Scouting Oklahoma: Florida Faces John Mateer and an Offense in Flux
Following a difficult 27-8 loss to Georgia, Florida football looks to bounce back this Saturday against Oklahoma at home.
No. 25 Florida (5-3, 3-3 SEC) and Oklahoma (4-4, 2-3 SEC) share a limited history with each other, meeting just twice since 2009. Their record is even scored at 1-1. In their most recent matchup in 2020, the Gators lost 55-20 in Arlington, Texas.
The Sooners have had a relatively dull season so far, going 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the SEC, with losses to Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan. Similar to Florida’s performance, they’ve earned big wins alongside their tough losses, including a 51-0 shutout against UTEP and a close 27-24 victory over Texas. They come into the weekend off of a 42-25 loss to the Gamecocks at home.
After the loss, Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle was fired, leaving tight end coach Jason Witten to take over the position as interim OC and play-caller moving forward. The coaching change could mean several things for the Gators. Although Florida is now dealing with an offensive unit that lacks clear leadership, they’re also heading into the weekend with little to no information on what Oklahoma’s offense will look like under Witten.
Florida defensive coordinator Brad White spoke on the change Tuesday.
“It’s going to shift what tendencies are, how you viewed the team before, the breakdowns, all those things,” he said. “But obviously within a week, they have to stay within somewhat of a confine. It’s hard to put in a whole new offense within a week, so structurally there’s going to be a lot of similarities to what they’ve done this year.”
Their offensive unit is ranked No. 113 in the FBS in total offense, notching 336.9 yards per game, which lands them second to last in the SEC. After eight games, they’ve averaged 22 points per game. They’re led by quarterback John Mateer, who has thrown 1,835 yards for 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. Paired alongside a rushing game that has averaged just 3.17 yards per carry this season, ranking No. 127 in the nation, Oklahoma’s offense doesn’t appear to pose a huge threat to the Gators’ defensive unit that has just seemed to find their footing.
Despite losing to Georgia, the Gators held the Bulldogs to just three second-half points and limited quarterback Gunner Stockton to 101 passing yards–his lowest stat of the season. They’ve also recorded six sacks over their last two games, an encouraging sign heading into Saturday’s upcoming matchup.
On the other side of the ball, Oklahoma may be able to make more ground on Florida’s offense. The Gators have had a rocky past few weeks, featuring several significant injuries in both their receiving and quarterback rooms, an ongoing quarterback competition and a faltering offensive line. Tramell Jones Jr. is expected to start on Saturday, following an unsteady performance from Aaron Philo against Georgia, throwing two interceptions through just seven passes. Jones finished out the game with 172 passing yards for one rushing touchdown and one interception.
Oklahoma’s defense poses a significant threat. The Sooners rank No. 21 nationally in total defense, dropping from No. 11 after giving up 521 yards in their loss to South Carolina. They also rank No. 10 in red zone defense, presenting another challenge for a Florida offense that has struggled to finish drives.
The Sooners weakness may lie in their rushing defense, which is ranked No. 51, considerably lower than their other defensive categories. This could give Florida an opportunity to get its ground game back on track, particularly with Jadan Baugh, who started out the season with over 100 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Florida’s offensive line may have its hands full against an aggressive Oklahoma defense. The Sooners rank fifth in the SEC in sacks with 23 and seventh in tackles for loss, averaging 6.1 per game. Florida, meanwhile, has allowed at least 14 pressures in each of its last four contests. With several key players, including starting right tackle Emeka Ugorji, ruled out for the Gators, they will need to find consistency up front to provide extra time for Jones and open lanes for Baugh.
Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner emphasized the importance of eliminating negative plays after Florida’s struggles against Georgia.
“[It’s] difficult to operate when you are in negative plays, probably more so than even 1-yard gains because you’re at least in some sort of rhythm,” Faulkner said. “We’ve got to eliminate the negatives. That’s on all of us up front…We need to get the run game going.”
Saturday’s game provides the Gators with an opportunity for Florida to respond after a turbulent October. As Sumrall discussed on Monday, the focus for the rest of the season remains straightforward.
“How you finish matters,” he said. “You look down this last stretch, we got three conference games and a rivalry game at the end…if you could find your way to 9-3 at the end, there’s a lot of possibilities that can happen…”.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Football
