Florida Gators running backs Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor see each other as brothers, and just like brothers there is a competitive element between the two — one that took place against Georgia.
As the two backs had career highs against the Bulldogs, each one looked to topped the other’s performance. After a big run by Taylor, Jones let the sophomore know he had to catch up to his yardage. When Jones hit the 150-yard mark, it was Taylor’s turn to respond.
“I was like ‘Boy, I got to come catch you dude,’ and he was like, ‘Alright, you better come on,’ so, like, we always play like that with each other, but it’s fun man, I love the guy and we’re going to keep having a great season,” Taylor said.
Before the Florida-Georgia game, a strong rushing attack was expected to take the field– just not Florida’s. The Gators’ 418 rushing yards were the fifth highest in school history, and the 60 rushing attempts the fourth highest. The rushing attack was able to take the will of Georgia’s defense, while also providing a much-needed boost to an offense that struggled throughout the year.
“I mean, that gives me a great look, definitely, where people looking at me that they know who’s going to run the ball but we still ran the ball on them, so it really helped me a lot,” Matt Jones said.
For Taylor, last Saturday’s 197-yard rushing performance was the product of believe in his abilities as well as patience during weeks of limited carries. Taylor said he received calls from his father, former Gator great Fred, telling him to keep working hard. Kelvin said his father wasn’t surprised at the game, as he knew of his son’s capabilities.
Earlier in the season, Jones envisioned a season with multiple games like the one against Georgia. While the two look to continue to push one another to games similar to the one last Saturday, the ability to actually sustain an offense where the ground game makes up for nearly 94% of the offense has come into question. While Taylor believes in Florida’s rushing abilities, he does think the offense will need help from the air.
“I feel like we’re going to have to do a little bit more with Treon, but not too much,” Taylor said. “I feel like we’re going to be able to run the ball great. But keeping defenses honest, we’re going to have to do that.”
The Gators’ offense may need more variety, but the running game will remain the team’s foundation. With a one-two punch that can wear down defenses, the two backs have an opportunity to do more damage to SEC defenses. Their next two opponents, Vanderbilt and South Carolina are 10th and 14th in the SEC in rushing defense, respectively.
After a day like the one in Jacksonville, the teammates with a sibling-like bond know through practice and the game plan, more big rushing games are possible.
“We feel like no one can stop us once we get hot,” Taylor said. “Man, we’d go to the sidelines and ask each other what the defense looked like and after that we feel once we get warmed up no one can stop us in the country.”