Florida HC Jon Sumrall Not Happy With Offense After Loss to Georgia

The Florida Gators offense knew they'd face a challenge this week when they faced the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs defense. While Georgia did a great job stopping Florida, it was the Gators who got in their own way for most of the afternoon in a 27–8 loss to the Bulldogs. Mistakes that have been concerning for the team all year showed up on Saturday. The Gators were penalized eight times for 78 yards. Florida turned over the ball four times. Quarterback Aaron Philo got the start on Saturday and ended the first drive throwing an underhanded interception on a scramble. Tramell Jones Jr. entered the game in the second quarter. He'd throw an interception and have a strip-sack returned for a Bulldogs touchdown.But not all of the problems on offense could be traced to the quarterback position. The Gators rushed for just 54 yards on 28 carries. Georgia recorded four sacks.When speaking to reporters after the game, Florida head coach Jon Sumrall said he "felt bad" at times for Philo and Jones. He thought it was unfair to evaluate them because the offensive line didn't block well. Wide receivers were misaligned at times and ran the wrong route.Sumrall said Florida knew heading into the game that they had to get ahead of schedule on first and second down. Florida's lack of a running game killed that idea.Sumrall revealed that Jones has been dealing with an injury, though he wouldn't disclose what problem the quarterback is working through. Because of the injury, Jones couldn't run play-action calls the way Florida needed him to. The first interception was all on Philo, Sumrall said. The second interception was a pass that should have been caught by the Gators, and not a throw the coaching staff is blaming on Philo. The Gators made the change at quarterback to see if Jones could provide a spark.The move didn't work, but again, there was only so much either quarterback could do. The truth is this offense is not capable of playing at an elite level consistently.The running game is supposed to be the strength of the unit. When the offensive line can't block up front, Florida is not going to have a chance to put up points.With that being said, Sumrall's concerns about players not being on the same page are troubling for offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. He needs to get his unit on the same page.