UF quarterback DJ Lagway misses a tackle after an interception by LSU's Dashawn Spears in the third quarter at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday. [Riley Beiswenger/WRUF]

Dooley Grades The Gators: Picked Clean

Pat Dooley from The Tailgate Show on WRUF brings you the second chapter of Grading The Gators after Saturday night’s brutal 20-10 loss at No. 3 LSU:

OFFENSE: F-minus-minus

FIRST HALF: Gator fans probably went to bed seeing Jadan Baugh running down the field with a scramble pass for 87 yards. Alas, it came back because of the penalty on offensive lineman Knijeah Harris, the third touchdown Florida has lost in the last two weeks. The offense felt like it was battling for every yard because the offensive line was not getting it done.

SECOND HALF: If the game was about getting the most first downs, Florida (1-2) would have been in great shape (23-10, Yay!!). But it is about scoring points and when you score zero-point-zero in the second half, you usually lose the game. Also, there were the incredibly bad throws by the Heisman Trophy candidate.

FOR THE GAME: So, you have a quarterback who looks like he missed months of work, an offensive line that is underachieving and a coach who won’t let his best player run the ball. What could possibly be wrong with the offense? This might have been the worst look for Billy Napier and not at a good time. The quarterback he hitched his wagon to has imploded badly.

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DEFENSE: B-

FIRST HALF: It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. Florida gave up 13 points and 166 yards, but stuggled again to get much of a pass rush. Again, no turnovers gained, but they did do a good job shutting the LSU running game.

SECOND HALF: Florida went into the fourth quarter only allowing 207 yards and 3-of-10 conversions on third down for the game. That should be good enough. But it wasn’t. The last run by LSU (3-0) added to their total, but the defense played well enough to win the game.

FOR THE GAME: LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier wasn’t anything special and LSU struggled to run the ball. This one isn’t on the defense, which played well enough in a tough atmosphere.

UF tight end Hayden Hansen moves the ball down the field after a completed pass at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday. [Riley Beiswenger/WRUF]

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

FIRST HALF: Trey Smack made his only field goal try and it felt like Vernell Brown III was going to break one. Toomy Doman got it done as the punter averaging 44 yards a kick, but Florida did give up two long returns to former Kentucky player Barion Brown.

SECOND HALF: I guess the special teams were the ones trying to tackle LSU players after Lagway picks.

FOR THE GAME: Special teams were fine, but they weren’t much of a factor because they rarely got into the game. You throw that many interceptions and you’re not going to punt a lot.

OVERALL: F is for finished

Doesn’t this season feel over? Three games in? Napier looked like a Dead Man Limping Saturday night after his team had more than twice as many first downs as LSU and half as many points. I don’t think many Gator fans can see many more wins down the road.

WRUF.com sports columnist Pat Dooley can be heard on “The Tailgate” along with Jeff Cardozo from 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.

Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC