Game 1 Play-by-play (condensed)

[Escambia94]

If you missed the game, you can go watch the condensed version here:

If you are a Redditor, you can read the play-by-play here: https://www.reddit.com/r/FloridaGators/comments/9cg1qf/franks_analysis_each_pass_play/

 

[DRU2012]

I've said elsewhere (leading UP to the season openers, and especially after watching games, witnessing outcomes) that, overall I was GLAD we'd been generally ignored in the off season--and that won't change much now, after opening weekend.
But "good news/bad news", it may not last too much longer: We do what it appears we are capable of doing against UK, CO St, and TENN, well, the "media spotlight" will finally again begin to swing our way--just in time for LSU, and beyond that the meat of our SEC schedule. As the "experts" are forced off their collective pre- and early-season (often bandwagon-like) errors-of-judgment, they will NEED "new stories" to turn to--and given everything, if we DO open that strongly after all, we are likely to find ourselves one of their go-to "revelations".
Comes to that, we (and our players, who DO "read the papers", tweets at least, watch ESPN etc, right?) need to remember that we are the same team these same reporters ignored before: We are "a work in progress", no matter what: Stay focused, stay humble, fans need to be patient, realistic and supportive, players need the same EVEN MORE--with respect to each other, their coaches and THEMSELVES.
A toughn road, maybe asking too much of EVERYONE in the world we now inhabit. But if there's one thing I AM sude of at this point, it is that we are NOT yet good enough to get away with "beating ourselves" with arrogance and "me first" stupidity. That's been a big part of our off field self destruction and culture that gkt us here under the last 3 head coaches, and has persisted right into the recent past, at the very LEAST.
This is a dangerous, touchy time for the Florida Gators: The better we turn out to be here next few weeks, the more early and immediate success we achieve on the field, the more dangerous how it all affects us OFF the field will get to be.
This is how "cautious optimism" manifests: The "best case scenario", success brings DANGER, above all else. Of course we prefer it to losing--but it inevitably brings its own pressures.

 

[Escambia94]

This team is definitely a work in progress. The score against an FCS team is not as important as the details we witnessed in the game:

• Coaching. Better coordinators and position coaches have improved each position group since last year. The QB is actually reading multiple facets of the defense and making 2-3 reads. The coordinators are adapting the plays to the field conditions. Players are giving each other hand signals at if they know what is coming and what to do next. That is good coaching settling into the minds of the players.
• Flexibility. The offense we saw is not pure spread option/ zone read, and the defense is not pure 3-4. The coaches have adapted the schemes to the skills of the players.
• Discipline. The Gators only had 3 penalties for 20 yards. I cannot recall the last time the Gators had less than 10. The Gators had at most 1 blown assignment. I cannot recall the last time they had less than 3 blown assignments each on offense and defense.
• Fun. The players looked like they had fun being there. Under Donkey Teeth, they were trying too hard to be serious, like Alabama. It is hard to be serious when your team is not winning. I would hope that with a more fun team that the players would spend more time in the classroom, in the gym, or on the practice field and less time getting into trouble. With a fun offense and defense, the fans might come back to the seats.

This team is a couple years away from competing against Alabama and Georgia. Granted, we are still an injury or suspension away from losing to FSU. Dan Mullen was the only guy who could have come to Gainesville and fix the surface issues with on-field performance, and fix locker room issues with off-field performance.

It's great to be a Florida Gator!