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Pat Dooley, co-host of The Tailgate on WRUF, grades the Gators after their fourth consecutive win, a 33-8 victory Friday against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
OFFENSE: B-
First half: If you are a fan of yardage and time of possession, the Gators graded out well. But as we all know, it’s about scoring points. DJ Lagway’s first pick almost cost Florida points and the second surely did. A 269-yard half rarely translates into six total points.
Second half: Lagway cleaned things up and Florida found a way to make this a laugher in the fourth quarter. Florida had 260 yards and with a couple of short fields was able to put 27 points on the Green Wave (9-5).
For the game: The offense looked rusty in the first half, which sometimes happens in these bowl games. But any offense that goes for 529 yards and one of them was a third-down conversion by Des Watson had a good night.
DEFENSE: A+
First half: Yes, Tulane’s starting quarterback transferred, but the first half was a bit of a defensive clinic. Tulane only managed 62 yards, had three first downs and Florida intercepted Ty Thompson on the first play of the game.
Second half: The Gators kept it going defensively with two fourth-down stops and two interceptions. That’s basically four turnovers gained in a half, which is why the score got out of hand.
For the game: Yeah, I would like to have seen the shutout, but basically it was one because Florida had its third-team defense in and Tulane was still playing starters. In the last four games, Florida allowed 52 points. Total. I guess it didn’t miss anybody who opted out.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
First half: For the life of me, I can’t grasp the concept that Florida has coaches who can’t count. But two timeouts had to be used on special teams because there were 10 men on the field. Kudos to Trey Smack for his two made field goals.
Second half: Smack came through again when the game was still in doubt. When Florida was required to cover a kick, the Gators did a great job.
For the game: Florida didn’t return anything, and Jeremy Crawshaw only had to punt three times. But the special teams did their job as long as they had 11 guys on the field. Smack was flawless, which is what you expected from him on a perfect weather night.
OVERALL: A-
Billy Napier finally clawed his way back to .500 as Florida’s coach and this team will be remembered as one of the gutsiest teams Florida fans have seen. Tulane was shorthanded, but we have seen backup quarterbacks come into a game and light up Gator defenses. This would be an A+ if the offense had been better in the red zone in the first half. Still, 8-5 may not be worth celebrating for Gator fans who are used to that being a down season, but hopefully this team helped UF get back to relevancy. Well done.
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.
