Comparing Tyler Murphy: Should You Believe The Hype? by Liam Jones

While Tyler Murphy is getting most of the attention, running back Matt Jones did a lot of the heavy lifting for Florida against the Wildcats. The sophomore out of Seffner, FL ran 28 times for 176 yards and a touchdown.

Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

His long, of 67 yards, was cut short by a nudge in the back from Quinton Dunbar. That is becoming a habit for the Gators on almost touchdown runs.

It seemed he was most confident when running to the outside, making some great decisions behind the line. While his inside the tackles running wasn’t the best in college football, his 6.3 ypc average in the game was phenomenal.

While in his first two games back Jones showed some rust coming off of the viral infection, he ran with power and speed against the Kentucky defense. His 176 rushing yards were a career high, 80 more yards than his first two games combined this season.

Jones also snagged three catches for 20 yards. This was vital in getting Murphy’s confidence up early in the game.

While Kentucky’s run defense isn’t the best in the SEC, it is certainly an encouraging sign for Jones looking forward.

Florida’s next three opponents (Arkansas, LSU, & Missouri) rank 13th, 46th, and 30th respectively in rushing yards allowed per game. Jones will have to continue to be decisive while running in order to put up the same type of numbers against the better defenses in the SEC.

Check out our game recap.

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