2 Key Special Teams Plays aided the Gators in big-time Week 1 Cover

 

Games are ultimately decided by 2-3 plays, this is most certainly true at the elite levels of football. There is no bigger and more elite environment in college football then Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, conventionally known as “the swamp”, on opening weekend. It is with this backdrop that Utah Utes and Florida Gators locked horns for a SEC vs. Pac-12 matchup.

The spread closed with the Utes -2.5, and that was the number we got it at. Ultimately, the Florida gators came out victorious, by a score of 29-26. However, when reviewing the statistics from game it is clear to me that the game came down to 2 plays, that’s right 2 plays.  The gators were able to put two punts inside the 20-yard line, forcing the Utes to start 2 offensive drives deep in their own territory, where the percentages of having a scoring drive on offense are significantly lower.  Add the crowd, and it would be virtually impossible to be productive offensively inside your own 20.

 These 2 plays provided great tactical advantages for the gators and allowed them to play with momentum and possibly keep the pressure on Utah. When reviewing the stats from the game, they played a very evenly match gamed, as the score indicated, however it was the two punts going inside the 20 that ultimately helped the game break in favor of the gators.