Dooley Grades The Gators: Not A Good Look

Pat Dooley, who co-hosts The Tailgate Show on WRUF with Jeff Cardozo, brings you the fourth segment of Grading the Gators after Saturday night’s 26-7 loss at No. 4 Miami (4-0):

OFFENSE: F-minus

FIRST HALF: It has to rank among the worst halves of offense in the history of Florida football. Zero points, one first down and 32 yards? Miami has a good defense, but nobody can be that good. It was depressing.

SECOND HALF: There was actually life on the one possession that ended with a touchdown and gave you hope. But throwing the ball short of the line to gain on fourth down? Come on.

FOR THE GAME: Florida (1-3) was 0-for-13 on third downs. Ohhhh-for-13. This has gone from bad to worse. It is predictable and not equipped to play against elite defenses, either schematically or physically. That’s a fact, Jack.

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DEFENSE: C

FIRST HALF: They were OK, but again, the defense had to shut out Miami to make it a game and instead allowed 198 yards of offense and 12 first downs. This is a defense that is being let down by the offense.

SECOND HALF: The Gators were able to have a good third quarter because of the offense’s long drive. But to let the Hurricanes go right down the field for a score in a game that was still in doubt was not a good look or a good way to win a game.

FOR THE GAME: This problem is not a defensive issue although these Gators seem to have a real knack for being bad when the game is on the line. Still, the issue is not on the defensive side of the ball.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C

FIRST HALF: Tommy Doman might have had a tired leg after punting six times, but he did average 46.3 yards a kick. That was Florida’s offensive highlight in the first half.

SECOND HALF: What impact did the special teams have? Not much because they were not a factor.

FOR THE GAME: Really, what does it matter? You can’t win a game when your special teams are OK, but you smell on ice on offense. This is a team of dudes who care, but don’t care enough.

OVERALL: G because F is too high a grade

In Florida’s three losses, the Gators gave scored 33 points and three touchdowns. Maybe they should get a new offensive coordinator. Ha-ha. You all know that nobody can defend Billy Napier after these three games. We hoped Florida could get through this part of the schedule 3-1. Instead, they are 1-3 and will probably be looking for a new coach.

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: ACC, College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, Miami Hurricanes, Pat Dooley, SEC