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GAINESVILLE — Florida’s third Orange and Blue game under Billy Napier was an improvement from last year’s 10-7 snoozer, but not necessarily a cause for celebration.
The Blue squad, featuring UF’s first-team players, edged the Orange 19-17 on a 37-yard field goal by Trey Smack as time expired, sending his teammates running onto the field as spring football came to an close.
Both squads and a host of players had encouraging moments. The Gators also failed to score in the third quarter a season after UF recorded a goose egg after intermission three times and just three points three other times during a 5-7 campaign.
Here a three takeaways.
1. Receiver Tre Wilson needs a supporting cast.
Wilson will a star, along with the workhorse in the Gators’ passing attack.
“We’re going to get our money’s worth out of Tre Wilson,” Napier said. “I can promise you that.”
Wilson is worth the price of admission, even if the game was free for an announced crowd of 48,000. The sophomore led the Gators with 8 catches for 128 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown from sixth-year senior Graham Mertz.
The other Blue team pass-catchers totaled 8 grabs for 117 yards and didn’t score. Veteran Khaleil Jackson’s 50-yard reception included 34 yards after the catch on a perfectly time pass Mertz dropped over the defender.
For the Orange squad, redshirt junior Marcus Burke (3 receptions, 63 yards) and sophomore Aidan Mizell, a former Orlando Boone standout who left the man covering him in the dust on 22-yard score over the middle from true freshman DJ Lagway. True freshman TJ Abrams displayed speed on a 20-yard play, 18 after he caught the ball.
But Wisconsin transfer Chimere Dike (2 catches, 20 yards) didn’t factor as expected. Sophomore STAR Sharif Denson outmuscled him to interception a Mertz pass over the middle. Tight end…
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Author : Orlando Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-04-13 22:07:00
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