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Posted by on Oct 20, 2016 in Archive

The Gators Dominate Missouri in Homecoming Game

The Florida Gators put on a show in the Swamp this weekend, defeating the Missouri Tigers 40-14. Jalon ‘Teez’ Tabor and Quincy Wilson returned an interceptions for a touchdowns, Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine rushed for over 100 yards, and Luke Del Rio was back under center for the orange and blue.

A Rough Day for Quarterbacks

It wasn’t a great day for Missouri to say the least. Drew Lock, who was second in the SEC in passing, had one of those days any quarterback would like to forget. Lock finished the first half with just seven passing yards and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Lock finished the game just four of 18, throwing for 39 yards and those two interceptions.

Luke Del Rio didn’t have a great game either, but that shouldn’t surprise too many people. Del Rio hasn’t played since week 3 against the North Texas Mean Green. He finished the game 18 for 31 with 236 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Del Rio looked rusty, but he still made some bad decisions. Head Coach Jim McElwain had his own comments about his quarterback’s performance.

There’s Always a Bright Side

The Gators were able to get the run game on track last weekend. The team combined for 287 yards rushing and had two players rush for over 100. The Gators have struggled running the ball this season in part that they have so many running backs. Scarlett, Perine, Mark Thompson, and Jordan Cronkrite have all showed flashes of good potential throughout the year, but there is no clear cut number one in this rotation. Scarlett has scored in the past five games, so he may be emerging as the favorite, but only time will tell in that one.

Even Missouri had a good day rushing the ball. The Gators have one of the best defense’s in the country, and their secondary proved that last weekend. However they struggled to stop the rushing attack of Isb Witter and Damarea Crockett.

Missouri Rushing Statistics

  • Ish Witter: 15 rushes for 82 yards, 1 touchdown
  • Damarea Crockett: 14 rushes for 145 yards
  • Marvin Zanders:  8 rushes for 31 yards

Missouri’s secondary played also played well this past weekend. The Tigers allowed just one touchdown pass and forced three turnovers against the Gators. Missouri will look to keep the same defensive intensity against Middle Tennessee this weekend. It’s also hard to imagine Drew Lock performs this poorly two straight weeks.

The Gators are on a bye week, and are preparing to face SEC East Rival Georgia next weekend in Jacksonville.

 

 

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Posted by on Sep 22, 2016 in Archive

Gators Lose Starting Quarterback in Win Over North Texas

Gators Lose Starting Quarterback in Win Over North Texas

The Florida Gators improved to 3-0 on the season and moved to No. 19 in the AP Poll after defeating the North Texas Mean Green by a score of 32-0.  However, the Gators can’t help but feel that they lost in a way. Starting quarterback Luke Del Rio suffered a left knee injury, and is expected to miss the next two to three weeks. The Gators will turn to backup quarterback Austin Appleby to lead the Gators to victory in Del Rio’s absence.

Despite the injury to Del Rio, the Gators posted their second shutout of the season, four different running-backs got into the end-zone, and Appleby was able to get some more in-game experience under center for the Gators.

Notable Statistics

  • Mark Thompson (UF)- 11 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
  • Jordan Scarlett (UF)- 11 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD
  • Luke Del Rio (UF)- 14 for 25, 186 yards, 1 INT
  • Jeffery Wilson (UNT) 10 carries, 30 yards

The Gators defense continues to amaze, as they allowed just 53 yards of total offense last weekend, the lowest in school history. The Gators have also held their first three opponents to under 10 points combined, which is the first time since the team has done that since 1988.  The Gators look to bring the same defensive intensity to Knoxville this Saturday as they square off against SEC East rival No. 14 Tennessee.

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