2 winners and 5 losers from Florida Gators embarrassing 45-17 loss vs. Missouri Tigers
There is no sugarcoating this loss for the Florida Gators, and it’s something that Jon Sumrall warned about all season.
The Florida Gators were embarrassed on Saturday afternoon, falling to the Missouri Tigers 45-17. The final score only tells part of the story. Florida was tied 10-10 in the second quarter. However, the Gators trailed by 17 points within the first three minutes of the second half.
The game spiraled out of control for several reasons. It was also the wake-up call this team badly needed, and Gators head coach Jon Sumrall warned about repeatedly in the lead-up to the matchup. Florida has a lot to learn from this film, and putting it behind them will be a good thing.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the loss to Missouri.
Loser: RB Jadan Baugh
Jadan Baugh entered the game with 600 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Against Missouri, he carried the ball 12 times for 13 yards, and 12 of those yards came on his first carry. That means his final 11 carries produced one yard.
The Tigers’ defense was all over the run game. They stacked the box and didn’t bite on much of the misdirection Buster Faulkner dialed up. As a group, Florida ran for 42 yards on 25 carries, and London Montgomery’s 17-yard run came in garbage time. Baugh is supposed to be the catalyst for this offense, so his lack of production was a huge point of frustration.
Loser: Offensive line
The Gators were obliterated up front. Florida’s offensive line couldn’t drive anybody off the ball in its power scheme, and the running backs and quarterback took hit after hit. The unit allowed three sacks, eight pressures per Pro Football Focus’ preliminary data, and 11 tackles for loss.
That inability to hold up is the No. 1 reason the offense never got going. It was a frustrating day for a bevy of reasons, and it all starts with the offensive line. If they were able to get any kind of movement up front, Baugh and Duke Clark would have been able to get something going. Overall, it wasn’t to be.
Loser: Pass rush
This pass rush has been dominant at times this season, especially over the last two weeks. Emmanuel Oyebadejo and Jayden Woods have attacked offensive lines well, but they didn’t get much going against Missouri.
Florida did finish with six tackles for loss and two sacks. Even so, the lack of consistency was a massive issue. The Gators couldn’t generate push, got moved around in the run game, and struggled to collapse the pocket. That allowed Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons to attack them vertically.
This unit has been viewed as a strength. Now the Gators need to take a hard look at how they rush the passer. That could mean an increased blitz rate, something Brad White hasn’t leaned on much so far. That may have to change.
Loser: Secondary
Florida’s secondary got torched. It started with a miscommunication on the back end that led to a 47-yard touchdown pass from Simmons to Donovan Olugbode, and it never stopped.
To be fair, Simmons was dealing. He made pinpoint throws into tight windows all afternoon. That being said, the Gators didn’t help themselves. They weren’t making plays on the football, they were getting out of position, and they didn’t pass off routes with any consistency.
This was already a unit we viewed as a weakness entering the year. Five games in, it feels like even more of one, and that’s a scary thought for the rest of the schedule.
Loser: QB Aaron Philo
Not all of the struggles up front should fall on Aaron Philo. However, when he was pressured, he struggled to do anything through the air. That’s a real problem, especially with the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs coming up, both oh which will be away from The Swamp. If he faces consistent pressure against the Bulldogs, how will he handle it?
According to Pro Football Focus’ internal data, Philo was under pressure on 11 dropbacks, but the flow of the game made it feel like a lot more. He kept escaping the pocket when there wasn’t much heat and ran into pressure instead of away from it. He finished 21-of-34 for 197 yards and a touchdown pass. Earlier in the season, he was hitting some really nice throws, and that version of Philo never showed up.
Winner: WR Dallas Wilson
Vernell Brown III was downgraded to doubtful on Friday night and then ruled out on the pregame injury report Saturday. Without him, Wilson was going to be the No. 1 target no matter what. Eric Singleton was back and looking 100%, but he caught just one pass for nine yards.
Wilson made a couple of nice catches on the opening drive. On the next possession, he caught a touchdown on a well-run post route in the red zone. Florida needs to feed him consistently and work harder to get him the ball, because good things happen when he has it.
Winner: QB Tramell Jones Jr.
It feels odd to call Jones a winner since all of his production came in garbage time. Even so, he was dealing. He made smart decisions and good throws, including a 42-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Abrams on a four verticals concept.
That’s exactly what you want to see from Jones, who battled Filo for the starting job. I’m not suggesting Philo is in danger of losing it. However, seeing more of Jones is a good thing for this team long term. We still don’t know how good Philo can be, or how much of that four-game sample was a mirage. Jones has shown he can keep attacking, and that’s worth watching as the meat of the SEC schedule approaches.
