For the past two years, Florida has finished near the bottom of the SEC in running the football. But through the first month of the 2017 season, the Gators are starting to find success on the ground. UF is rushing the ball for 191 yards per game against conference opponents, up 65 yards from the year before.
LSU may have lost to Troy last weekend, but Florida coach Jim McElwain isn’t letting his guard down.
Quarterback battles. Off-field scandals. Last-second wins.
Josh Hammond didn’t see too many passes thrown his way the last time Florida and LSU went head to head in the regular season.
Brett Heggie and the rest of Florida’s offensive line weren’t the stars of Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. The announcers weren’t hailing them on long runs. They weren’t praised as heavily as the running backs for Florida’s five rushing touchdowns. But without that unit playing better than in previous weeks, the running game couldn’t have done what it did. And the front five have noticed.
One week ago, Gators coach Jim McElwain had options when it came to his starting quarterback. On Saturday, his decision was made for him.
After failing to win Florida’s starting quarterback job out of fall camp and sitting on the bench through its first two games, Luke Del Rio finally got his shot last Saturday against Kentucky.
The pass was a good one. It arced high, finally falling into Brandon Powell’s hands, who raced toward the sideline for a 13-yard gain.
It wasn’t flashy. No, it was a simple gesture. The waving of his arms across his body, as if to tell his waiter he had no room for dessert, and a couple nods to about 90,000 screaming fans. That was Marco Wilson’s reaction after smacking the ball away from Tennessee receiver Marquez Callaway two weeks ago on what was probably the most important play of his young career. It wasn’t ornate. It wasn’t over-the-top. But it was something. For Marco Wilson, there’s always something.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, two days before his high school’s annual rivalry game against Belen Jesuit, Chris Merritt thought about the typical Miami football player. The one with all the scholarship offers. The one with the college recruiters he knows on a first-name basis. The one with the attitude. The one with the arrogance.
Luke Del Rio has seen a lot from the sidelines.
Redshirt junior Luke Del Rio will start Saturday against Vanderbilt, McElwain said, one week after he replaced former starter Feleipe Franks mid game at Kentucky and led the No. 21 Gators to a 28-27 win.
The total number of recommended felony charges for Florida defensive lineman Jordan Smith reached 22 counts on Wednesday afternoon after the Gainesville Police Department filed a sworn complaint.
Week 3 of the NFL season has come and gone, and some former Gators had solid performances for their respective professional teams. Here’s a look at how some of those players did last weekend in this edition of Gators in the NFL:
Luke Del Rio’s biggest strength during Florida’s preseason quarterback battle was, in his own words, “consistency.” He was said to be a veteran who knew the offense, and one who didn’t make many mistakes. His first drive of 2017 didn’t show that.
According to UPD reports, all nine players are accused of systematically taking other peoples' credit card information, using the information to add money to their UF Bookstore debit accounts, and buying electronics like laptops, headphones and iPads.
Florida fans got their first official update today on the nine UF football players who have been suspended indefinitely since August.
Luke Del Rio wouldn’t answer the question.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — It didn’t take long for Malik Davis to redeem himself.
Kadarius Toney caught the ball and went backwards. Instead of cutting up field, he cut to his right and tried to use his speed to outrun Kentucky’s entire defense. “Man,” defensive end Jabari Zuniga thought on the sideline, “what’re you doing?”
Solutions by The State News
