Russell Report: Gators lose at home to the Sooners 23-7

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - The Florida football team now sits at 5 and 4 on the season after a 23 to 7 home loss to Oklahoma. It was one of those games where it seemed like it was 40 to 7. The Gators did next to nothing on offense, gaining just 203 total yards while running just 47 plays, and allowed a nearly 13 minute drive by the Sooners that bled the clock in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

Not much you can say positive about the game from a Florida perspective and coach Jon Sumrall said about as much after the game. It isn’t like the Sooners were an offensive machine in this game as they amassed just 351 total yards but with a new play caller in Jason Witten, the quarterback run game proved to be a big factor in keeping OU’s offense on the field for a lot of the night. It was a solid if unspectacular plan that worked.

So many questions now for this football team...starting with who the quarterback will be going forward. Trammel Jones threw for just 133 yards and was sacked three times. The running backs combined for 14 carries for just 63 yards and the defense allowed the Sooners to control the football as they ran 73 plays in the game. It’s a fair question to ask what phase of football are the Gators excelling in right now? The defense is playing better but you can just tell how frustrated Sumrall is right now as he searches for answers. It’s incredible isn’t it to think this team was once ranked number eight in the country, a roller coaster year for sure.

All this happened on a night when former coach Urban Meyer was inducted into the ring of honor. It was good to see so many of his former players and coaches in town for the honor and it was also a stark reminder of how long it has been since the Gators were on top of the college football world. It’s been 20 years since Meyer’s first of two titles...sometimes, it seems longer ago than that.

And now Florida goes to a Kentucky team that just got waxed at Tennessee. How will the Wildcats respond? Would you want to play the Vols right now? I wouldn’t...that defense is ferocious and they get after the quarterback big time. Speaking of big, the big games in the SEC over the weekend proved to be non-competitive. Lane Kiffin still hasn’t beaten Alabama as a head coach after they rolled the Tigers. Fire Lane Kiffin anyone? And how about Georgia, blowing away Ole Miss in Oxford in a very impressive performance.

And the College Football Playoff rankings will surely get changed this week with so many top teams going down. Six of the top 14 teams in the poll took a bath so the new poll will be interesting to see when it comes out. But to me, Georgia is the top dog right now, and that doesn’t make Florida fans very happy either. I’m Steve Russell, that’s the Russell Report.

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