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Florida football: Gators August and September report card

By Sean Doty

GAINESVILLE, FL- SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators looks on prior to the start of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL- SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators looks on prior to the start of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 29: Evan McPherson #19 of the Florida Gators kicks a field goal in the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 29: Evan McPherson #19 of the Florida Gators kicks a field goal in the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Special Teams

Sophomore kicker Evan McPherson has been the beacon of consistency for the Florida football team since arriving in Gainesville in 2018.

When Florida’s previous kicker Eddy Pineiro declared for the NFL Draft in 2018, it was a wonder as to whether or not the Gators could find a suitable replacement. McPherson answered the call immediately during his freshman season, drilling 17 of his 19 field-goal attempts and converting all 50 extra-point attempts.

The young sophomore appears not to have fallen into any form of slump through five games, as he has managed to make six of his seven field-goal attempts and convert all 18 extra-point attempts. His presence has also been felt on kickoffs, racking up 23 touchbacks off of 30 kickoff attempts. In just seven kickoff returns against the Gators this season, opponents are only averaging 18.0 yards per return.

His kicking counterpart Tommy Townsend has had a quiet, yet productive 2019 as well. With only seven punts accumulated through five games, the redshirt senior is averaging 44.0 yards per punt, which is ranked as the 9th-best in the nation.

Perhaps the most memorable moment for Florida’s special teams came during Florida football’s first drive of the season. After failing to pick up the five yards needed to convert on third down, Mullen sent the punt team on the field.

However, Mullen decided to take a huge gamble by calling a fake punt deep in Florida territory. Not known as a world-class athlete, Townsend managed to scamper to the right side of the field for six yards, helping keep Florida’s first drive alive and reigniting an offense that would score a touchdown just one play later.

For Florida’s returners on special teams, the results have been stagnant through the first five games. The Gators have only returned four kickoffs this season, with a return average of 22.25 yards that ranks 48th in the country. Meanwhile, the Gators have returned only seven punts, averaging a minuscule 4.57 yards that rank outside the top 100 nationally.

Though Florida football has not yet produced any highlights on kickoff or punt returns, their coverage teams have been excellent. In seven punt attempts by Townsend, only three of them have been returned by the opposition for a grand total of -1 yards. Florida’s punt coverage currently ranks only behind Appalachian State and FIU as best in the nation.

While the Gators have not yet produced any kick or punt returns for touchdowns in 2019, its kickers have once again shown to be some of the nation’s best. With consistent production from this pair and a punt coverage team that makes little to no mistakes, this could very well be the silent reason as to why the Gators could still be in playoff contention at the end of October.

Grade: A

Next. How do the Gators look through October?. dark

Remember, Florida football has a difficult stretch in October, but it has had a good start to the 2019 season.

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