<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=39hLfk_0vwT8Hi100" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=39hLfk_0vwT8Hi100" width="1200" height="628" >Throughout the first 30 minutes of Saturday's 24-13 victory for the <a href="https://247sports.com/college/florida/">Florida Gators</a> over <a href="https://247sports.com/college/central-florida/">UCF</a>, the Knights' defense seldom had answers for UF's offense. The Gators proceeded to execute a 15-play opening drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown by <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/elijhah-badger-46052883/">Elijhah Badger</a> from quarterback <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/graham-mertz-46038869/">Graham Mertz</a> as Florida maintained possession for nearly eight minutes, allowing UF to keep a high-powered UCF offense sidelined and forced to answer. "We knew we had to set the tone early," quarterback Graham Mertz said of the opening drive. "We knew it was going to be a physical game and we had to run the ball."The team's third drive would be far different, as UF scored quickly, taking just 1:11 of game-time when Ja'Kobi Jackson punched it in from three yards out, giving the Gators a double-digit lead. In the final 5:40 of the first half, Florida would add 10 points to its total, giving the Gators 251 yards of offense by the midpoint, resulting in a 24-3 advantage at halftime. It marked Florida's most productive first half against an FBS team thus far in 2024, and UF had an opportunity to all but put the game away when the second half commenced. However, that wouldn't be the case – Florida's second-half showing on offense was far less efficient, a product of miscues and a lack of execution that left head coach <a href="https://247sports.com/Coach/billy-napier-241/">Billy Napier</a> adamant in the aftermath there was still work to be done in spite of UF's victory. "I thought that overall played some good situational football before the half and then we sputtered a little bit," Napier said. "They had the ball quite a bit in the second half and I think we had three real possessions and we struggled to move it."The Gators were held scoreless over the final 30 minutes, managing just 108 yards of total offense in the second half, albeit on just three possessions, resulting in UCF having a late opportunity to turn the game on its head and mount an improbably comeback down the stretch, though Florida's defense remained stout, ensuring victory wouldn't slip through its grasp. It was further evidence there's still work to be done in Gainesville, no matter how efficient the offensive attack was at times. Mertz, the sixth-year quarterback two weeks removed from completing 19-of-21 passing attempts in a win at <a href="https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/">Mississippi State</a>, remained on-point, completing 19-of-23 passing attempts, while freshman quarterback DJ Lagway didn't throw an incompletion for the second-consecutive contest. While Florida's rushing attack still leaves much to be desired, the Gators gained 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground on 32 rushing attempts – an effective yet hardly potent performance from an offense missing a multitude of play-makers, including a pair of rushers in <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/treyaun-webb-46051384/">Treyaun Webb</a> and KD Daniels along with pass-catchers <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/eugene-wilson-iii-46117035/">Eugene Wilson III</a>, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/aidan-mizell-46127732/">Aidan Mizell</a> and tight end <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/tony-livingston-46097929/">Tony Livingston</a>. Having yet to review the film, Napier attributed the shortcomings in the second half to a combination of subpar execution and imperfect coaching, a statement he's made time and time again, only this time it didn't prevent a positive outcome for the Gators. "I think when we look back at it, there'll be some things we can clean up. Some of it is execution. Some of them we can help them as a staff," Napier said. "We had I think second and one in the red zone and we got a holding penalty. Ultimately I think we shot ourselves in the foot a little bit. I think ultimately when we look at it that's what it's going to be. And we only had it three times, right? So they really chewed up the clock and had some long possessions."There's clear room for improvement, in spite of the efficient play of Florida's offense throughout the first half, and the Gators know it – at each step of the way, regardless of the outcome, Florida has dismissed the notion complacency is settled in on either side of the ball.Heading into a hostile environment as UF turns its attention to facing No. 4-ranked , further strides from the offense will once again be an area of focus in the build-up to UF's second contest on the road in 2024. "It comes down to execution, we need all 11 communicating at a high level and all 11 doing their job, because if you have one guy not doing their job, then the play could possibly not work, so we need all 11 on the same page," Mertz said. "We need to have elite communication and we need to execute when the play is called, so we had the opportunities, but there's one we got a penalty and a few others we stalled out, a few third downs, so we just got to do a better job executing." </div></body>

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A tale of two halves: Gators attribute lack of second-half offensive success to poor execution, penalties

Throughout the first 30 minutes of Saturday's 24-13 victory for the Florida Gators over UCF, the Knights' defense seldom had answers for UF's offense. The Gators proceeded to execute a 15-play opening drive capped by a 13-yard touchdown by Elijhah Badger from quarterback Graham Mertz as Florida maintained possession for nearly eight minutes, allowing UF to keep a high-powered UCF offense sidelined and forced to answer.

A tale of two halves: Gators attribute lack of second-half offensive success to poor execution, penalties

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