University of Florida’s Jaden Baugh (13) celebrates a touchdown during the Gator’s game against Long Island University at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Kaley Mantz/WRUF)

Dooley Grades The Gators: Florida Flexes Offense, Defense Dominates LIU

Pat Dooley from The Tailgate on WRUF is back with another version of Grading the Gators after Saturday night’s opening win against Long Island 55-0 at Florida Field:

OFFENSE: A-

First half: The No. 15 Gators and especially DJ Lagway were a little rusty at the start. But Jadan Baugh and the rest of the guys got things ramped up. And it never hurts to get defensive touchdowns.

Second half: Baugh ended up with more than 100 yards on only nine carries. Tramell Jones looked like an adequate backup for DJ. Obviously, Florida could have scored a lot more if not for the big lead.

For the game: We knew Florida could do whatever it wanted against the Sharks, but it seemed to be a pretty sharp level of execution on the offense. I know, it was LIU. But at least this looked like a team that has practiced.

DEFENSE: A

First half: Well, a 7-0 advantage is never a bad thing. The Gators got a score from Brice Thornton on a scoop-and-score and never looked back. Florida’s defense gave up a few yards to a team that did not expect to be shut down.

Second half: The Gators kept the pressure on and had no use for any of the offensive sets Long Island tried to throw at them. It didn’t hurt that Florida controlled the ball in the half.

For the game: This might be a really good defense after certainly having a stat game where you only allow 86 total yards. We will see over the next few weeks how good this defense is.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-

First half: You know how I feel about special teams, and I was so happy to see what a factor Vernell Brown III can be. Unfortunately, Trey Smack’s two misses were a concern.

Second half: Not a big factor because Florida only punted once in the game. But there was a feeling that they might be the best group Billy Napier has had.

For the game: Maybe it is because he was exposed to my golf game this summer, but three misses for Smack are not ideal. Those are as many as he missed all of last year

OVERALL A-

Hey, most of us didn’t know Long Island had a football team. Still, Florida looked like a team that gets it, which is a big part of success. Napier has his best team and now we get to find out how good it is. The best news is that it looked like an SEC contender Saturday night.

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, Pat Dooley