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Official Game Thread: Week 5, #9 Florida Gators 38, Towson Tigers 0 9/28/19

Escambia94

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Florida-Towson.png

Overview
Date: Saturday, 28 September 2019 at 4:00 Eastern on the SEC Network.
SEC Hosts: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, Alyssa Lang
Gator IMG Announcers: Mick Hubrt, Lee McGriff, Tate Casey on Sirius 137/ XM 190 or on WRUF/ Tune-In

Team Information
Florida: Dan Mullen (83-49, 40-42) 11 seasons overall; (14-3, 7-3) 1+ seasons at Florida
Towson: Rob Ambrose (65-67) 12 seasons; (62-60, 39-43 CAA) 11 seasons at Towson

Description
The Florida Gators host the Towson Tigers in an FBS-FCS tune-up before the Gators head into the SEC gauntlet that includes #7 Auburn (in Gainesville, 5 October), #4 LSU (at Baton Rouge, 12 October), South Carolina (at Columbia, 19 October), and #3 Georgia (neutral site Jacksonville, 2 November).

Intel
Towson (3-1, 1-1) is outscoring its opponents 40.00 to 24.75, or a total of 160-99. Their victories were a close 28-21 battle at the Citadel, a Johnny Unitas Stadium home opener curb-stomping of North Carolina Central, and a 45-23 beatdown of Maine. Last year the Tigers were 7-5 (5-3), with a notable 20-51 loss to Wake Forest. In the loss to Wake Forest, QB Tom Flacco engineered touchdown scoring drives on it first two possessions and went 35/51 for 345 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. The Tiger hurry-up, spread offense was aided by excellent special teams giving Flacco a shorter field to work with as he spread the ball to nine different receivers. Towson does not have much of a running game in terms of overall yardage, but they are earning 4.9 yards per rush on the few rushes they attempt. They average 22 yards per kickoff return, but they also allow 22 yards per kickoff return. Due to their lack of running game and their sometimes hurry-up spread, they tend to come out on the short end of time-of-possession. The Tigers do have one of the best red zone offenses in all of football (FBS or FCS) with a 90% red zone scoring rate, including a respectable 71% red zone touchdown rate.

The Tiger's defensive leaders include:
  • 50 Robert Heyward, 19 solo tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 INT
  • 27 S.J. Brown II, 16 solo tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT
  • 55 Christian Dixon, 22 solo tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1 FUMREC
The Tiger's offensive leaders include:
  • QB Tom Flacco, 77/134 1092 YDS 1 INT 139.2 RAT / 34 ATT 281 YDS 6.7 YPR 2 TD
  • RB Shane Simpson 22 ATT 168 YDS 7.4 YPR 2 TD
  • RB Yeedee Thaenrat 25 ATT 93 YDS 3.6 YPR 8 TD
  • WR Shane Leatherbury 19 REC 299 YDS 15.7 YPC 3 TD
  • WR Darian Street 12 REC 164 YDS 13.7 YPC 1 TD
  • WR Caleb Smith 10 REC 145 YDS 14.5 YPC 0 TD
  • WR Chris Clark 8 REC 140 YDS 17.5 YPC 1 TD
Analysis
Towson is not a team that sparks interest in many Gator fans, nor do they seem scary to most FBS teams, but in the FCS this team has a penchant for scoring a lot of points rather quickly. Last year against Wake Forest, the Tigers scored touchdowns on their first two scoring drives, only to get worn down by larger, faster, strong ACC talent in the second half. Given the Gators' habit of starting slowly (with the exception of the 2:10 scoring drive vs Tennessee), I would expect the game to be frustratingly close in the first quarter before the Gators wear down the Tigers with a running game that has been absent to this point. Dan Mullen will want to score early to give Kyle Trask tune-up time for the SEC gauntlet before trying some new wrinkles to jumpstart the running game without giving away too many plays for SEC film study. Although the Towson passing offense is dangerous, I do expect the Gator secondary to clamp down on deep passes. The Tigers will likely dink-and-dunk their way through the linebackers to get yardage.

Prediction
This game will go one of two ways. Either the Gators will sacrifice total yardage in order to work on the rushing game, or they will roll out the same plays with minor tweaks to personnel. Expect the first quarter to be close before the Gator offense gets going and the ferocious defensive line begins camping out in the Tiger backfield. Do not be surprised if Towson scores first, but this game should end up being 42-14 or 32-14 depending on how well the Gators figure out the running game.
 
Last edited:

Escambia94

Aerospace Cubicle Engineer (ACE)
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If the Gators figure out the run game against the Towson Tigers before they face the Auburn Tigers, the LSU Tigers, and the Missouri Tigers perhaps the Gators can go undefeated against all those Tigers, and be good enough to take on the Clemson Tigers.
 

DRU2012

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Before turning to this one, must comment on the A&M vs Arkansas game comong down to the end on ESPN.
Arkanasas has put up a game fight, and have the ball down 4 and near the red zone with time running out. Looks like they will lose this after all--but take it from me: This A&M team is EMINENTLY beatable. 4th and 5 at the 18 yd line; This was a huge rivalry for YEARS, and here its coming down to the wire. 31 seconds left.
Missed on 4th. Game.
 

Escambia94

Aerospace Cubicle Engineer (ACE)
Moderator
Before turning to this one, must comment on the A&M vs Arkansas game comong down to the end on ESPN.
Arkanasas has put up a game fight, and have the ball down 4 and near the red zone with time running out. Looks like they will lose this after all--but take it from me: This A&M team is EMINENTLY beatable. 4th and 5 at the 18 yd line; This was a huge rivalry for YEARS, and here its coming down to the wire. 31 seconds left.
Missed on 4th. Game.
I watched this game rooting for the underdog. They came pretty close—with a backup QB!
 

DRU2012

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OK...What do we have here today?
An FCS team comes into the Swamp; It's HUGE for them, not so much for us--Mostly a matter of continuing to get healthy and our backups further experience...BUT: Towson is a top team at their own level, annually competing for those "Championships" mentioned in their Division (ie."Football CHAMPIONSHIP Series"... or is it "...Subdivision"?) Anyway, they ARE well-coached and well-drilled. Not as big, but they do have SKILLS, and a PLAN--count on it!
So we gotta go out and take it seriously. As others have noted, it may wrll start slow for us, even stay close into the 2nd quarter... But beyond that we should assert control--or we are having a bad day. However, one of the things I really LIKE about Mullens-coached teams is that they DO show up tough and ready and in the proper frame of mind: They do NOT tend to "overlook" their competition, no matter the circumstances--Coach will sit a guy QUICK if his head ain't on straight!
 

DRU2012

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So far little new shown in this early Gator drive...That'll be the pattern today if they can get away with it: Win, execute, get some depth developing--and get OUT healthy and NOT having shown Auburn much.
Gotta block better on runs, though...and receiver holds it long enough to get the TD. Trask 7-for-7 on the opening drive. Kid is doing ALL he is asked, PLUS.
SO: Whatta ya say? Jones in on NEXT drive, or not until 2nd quarter and one AFTER next?
 

Escambia94

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Mullen’s plays so far have been designed to “stretch the zone”: reverse, screen, power-I, ending with a slant. We should see a jet sweep and some kind of speed option coming soon.
 

DRU2012

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Geez--they are still sitting virtually EVERYONE who sat LAST week. Guess they are just being "extra safe"--AND building depth and experience while they are at it?
Like to see the defense assert itself a little more here...
 

DRU2012

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I mean, these guys SHOULDN'T have cracked mid-field so easily.
ANOTHER completion...Damn: Let's shut this dual-threat kid DOWN!
 

Escambia94

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I expect Towson to score in the first quarter. Tom Flacco is an NFL talent and there are NFL scouts watching him today in the Swamp.
 

DRU2012

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Now they are just getying sloppy...
AGAIN: Tackling tackling TACKLING!!!
Game-by-game, it is our Achilles Heel.
Either we rid ourselves of this sloppiness, reassert proper technique, or it WILL bite us eventually...
FUMBLE! Gator ball!
 

DRU2012

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Well, agreed with announcer on that blocked 3rd down pass: Only time and in-game experience can cure a young QB of THAT mistake... Trask stepped INTO trouble there; a step the other way maybe a TENTH of a second sooner puts him in clear space for another second or two--long enough perhaps to find one of his downfield receivers breaking open...Instead of a possible TD, we have to settle for 3 points.
 

DRU2012

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Um, that supposed pass interference was on a completely UNcatchable ball. Linesman has got his head up his BUTT.
 

DRU2012

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Ok. Grantham has seen enough of this Flaco-led offense: I expect him to have an answer fairly soon. Lets put this away, guys.
 

DRU2012

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I knew these Tigers came to play; Did our people NOT get that?
Unless we smarten up PRONTO, gonna find ourselves in an alley fight!
 

DRU2012

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Turns out ok--he missed the fg.
But ONE of these days we WILL see a Gator defender actually SQUEEZE one of those juicy plums and carry it back the other way...
I am SO sick of that "why he's a defender, not a receiver" line!
 

DRU2012

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If part of todays assignment was to get a tailback and running game in GENERAL up'n'humming along today, well, that still remains to be fully accomplished...It is STARTING to show itself here on THIS drive so far, it would appear--but it NEEDS to be a regular feature of our offense, something we can rely upon, even "fall BACK on" when all else is going hard.
THERE'S a mostly-all-run drive.
 

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