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Florida head coach Jim McElwain is done with the Gators ‘wasting opportunities’
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At first glance, it appears Florida played well in its 24-7 season-opening victory over UMass.
The Gators out-gained the Minutemen by nearly 200 yards. UF was 9-of-17 in third-down situations, and did not turn the ball over. However, there were some causes for concern.
Florida was a 36.5-point favorite heading into the contest. As the game made its way to the 4th quarter, Jim McElwain’s team held a slim 10-7 lead. The Gators rushed for only 107 yards on 29 carries — which equates to a paltry 3.7 yards-per-carry average.
McElwain wants red zone off. to improve: "Contrary to popular belief, I did not tell the offense to go backwards to give Eddy longer kicks."
— Thomas Goldkamp (@ThomasGoldkamp) September 8, 2016
Sputtering down near the red zone, Florida relied on true freshman kicker Eddy Pineiro to nail three field goal attempts. Being able to convert in the red zone efficiently is something many of the quality programs accomplish with regularity. Against better competition, the Gators have to be more clinical when given opportunities to punch it in for touchdowns.
On Saturday, Florida will host Kentucky. Last weekend, the Wildcats blew an 18-point halftime lead en route to a 44-35 loss to Southern Miss. UK has also lost 29-straight contests against Florida, dating back to 1986.
While everything points in Florida’s direction for this contest, it will be facing a much more talented team — and a team which is hungry for redemption. This should provide the Gators with ‘an opportunity’ to improve and get their first conference win of the year.
McElwain: "We just wasted an opportunity. One of them is wasted .. Now we've got to go out and play the way Gators are supposed to play."
— Thomas Goldkamp (@ThomasGoldkamp) September 8, 2016
