Evans that went for 47 yards and a score with numerous missed tackles from the Gators in the process. Then, in the second quarter, quarterback Hendon Hooker found an uncovered JaVonte Payton for a 75-yard touchdown.
Florida didn’t have Kaiir Elam, who was ruled out with a knee injury he suffered last week. Jason Marshall started in his place, and UF’s corner depth was tested big time. It didn’t fare particularly well, as sophomore Mordecai McDaniel allowed the Payton touchdown on a blown coverage.
All in all, the Gators allowed too many big plays. Running the ball was Tennessee’s strength heading into the game, and it totaled 148 yards (led by Jabari Small with 59), but the real problem for Florida was the air attack. Hooker was just 13 of 23, but he threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
The Gators did well outside of those big plays, and Tennessee was just 5 of 13 on third down, which also helped. But Florida’s susceptibility to the big play allowed this one to stay much closer than it should have been in the first half.
Florida should take more shots downfield
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Given Jones’ struggles with decision-making and the success the team has had on the ground, it’s understandable that Mullen has been hesitant to ask too much of him through the air. But with that being said, this team needs to be attempting more big plays in the downfield passing game.
Aside from a 33-yard pass to 6-foot-4-inch receiver Justin Shorter, most of the pass production came on short and intermediate throws. Rick Wells led the team with four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown, followed by the big-bodied Shorter with 54 yards. Xzavier Henderson and Jacob Copeland only had 36 and 32 yards, respectively.
These guys could probably be doing a better job of gaining separation on their downfield routes, but they are talented targets who should be playing a bigger role in the offense than they currently are. Florida has largely opted for a methodical style of offense this season led by the run game, and that’s a perfectly valid offensive identity.
But this team is leaving points on the table, and if it could get some more big plays through the air, it will only open up the ground game even more.
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