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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jadan Baugh took the field Saturday as arguably the top running back in the country and a serious Heisman Trophy contender. He walked off with a mere 13 yards on 12 carries.
The Florida Gators' standout back turned in his worst showing as a starter in the 45-17 defeat to Missouri, snapping a run of five consecutive games with at least 100 yards and multiple touchdowns dating back to last season.
His struggles epitomized the Gators' numerous problems in the surprising loss, and he took it personally. Known for rarely using his phone, Baugh sent a text to head coach Jon Sumrall: "Coach, I'm sorry. I won't let that ever happen again. I didn't play my best."
Sumrall noted that Baugh is not one to text or call often. "For a little while in December, I could never get a hold of him," Sumrall said. "So for him to reach out unsolicited on a Sunday after the loss was encouraging."
Baugh also apologized to his teammates, even though the performance was hardly his fault. Center Harrison Moore recalled, "He came up and talked to us and was like, 'Look, I'm sorry, I need to do better.' The first thing I said to him was like, 'No, I need to do better. We didn't give you the opportunity to play to the best of your ability.'"
Moore's assessment rings true, and so does Baugh's. For a team that builds its offense around Baugh, Missouri had his number from the opening whistle. After a 12-yard gain on his first carry, his longest run the rest of the game went for just three yards. He had five carries that lost yardage, including four on the opening drive, after recording only three such runs all season prior to the game. The loss also halted a streak of 10 games with a score.
"He's the one that's going to get a lot of the bad stuff from the media for it, but ultimately, like, offensive line, like, we didn't give him the opportunity to be who he is," Moore added.
While Baugh absorbed plenty of outside criticism, his performance was just one of many glaring issues for the Gators. Florida's offense, which had been averaging over 50 points per game, was smothered as the offensive line failed to control the line of scrimmage, quarterback Aaron Philo struggled to find consistency in the passing game, and the lack of a vertical threat with Vernell Brown III sidelined hindered the attack.
Those problems spilled over to the defense, which surrendered its most points in nearly two seasons, 340 passing yards from Austin Simmons, and 211 rushing yards from Jamal Roberts. The Tigers also ripped off eight plays of over 20 yards, highlighted by Roberts' touchdowns of 77 and 80 yards in the second half.
After a 4-0 start and a top-10 ranking, complacency at its finest hurt the Gators. "Definitely was a humbling experience. I think people kind of got a little complacent," defensive lineman Brendan Bett said. "In my opinion, I'm kind of glad it happened because we got to really just get to see where our true weaknesses were and now we can go and go get it off of that."
Humbled and now on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff, the Gators return home this week to face three-loss South Carolina, creating a tremendous opportunity for a bounce-back win ahead of games against No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia.
Player accountability, which has been a key talking point for Sumrall early in his tenure, will be paramount. And Baugh, looking to re-solidify himself as one of the nation's top backs, will be the leader in that regard.
"You have a great appreciation for guys that want to step up and go, 'Hey, we're going to get this fixed. I want to take ownership in my part of this,'" Sumrall said. "It speaks to their character, and I think usually it has a lot to do with maybe what their background is because you don't do that without somebody in your life usually helping mold you to become someone that's not afraid of accountability."
Enjoy our content? Make Florida Gators on SI a Preferred Source to see more stories from us on Google: https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com Cam Parker is a reporter covering the Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers and Clemson Tigers with a degree in journalism from the University of Florida. He also covers and broadcasts Alachua County high school sports with The Prep Zone and Mainstreet Daily News. When he isn't writing, he enjoys listening to '70s music such as The Band or Lynyrd Skynyrd, binge-watching shows and playing with his cat, Chester, and dog, Rufus. Follow camparker25.