Gators Season Opener Takeaways: Recruiting Paying off, Thornton Legit

The Florida Gators took down the LIU Sharks 55-0 to open the season. Even when it’s a tune-up opponent, there is something to take away from it.

Let’s look at three takeaways from the season opener against the LIU Sharks. 

Score Didn’t Distract From End Goal 

Regardless of the score, there was a lack of satisfaction with the entire product. They didn’t take the moment to say that they beat down the opponent, and therefore, things were great. 

Napier noted the offense got off to a slower start than they would have liked. He also felt that the team did Trey Smack no favors during his disastrous start to the season.

“He's an elite competitor, and some of those were deep, and we got to help him,” he said. 

He stuck by his player while also making it clear there was still something to fix. 

Lagway said that the team didn’t play “Gator brand of football.” 

Sure, there were things the team was happy with, even on offense, but they didn’t act like the complete product was there. That’s the mindset to have, knowing the schedule they have ahead. 

Recruiting Efforts Showed Some Payoff

Some of the talent that Florida has pushed to bring to Gainesville over the last couple of years put their talent on full display. We didn’t get to see the likes of Dallas Wilson, for example, but we got a taste of Jadan Baugh in the starting role and a taste of what Vernell Brown III and Tramell Jones Jr. are capable of.

Three underclassmen, including two true freshmen, were the standouts of the night. These are guys that we can fully expect to keep making big plays this season. 

Key players went pro from the wide receiver room and the running back room. Knowing that these holes were filled, and with potentially even greater talent, makes the future that much more exciting for the program and its fans. 

Bryce Thornton Is That Guy

He made his presence known with three turnovers in the final two games of the regular season last year, including two interceptions off quarterback Jaxson Dart. 

To start the season, he got scoring going with a fumble recovered for a defensive touchdown. Then, he recovered another fumble later on that set up another score. The Gators' top safety is everywhere on the field and willing to get the job done in any way possible. 

Big-moment guys are what this team needs if they want to take that next step forward in the win column, and Thornton is a bona fide example. 

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