Five key takeaways from Florida's devastating road loss at Missouri

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The Florida Gators fell to the Missouri Tigers, 45-17, in a disappointing performance for Jon Sumrall's program. Coming off the heels of their top-five victory over Ole Miss, the Gators completely stalled against the Tigers as everything that made them great in the first four weeks of the season quickly evaporated.

Mizzou neutralized Florida's running game and forced quarterback Aaron Philo to carry the load — a plan that proved to be the correct choice largely due to the big-game inexperience of the Georgia Tech transfer.

The Orange and Blue's defense was also a letdown, showing there is more work to be done as the season continues. Florida failed to execute on both sides of the ball, leading to the lopsided final score.

Here is a look at the five main takeaways from the Gators' Week 5 blowout loss in Missouri's homecoming game.

The offense needs more than Jadan Baugh

In the defeat, Florida's offense showed how much the star running back means to the offense; he is, without a doubt, the most reliable offensive weapon to this point in the season. The rest of the rushing corps is stacked with talent, but it all starts with Baugh.

This loss to Missouri should not change the way Baugh's season is viewed, and if anything, it should show how important he is to the Gators moving the ball. But Philo needs to improve his downfield passing and his receivers need to pull in more catches.

Aaron Philo's mistakes

Philo's mistakes this season were easy to overlook when the program was winning comfortably. Against Missouri, those imperfections became difficult to ignore.

Philo has shown why Florida believes he can be its long-term answer at quarterback, but his development is far from complete. Inconsistent throws, questionable decisions and missed opportunities can completely change games once the margin for error shrinks in SEC play.

Florida does not need Philo to be perfect. It does, however, need him to take better care of the football and capitalize when opportunities are available.

The talent is there. Now, the consistency has to follow.

Florida's defense is a question

The win over Ole Miss suggested Florida’s defense was good enough to complement one of the SEC’s most dangerous offenses; however, when the offense stalls, what is the defense made of? That's what Missouri provided: another test of that theory.

Florida does not necessarily need an elite defense to compete for championships, but the unit has to consistently get off the field in critical situations. The Gators cannot expect Baugh or Philo and the offense to win a shootout every Saturday.

As Florida moves deeper into conference play, defensive consistency will determine whether this team is simply exciting or capable of becoming a legitimate contender.

Jon Sumrall faces first adversity

Everything had gone according to plan through Jon Sumrall’s first four games. Florida was undefeated, had knocked off a top-five opponent and suddenly looked ahead of schedule.

Now comes the other side of taking over a program.

How Florida responds to its first loss will tell us more about Sumrall’s team than another comfortable victory would have. Good teams win when momentum is on their side. Great teams respond when that momentum disappears.

Sumrall has already given Gator Nation reasons to believe in the direction of the program. His next challenge is making sure his program knows how to respond.

Florida isn’t 'back' just yet

The Ole Miss victory made it tempting to declare that Florida football was officially back. The loss to Missouri serves as a reminder that rebuilding a championship-caliber program rarely happens in a straight line.

Florida can still make significant improvements while having flaws. It can still contend in the SEC while experiencing growing pains under a first-year coaching staff and quarterback.

One loss does not erase what the Gators accomplished during their 4-0 start — particularly, a 24-point victory over Ole Miss. But it does change the conversation.

Florida has gone from proving it belongs to proving it can respond. What happens next will determine whether the Missouri loss was simply a bump in the road or the beginning of a larger concern.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Five key takeaways from Florida's devastating road loss at Missouri

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