Three observations from Florida's 45-0 win over UT-Martin

The Florida Gators pulled off a landslide win over the UT-Martin Skyhawks in their home-opening game on Saturday night by a score of 45-0.

Florida started out slow, with a mere 3-0 lead entering the second quarter, but the Gators' offense took off from there, scoring 28 unanswered points in a 18:46 span between the second and third quarter.

Here are my five instant observations from the game, before going back and watching the film.

QB Feleipe Franks displays accuracy improvement, but still struggles in his progressions

Feleipe Franks had himself a near-perfect first half, completing 15 of his 16 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. His only incompletion in the half was on the final snap, where he targeted wide receiver Trevon Grimes in the endzone on a Hail Mary with 0:02 left on the clock.

All in all, Franks went 25-27 for 270 yards and the two scores, while also adding 37 yards with his legs. His accuracy was off the charts, nailing most of his passes in stride or exactly where they needed to be in tighter coverage. Improved accuracy is a big step up for Franks, who has struggled with placement in the past. That also is not something padded by the level of competition Florida was facing, rather it was a testament to his growing ability as a passer.

However, an area Franks struggled with was his progressions. There were several opportunities to make big plays in the passing game, including an open Jacob Copeland down the seam in the first quarter and a perfectly-sold corner route by Josh Hammond in the third, that’s Franks checked down on instead.

Head coach Dan Mullen acknowledged this in his post-game press conference, stating that there were a couple of plays that he discussed with Franks on the sidelines with open guys down the field.

All in all, there was plenty of growth, and yet still some room to grow, in quarterback Feleipe Franks' game against UT-Martin. Hopefully, he can carry this momentum into Kentucky next Saturday and continue to improve.

True freshmen defenders have themselves a day

The most important part of this game was checking in on the development of the future of the program.

And in that respect, Florida should be pretty happy.

Three true freshmen cornerbacks - Kaiir Elam, Jaydon Hill, and Chester Kimbrough - made plays against UT-Martin. Elam recorded an interception in the endzone to go with a tackle, while Hill and Kimbrough tallied four tackles apiece - both making tackles on their first snaps in Gator uniforms.

Defensive end Khris Bogle had five tackles and a sack in his debut, making his presence known by applying pressure on several dropbacks.

Another defensive end - Mohamoud Diabate - saw plenty of snaps as well, but as the team's weakside MONEY linebacker rather than his BUCK pass-rushing position. Perhaps this positional move is Florida attempting to make Diabate a versatile defender; perhaps Florida prefers him in coverage and off the ball until he adds more weight. Either way, it was interesting to see him lined up at MONEY.

Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland demand more targets

Everyone knows how deep Florida's wide receiver room is and how no one player will constantly demand targets, but Trevon Grimes and Jacob Copeland certainly deserve a fair share going forward.

Following a two target, one reception game against Miami - despite being open on numerous plays during that game - Grimes led Florida in receptions against UT-Martin on Saturday with five. He took those catches for 56 yards, and two of his receptions put Florida within five yards of scoring, setting up rushing touchdowns for running backs Malik Davis and Lamical Perine.

Copeland scored his first career touchdown as a Gator as part of a three reception, 23-yard performance. He also added 15 yards on the ground via a reverse handoff. The uber-athletic receiver missed the majority of his freshman season due to injuries, making tonight even more special as he begins to earn time in Florida's spread-out offense.