GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Though it’s risky to glean too much from season openers, No. 13 Florida’s 35-14 win over Florida Atlantic gave us a fair snapshot of what to expect from new starting quarterback Emory Jones.
He’ll deliver some explosive runs that excite you, but he’ll also make some head-scratching mistakes that exhaust your patience.
The successes outweighed the miscues Saturday night against Willie Taggart’s overmatched Owls (0-1), in front of an announced crowd of 86,840.
The former blue-chip recruit led UF (1-0) into the end zone in his first two drives and was impressive in both. On the first touchdown, he appeared to call the play — a pitch left to Dameon Pierce — at the line. That’s a veteran move by the first-time starter. On the second score, he fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rick Wells for the sixth-year senior’s first career score.
Jones had his share of other highlights. His 23-yard rush in the first quarter was longer than any carry he had last year as a change-of-pace option behind Kyle Trask.
His dual-threat ability helped open running lanes that didn’t exist last year for UF’s talented backs. The Gators rushed for more in the first half (188) than they did in all but three games last season. Malik Davis needed only 11 carries to hit 100 yards, becoming UF’s first 100-yard rusher since Lamical Perine in the 2019 Orange Bowl against Virginia.
But those highlights were only half of the Emory Jones experience. The other half was costly and, at times, confounding.
After taking a 14-0 lead, Jones and the Gators stumbled in the red zone. He forced a pass to Kemore Gamble that Diashun Moss intercepted in the end zone.
On the next drive, Jones appeared to attempt a Tom Brady impression — and not in the good way. On fourth-and-goal from the 4, Jones ran up the middle on a quarterback sneak. If the decision confuses you, you’re in good company. Coach Dan Mullen seemed bewildered afterward and held up four fingers to Jones. It felt like Brady losing track of the down at the end of last season’s loss to the Bears.
Jones threw another interception, too, with a pass that was either too late or too short at the end of the third quarter. Either way, it gave him a multi-interception game — something Trask only did four times.
Jones’ outing looked worse considering how well UF’s other quarterback, Anthony Richardson, played. The redshirt freshman converted on fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter and led the Gators on two late touchdown drives — including a 73-yard scoring run of his own.
Jones’ ups and downs shouldn’t have been a surprise. Mullen expected them, at least to some extent.
“He’s going to miss some things here and there,” Mullen said during preseason camp, “but he’s going to make some explosive things on the other side of it.”
The explosive things outweighed everything else Saturday, as they should have against a Florida Atlantic team that’s fine in Conference USA but not talented or deep enough to upset a top-15 opponent on the road. Similar mistakes probably won’t be fatal next week at Raymond James Stadium, either, against a USF team that was blown out 45-0 in Thursday’s opener.
But if Jones and the Gators make those kinds of mistakes on Sept. 18 against No. 1 Alabama? The result will look less like UF’s six-point loss to the Crimson Tide in last year’s SEC title game and more like the 31-point drubbing ‘Bama gave Miami on Saturday.
Gator bits
— Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, who led the Gators to a pair of national titles, was in attendance for his first game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since his final season, 2010. Meyer received a nice ovation when he was introduced to the crowd — either because UF fans have forgiven his exit or because he was recognized alongside the legendary Steve Spurrier.
— UF defensive lineman Zachary Carter had the best performance of his career: three sacks and a forced fumble.
— Taggart wasn’t the only recognizable name at Florida Atlantic. The Owls’ starters included former Miami quarterback N’Kosi Perry, ex-USF running back Johnny Ford, and right tackle Chaz Neal, a Wesley Chapel High alumnus who initially signed with Taggart at Florida State.
