Florida Football: Gators struggle in win over South Florida

Florida Football struggles in 31-28 win over South Florida

Florida Football beat the USF Bulls, 31-28. In a game that no one expected to be close, the Bulls had the lead in the fourth quarter. The game started out slow for USF when a fumble gave possession to the Gators after a total of 6 plays on offense. Despite the short field position that the Gators had, they would only settle for 3.

On the next drive, Brian Battie ran the ball down the field for a USF touchdown. The most crucial play of this drive came when Battie was able to run for 21 yards and get the first down on a 3rd &18. The Gators responded with a Montrell Johnson Jr run that would go for 62 yards and a touchdown.

On the next drive for the Bulls, Battie would come back with a huge run of his own on a key down. On fourth down and 1, Battie ran for 51 yards and put USF in the red zone. Despite getting the huge run, the Bulls would struggle in the passing game and have to settle for three. The Gators would respond with a touchdown on their own, with Anthony Richardson leading the way via his runs and passes.

After a pick-six on the next drive, it seemed like the Gators would cruise to a win, which they did not. In the second half, Richardson would throw 2 interceptions. One came on the opening second-half drive and allowed the Bulls to take advantage scoring a touchdown on the next drive. After three consecutive punts by both teams, Battie led the charge for a USF Bulls touchdown that would help them take the lead.

The Gators quickly marched down the field, and it seemed like Florida would retake the lead. They did not on that drive after an Anthony Richardson interception. Although the Bulls did seem like they were in control of this game midway through the fourth quarter, they were not. Gerry Bohanon would throw an interception and the Gators got the ball back in the red zone.

The Gators would score a touchdown in the red zone and take the lead behind Trevor Etienne’s rushing attack. The Bulls still had a chance to win this game. USF drove down the field and set up a game-winning field goal.

The holder on the field goal muffed the snap on the kick and USF missed the kick. It seems like Spencer Shrader would have made the kick if USF hadn’t muffed the snap. The Gators ran out of the clock and won.

It seemed like Florida football was back after the win against Utah in week 1. With the loss to Kentucky and poor performance against South Florida, it seems like Florida still has a ways to go before they get back to their old standards. It seems like the offense will need to depend on the rushing attack of Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr going forward as Richardson is very inefficient at QB for the Gators. If Richardson doesn’t rebound quickly, his Heisman chances won’t even exist anymore. The Gators’ game this week is against Tennessee in a big matchup.