Gators Notebook: Clark Draws Praise, Kentucky Defense Wounded, Quotes of Note
Tuesday, September 6, 2016 | Football, Scott Carter
Florida hosts Kentucky on Saturday at the Swamp.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators host Kentucky on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Florida's season opener went much better than Kentucky's.
While the Gators knocked off UMass, the Wildcats were stunned by Southern Mississippi's second-half comeback in a 44-35 loss. Kentucky led 35-10 in the first half before Southern Miss and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson reeled off 34 consecutive points.
Dawson was Kentucky's offensive coordinator a year ago when the Gators traveled to Lexington and won 14-9 in Jim McElwain's first season. Dawson was fired after the season and declined to speak to the media following his return to Commonwealth Stadium last weekend, but he spoke about the Golden Eagles' comeback on Tuesday back home in Mississippi.
Dawson said the Golden Eagles did nothing special in the comeback other than cut down on turnovers and run the ball more effectively, which took a toll on Kentucky's defensive line.
Southern Mississippi's 520 yards of total offense and 262 yards rushing certainly caught the attention of Florida offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier as the Gators prepare for the Wildcats on Saturday at the Swamp.
"The nature of their defense is they play coverage," Dawson said. "They play a guy in the middle of the field, they don't want to give up post, so when people play that, you've got to be patient as a play-caller. You've got to put the ball in play underneath.
"That's why we were throwing slant routes. That's why we were throwing glance routes. You try to put the ball in play in pockets and run the football. So that was the plan at halftime really."
The Wildcats lost five of their six leading tacklers from a year ago. In their third game under McElwain last season, the Gators squeaked out a five-point win in a game that featured less than 500 yards of total offense (Florida: 245 yards; Kentucky: 241).
The Gators opened the season by gaining 363 yards in a 24-7 win over UMass, highlighted by quarterback Luke Del Rio's performance (29 of 44, 256, two touchdowns).
As Florida gets ready to take a shot at Kentucky's defense, McElwain is comfortable heading into Game 2 with Del Rio leading the way.
"Luke, you know, did all right. Probably about six throws that I know he would like back. He had four drops, I think," McElwain said. "You take those throws back, I thought he was good as far as not taking sacks. He did a good job of that. Threw it to our colored jersey and was pretty efficient for a first start. Literally got his feet wet. I thought played pretty darn good."
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BIG PRAISE
McElwain singled out the play of redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Khairi Clark in the victory over UMass. Clark was one of seven Florida defensive linemen to finish with only one tackle, but it was what Clark did away from ball carrier that was impressive.
"A guy that kind of didn't show up in the stats but I thought played his tail off and really was our player of the game on defense on the inside,'' McElwain said. "What he did to hold point ... maintaining his gap control and not peek in a game like that where they were running the lead fullback and that kind of stuff, I thought he really, really played well for us defensively."
After Tuesday's practice, Clark was pleased to hear McElwain's assessment. He worked hard in the offseason to trim weight from his 6-foot-2, 328-pound frame. He said he had lost about 17 pounds at the start of preseason camp from extra running and eating better.
The lost weight equals more quickness.
"The praise felt really good, coming from the head coach, you know,'' Clark said. "Someone like me as a nose tackle, we don't really get that much praise, and it always feels good to get that praise from Coach Mac."
Teammate Tyler Jordan, an offensive lineman, has noticed Clark's improvement.
"He's a lot more explosive. Coming off the ball, if he gets his hands on you, it's really hard to recover from it,'' Jordan said. "He's one of those guys that will plug up the middle and you've got to work really hard to him off."
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QUOTE OF NOTE I
"He's a big body so you've got to get under him and move him. I was recruited by Kentucky. Every time I would go up there, I would see him walking around and see him just hanging out. He's definitely big." – Gators starting offensive lineman Tyler Jordan on Kentucky defensive lineman Matt Elam, who is listed at 6-foot-7, 360 pounds
QUOTE OF NOTE II
"They like to throw the ball around and we like teams that throw. From what I see, he likes to take shots. We're going to be ready for those shots that he's taking downfield." – Florida junior cornerback Quincy Wilson on Kentucky's passing game and quarterback Drew Barker
QUOTE OF NOTE III
"When things go wrong, we have guys that start rat trapping, doing some things that are inexcusable. And that's got to stop. That's a losing mentality that we will not tolerate.'' – Kentucky coach Mark Stoops in wake of loss to Southern Miss
