The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Florida's Uninspiring Defeat vs. Utah
Photo: Billy Napier; Credit: Zach Goodall
The Gators played football again on Thursday, and I'm sure there's a rather large collection of people who wish they didn't.
Falling 24-11 to Utah in the 2023 season opener, Florida flashed little improvement from the 2022 version of themselves in a discombobulated effort riddled by inefficiency and mental mistakes.
To recap the week one drudging at the hands of the Utes, All Gators continues its long-standing series by analyzing the good, the bad and the ugly from Florida's sluggish performance.
The Good: Graham Mertz
Relative to his expectations heading into the season, Gators quarterback Graham Mertz proved competent in his first game as Florida's starting signal caller.
Accounting for 333 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 70.5% completion to 11 different receivers, Mertz proved effective within the offense to move the ball at a serviceable clip between the 20 yard lines.
Despite evident limitations of the somewhat archaic run-heavy attack — some in part due to the necessity to tailor the offense to his skillset — Mertz showcased his command of the unit while firing the ball accurately when targeting the short and intermediate levels of the field.
It’s not very often he will be asked to throw the ball 44 times, a career-high, nor should he. And sure, the numbers he produced were certainly inflated by the volume in which he was asked to drop back, due to the ground attack's inefficiencies and playing from behind.
There were also lingering concerns regarding the offense's execution inside the red zone — ultimately falling on Mertz’s shoulders albeit several self-inflicted wounds seemingly outside of his control when the Gators moved within striking distance.
But, under the circumstances, Mertz proved to be adequate in operating the offense Florida deploys in the way it will ask him to throughout the rest of the year.
He did what he signed up to do. He answered the challenge of being the game manager.
The performance doesn’t indicate stability regarding his or the offense’s success moving forward, but it stood as a baseline for what is obtainable with him behind center. It isn’t world-beating, but it’s surely functional.
The Bad: Special Teams
If I'm being transparent, there was a part of me who wanted to title this article "The Good, the Ugly and the Ugliest" for the sake of encapsulating the true magnitude of the Gators' defeat.
However, for the sake of the series' familiarity in week one — along with my desire to stash that title in my back pocket for what could be a year that warrants it more than once — we kept it "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."
The bad, in this instance, is Florida’s special teams.
The “game changers” once again changed the game, negatively, for Florida.
Opening the contest with an ill-advised return by running back Trevor Etienne, taking the ball just beyond the goal line for a 19-yard return, set the tone for the unit’s performance on the evening.
From that point, the Gators accumulated a missed field goal, a 21-yard punt, two fielded punts inside the ten (including one in a back peddle to the one-yard line) and an inexcusable coaching error as they were cited for a substitution infraction with Jason Marshall Jr. and Eugene Wilson III seeing the field simultaneously despite both donning the No. 3 jersey.
To give credit where credit is due, the kick coverage units were promising, halting Utah’s return men to better field position throughout the night. Linebacker Ja’Markis Weston, operating as a gunner on punt and kick return coverage, stood out as a positive for Florida in that area.
Additionally, Jeremy Crawshaw even flashed the leg strength at his disposal to flip the field in Florida’s favor at points, placing two balls inside the 20 with a 45-yard average on four punts. The average was hampered by his one shanked punt.
However, the blunders in the other four facets of the kicking game — place kicking, punting, kick return and punt return — proved substandard once again.
The third phase of the game was a notable downfall for an underperforming Florida team a year ago. It’s positioned to be regarded in a similar light in 2023 based off the product presented to the nation on Thursday night.
The Ugly: Procedural mistakes
According to Napier, Florida dedicated considerable time this offseason to limiting the self-imposed errors. Well, it came in vain as there was no improvement from a season ago.
Charged with nine penalties for 46 yards on the day, the Gators shot themselves in the foot during several crucial scenarios in Salt Lake City.
The aforementioned substitution error with two No. 3’s on the field simultaneously — which extended the Utes drive and resulted in an untimely touchdown to give Utah a comfortable first-half cushion — was only the tip of the iceberg for the Gators procedural woes. Moving into the red zone on three instances prior to the fourth quarter, the UF offense knocked on the door with opportunities to cut the deficit.
However, instead of doing so, Florida came away with as many points as possession inside the opponents 20-yard line.
A false start, illegal formation and delay of game in those instances derailed the momentum it gained when it managed to move down the field, inevitably plaguing the unit from finding pay dirt until it was too late in the fourth.
The functional woes effected Florida beyond scoring territory too. Alabama transfer offensive lineman Damieon George Jr. was a frequent offender as he was cited for several false start penalties and wideout Marcus Burke brought on yellow flags for illegal procedures several times.
The issues are ones that are usually solidified in the offseason with mere minimal tweaks needed once the regular season hits. Florida’s concerns stretch beyond that.
The mental mistake are fixable in-season, although doing so is easier said than done. Plus, that process takes away valuable practice time preparing for the ensuing opponent.
Heading into week two against McNeese, the Gators will need to emphasize reconciliation in the areas they can control.
If they don’t, and the fundamental missteps remain beyond week one, Florida will continue beating themselves before opponents are granted the opportunity to.
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