Good, Bad and Ugly: Gators Wire’s staff reactions to Florida’s big win over EWU
Following a frustrating month that saw Florida football split its two games, the Gators finally got a chance to beat up on a weaker team while getting some playing time for those who have been buried deep on the bench.
The game did not start out all that encouragingly, with the visiting FCS Eastern Washington Eagles marching down the field for an early score that could have been much worse if not for some clutch defense that held them to a field goal. After that, Florida’s star quarterback Anthony Richardson took over and turned the dial up to 11.
EWU pushed back after a big heave put the Gators on top after just one play on offense, once again bullying Florida’s defense back into its own territory before sputtering out on fourth down. It was pretty much all Orange and Blue from that point on.
Now that the dust has settled from Florida’s Week 5 tuneup game against the Eagles, the Gators Wire staff assembled to give their immediate takes in the aftermath of the most encouraging performance seen this season. Take a look below at how each respective contributor felt about the outcome in our weekly good, bad and ugly format.
Adam Dubbin - Managing Editor
AlanYoungblood/Gainesville Sun
GOOD: There was a great deal of good in this game, even against an inferior opponent. The offense clicked from play one, and while it took a couple of series for the defense to figure things out, it was able to make the appropriate adjustments — which has not always been the case. The fact that we can all breathe a sigh of relief that the cupboard is not completely barren behind Richardson is a positive as well.
BAD: Watching the defense get bullied at the beginning of the game bodes poorly entering the remainder of the SEC schedule. With a roster that ostensibly has a higher level of talent, you would not expect an FCS school to push down the field like the Eagles did, but here we are.
Florida cannot afford to get behind in games considering the mercurial nature of its offensive corps and if EWU could take an early lead, so can Mizzou and the rest of the conference slate.
UGLY: Seriously, the penalties on special teams play – particularly on kickoffs — are just getting ridiculous. Typically, problems like this are a litmus test for the overall discipline of that corps and there is no reason to doubt that adage now. Hopefully, Napier can shake things up a bit on that front moving forward.
David Rosenberg - Assistant Editor
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
GOOD: I’m not one to take away too many positives from a game like this, but putting up a 50-burger isn’t anything to scoff at. Even if it was against Eastern Washington, scoring that many points is impressive, and it wasn’t just the Anthony Richardson show today. Kitna looked decent on a few long balls, and he ended up leading the team in passing yards. Ricky Pearsall also deserves some love for the 75-yard sweep.
BAD: It feels weird to call a defensive effort “bad” after a team keeps its opponents out of the end zone for three quarters, but here we are. The second team gave up a pair of late touchdowns and exposed how little depth Florida has on that side of the ball. The defensive backs looked lost on a few plays, and EWU finished with over 400 yards on offense. Don’t let the score fool you, there’s work to be done. Let’s see how this defense holds up against Mizzou next week and then reassess things.
UGLY: Nothing on the field was awful enough to warrant the “ugly” designation from me this week. We take wins like these when we can, especially after last year’s game against Samford. The team did its job this week.
Pat Dooley - Staff Writer
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
GOOD: Florida was able to do whatever it wanted on offense, which it should be able to do in a game like this. The only negative was that they kept putting the defense back on the field with quick scores. Richardson looked like the quarterback he was eight days ago and Florida was able to show off the young receivers that will be a big part of next year’s team.
BAD: I will never stop harping on it, but when will the special teams start playing special football? Florida had its fifth penalty of the season — fifth! — on a kickoff return and had a field goal blocked. It almost feels like a tie on special teams would be a win for this team.
UGLY: It’s difficult to get after a defense that only allowed three points when all of the first-teamers were in there. But allowing 423 yards when you should be able to physically manhandle an FCS opponent is crazy and lends credence to my theory that this defense is not fixable this season.
I know that the last two scores were against back-ups, but Florida cannot count on [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] to make every single play.
Sergio De La Espriella - Staff Writer
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
GOOD: When your first offensive play of the game is a 75-yard touchdown pass, it’s going to be a good day. Richardson continues to improve with consistent game reps. Granted, this competition level is the weakest the Gators will face this season.
Even so, it was nice to see the offense really take care of business. Even the backups did a great job. [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] made everyone feel comfortable about the backup under center, and Richardson clearly looked happy for him when he got his first career scoring pass.
Morale is high; vibes are good. Other players I want to highlight include Kamari Wilson, Rashad Torrence II, Lorenzo Lingard, Jaydon Hill, and Ricky Pearsall.
BAD: The opening drive saw Eastern Washington head down the field and come away with just a field goal. If this wasn’t an FCS team, they probably score a touchdown. The defense locked in after that, but the slow start is a pattern. They need to come out of the gate ready to go if they want to be successful in conference play.
UGLY: I guess we can say Richardson’s interception to start the second half? Maybe the blocked field goal attempt late in the game? Saying there was some “ugly” stuff in this game would be too picky. Should Richardson have thrown into that type of coverage to start the second half? No. Should the field goal unit have been more locked in? Yes.
Let’s take a blowout win where we can. This energy could go a long way in Billy Napier’s first season.
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