Six thoughts from the Florida Gators 22-7 win over Charlotte

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Five Thoughts from a win the Florida Gators needed to grind out over the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday night in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Let’s start with something positive

At SEC Media Days, Ricky Pearsall did a John Wick impersonation with his all black suit. On Saturday, the senior receiver put in his official audition for the next “White Men Can’t Jump” movie.

This is the best play I have seen this season. It might be the best catch I’ve seen at Florida. The timing to, while in a full sprint, leap at the exact right moment to get a hand up there. The body control to turn back and get a hand in the air. Then the toughness to bring the ball down and take a massive hit while still holding on to the ball.

Ricky Pearsall is a special football player and, as Billy Napier said on Saturday night, underrated.

There are a whole lot of “unique” situations happening on special teams

The Florida Gators were laughed on in the season opener when they sent two players in the same number out to return a punt, which resulted in a first down for Utah, leading to a touchdown.

Billy Napier explained that as a miscommunication.

“We were rotating the punt returner two to one. And we go safe, Jason (Marshall) is out there. We were supposed to get him off,” Billy Napier explained after the Utah game. “We just didn’t communicate. We’re in put safe. We’ve got to communicate that better. There’s no question that’s another thing that we control that we didn’t do the right way.”

Florida has had, in every single game they have played this season, less than 11 players on the field — or they did have 11 but only 10 different numbers — on a special teams play.

Saturday night it happened twice.

First on a field goal block. Charlotte lined up for a 55-yard try. There is not a Gator off the screen ready to field a potential short kick. There are just 10 players.

Billy Napier was asked about this right after the game and he responded,
“We didn’t have 10 out there for the field goal.”

That answer will probably change after he gets a chance to watch the film.

It happened again later in the game during a punt. Freshman safety Jordan Castell ran off the field as Charlotte was getting set at the line, leaving Florida with just 10 players on the field.

Billy Napier was asked about this as well, his answer is much more stomachable, given the situation late in the game. Florida would have had a punt safe team and at best would have fair caught the punt that wound up in the endzone anyway.

“We didn’t get the returner on right there in the middle of the field, and ultimately because of the sack, that’s where the miscue was made. We’re okay with that. We’re okay with the returner not being on the field in that situation. It’s 4th down and a mile,” Napier said. “Look, it’s out there where we think we’re going to be in field goal range and then all of a sudden the punter is out there. Aware of that and very unique situation in the game, and we’re okay with that.”

There was a block in the back that egated a 47-yard punt return. There is something negative from the group on a week in and week out basis.

Until further notice they’ll be known as the game change group because the 11th letter isn’t on the field.

Red means stop, especially in the red zone

Redzone scoring percentage — national ranks

2018 Louisiana — 18th
2019 Louisiana — 46th
2020 Lousiana — 77th
2021 Louisiana — 91st
2022 Florida — 119th

This year the Gators have been down into the red zone 19 times in four games. They have scored a touchdown 13 times. That’s a 68.4 scoring percentage, which would place them outside of the top-100. That number took a massive hit on Saturday night when the Gators settled for four field goals inside the red zone.

“I think that’s going to be very obvious. Whether a guy missed a block or a guy missed an open receiver or whatever the case may be, look, they stopped us in the red area tonight multiple times,” Napier said after the game. “But I think I’ll be able to give you a little bit more of a report (Monday after watching film). I feel like I know what happened, and I think it’s all easy to fix.”

It could be play calling. It could be execution of the plays. The track record over Napier’s five seasons as a head coach and a play caller doesn’t lend confidence that it will be fixed or appreciably better.

Me and you both

Trevor Etienne was coming off of a career day. He was a workhorse in a win over Tennessee and he touched the ball on eight of 59 offensive plays.

The Gators came out and wanted to throw the ball. I think that was important. Florida struggled running the ball against Utah and what did they do? They came out and emphasized the run the following week against McNeese. Florida hasn’t been able to push the ball down the field in the air this year and they came out, at least trying, to force that issue early on.

Still, I get trying to throw the ball. I also think that Montrell Johnson is a very good running back. I don’t think he should carry the ball twice to every time Etienne carries it. This won’t be a recurring issue, there’s no history to support that. I just thought it was weird to see given how effective Etienne was the week before.

At the end of the day (let’s end on a positive note too)

A win is a win. Did last Saturday night’s convincing and controlling win over Tennessee feel way better than this 22-7 win over Charlotte. Yeah, obviously. It’s still a win.

Florida is not a perfect football team. They’re not a seasoned program. They’re a program that hasn’t won a conference title in 15 years. One of Florida’s starting safeties was three years old the last time the Gators were the best team in the conference.

I’ve consistently said the best players on the team are players that have been recruited by Billy Napier and this coaching staff. They’re young. They’re learning how to win and how to handle success. Last week Florida could have stepped on Tennessee’s throat and ended the game earlier. They’re not that team yet and Napier admitted to being too conservative in the second half.

This week, maybe the Gators were feeling good about their win over then No. 11 Tennessee. Maybe they enjoyed the praise and how everyone was talking about them. Maybe they were looking ahead to what will be a tough road test in Lexington next week.

It’ll be a lesson for a team that’s still learning how to win but a win — whether by one point or 100 — only counts as one.

Smack that

Shoutout to Trey Smack. He made all five of his field goals with a long of 54. His 16 points (15 from field goals and one extra point) were more than every other player on the field combined to score on Saturday night. Get the SEC special teams player of the week story ready for Monday.

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