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The Florida Gators (1-3) lost to the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes (4-0) on Saturday in Miami, 26 to 7. DJ Lagway has yet to look like himself, but Head Coach Billy Napier might be gone before that happens after three straight losses.
IT WAS OVER WHEN – CharMar Brown caught a poorly thrown pass and turned it into a 16-yard gain. Florida had its opportunities in the 2nd half and wasn’t able to get it done. Miami got the ball back with 11 minutes left and was able to drain most of the quarter. The most explosive play and what grabbed back the momentum for Miami was the one-handed catch from Brown that took Miami to the 40. They got all the confidence back in the offense that they needed.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW – Mark Fletcher Jr. While both running backs had successful nights, Fletcher was the ace in the hole that the Hurricanes kept coming back to all game. He finished with 116 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. When Beck struggled throughout the game, they continued to pound the rock with Fletcher.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE – Florida had 32 yards of offense in the 1st half. The Florida Gators had another very solid outing from the defense; the problem once again came from the other side of the ball. Everything that the Gators tried to do in the first half was contained by Miami, and they finished with 32 total yards of offense going into the second. This resulted in a game of catch-up the whole second half, and Florida just took too long to get its offense going.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY – The Battle in the Trenches. The biggest issue with this game was Florida getting absolutely destroyed by Miami in the trenches. The Miami defense ended up with 4 sacks along with 7 TFL’s. The offensive line of Florida left no time for anything to set up or develop, which resulted in serious offensive struggles. Even the defense, which played well most of the game, allowed 186 rushing yards. The big guys upfront on both lines must be better for the Gators.
WHAT A PLAY – Cormani McClain had easily the most entertaining play of the night with a diving pick of Carson Beck.
Up Next: Florida will head into the bye week before No. 8 Texas comes into town. No. 4 Miami will have a bye before taking on No. 7 Florida State in Tallahassee.
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