{"id":16903,"date":"2023-09-17T05:36:40","date_gmt":"2023-09-17T10:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=16903"},"modified":"2023-09-17T05:36:40","modified_gmt":"2023-09-17T10:36:40","slug":"five-thoughts-from-the-florida-gators-statement-win-over-no-11-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/five-thoughts-from-the-florida-gators-statement-win-over-no-11-tennessee\/","title":{"rendered":"Five thoughts from the Florida Gators\u2019 statement win over No. 11 Tennessee"},"content":{"rendered":"

GAINESVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The Florida Gators<\/a><\/strong> took down No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday night in the SEC home opener, 29-16. The stadium was electric <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of the players. You know, you go back a couple of weeks ago. We went to Utah. We did not play our best football,\u201d Billy Napier said after the game. \u201cThere was no finger-pointing. I didn\u2019t hear one guy in that locker room complain or make an excuse. They took ownership and ultimately responded the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are my five thoughts from a signature win for Billy Napier and the Florida Gators. <\/p>\n

Executing the gameplan to perfection <\/h2>\n

After the Gators broke fall camp and the players had a few days off as the fall semester began, the coaching staff started preparing for this game. Billy Napier didn\u2019t want to make a big deal about rivalry games during his first season. He found out just how much they really mean to the fanbase. <\/p>\n

Tennessee\u2019s offense runs on jet fuel. Florida couldn\u2019t match that pace. They needed to figure out a way to neutralize Tennessee\u2019s offense while. It meant their already slow offensive pace which fans had been angry about the first two weeks was going to step in molasses this week. <\/p>\n

The game plan was set, the players needed to execute it and they did that to absolute perfection. Tennessee won the coin toss and deferred. That was Josh Heupel\u2019s first mistake. If Tennessee had taken the ball and driven down the field to score first maybe the game would have played out differently with Florida trailing. <\/p>\n

Instead, Graham Mertz<\/a><\/strong> took the field and executed. Florida forced the ball to Tre Wilson<\/a><\/strong> on the first drive. The Gators chewed up 7:26 on a 46-yard drive that lasted 14 plays. It should have resulted in points but Adam Mihalek<\/a><\/strong>\u2018s kick never stood a chance. <\/p>\n

Florida scored on its next four drives. <\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like the pace of their offense, the play count, numbers can get up there. You\u2019re talking high 70s, low 80s on average when you play a Tennessee team,\u201d Napier said after the game. \u201cSo, ultimately, if you can move the ball with some consistency and convert on third. We took a two-down approach a couple of times knowing that we would go for it if we needed to. And those worked. And, ultimately, we just converted on third down. The quarterback was fantastic. And you get those two backs going, and it makes everything easier for the quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of the quarterback<\/h2>\n

Graham Mertz isn\u2019t flashy but he did pump fake the soul out of a Tennessee defender on the way to converting a first down with his legs. <\/p>\n

In the first half, the Gators held on to the ball for 21:48. Mertz connected on 16 of his first 18 passes. Mertz is reliable. He\u2019s a leader and he\u2019s executing what is asked of him at a high level. Florida has played three very different games this season. Mertz was asked to throw the ball 44 times in the season opener, he completed 70.5% of his pass attempts for a career-high 333 yards. Against McNeese, the Gators needed to get the running game going. He threw just 17 passes but completed 14 of those. <\/p>\n

On Saturday, in his first Florida-Tennessee matchup, he came out slinging it. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think that goes back to the work week. Tennessee is a great team. And I\u2019m proud of how we executed in the moment when you needed to make the play,\u201d Mertz said after the game. \u201cCoach always talks about make the play. And I think across the board we saw guys from \u2014 young guys, old guys, across the board, guys were just making that play. So I\u2019m definitely proud of this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mertz was everything that Billy Napier asked him to be and has been all seaosn. <\/p>\n

Trevor Etienne steals the show<\/h2>\n

Heading into the season, I would have been hard-pressed to try and give you an answer as to who was Florida\u2019s best running back. Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson each returned after great 2022 seasons. They\u2019re different runners but they complement each other. On Saturday night, Etienne broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run on the Gators\u2019 second possession. That was just the start for the sophomore from Louisiana. <\/p>\n

Etienne set career highs in carries (23) and yards (172), leading the team in rushing as the Gators outgained Tennessee on the ground, 183 to 106. Etienne\u2018s previous career high was 129 yards at Florida State on Nov. 25, 2022. He also accounted for six of Florida\u2019s eight explosive plays. <\/p>\n

\u201cTrevor was on fire out there tonight,\u201d Napier said. <\/p>\n

I wouldn\u2019t expect the revenue share in the backfield to sway too much in Etienne\u2019s favor but he has a quickness and a burst that I don\u2019t think Johnson has. He certainly looks quicker and more explosive. <\/p>\n

The Swamp was incredible <\/h2>\n

Florida played 12 on 11 on Saturday night. The atmosphere was incredible starting Friday night, when the fire marshal shut down several bars in midtown for being over capacity. That mood carried into Saturday. The 90,551 people that filled Ben Hill Griffin Stadium were the 12th most in school history and the second-most for a Florida-Tennessee game. I tried to rack my brain as to when the last time the Swamp felt like a place where only Gators get out alive. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey made a significant impact in the game,\u201d Napier said of the home crowd. \u201cI think in this league, home field advantage is a big deal. And they were a factor tonight. There\u2019s no question. How many procedure penalties did the crowd create? I think Austin had a really good plan. We stemmed the front on occasion. They were a factor. All the third downs, the fourth downs, really significant. Really thankful for that. 90,000 strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you were in the stadium on Saturday night, take a bow. <\/p>\n

A signature win<\/h2>\n

All week I said this game felt like a must-win for Billy Napier and the football program. It wasn\u2019t a must-win in the sense that Napier was going to be fired but Florida\u2019s program needed momentum. A loss at Utah made it four straight losses dating back to 2022. A win over McNeese doesn\u2019t doesn\u2019t really erase that but a win over Tennessee would. A loss to Tennessee and it would be easy to start doubting internally. <\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s win, which was convincing, should give the team momentum. It should show fans that the program is heading in the right direction. The 2024 recruiting class is elite and D.J. Lagway<\/a><\/strong> was back in Gainesville recruiting an elite list of visitors. <\/p>\n

Saturday night in Gainesville was special. That was the kind of crowd that you watched in Netflix\u2019s Swamp Kings<\/em>. Four-star running back Waltez Clark pulled the trigger and announced his commitment shortly after the game. Does that happen if Florida loses to Tennessee? <\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s win over Tennessee is more than just the 11th straight win over the Vols in Gainesville. It\u2019s a proof of concept. The program is healthy. It\u2019s young and will have some bumps along the way, but it\u2019s heading in the right direction. <\/p>\n\n

The post Five thoughts from the Florida Gators\u2019 statement win over No. 11 Tennessee<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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