Ad Disclosure
After a Week 1 performance that had many in The Swamp wanting more, Florida turned in the kind of resounding victory the fans were hoping for as only one more tuneup is left before a trip to Neyland Stadium.
The Gators dominated the Wildcats 45-7, their 30th straight win in the series, with an impressive effort on both sides of the ball.
Here’s what coach Jim McElwain had to say after the game, starting with a very optimistic outlook of what the win means for this team going forward.
Mac is here … “I thought today we took a big step in coming together as a football team with a common goal."
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) September 10, 2016
Luke Del Rio had an outstanding game by going 19-for-32 with 320 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. McElwain explained the interception.
Mac talking now. Says Del Rios INT was because of a route run too tight. Disappointed in that.
— Bob Redman (@Bob_Redman67) September 10, 2016
While kicker Eddy Piñeiro continues to get a lot of attention, especially after he nailed a 54-yarder in the game (sixth-longest in Florida history), McElwain made sure to point out that his two misses (from 48 and 42 yards) were good for him.
Mac Says missed FG was good for Eddy because he got caught up in trying to kill the ball and having fun rather than going out there and kick
— Bob Redman (@Bob_Redman67) September 10, 2016
The news wasn’t all good for the Gators. A couple receivers came away with injuries. Tyrie Cleveland had another hamstring issue, while star receiver Antonio Callaway had a problem with his quad, and he’s not sure when the team will get him back.
Mac says Cleveland pulled hamstring again … “I don’t know if we’ll ever get him back.’’ Add Callaway had a quad issue
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) September 10, 2016
And McElwain may have indicated that he wasn’t too thrilled with the running game as a whole.
'I thought our play action was pretty good,' Mac said, when asked about how run game performed.
— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) September 10, 2016
And McElwain revealed an interesting name given to one of Florida’s offensive sets.
McElwain said they have a "Star Wars" package. One of the plays is called "Jedi." #Gators
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) September 10, 2016
McElwain liked this performance, especially considering last week’s shakier performance against UMass.
“We had a lot of guys do their job today. They not only did their job, they did it at a higher level.” — Mac
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) September 10, 2016
McElwain liked the way the offense played, saying Del Rio’s interception is haunting him, but overall he liked the performance.
Mac says he would expect the offense to look that way more often.
— Bob Redman (@Bob_Redman67) September 10, 2016
McElwain also commented on freshman RB Lamical Perine, who ran for 105 yards on 17 carries on Saturday.
McElwain on Perine: "Lamical, the guy's a pretty good player. He's an SEC back." #Gators
— Jordan McPherson (@J_McPherson1126) September 10, 2016
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
