The Florida Gators imposed their will on 30-point underdog Eastern Washington throughout a 52-17 Sunday stroll within the Swamp.
The Eagles (1-3) didn’t again down from the Gators (3-2) and even took a fast 3-0 lead.
But this was an opportunity for coach Billy Napier’s staff to unfold its wings and unfold the wealth as 16 gamers touched the soccer and Florida racked up 666 yards in a sport Hurricane Ian delayed a day.
Here are three issues we realized:
1. Backup quarterback Jalen Kitna is succesful in reduction.
Kitna changed star Anthony Richardson after he briefly left through the first half for a proper ankle taping following a low hit. The redshirt freshman promptly accomplished his first faculty move — a 22-yarder to Ricky Pearsall — and appeared snug for a 19-year-old with out expertise.
The son of NFL veteran Jon Kitna assumed QB duties for a lot of the second half and completed an environment friendly 8 of 12 for 152 yards, highlighted by 62-yard strike to Caleb Douglas.
“It felt good, being there, being prepared for my team,” Jalen Kitna stated. “I got a job to do.”
Kitna’s efficiency in opposition to an FCS foe may very well be the idiot’s gold usually arising from such mismatches. Chances are Kitna’s efforts present a sigh of reduction for a staff with no wholesome backup to Richardson.
Napier stated Kitna has developed within the main backup function since Ohio State switch Jack Miller III broke his thumb and required mid-August surgical procedure. While Miller works his approach into sport form, Kitna continues to enhance.
“The last probably two weeks, he’s really grown up a lot,” Napier stated. “Guy’s a pretty smart player. He’s learned our system. For the most part the ball went where it’s supposed to go.”
The ball reached its vacation spot at an unprecedented clip throughout a Sept. 22 follow. Kitna accomplished each move he threw, based on Napier.
“I don’t know that that’s ever been done,” stated Napier, who coaches his staff’s quarterbacks.
The 6-foot-4, 208-pound Kitna was a 3-star recruit who performed at 4 excessive colleges throughout his father’s nomadic teaching profession. Kitna landed on former coach Dan Mullen’s radar when Jon Kitna labored with Dak Prescott, who performed for Mullen at Mississippi State.
As a flippantly recruited participant who wears Florida’s iconic No. 11, made well-known many years in the past by Steve Spurrier, Jalen Kitna is in good firm.
Record-setter Kyle Trask adopted an analogous path from Texas to Gainesville.
“I‘m no way trying to follow up in his shoes,” Kitna said. “I’m simply enjoying my sport.”
On Sunday, it was greater than sufficient.
2. FCS video games serve a goal, perhaps extra so with playoff growth coming.
Having quarterbacked Furman University (1999-2002), Napier helps alternatives for smaller colleges.
The video games are much less aggressive, much less engaging for followers and ignored by tv. Yet an EWU participant might recall his journey to the Swamp as a career-defining second.
“A large percentage of those guys, they’re not going to the National Football League,” Napier stated. “They’re playing football because they love the game. That’s the thing I respect.”
The Gators are 22-1 in opposition to FCS foes, profitable the final seven contests by a mean margin of about 42 factors.
But higher competitors isn’t at all times the very best factor.
Expansion of the SEC to 16 groups and the College Football Playoff to 12 enhances the necessity for an FCS opponent to supply a breather, together with enjoying time for backups.
“That’s healthy for the locker room,” Napier stated.
A nine-game SEC schedule, together with two Power 5 opponents and the potential of a number of playoff video games, leaves a spot well-suited to an FCS faculty.
3. Napier is prepared to shake up issues on protection.
This week it was Justus Boone and Jaydon Hill and final week Desmond Watson.
The beginning protection might need to bear extra modifications as coaches purpose to repair continued points. EWU completed with 16 performs of no less than 10 yards, far too many for an FCS foe receiving a $750,000 payday to journey thrice zones.
Against Eastern Washington, Boone changed Princely Umanmielen at finish whereas Hill began his first sport since 2020, rather than Avery Helm every week after Tennessee torched Florida for 576 yards.
Boone responded with a career-high 4 tackles whereas Umanmielen chipped in 3.
“I don’t necessarily know that it’s Princely,” Napier stated. “We’ve just got two really young players there that it’s competitive. We played them one to one today. Boone had played a little bit better … as of late.”
While downplaying the change, Napier stated gamers try to be among the many first 11 on the sector.
“Competition is healthy for anybody,” he stated.
Hill was in line to begin in 2021 till a preseason knee harm. A much less severe knee harm final spring derailed him once more.
Sunday, Hill recorded 4 stops throughout his first begin in nearly two years however was overwhelmed for an early third-down completion. Helm didn’t document a statistic.
True freshman security Kamari Wilson additionally made his first begin rather than injured veteran Trey Dean. Wilson managed 5 tackles and supplied a bodily presence.
A Gators protection in search of solutions additionally benefitted from freshman Trey Smack dealing with kickoff duties. He recorded 7 touchbacks for a staff struggling to cowl kicks.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @osgators.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com