Harrison Moore did not let Jadan Baugh shoulder the blame after Florida’s running game disappeared at Missouri.
The veteran offensive lineman said Florida failed to give Baugh a fair opportunity to produce during the 45-17 loss, accepting responsibility for a performance in which the Gators were out-physicaled at the line of scrimmage.
Moore also discussed the team’s angry but focused return to practice, the discipline required to reduce penalties and the opportunity to respond against South Carolina during homecoming weekend.
Here’s everything Moore had to say.
How frustrating was Florida’s performance against Missouri?
It’s always tough when you go out there and don’t perform the way you want to. Obviously, we definitely didn’t execute the way we wanted.
But the biggest thing is that it’s a new week and
a new opportunity. That wasn’t our last game of the season. We still have a lot of the season left. We get another opportunity Saturday, and our objective is to go out there and play the best ball we can.
What was different about the offensive line’s performance?
Like I said, it was execution. We didn’t execute our jobs to the best of our ability. I think, at points, they out-physicaled us and out-strained us. It boils down to the preparation at the start of the week. We’ve got to do better with that.
How consistent is Sumrall’s message following wins and losses?
He’s the same every single day. That’s something he said to us today: “I would come in and tell you the same thing whether we won or lost. It’s a new week, and we’re starting fresh.”
Whether we won by 40 or lost by 40, it’s a new week. Learn from the mistakes, which, unfortunately, there were a lot of. It’s a new week, and we’ll do everything we can to execute Saturday.
How did Baugh respond to his performance?
He came up and talked to us and said, “Look, I’m sorry. I need to do better." The first thing I said to him was, “No, I need to do better. We didn’t give you the opportunity to play to the best of your ability."
As the running back, he’s the one who is going to receive a lot of the criticism from the media. But ultimately, as an offensive line, we didn’t give him the opportunity to be who he is.
He was getting hit at the line of scrimmage a lot, with two or three tacklers on the ball. That boils down to us not doing our job.
I talked to him today, and he was pretty positive. Like I said, it’s about moving on to the next week. We’re going to get everything right, and tomorrow we’re going to have a great practice. That’s where it really starts.
What was the mood at Monday’s practice?
I would say it was very focused. There was a lot of stuff we needed to clean up. Everybody was a little pissed off. They woke up angry this morning, especially me. There’s a lot of stuff I need to do better.
The best opportunity I have to improve is right now during practice. I think we did a good job of having an intentional Monday. That’s going to carry over to Tuesday’s practice, getting better with every snap.
How can Florida reduce the penalties that have increased during SEC play?
Discipline. I think it starts off the field. Make sure we’re showing up to meetings on time. Make sure we’re dressed correctly in meetings. Make sure we’re living right off the field.
A lot of the stuff that comes up on Saturdays — the little penalties and little stupid stuff — starts during the week. We need to do a better job of making sure everybody is 100% clean during the week and doing the right things.
Can Florida grow more from a loss than a win?
Absolutely. Sometimes when you win, it’s tough to look at those mistakes and really harp on them because you think, “We won.” Sometimes I have a bad block, but Jadan takes it 60 yards to the house. A good thing happened, so I’m not really going to focus on the bad thing.
But when you lose, especially the way we did, you look at everything and really fine-tune it. I watched the film four or five times. I kept rewatching plays and rewatching plays. It’s definitely easier to get after it following a loss.
I think I could have done a better job after the big win against Ole Miss of still focusing on those mistakes. Ultimately, it’s a new week. I’m excited to go out there and play Saturday.
How can the team improve its maturity during the season?
Like I said, it starts during the week. It starts Monday by making sure everybody is here. We all showed up and had a great lift. Then it goes into Tuesday. It’s really one day at a time and one rep at a time. Focus on where your feet are and do as much as you can to become as good as you can during that moment.
How did Aaron Philo respond to the loss?
I think he did a really good job of wiping the slate clean. He talked to us after our lift, brought the whole team together and said, “Don’t let this loss separate us.”
That’s the biggest thing. If we let this break us apart, who knows where we’ll be four games from now? We need to let this loss bring us closer together, really bond as a team, learn from our mistakes and execute Saturday.
What was Sumrall’s message to the team?
It was very similar to what I’ve been saying: It’s a new slate, and we get another opportunity this weekend. The biggest thing was execution. A lot of the stuff we didn’t do well was self-inflicted. That can’t happen, especially at this level. We aren’t going to be able to win games if we don’t execute. That’s what it really boils down to every single day.
How confident are you that Florida’s defense will make the necessary corrections?
One hundred percent. I have complete faith in the guys on that side of the ball and the coaches. They play their butts off every single day in practice.
It wasn’t just them. Nobody had a good game. Obviously, a lot of people are going to point fingers and all that. Everybody needs to take a mental reset and prepare as well as we can this week so we can execute Saturday.
How does the offense maintain confidence when players such as Brown and Stockton are unavailable?
It boils down to preparation and making sure whoever is stepping up is ready to play. That’s something we talk about a lot: Next man up.
You’re one play away from being the starter, being the guy or having your role change. Make sure you have complete confidence in the playbook and complete confidence in the offense. That’s something we worked on all offseason — making sure everybody is ready to play multiple positions.
What does returning to The Swamp for homecoming mean to you?
I love the muddy games. It means we get to run the football, which I love. It’s going to be a physical football game. South Carolina is a really good team up front, so it will be a good challenge for us.
I love playing in The Swamp. This place is something really, really special. I haven’t been here for a long time, but you can tell every time you step into that place. Even when I came here on my official visit during the spring, with nobody in there, you could feel the history.
When you walk past that gator by the locker room, you feel all the history, the people and the national championships that have come through that building. I’m really excited to get another opportunity in The Swamp.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Harrison Moore takes ownership after Florida's run game stalls
