Florida’s Penalty Problem Persists Through 4-0 Start

Florida keeps winning, but the penalties keep coming.

The Gators (4-0, 2-0 SEC) remained undefeated Saturday with a 52-28 win against No. 4 Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1), but a penalty problem continued in Saturday’s biggest win in several seasons.

Florida committed eight penalties for 92 yards against the Rebels, bringing its season total to 35 penalties for 357 yards through four games, good for 8.75 penalties and 89.25 penalty yards per game.

The issue has varied from week to week. Florida committed just three penalties for 32 yards against Florida Atlantic in its season opener before being flagged eight times for 95 yards against Campbell. The problem reached its peak at Auburn, where the Gators committed 16 penalties, one short of the Florida program record of 17 set in 1996 against Vanderbilt, for 138 yards.

Against Ole Miss, Florida cut its penalty total in half from the Auburn game, but the flags still erased opportunities.

Three penalties came in a span of four plays during the first half. A delay-of-game penalty on quarterback Aaron Philo was followed by a holding penalty on receiver Bailey Stockton that canceled out a 68-yard touchdown by Vernell Brown III. Then a punt-catch interference penalty followed shortly after.

The sequence kept Florida from capitalizing on its early momentum. 

Still, Sumrall saw a difference between Saturday’s performance and the penalty-filled outing at Auburn.

“Even though I still wasn’t pleased, maybe, with the number of penalties,” Sumrall said. “I felt we played cleaner.”

For Sumrall, the improvement wasn’t simply about reducing the number of flags. He pointed to the way Florida lined up, played with urgency and handled situations as signs that the Gators were becoming more disciplined.

“We’re not just playing football,” Sumrall said. “We’re trying to look like an outfit that practices and prepares and does things with attention to detail.”

Florida has now been penalized at least eight times in three of its four games. Saturday marked the third time this season the team committed more than 90 penalty yards. 

Sumrall acknowledged the team is moving in the right direction, but said consistency remains an area that needs improvement.

For a Florida team that has been able to overcome its mistakes through the first four games, the challenge now is turning that progress into cleaner play as the season continues, starting next Saturday at No. 19 Missouri. Coverage from Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on WRUF 98.1-FM/850-AM/103.7 HD2 and at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

“It’s not just what we do, it’s how we do it,” Sumrall said. “I want to see us play efficient, clean, operate at a high level.”

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Football