5 takeaways from Florida’s disappointing loss to No. 12 Tennessee
For the second time in 18 meetings, the Florida Gators have lost to the Tennessee Volunteers.
Billy Napier’s crew fell on Saturday, 38-33, but it was a close battle that got a bit out of hand late and then almost turned into the comeback of the decade. The Gators kept pace with the quick-moving Tennessee offense early, forcing a pair of fumbles in the first half. Hendon Hooker was unstoppable, though. He picked apart the Florida defense all night, putting up 349 passing yards, 112 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
Florida’s Anthony Richardson did all he could to keep Florida in the game, but it was his costly turnover in the second half that halted the Gators’ momentum momentarily. A late score and successful onside kick gave UF a shot to pull off an amazing 13-point comeback in the final six minutes of the game, but Richardson couldn’t escape the sack that ended the game.
It’s a painful loss for Florida that brings the Gators to 0-2 in SEC play, but there were many silver linings to take away from the game.
Welcome back, Mr. Richardson!
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
After two down weeks, [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] finally looked like the quarterback he’s supposed to be for Florida. He threw for 453 yards and recorded his first passing touchdowns of the season while adding 62 more yards on the ground and a pair of rushing scores. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to get the job done against Tennessee, but it’s good to see Florida’s offense back up to speed.
Richardson connected with six different receivers and looked much more comfortable than he has in weeks. He should be able to put it all together back at home against Eastern Washington and Missouri over the next two weeks to get a little steam behind him before facing LSU at home.
Is this the outcome Richardson wanted? Probably not, especially the fumble that cost Florida the game in the long run, but he needed to get his confidence back up and a 450-yard passing day will do it. This one isn’t on him.
The defense needs a lot of work
AP Photo/Wade Payne
This loss is on the defense, though.
The Gators looked lost on defense for most of the game, and it’s scary to think about what things would have been like without [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag]. He was involved in both fumble recoveries and chased down several players that the rest of the team couldn’t tackle. He’s the heartbeat of that unit and the glue holding them together.
The same can’t be said for [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag], the team’s other veteran who returned for an extra year. Dean blew several coverages and left guys wide open, making it easy for the Volunteers to respond whenever the Gators put up points.
It’s unfair to put everything on Dean, but his mistakes were the most notable in this loss. It might be time for Billy Napier to consider giving [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] a few more snaps at safety now that the team is 0-2 in SEC play.
The tight ends deserve more attention
Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
Tight end [autotag]Keon Zipperer[/autotag] made one of the top plays of the game when he blew up two defenders and strutted into the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown, Richardson’s first of the year. Zipperer finished the day with three catches for 62 yards, and [autotag]Dante Zanders[/autotag] also hauled in a pair for 18 yards.
It’s the most action Florida’s tight ends have seen all year, and it seemed to help open things up more for the receivers. That big play should encourage Richardson to look for the tight ends a bit more often, and Napier would wise to scheme some more plays for them.
If the room can get [autotag]Arlis Boardingham[/autotag] back at any point, Richardson may have another pass-catcher to look for, too.
The running game isn't infallible
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time this season, Florida’s running game struggled, at least by its own lofty standards. All three running backs — [autotag]Nay’Quan Wright[/autotag], [autotag]Montrell Johnson Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] — averaged under 4.0 yards per carry, and Tennessee bottled them up for most of the afternoon.
The Volunteers contained Anthony Richardson as well. His 3.6 yards per carry is well below his season average, and they forced a big fumble on a designed run for him in the second half.
Tennessee came into this game ranked No. 17 in the country in terms of rushing defense, so this isn’t the biggest indictment of Florida’s running game. In fact, there’s a silver lining here: Florida doesn’t need to rely on the run game to score. If the defense holds up even a little better, Florida wins this game.
Billy Napier has some guts
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Billy Napier is an absolute madman. He went for it six times on fourth and two of those came on the first drive of the game. The crazy part about it all is that Napier’s gambles paid off. The Gators were 5-for-6 on fourth down almost pulled off the comeback of the decade.
Scared money don’t make money, right?
Except, Napier’s gutsy play calling hasn’t exactly panned out over the first four weeks of the season. Florida is 2-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play with little hope to compete for a conference championship. That’s not the position he wanted the program to be in after upsetting Utah in Week 1, but it’s where they’re at.
We’re only four weeks into the Napier era at Florida, so I’ll reserve judgment for now. But, it’s hard to be completely sold on Napier’s play calling with the early returns.
[listicle id=92718]
[listicle id=92731]
[listicle id=92708]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
