Gators’ Offense Stalls Again in Home Loss to Oklahoma
Florida entered Saturday night looking to turn the page after a difficult October. Instead, the Gators suffered another setback, falling to Oklahoma 23-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The loss drops Florida to 5-4 overall and 3-4 in SEC play, leaving the Gators one win shy of bowl eligibility with three regular-season games remaining.
After struggling offensively in a 27-8 loss to Georgia, Florida turned to sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. to provide a spark. Making his second career start, Jones finished 10-of-22 for 133 yards and two interceptions as the Gators continued searching for consistency on offense.
In what looked like it could have been a touchdown pass to Eric Singleton Jr. in the third quarter, Jones instead threw an interception to Courtland Guillory in the end zone. Jones was also sacked three times on the night.
Florida also looked to running back Jadan Baugh to help establish its ground game. After recording just 38 rushing yards against Georgia, Baugh finished Saturday with 35 rushing yards on eight carries. Baugh also secured a rushing touchdown, his 14th of the season, tying the most by a Gator since Tim Tebow’s 14 in 2009.
However, Florida’s offense continued to struggle. The unit failed to come up with more than seven points, while the offensive line struggled to protect Jones in the pocket. The Gators’ offensive line faced an aggressive Oklahoma defense that entered the matchup with 23 sacks, fifth-most in the SEC.
Defensively, Florida faced an Oklahoma offense led by quarterback John Mateer, who entered Saturday with 1,835 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. The Gators were able to contain Oklahoma from making explosive plays. Ending the night with a total of 70 tackles across the board, the Gators defense was led by Myles Graham, who tallied 15 tackles, 0.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Despite the defense continuing to improve, Florida could not overcome its offensive struggles after only putting up 203 yards through the night and not scoring until the second quarter.
The matchup marked Florida’s 23rd consecutive home sellout, with the stands filled for Oklahoma’s first-ever visit to The Swamp. Former Florida head coach Urban Meyer was also inducted into the Florida Football Ring of Honor during a ceremony between the first and second quarters.
With the loss, Florida remains one win away from bowl eligibility as it enters the final stretch of the regular season.
Florida will look to recover when it faces Kentucky on Nov. 14.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Football
