GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Heavily penalized Florida is trying something new to reduce all those yellow flags.
Coach Will Muschamp is making his players do up-downs in practice if they jump offside. And not just the guilty party. If an offensive player gets flagged, the entire unit gets punished. Same goes for the defense.
The 24th-ranked Gators were penalized 14 times for 106 yards in their 27-14 win over Bowling Green. It could have been first-game jitters, but yellow flags are nothing new under Muschamp.
Florida ranked 114th in the nation in penalties last season, averaging 7.69 a game. Only seven schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision were flagged more often.
The Gators will have a better idea if up-downs reverse the trend after Saturday’s Southeastern Conference opener at Texas A&M.
