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Florida Football: Final report card for Gators’ 2019 season

By Steven Hamner

MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators reacts against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators reacts against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 30: Kyle Trask #11 of the Florida Gators throws a pass against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 30: Kyle Trask #11 of the Florida Gators throws a pass against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half of the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Offense

Quarterbacks: A-

Quarterback Kyle Trask was arguably the third best quarterback in the SEC this year. You could make a strong case that only Tua Tagovailoa and Joe Burrow were better quarterbacks in the SEC in 2019. Feleipe Franks started the year off looking like he had improved with his accuracy and delivery of the ball. Unfortunately the season-ending injury in game three of the year did not allow us to see his true development.

However, when Trask took over, the offense took off. He had four games with over 300 yards passing, including against the national champs despite the loss. He finished the season with 2,941 yards passing, 29 total touchdowns and seven interceptions while boasting a completion rate of 67 percent.

Trask was accurate and smart with the ball and the experience he gained this year could shoot him to being the best quarterback in the SEC in 2020.

Running Back: C+

The running backs for Florida are very talented, but for whatever reason, the offense did not feature them a whole bunch. Lamical Perine, who was their starting running back had 676 yards on the ground and 6 rushing touchdowns. Perine only had over 100 yards in a games twice this season. However he did contribute in the passing game as well as he had over 200 yards receiving and 5 receiving touchdowns. Florida used back up quarterback Emory Jones as a runner at times as well as using several other backs and receivers for creative running plays. Perine and the running backs are extremely talented, but the running game wasn’t the center of the offense in 2019.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+

While this receiving group didn’t put up the numbers that the LSU and Alabama receivers put up, they were still one of the most talented groups of receivers in the SEC as well as the nation. There weren’t any receivers with over 1,000 yards receiving, but that isn’t because they were talented as much as it is because Trask did such a good job distributing the ball around. The Gators did have arguably the best tight end in the SEC in tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts had 649 yards receiving and 5 receiving touchdowns and really took off once Trask became the quarterback. It is easy to overlook how good this receiving unit was because of the distribution of the ball, but they had four to five guys that could beat you on any play.

Offensive Line: B+

The offensive line is always to easy to get overlooked by any casual football fan. If they see a sack or two in a game they assume the offensive line isn’t doing their job. If they see a running back get tackled in the back field, they assume the offensive line isn’t doing their job. While those two statements can be true, there are a lot of factors that go into that happening, a running back could miss the hole and the quarterback could hold on to the ball too long. While I am not expert by any means in offensive line play (most people aren’t), it is important to remember that a sack and negative run play isn’t only on the offensive line. So when you look at the 22 sacks against Trask, remember that Burrow got sacked 34 times this year and he had the best offensive line in college football. Florida’s offensive line did enough to allow big plays and allow Trask to scan the field and deliver the ball with accuracy. The Gators offensive line was a big reason why the offense was successful.

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