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WRUF sports columnist Pat Dooley grades the Gators after their 22-7 win over Charlotte in The Swamp on Saturday night:
OFFENSE C
First half: You could look at the 243 total yards or look at the 16 points. You could look at the 188 passing yards or the 55 rushing yards. It was uneven in the first half after a fast start.
Second half: The second half was kind of reminiscent of the Tennessee game when Florida just struggled to get a whole lot going. The Gators had only 154 yards in the second half.
For the game: The offense is still not explosive and has to be efficient with no turnovers to be the kind of offense you want to see. This was not that night.
DEFENSE A
First half: We saw a defense that we have been bragging about dominate the first 20-plus minutes. But former Gator Jalen Jones made some plays to chip away at the Florida defense.
Second half: The Gators were hoping to be playing a bunch of young guys in the second half, but that wasn’t possible in this game. Instead, the starters did a heck of a job dealing with what was a tighter game than expected.
For the game: The defense had another strong performance and continues to put up the kind of numbers we haven’t seen for a few years. There are a lot of guys playing at a high level right now.
SPECIAL TEAMS B+
First half: There was a 47-yard punt return by Ricky Pearsall that was called back on a penalty. So, we were down on the special teams early. But the three made field goals by Trey Smack were big, especially the 54-yarder.
Second half: Smack made another big field goal and Jeremy Crawshaw had an important 51-yard punt with no return in the fourth quarter.
For the game: Yes, I was happy with the special teams for once, especially Smack who has made five in a row since taking over the place kicking. We also got to see a little of Trevor Etienne as a punt returner, just to get him the ball more.
OVERALL C+
Coach Billy Napier warned us all week about the potential for a letdown, but this was a strange one. UF fans were not expecting to be nervous in the fourth quarter, but that’s college football. The Gators got the job done.
