It wasn’t pretty by the slightest bit, but the Florida Gators are starting the 2019 season with a 1-0 record. The Gators survie a tight game against the Miami Hurricanes 24-20 in a very ugly season opener in Orlando Saturday. Neither team performed to the best of their abilities and both have a lot of room for improvement. Florida’s quarterback Feleipe Franks made some nice plays but also a few boneheaded mistakes. Miami’s quarterback Jarren Williams impressed many with his performance against a top Florida Gators defense in his first career start. Florida’s defensive line was the X-factor in the game as the Gators had ten sacks against Miami’s young offensive line.
Gators Survive Against Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes offense as a whole didn’t play well but redshirt freshman quarterback wasn’t part of the problem. Williams completed 19 out of 31 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, Miami rushed for under 100 yards. Starting running back Deejay Dallas had 14 carries for 95 yards including a 50-yard rushing touchdown. Sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan had a nice game as he had five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Buffalo transfer wide receiver K.J. Osborne had four receptions for 41 yards. Miami’s offensive line had one of its worst performance probably in program history.
Miami’s defense came to play Saturday night. They forced four Florida Gators turnovers. Scott Patchan and Shaquille Quarterman both recovered fumbles that were self-inflicted by the Gators. Amari Carter and Romeo Finely picked off Florida’s quarterback in the season opener. Safety Gurvan Hall led the Canes in tackles with eight including one tackle for loss. Defensive end Gregory Rousseau got the only sack for the Miami Hurricanes against the Florida Gators.
Florida Gators
The Gators will be leaving Orlando with a close and ugly win against one of their in-state rivals. Redshirt-junior quarterback Feleipe Franks didn’t have his best game but did make some solid plays. He completed 17 out of 27 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Florida’s rushing attack was absent, as they only rushed for 52 yards. Lamical Perine had 10 carries for 42 yards. Franks had a three-yard rushing touchdown which would give Florida the four point lead. Florida’s receivers had a pretty decent game. Josh Hammond had four receptions for 93 yards including a huge 65 yard reception. Kadarius Toney had a terrific 66 yard touchdown pass in which he made about four Miami defenders miss. Tight end Kyle Pitts had three catches for 33 yards. Perine also got in the end zone with an eight-yard receiving score.
On defense, the Gators defense put a ton of pressure on Miami’s quarterback. Florida had a whopping 10 sacks in the season opener. Linebacker Ventrell Miller had a great game as he had six tackles including two sacks. Kyree Campbell also had a sack and two tackles for loss on the night. Jabari Zuniga, Trey Dean and Jon Greenard each had 1.5 sacks against Jarren Williams. James Houston IV also picked up his first collegiate sack against his hometown team. Adam Shuler Jeremiah Moon, and Marlon Dunlap Jr. each recorded half sacks.
What’s Next?
The Florida Gators will have a very early bye week during Week 1 of the college football season. This bye week will give Florida time to fix their mistakes from the Miami game and become a more disciplined team especially on defense. A win is a win, so Florida will take it but if they want to compete for a conference championship, they will need to fix their mistakes and quickly.
Gators Survive Main Photo:
ORLANDO, FL – AUGUST 24: Kadarius Toney #1 of the Florida Gators scores a touchdown in the first half against the Miami Hurricanes in the Camping World Kickoff at Camping World Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Orlando, Florida.(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
