Where Were Florida's 'Uncompromising' Fundamentals Against Utah?
Photo: Florida's offense at Rice-Eccles Stadium; Credit: Zach Goodall
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Since his arrival in Gainesville, Billy Napier has placed an emphasis on watering two roots he believes can sprout the Gators into a successful team: togetherness across the roster, and football fundamentals.
The strength of the team's bond, from the outside looking in, is impalpable. It can be assumed, but conversations and happenings inside the team's locker room and facilities are not transparent.
Fundamentals — or a lack thereof — however, can easily be observed.
The latter, a lack, was showcased in Florida's Thursday night, 24-11 drubbing at Utah, and not from an absence of effort on Napier's and the team's part to improve in that department over his second offseason in charge of the program.
"I think we're hard at work here trying to create a practice environment where we're building habits that will hold up on game day, communication that will hold up on game day, fundamentals and execution that will hold up on game day against the absolute best competition in the country," Napier said on Aug. 7 amid Florida's fall training camp.
"We're working on our football and I do think we're working on our mindset. We've taken the gloves off and we've really decided to be uncompromising. We're holding nothing back and we understand that requires our total focus because of the type of competitors that we want to be."
Yet, the shortage of basic principles pertaining to clean football arguably compromised the Gators' ability to compete with the Utes from start to finish.
Of Florida's nine penalties — resulting in a misleadingly decent 46 yards given up — three were committed in the redzone, netting UF three points instead of potentially three touchdowns.
Two of those were on the same drive, first a third-down delay of game call on quarterback Graham Mertz then a false start by offensive tackle Damieon George Jr. before a fourth-down conversion attempt. It was not George's only false start of the night.
The field goal unit trotted out as a result of the second blunder of the series, but kicker Adam Mihalek missed a 31-yard attempt wide right.
There were two illegal formation penalties on the offense, too. Wide receiver Marcus Burke did not check his pre-snap alignment with the sideline judge in the redzone on one occasion, and on the other, Florida illegally had more than four players in the backfield due to a pre-snap motion that did not conclude before the ball moved.
"I would tell you the penalties in particular are surprising. You know, we play really clean football," Napier said after the loss. "Listen, the things that we can control, those are the things that are frustrating for a coach. Ultimately, too many of those in my opinion."
Execution falls under the category of fundamentals, as well. The team spent an entire offseason honing in on its offensive strengths and how to best utilize them schematically, but Florida simply failed to complete plays throughout the game despite the attention placed on those details throughout this year.
Whether it was passes missed by Mertz, a drop by receiver Ricky Pearsall that popped up into an interception, offensive linemen missing assignments in both run blocking and pass protection, abandoning a formerly acclaimed rushing game instead of trying to mend it, Napier calling well-too-short play designs on long conversion downs, or something else, fundamental football is no way to describe what Florida's offense put on display in Salt Lake City.
The same argument can be made regarding Florida's special teams. One needn't look further than two players wearing the same number (Jason Marshall Jr. and Eugene Wilson III) being on the field on a punt return, but if one were to, UF had only nine players on the field during a fourth-quarter, 55-yard field goal attempt that Utah missed.
Plainly put, Florida beat itself after spending an entire offseason working to eliminate such a possibility.
The Gators will continue to emphasize improving their fundamentals in practice this season, but therein lies the problem: The campaign is underway. Practice and meeting time are now thoroughly dedicated to studying the upcoming opponent. The greatest opportunity to positively develop in this area is now in the rear-view mirror.
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