COLUMBIA, Mo. — Florida’s 45-17 flop at Missouri was the Gators’ latest no-show in the Show-Me-State and extinguished the wave of momentum generated by first-year coach Jon Sumrall.

Here are five things learned:

Defenses have a blueprint to beat Buster Faulkner

Faulkner had defenses on skates all season. Then wheels came off of his attack Saturday.

The Gators’ offensive coordinator can expect opponents to load the box against Baugh, daring the Gators to beat them through the air and potentially eliminating the play-action threat that fuels the downfield passing game.

Quarterback Aaron Philo hasn’t consistently shown the arm talent to pick apart defenses. At Missouri, his ability to read defenses and anticipate deserted him. On Florida’s opening series, Philo failed to see Duke Clark wide open on a screen on third-and-goal.

“Duke’s the throw there, and he just felt like the pressure, he couldn’t see Duke,” Sumrall said. “Sometimes, you just got to let it rip, and he’ll learn from it. I don’t think it was his best.”

Florida’s offensive line, seemingly much-improved, but was knocked on its heels all day. Baugh couldn’t find openings and was stuffed whenever he bounced outside.

Faulkner has a deep catalogue of plays, but scheme can compensate for only so much if the O-line loses at the point of attack and Philo can’t punish defenses for crowding the box.

Faulkner now goes back to the drawing board.

The line of scrimmage play won’t cut it

Florida wilted against Missouri’s physicality up front on both sides of the ball. In a league where games are won on the line of scrimmage, the Gators had no answer.

The Tigers tackled SEC leading rusher Jadan Baugh in the backfield four times on the opening series, immediately grounding Florida’s high-flying offense. Baugh finished with 13 yards on 12 carries, while the Gators managed 42 yards rushing and just two runs of at least 10 yards.

“It was frustrating for him,” Sumrall said. “It was frustrating for all of our guys.”

Missouri bottled up an offense averaging 53.5 points in September, second nationally, while exposing a defense already with questions at the point of attack and on the back end.

Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons torched the Gators with touchdown throws of 47 and 31 yards during a 340-yard day. The former Florida commit from Pahokee repeatedly found time to scan the field as Florida’s pass rush failed to disrupt him.

Tailback Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards. With the game already out of reach, he scored on an 80-yard touchdown run that provided Missouri’s final points. Earlier, he ripped off a 77-yard run to set up his 1-yard scoring plunge for a 38-10 lead.

The explosive runs left the Gators’ D reeling.

“We just gave them two gifts,” Sumrall said.

Florida now has plenty to fix with South Carolina quarterback Lanorris Sellers next. He totaled 373 yards, including 147 rushing, during an overtime loss to Kentucky.

All is not lost

Everybody would have taken 4-1 when the schedule came out for Sumrall’s first season.

The Gators were expected to take some lumps this season, with their head coach bracing for them.

“I’ve seen the warts,” he said. “They’ve been there. We haven’t looked like a complete football team at any moment to me yet.”

A fast start and rise to No. 8 in the rankings camouflaged Florida’s flaws. Even the Gators’ best coaches were unable to bypass inevitable growing pains.

After starting 5-0, Steve Spurrier’s 1990 Gators were routed 45-3 at Tennessee. Urban Meyer’s first team was 4-0 until a 31-3 beatdown at Alabama.

The ’90 Gators went on to finish with the SEC’s best record, but were ineligible to win the conference title or receive a bowl bid because of NCAA sanctions. Meyer’s Gators finished 9-3, with losses at LSU and South Carolina during Spurrier’s first season there.

Meyer told the Sentinel in August the third loss was his program’s turning point ahead of its 2006 national championship season.

Even with a win against South Carolina during homecoming Saturday, an Oct. 17 visit to No. 1 Texas and Oct. 31 date with No. 2 Georgia in Atlanta have 4-1 feeling like 5-3.

All eyes will be on the Gators’ response.

Whatever happens, Sumrall appears to have hired a good staff, put in a much-improved strength program, recruited well and reinvigorated donors and fans.

The Gators appear on the path to long-term success.

There’s no quick fix with the secondary

Veteran safety Bryce Thornton’s injury during warm-ups left Florida without a fourth-year starter to direct traffic and make tackles. Florida also was without senior cornerback Dijon Johnson, one of their best players in coverage.

Neither absence necessarily would have changed the outcome, given the secondary’s shortcomings all season, but certainly exacerbated the problems.

On Simmons’ 47-yard touchdown, sophomores Ben Hanks Jr. and Drake Stubbs were looking toward the sideline for the play call as Missouri’s Donvoan Olugbode sprinted past them before catching a pass with no one around him. Later, Caleb Goodie Sr. separated from sophomore J’Vari Flowers and caught an over-the-shoulder strike from Simmons in the back of the end zone.

As the game continued to slip away from Florida, Roberts wasn’t touched as he broke free on his two long runs.

The Gators’ struggles in coverage, though, are the primary concern.

FAU threw the ball effectively in the opener Auburn’s Byrum Brown made big plays through the air to keep the Gators within striking distance, and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss led two scoring drives lasting less than two minutes.

Simmons was even better, further exposing Florida’s cornerbacks.

With Norris, Texas’ Arch Manning and Georgia’s Gunner Stockton looming, limiting explosive plays will be paramount.

“We have to win some one on ones out there on the perimeter, which we are not doing enough of right now,” Sumrall said.

Eric Singleton Jr. didn’t make anyone forget Vernell Brown III

With Brown, the team’s leading receiver, sidelined by a knee injury, the stage was set for Singleton.

Yet he finished with one catch for nine yards and lost seven yards on an end-around as Florida struggled to show much explosivness.

Singleton’s potential is undeniable. In three seasons before transferring to Florida, he recorded 2,002 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

But a high-ankle sprain against Florida Atlantic sidelined him after the first series of the opener. He returned in the second half of last week’s rout of Ole Miss and immediately showed what Florida had been missing, drawing a pass interference down field and catching a 38-yard pass to set up a score.

A larger role seemed to be in store at Missouri with Brown out. Instead, Brown’s absence was glaring.

Until a late touchdown drive with the game out of reach, a 24-yard catch by Dallas Wilson was Florida’s only completion longer than 20 yards. Brown had five such catches during the first three games.

Brown’s status will be closely watched this week. If the sophomore star is unavailable again, Singleton will need to fill the void.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Up next

What: South Carolina (2-3, 0-3 SEC) at UF (4-1, 2-1)

When: 12:45 p.m., Saturday

Where:Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville

TV: SEC Network

Favorite: Florida by 14.5 points

Source: Yahoo Sports