Florida football: 3 observations from the first half against Vandy
After a sleepy start, Florida football picked up the pace and scored on two straight possessions in the second quarter to dominate Vanderbilt.
A pair of sharp touchdowns has Florida football holding a 14-0 lead at halftime against Vanderbilt.
However, it should have been more.
The Gators have made some silly offensive mistakes, but fortunately, the defense has been there to thoroughly dominate the Commodores to the tune of just 18 yards of total offense in the first half.
We’ve even seen the running game pick up some steam as Florida football has 63 yards on the ground to complement the 214 yards passing.
With that, here are three observations from the first half against Vanderbilt.
Coining the phrase ‘Gator’s Pace’
I’m filling out the copyrighting documentation as I watch the game.
What I mean by the phrase Gator’s Pace is the way Florida football starts games this season.
Florida football is 82nd in the country in first-quarter points with an average of 5.4. To put that in perspective, that is less than Florida International AND Miami AND Florida State.
They are 96th in the county in second-quarter points with an average of 6.3. Again, that’s less than South Florida, Florida State and Florida International.
Needless to say, the Gators start games awfully slow.
Their best quarter? The fourth where they are fifth in the country, averaging 11.1 points per game — trailing just Iowa State, Texas SMU and Boise State.
Much better on third down
After last week’s dismal performance on third down (on both sides of the ball), Florida football was much better in the first half against Vanderbilt.
light. Must Read. The Gators defense vs. Vanderbilt's offense
The defense held the Commodores to a goose egg on third down (0-for-5) while the offense converted 3-for-8 on third down (maybe should be one more if not for the overturned catch call).
Considering the disaster last week against Georgia on third down, the conversion was likely a point of practice this week, and it appears to have paid off.
It was good to see the Gators get more aggressive on offense on third down, utilizing a mix of pass and run (yeah, I said run) with a sweep from Lamical Perine on third down to convert.
Equally aggressive on third down was the Florida football defense as Vanderbilt’s passing game got no traction and neither did the running game.
The Florida defense dominates
Yes, I know it’s Vanderbilt and it’s to be expected, but the way the Florida football defense has played in the first half is stellar.
The Gators held Vanderbilt (yes, it is a third-string quarterback) to 18 yards of total offense in the first half. Twenty-one yards!
That includes six yards passing for Deuce Williams on 2-for-6 passing with an interception.
The Florida football defense sacked Williams four times in the first half — with true freshman Mohamoud Diabate getting two of those sacks.
The Gator defensive line manhandled the Commodores to the tune of just three first downs, domination on third down and just 12 rushing yards.
More of that, please!
Notes for the second half
One big key for the Gators is not to take their foot off the gas.
Only holding a 14-point lead is not enough against Vanderbilt or anyone else in the Southeastern Conference.
The defense has been solid, but the offense has made silly mistakes, perhaps due to a little hubris on the field.
Next. What Florida needs to do to beat Vanderbilt. dark
Florida football needs to regain some offensive discipline as they have every opportunity to roll over Vanderbilt in the second half.