Florida, um, survived a scare from East Carolina to start the Jim McElwain era 2-0. Here are some of the notable takeaways from the game:
It was over when… ECU QB Blake Kemp lost control of the ball as he was bringing his arm back to throw, lost the ball, and Florida’s Alex McCalister recovered with :14 seconds left.
Play of the game… Jalen Tabor’s pick six to extend Florida’s lead to 24-14 in the third quarter. ECU would not get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
Game ball goes to… Tabor, who saved a Gator defense that was stout at times but clueless at others. Not to mention an offense that was more down than up.
Stat of the game… -13. The Pirates rushed for -13 yards on the day. Yes, really. Naturally, this consistently put ECU in uncomfortable down and distance situations.
What to be proud of… Florida’s defense gave up some yards, but made some big plays when it needed to. This includes a key third down sack late in the first half by Joey Ivie and the aforementioned pick six by Tabor.
What to work on… Well, there’s a lot to work on (offensive line, missing tackles on defense, etc.). The first order of business, though, seems obvious. The penalties I’ve criticized Muschamp for so heavily returned en masse in McElwain’s second game as head coach. Florida scored four touchdowns on the night; they were called for unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after two of them. That’s simply disgraceful.
Bottom line: As bad as Florida played, and as much work as they have to do, they won the game. A win is a win. Just ask Bret Bielema.
Scoring recap:
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
E CAROLINA | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
FLORIDA | 10 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
Scoring plays:
Team | Time | Play | ECU | FLA |
E CAROLINA | 1st 8:23 | D. Grayson 31 yd pass from B. Kemp (PAT good) | 7 | 0 |
FLORIDA | 1st 4:08 | A. Hardin 37 yd FG | 7 | 3 |
FLORIDA | 1st :49 | D. Goolsby 32 yd pass from W. Grier (PAT good) | 7 | 10 |
E CAROLINA | 3rd 10:43 | I. Jones 27 yd pass from B. Kemp (PAT good) | 14 | 10 |
FLORIDA | 3rd 7:11 | D. Robinson 6 yd pass from W. Grier (PAT good) | 14 | 17 |
FLORIDA | 3rd 1:49 | J. Tabor 39 yd INT return (PAT good) | 14 | 24 |
E CAROLINA | 4th 12:25 | D. Plowman 30 yd FG | 17 | 24 |
FLORIDA | 4th 6:57 | K. Taylor 7 yd run (PAT good) | 17 | 31 |
E CAROLINA | 4th 3:04 | B. Williams 7 yd pass from B. Kemp (PAT good) | 24 | 31 |