FAU vs. Florida: Game Grades, Analysis for the Gators

The Florida Gators were taken to the brink by a two-win Florida Atlantic team Saturday afternoon at the Swamp, needing overtime and a defensive stand post-blocked extra point to survive a 20-14 scare.

As if a nine-point output in a narrow win against Vanderbilt and a 24-point game over a South Carolina team that lost to The Citadel this weekend weren't enough warning signs, the Gators offense was atrocious yet again. 

The Gators mustered just 252 yards of offense against the nation's 92nd-ranked defense, averaged just 4.1 yards per play, turned it over twice and went two for 13 on third-down conversions. Time after time, the UF defense put its teammates in position to make plays, but quarterback Treon Harris and crew couldn't take advantage.

Still, with the game on the line, Florida got away with some tight defense in the end zone and made two plays in overtime to come away victorious in a late downpour in Gainesville.

Let's take a look at some game grades for the Gators in what should be a forgettable game. If you want to head back and revisit a fun live blog, head here.

Positional unit	1st-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	F	F
Rushing Offense	D	D
Passing Defense	A	A
Rushing Defense	B	B+
Special Teams	C-	D
Coaching	D-	D-

Passing Offense

The suspension of quarterback Will Grier for using performance-enhancing drugs was a huge hit for the Gators offensively. Though they've won 10 games, the offense simply isn't there.

Harris made a couple of big plays Saturday, tossing two touchdowns, but he also struggled to consistently move the ball downfield and find targets. He also turned the ball over twice. Harris wound up 8-of-17 for 122 yards, threw a pick and also fumbled. It was a forgettable performance, and the offense is stagnant with him under center.

This team needs Grier, and it won't get him back until the seventh game in 2016.

Rushing Offense

Kelvin Taylor wound up with 98 yards on 25 carries and scored a touchdown, so this poor grade is definitely not his fault. He ran with drive and purpose all game, much of the time willing himself to positive yardage despite zero push from the UF offensive line. Even on his touchdown run, two FAU defenders had him lassoed in the backfield, but he simply drove through and made the score.

Since a big win over Georgia, the Gators offensive line has struggled, and they had their worst effort against the Owls. Taylor had a valiant effort, but he alone couldn't save the running game.

Passing Defense

Jalen Tabor was a force throughout the game, and a couple of handsy plays by the Gators in the end zone didn't get called, so, on paper, that winds up being chalked up to good defense. Florida was without star corner Vernon Hargreaves III for most of the game, but the team still got the job done.

Even so, FAU quarterback Jaquez Johnson's 148 passing yards all seemed big. He made some plays, but he didn't make enough. The Gators got one interception when Tabor ripped the ball away from an FAU receiver, and made another big play when safety Keanu Neal stuffed Johnson in the hole and forced a fumble that UF recovered.

Big plays were the name of the game.

Rushing Defense

On one of FAU's scoring drives, the Owls ran the ball at will through the Gators defense, but that was far from a consistent thing. The Gators are blessed with one of the best defensive lines in the nation, and they lived up to that billing for most of the day. They were consistently blowing up plays in the backfield, and they didn't allow anything big in the run game. All in all, it was a stellar day for UF against the run. The defense did its job all day.

Afterward, Tabor got in a little jab at Florida State just in time for next week's rivalry game, according to Gator Country's Nick de la Torre:

The Gators are going to have to play much better and prove it on the field.

Special Teams

Antonio Callaway's 52-yard punt return and elite punter Johnny Townsend's strong performance weren't enough to bring up this grade thanks to Austin Hardin's struggles in the kicking game.

Hardin missed field goals of 33 and 34 yards that could have put the game out of reach in regulation. Then, after UF scored the go-ahead touchdown in overtime, Hardin's extra point was blocked by FAU star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Head coach Jim McElwain shared his thoughts on Hardin's struggles after the game, per Gator Country's Nick de la Torre:

Those plays almost made it a disastrous day for Florida, so, yes, Townsend was massive in the field-position game all day, but the other kicker nearly led to a UF embarrassment.

Coaching

McElwain must not have any confidence in backup quarterback Josh Grady, because if he did, he would have pulled Harris at some point in the game.

The Gators are in a really bad spot at the signal-caller position right now, and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier's play-calling was hamstrung all day because of it. But Florida didn't do anything to try to get out of that funk. The defense was strong, yes, but anytime you nearly lose to a 2-9 FAU team when you're the eighth-ranked team in the nation, it's a poor coaching job.

No matter how much McElwain preached all week about responding with a resounding performance against a bunch of Owls with chips on their shoulder, Florida played awful. 

All stats gathered from NCAA.com and cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.