Freddie Swain doesn’t want to rely on a last-second pass to beat Kentucky this weekend.
“Now, you’re not trying to win by a Hail Mary, you’re trying to win by 20, 30 points,” Swain, a sophomore receiver, said.
Although the Gators’ 26-20 win against Tennessee could’ve been more convincing, Swain said he’s seen how the team’s first victory has affected each of its players.
“You could see the difference in everybody because everybody could see we could actually win,” Swain said Tuesday. “It boosted (our) confidence.”
The Gators (1-1, 1-0 SEC) can capitalize on that change in attitude Saturday when they take on the Wildcats (3-0, 1-0 SEC) in Lexington, Kentucky. It’s Florida’s first true road game of the season after opening the year with a neutral-site loss against Michigan.
Now that Swain and the rest of the receivers have a sense of certainty about who their starting signal caller is in Feleipe Franks, they can start to have a little more fun with a quarterback who isn’t afraid to chuck it deep and let his playmakers take off. Swain said just having Franks behind center opens up the playbook.
“You know (that) you can run and (Franks) will find you because he definitely has a cannon,” Swain said Tuesday. “He will take a chance with it.”
Franks will take the field against a Kentucky pass defense that ranks second-to-last in the SEC, giving up about 290 yards per contest. And he’ll have plenty of pass-catching weapons he can use.
One of them is Tyrie Cleveland, a sophomore receiver who has soaked in the spotlight over the past five days after his game-winning catch to down the Volunteers, earning himself an honorable mention for player of the week by Earl Campbell Tyler Rose — an organization that annually honors the season’s top offensive player.
With UF’s 2016 leading receiver Antonio Callaway still suspended, Cleveland has taken on the No. 1 receiver role. After never catching more than three balls in a given game in his first season, Cleveland has led the Gators in receptions in both of their games in 2017.
“Freshman year, I was just out there running, just playing,” Cleveland said. “This year, I feel like I’m more comfortable with the play calling and the offense.”
Another tool Florida will likely look to incorporate is freshman quarterback-converted-receiver Kadarius Toney, who coach Jim McElwain dubbed “a human joystick” for his quick cuts and ability to juke out would-be tacklers.
Swain remembers when he first realized Toney would be a nightmare for defenders.
“At camp when he switched over (from quarterback), … he was running little routes and making people miss,” Swain said. “I don’t think he has any ACLs to be honest with you.”
Toney's elusiveness makes him one of the most explosive players on the team with big-play potential. Of his six catches so far, two have gone for 19 yards or more.
But Franks and his receivers won’t be able to waltz in and win by 30 easily. While Kentucky’s pass defense ranks low in the SEC, McElwain said the Wildcats are adept at disguising coverages to confuse young quarterbacks, something Franks, a redshirt freshman, will have to watch out for. Kentucky’s defensive backs are also some of the tallest in the conference, and Swain said they’re physical to the point where they can run you off your route.
But after coming off a statement win against Tennessee, Swain has no doubts about his offense's odds against Kentucky's secondary.
“Yeah they’re big DBs,” he said. “Ain’t nothing we can’t handle.”
You can follow Matt Brannon on Twitter @MattB_727, and contact him at mbrannon@alligator.org.
UF wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland runs with the ball after a catch during Florida's 26-10 win against Tennessee on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
