By: Nick Marcinko -- April 12, 2025 Team Blue defeated team Orange 38-32 in what was an unexpected, but exciting high scoring spring game. Gator Country provides you with ten standouts from Saturday afternoon. Ten standouts from Florida’s Orange and Blue spring game | GatorCountry.com
It was against the backups. I think one was against Westphal. It was really hard yo tell who played well and who who didn't. A replay on TV would have been helpful. The one guy who stood out was Dallas Wilson- crazy talent. He looks like Terrell Owens... Obviously Jackson had a big day, but a lot of it seemed like scrimmage stats. I didn't really see the 90 yard run, but seemed the play was over and he just kept running.
I heard that 90-yard play on the radio broadcast and Shane Matthews said the defense seemed to quit, assuming the play would be blown dead, and Jackson kept moving his legs and broke through and then a 90-yard TD. It was late, so maybe second or third string were in, but a great learning opportunity to never stop until you hear the whistle.
He went into the pile and the defense kinda just put bodies on him but no one wrapped him up to tackle him and he kept moving and spun out while slipping out through the line and nothing but green in front of him. Defense may have gave up assuming the play was over but they never stopped him nor did they wrap him up.
Wake up call for our D? I'm willing to believe it was a scrimmage and our D wasn't playing their best fundamentals and intentions. Doubtful we see that during games, and as some have said, maybe seconds and thirds were in. OTOH, if I'm a D coach, I'm definitely asking the questions and if they were supposed to be tackling, it's back to the basics in practice.
I find it interesting reading comments like “Bailey didn’t have much pop on his passes” and Gator Dave saying he was “rifling it in there.”
Bailey worked the ball around the field. But he is a statue and got sacked 5 times I believe. That's troubling. Something I didn't learn until today from TOS reporting is that our 3rd string walk on QB who got to start against Texas and play the majority of the game against Georgia (over a former college starter in Div. 1 of more than a year in Clay Millen) had a torn ACL that is now finally healed. So we had even our 3rd string QB hurt and on the field because of the hammy injury that Lagway later had to play on anyhow (as well as with his shoulder issue, whatever that may be). Now with Mertz gone and replaced with another statue and Lagway with the same shoulder issue, and the only improvement seems to be that we have the walk on, who went 10 of 23 in the spring game against effectively our back ups for this year, healed up from an ACL injury. Where do the coaches go from here? Is freshman Trammell Jones our break the glass guy to insert in a game if the inevitable occurs? OK, now you say I am crazy to think that this could ever happen, but check the rosters for the Gators over the last 20 years and show me the QB that went wire to wire and played all the games for UF in non-garbage time. The list of QB is a star studded list, but you will not get past one hand of fingers. I may be in the minority, but I would like to see another QB or have seen that Jones took a major leap in the spring.
My takeaway from the game is that our offense looks like it could be pretty good, improved even. Did it appear that way because our D is again going to seem uncovered? Offense torched our D in the way scUM did ours last season. We will know in five months. The :32 mark in the video, Dallas Wilson manhandles Hanks Jr. Coming together as a defense is a process I realize, but the D seemed to be the weak side of the team.
I think defense has some injuries and guys that didn't play. No injuries during the game, but I'm pretty sure we were short a few before it started. Offense was definitely the star of the show.
