The Florida Gators were almost wholly uncompetitive in their 33-17 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the 2017 AdvoCare Classic on Saturday. And yet: Despite being physically dominated on both sides of the ball, the Gators were within 10 points until a final Malik Zaire fumble ended the game.
The not-as-close-as-it-looked loss was a dispiriting one. But it’s one we can learn from — and one the Gators must learn from, if they are to rebound from their first 0-1 start since 1989.
Look: I get Florida inserting Malik Zaire after Franks tried to do too much and fumbled on the hoof in the third quarter, and I get Florida keeping Zaire in the game into the fourth quarter while scratching out slightly more offense thanks partly to the threat of his feet, and I even get Florida leaving Zaire in after his fumble.