Gators Notebook: Fourth-and-No; Davis Injured
Sunday, October 29, 2017 | Football
Freshman running back Malik Davis did not return to Saturday's game after suffering a knee injury in the first half.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While the Florida offense has not lived up to expectations this season, one area the Gators had excelled in was converting fourth downs.
The Gators were eight of 11 on fourth down entering Saturday's 42-7 loss to Georgia, a 73 percent conversion rate that ranked 12th in the country and second in the Southeastern Conference behind Alabama (11 of 11).
Against Georgia, the Gators were unable to convert two crucial fourth downs.
Down 21 points in the second quarter, the Gators needed points in the worse way. They drove 82 yards on 15 plays, moving to Georgia's 4-yard line. Rather than send kicker Eddy Pineiro out for a chip shot field goal, the Gators opted to go for the touchdown.
"We felt we needed touchdowns, not Eddy's leg at that time,'' Gators head coach Jim McElwain said.
On fourth-and-2, the Gators flashed a no-receiver set, with R.J. Raymond at fullback, tight ends C'yontai Lewis and Moral Stephens on the left side of the line and defensive end CeCe Jefferson on the right side.
Instead of trying to pound the ball into the end zone with running back Lamical Perine, who already had 63 yards on seven carries on the drive, UF tried to outsmart Georgia and ran a play-action play.
Offensive lineman Martez Ivey got beat by Davin Bellamy and Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks did not have enough time to find Stephens in the end zone.
Incomplete pass. Possession over. Georgia ball.
It was Florida's first red-zone possession without a score this year. The Gators had entered the red zone 15 times and scored 11 touchdowns and four field goals.
Meanwhile, UF's second fourth-down attempt of the game came with just over nine minutes left in the third quarter. The Gators still trailed 21-0 and remained within striking distance with a touchdown.
On fourth-and-4 at the Georgia 24-yard line, Franks unsuccessfully went deep to tight end DeAndre Goolsby. Officials ruled Goolsby pushed off for offensive pass interference and Georgia declined the penalty and took over on downs for the second time.
"I thought it was a good job by [McElwain] to trust the offense on fourth down, and that it is just up to us to produce," Franks said.
*****
DAVIS HURT
As the Gators emptied from their locker room on Saturday night at EverBank Field, running back Malik Davis stood outside the door on crutches and a brace on his injured right knee.
Davis suffered the injury late in the first quarter after catching a 6-yard pass for a first down. He did not return following a hard hit. A true freshman from Tampa, Davis leads the Gators with 526 yards rushing. He carried four times for 20 yards prior to his injury Saturday.
The severity of Davis' injury will be determined once he undergoes further testing, but the possibility of an extended period without his services seemed likely as Davis hobbled toward the team bus for the trip home.
