Florida vs McNeese St. First Half Notes
- Matthew Quartararo
- Sep 9, 2023
- 3 min read
The Gators opened a three-game home stretch with a bang against McNeese State, building a 26-0 lead at the half.
Florida quickly marched down the field in the game's opening drive, going 62 yards in 9 plays to score in just over four minutes. The Gators were quickly humbled however as the snap on the PAT ended up past the holder, holding Florida to just six.
Of note on the Gators opening drive was the use of Jonathan Odom, who caught two passes from the tight end spot which saw some changes made on the depth chart over the course of this past week. Odom caught two passes off of the play action, the only two pass plays on the drive.
Billy Napier mentioned that he felt the running backs were not utilized enough week one, much in part to being behind, but he quickly flipped the script.
Another note to add from the Gators opening drive was the use of offensive lineman Lyndell Hudson, who is being used as a rotational piece up front.
On the first defensive possession for Florida, tackling appeared to be a bit of a problem. McNeese broke out a 28-yard gain on just their second play straight up the middle, with the Gators missing several opportunities to tackle the ball carrier. Jason Marshall Jr. missed another tackle in the second quarter on McNeese's first completed pass. It's been a reoccurring issue for the Gators.
Penalties were a major issue week one, but Florida seems to have righted the ship, at least for now. They had just one penalty in the first half.
As for the second drive, Florida moved methodically but a little bit slower than the first drive after being pinned at their own one-yard line. Mertz capped off the 99-yard drive with a QB sneak.
The Gators have been extremely high on freshmen wideouts and Eugene Wilson has led that push. He was a huge factor on the second drive for Florida including a play as wildcat which saw him lead the offense all the way to the one yard line. He was also on the receiving end of several screen passes. Napier is clearly looking to push the ball to the explosive true freshman.
Florida appeared to execute their offensive game plan very well, using the run to setup play action opportunities and move the ball down the field.
Drive number three for Florida had the same result as the first two drives, although it could have happened earlier had Dante Zanders not dropped a touchdown in the back of the endzone. Instead, Treyaun Webb surged across the goal line to extend the lead. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 19-0.
Jake Slaughter, starting at center, looks much, much better week two compared to his first career start at center against Utah. While the crowd noise made a big impact in Salt Lake City, he looks much more comfortable with his responsibilities as a whole.
The Florida run game really opened up as the half progressed, especially as McNeese had to begin to play towards the screen game which the Gators heavily relied on early. Johnson and Etienne displayed the two-headed monster of a backfield that Florida was extremely high on entering the season.
Mertz and company milked the clock as they moved down the field for the Gators' fourth drive of the half. Mertz's experience was clear as he calmly moved Florida into the redzone. Etienne became the fourth different Gator to rush for a touchdown, extending the lead to 26-0 with just 34 seconds to go.
As for the Florida defense, they held McNeese to just 51 yards and three completions on the half. While a clear reduction in talent compared to last week's opponent, the Gators showed up with some grit on defense.
McNeese St. ran just one play off of the ensuing kickoff and sent the game to halftime.
Notable Halftime Team Stats:
Passing Yards
Florida: 83
McNeese St.: 28
Rushing Yards
Florida: 212
McNeese St.: 23
Total Yards
Florida: 295
McNeese St.: 51
First Downs
Florida: 20
McNeese St.: 3
Notable Halftime Individual Stats:
Graham Mertz: 9-12, 83 yards, Rushing TD
Eugene Wilson: 3 rec., 27 yards
Ricky Pearsall: 3 rec., 36 yards
Montrell Johnson Jr.: 11 carries, 94 yards, TD
Trevor Etienne: 8 carries, 59 yards, TD
Treyaun Webb: 7 carries, 33 yards, TD
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