Five Reasons Gators are 5-1 at Midseason

The Swamp was electric for Florida's win over LSU a week ago. (Photo: Paige Santiago/UAA Communications)

Five Reasons Gators are 5-1 at Midseason

Friday, October 12, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Halfway into the season, the No. 14-ranked Gators are trending upward. Four consecutive wins and back-to-back victories against teams in the top 25 will do that.

The Gators were a difficult team to project at the start of the season, their first under head coach Dan Mullen. Were they significant underachievers a year ago when they finished 4-7? How much of an impact would Mullen make in his return to UF? Would quarterback Feleipe Franks show improvement in his second season as the starter? Was there enough talent on the roster to challenge for the SEC East?

The list of questions went on and on.

Six games into Mullen's tenure, the results have been better than most expected. Mullen and UCF's Josh Heupel are the only first-year coaches already with five wins. Following Florida's 27-19 win over No. 5-ranked LSU last week, the Gators jumped eight spots in the AP Top 25. Mullen's name has started to surface in Coach-of-the-Year conversations.

The Gators (5-1, 3-1) have steadily improved since a loss to Kentucky five weeks ago diminished expectations. Instead of the loss lingering, the Gators rebounded to beat Colorado State and have strung together SEC wins against Tennessee, Mississippi State and LSU.

They can enter the bye week on a five-game winning streak with a win over the Commodores (3-3, 0-2). How rare are five-game winning streaks during the regular season this decade? The Gators have only two, starting the 2012 season with seven consecutive wins and winning six in a row to start the 2015 season.

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Let's take a look at five reasons the Gators are 5-1 at midseason:

POLITE, DEFENSIVE FRONT

If I had to vote for a Gators Most Valuable Player at midseason, I'm going with junior defensive end Jachai Polite, who garnered praise in preseason camp and has lived up to the hype. Polite leads the team with six sacks, leads the country with four forced fumbles, and has four sacks in the past two games. Polite's sacks/forced fumbles against Tennessee and LSU helped establish Florida's defensive presence and set a tone that carried throughout the game. Polite deserves to be in the conversation for first team All-SEC and if he continues to play like this, he'll be an All-American candidate. Polite is not alone. Defensive end Jabari Zuniga has 4.5 sacks and defensive tackles Kyree Campbell and Adam Shuler have flashed at different times. Florida's defensive line has been so good that it hasn't missed a quiet season so far from senior Cece Jefferson, who was suspended the first two games and has not recorded a sack in the four games he has played. Meanwhile, the Gators have 20 sacks, ranked third in the country, and 11 over the past two games.

STEADY FRANKS

There's no way to analyze Florida's improvement without discussing redshirt sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks' growth. Franks has thrown 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Franks showed signs of progress in the season opener when he threw five touchdown passes in the first half against undermanned Charleston Southern. Mullen still wants to see more consistency from the offense, and that starts with Franks. Still, Franks had perhaps his best moment at Florida when he led the Gators on a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter after LSU took a 19-14 lead. Franks threw a 26-yard pass to Van Jefferson, had a 12-yard run and caught a 15-yard pass on the go-ahead drive. Franks has room to improve, but you can see his increased confidence and leadership skills at work during UF's four-game win streak.

SPECIAL TEAMS, TURNOVER MARGIN

Special teams are a great cover for holes on the roster. The Gators might not be the most talented team in the SEC, but their play on special teams has made a huge difference in the first half of the season. Whether you point to Freddie Swain's punt return for a touchdown, Amari Burney's blocked punt, freshman kicker Evan McPherson's excellent start to his college career, Tyrie Cleveland's gunner role on punt team, or Tommy Townsend's field-flipping ability, Mullen emphasized special teams from the start and the Gators bought in. And Florida's protection of the ball has been paramount to its success. The Gators have forced 17 turnovers and committed only six for a plus-11 turnover margin. That is going to win you games.

RENEWED ENERGY

This is a wide-ranging component that starts with Mullen's enthusiasm at being back at Florida and the byproducts of that energy, whether internally or externally. It also includes the team's new strength and conditioning program under Nick Savage, the impact Mullen's veteran coaching staff has made, such as defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's aggressive style inspiring players and paying dividends, safeties coach Ron English quickly developing young talent, special-teams coach Greg Knox maximizing the unit's performance, etc. The Gators had some successful and high-quality coaches on last year's staff, but as a whole, you don't have to be a X's and O's geek to see the Gators are a better prepared team on Saturdays. That starts on the practice field with preparation and teaching.

TEAM'S BUY-IN

Whatever has gone right on the field for the Gators starts here. Mullen took over a program that finished last season in disarray and did his part in trying to re-energize the fan base and alumni in the offseason. However, that goes only so far inside the building. The players, most recruited prior to Mullen's arrival, had to buy what Mullen and his staff were selling. They had to believe that Mullen's plan for success would work at Florida the way it helped him make Mississippi State a consistent winner in nine seasons in Starkville. Six games into Mullen's tenure, the players have bought in. Mullen referenced that factor against at his Monday press conference. Without belief from the players in what the coaches are doing, the Gators are not 5-1.