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Pat Dooley grades the Gators after Florida’s 45-7 win Saturday against Samford in Game 2:
OFFENSE B+
FIRST HALF: Well, the start of the DJ Lagway Era had some good things and some not so good things. Good – two deep balls, 295 total yards, a 232.3 Quarterback Rating. Not So Good – Florida only scored 14 points because of a Jadan Baugh fumble into the end zone and a final drive that was pretty weak.
SECOND HALF: Lagway kept it going and the Gators put the game away with big play after big play. The Gators were able to go over 300 yards in the half and put any concerns about this game to rest with 24 points in the half.
FOR THE GAME: In a way, Samford was the perfect opponent for Lagway (18 of 25, 456 yards, three touchdowns) to get his first start. He ended the game with 25.3 yards per completion and two receivers each going over 100 yards.
DEFENSE B
FIRST HALF: Aaron Gates had a nice first quarter and the defense came up with an early turnover. Samford scored 52 the last time the Bulldogs were in The Swamp, but the Gators shut them out in the first half and limited the opponents to 120 total yards.
SECOND HALF: The only real issue was that Florida scored to start the half and then allowed a Samford drive for a score. That was it, however, and the Gators dominated allowing only 84 second-half yards.
FOR THE GAME: It was only an FCS opponent and maybe it helped Florida faced a scheme it saw last week. Still, to allow only seven points and record 12 tackles for loss seemed like a step forward.
SPECIAL TEAMS B
FIRST HALF: Jeremy Crawshaw’s 61-yard punt with great coverage was a highlight. Chimere Dike showed he wasn’t afraid to come up and catch punt returns to help field position.
SECOND HALF: Trey Smack drilled his only field goal attempt and, while it was a blowout, that was an important kick. Dike showed what he can do on punt returns in the fourth quarter.
FOR THE GAME: Billy Napier bragged on his special teams last week and this week they were even better. Crawshaw has been really strong and the returns and coverage teams seemed to be solid.
OVERALL B
Look, we can’t get that taste of the Miami debacle out of our mouths fast enough. No matter the opponent, Florida needed to win a game after 329 days without one. There are still a lot of things to clean up and it will be interesting to see what Florida does at quarterback this week.
WRUF.com sports columnist Pat Dooley can be heard on “The Tailgate” along with Jeff Cardozo from 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.
