Florida Gators Grab Feel-Good Win Over Eastern Kentucky

The Florida Gators (6-4) played well enough early to beat an over-matched Eastern Kentucky team and got a feel good win for outgoing coach Will Muschamp.  And by feel-good, that means feel good today, but not necessarily about next week.

The Gators had a dominating 52-3 win over a good team from the lower division. But had the Gators been playing another SEC power, or next week’s opponent Florida State, there’s no reason to think they played well enough to win.

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That’s not to take anything away from the win. It was a great day for some seniors. Quinton Dunbar caught two touchdowns and Michael McNeely added another one late. And redshirt junior QB Jeff Driskel had a nice day with 4 TDs. It was a nice home game send off for the coach who had stood by Driskel earlier in the season. Plus, the Gators are now bowl eligible and we learned today that defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin will coach the Gators in that game.

Defense Dominates

The standout unit for the Gators was the defense, which was resolute and had several big stops on the Colonels, despite bending at some times. If the Gators win in Tallahassee next week, I’m betting it’s the defense that stands out. Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves looked sharp and ready to face off against FSU QB Jameis Winston. The defense did give up 79 yards to a good running team. Though the game was totally in control, the Gators did allow some yardage to the Colonels late in the half, setting them up for a near end-of-half TD pass that was called incomplete.

Harris Goes Out With Injury

The Gators had a big play early when quarterback Treon Harris hit Dunbar on a long TD. But the throw didn’t look great and it appeared Dunbar simply overpowered his defender.  Harris threw for 162 yards, but hit only 4 of 12 passes. The offense failed to convert on the four third downs it attempted with Harris at QB. Plus, Harris mishandled a snap, leading to a turnover on the Gators 8 yard line.

With 8:30 left in the second quarter, Harris hit Demarcus Robinson on a nice 19-yard play in the corner. It’s the kind of throw he’ll have to make against FSU. It was one of two completions for Harris  at the time, the other a 70-yard TD to Dunbar. Harris hit Robinson on another long play on the next possession, but then went out with an injury to his ankle. It didn’t appear serious and clearly Muschamp was saving him for next week.

Driskel Gets PT, Scores 4 TDs

Driskel looked great today, throwing 3 touchdowns and running for another. He was accurate, hitting 9-of-11, going for 164 yards. Much of that came in the second quarter, against a Colonels team that was thoroughly out of competition at that point. He looked better than Harris. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes in against FSU if the Gators get behind early.

Running Game Sluggish

Despite winning 31-3 at half, the Gator running attack had only 44 yards on the ground. In the third quarter, Kelvin Taylor was stuffed on an 4th and 2 run up the middle. This was not the Gators that ran all over Georgia on Nov. 1. Taylor ended with just 29 yards and Matt Jones had 27. The Gators leading rusher was Adam Lane, the freshman back who had an impressive total of 60 yards from just five carries late in the game.

Hopefully, the Gators kept their playbook under wraps today so as to not tip off the ‘Noles. The Gators hit several receivers today that probably won’t be that open against FSU. And they had trouble running against a team they are bigger than. The Gators will need to do better next week if they want to send Muschamp off with a real feel-good win.