The Gators got a pair of decent kickoff returns that eventually led to a pair of touchdown runs by Reed of 1 (12:09) and 3 yards (2:16) for a 42-3 lead after three quarters.
Mike Gillislee returned the second-half kickoff 20 yards and Florida started at its own 36. Brantley, Burton and Reed, with a little help from Gillislee and Moody, needed just seven plays to score in 2:51. Gillislee started the drive with runs of 3, 7 and 14 yards that put the ball at the ASU 40. After a 1-yard gain by Burton, Moody rushed off right end for 21 yards to the ASU 18. Brantley then found Hammond on a crossing pattern for 17 of the yards before Reed took the ball the final yard and Henry’s PAT made it 35-0.
The Mountaineers then used 7:15 of the third-quarter clock to get their first points of the game on a 33-yard field goal by Jason Vitaris. A couple of Florida penalties helped the drive, including a face-mask call against Hicks that gave ASU a first down at the Florida 27. Presley picked up 11 yards and a first down to the Florida 16 but then the drive stalled.
At first, the Mountaineers tried to go for it on fourth-and-4, but a false start on right offensive tackle Orry Frye ended those thoughts and Vitaris kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 35-3 with 4:54 remaining in the quarter.
Freshman Solomon Patton retured the ensuing kickoff 25 yards to the Florida 42 and the Gators went the final 58 yards in five plays that consumed 2:16 of the clock. Moody had a 22-yard gain on the drive, taking a handoff left from Brantley, reversing his field and then running past the Florida quarterback who then turned into a blocker. Moody was horse-collared to the ground, adding another 15 yards that put the ball at the ASU 15. Brantley then connected with Thompson for 11 yards and a first-and-goal at the ASU 4. Two Reed carries, the second one from the 3, provided the touchdown and Reed’s PAT put Florida up 42-3 at the end of the third quarter.
Through three quarters, the Gators had the ball just 17:36, almost 10 minutes less than Appalachian State. But they led 42-3 thanks to 434 offensive yards on 51 plays, while ASU ran the same number of plays and managed just 212 yards and the field goal.