NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Florida came to Vanderbilt still working out the kinks of its new up-tempo offense and looking to get its overall game better before next Saturday night’s showdown with South Carolina for the SEC Eastern Division standings.
The Gators’ performance in all three phases of the game – on offense, on defense and on special teams – was certainly the tunes head coach Urban Meyer wanted to hear in Music City in a 55-14 victory over the outmanned Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium.
Senior Chris Rainey, whose speed and athletic skills were sorely missed during his five-game suspension after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor stalking, blocked a pair of punts that led to Gators touchdowns and also corralled a 40-yard scoring pass from John Brantley with an athletic catch during a 34-point second quarter that broke the game open.
But it was the national coming-out party for Reed, the 6-4, 240-pound Wildcat quarterback. that dazzled those in attendance, most of them Orange-and-Blue partisans who shook off the cool (44 degrees) temperatures for the late-morning game.
Florida, now 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the Eastern Division, will host its Ol’ Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier, and his Gamecocks next Saturday night for the Eastern Division berth in the Dec. 5 SEC Championship Game. The Gamecocks (6-2, 4-2 SEC East) play host to Arkansas at 7 p.m. today.
With Jeff Demps suited but without a helmet and watching from the sideline in order to give his troublesome foot some more rest before the game next Saturday night at 7:15 (ESPN or ESPN2), Meyer and offensive coordinator Steve Addazio turned the offense over to their QB triumvirate of redshirt junior Brantley, redshirt freshman Reed and true freshman Trey Burton. At times, Florida had all three in the lineup at the same time – Brantley at quarterback, Burton in the slot and Reed at tight end – which made it easy for Addazio to get his desired matchups in the Florida no-huddle offense that produced a season-high 488 yards.
Brantley completed 11 of 18 passes for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns – the 40-yarder to Rainey in the second quarter and a subsequent 39-yard touchdown pass to an improving Frankie Hammond Jr. Burton did not attempt a pass but he rushed six times for 30 yards.
But Reed stole the show. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 130 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass into the corner of the end zone to Deonte Thompson on the first play of the second quarter to give Florida a 14-0 lead, and he added 84 more rushing yards on 16 carries, one of them a 6-yard scoring run in the third quarter that closed out the Florida scoring.
Rainey blocks led to a pair of first-half scores – the first of two Mike Gillislee touchdowns, a 3-yard run midway through the first quarter (he added a 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter in finishing with 57 yards on 9 carries). Rainey’s second block in the second quarter was picked up by freshman Solomon Patton, who raced 42 yards to the end zone for his first TD as a Gator.
Another Gator – popular fifth-year senior defensive tackle/fullback Terron Sanders – also scored his first touchdown, scooping up a fumble caused by a vicious hit by Lerentee McCray that caused Vanderbilt back Zac Stacy to cough up the football. Sanders returned the fumble 45 yards for the touchdown while the Commodores turned their attention to Stacy, whose neck was immobilized before he was wheeled from the field, flashing a “V” for victory with his right hand.
Stacy was one of several of coach Robbie Caldwell’s players who were dinged up in the game, which started with the best of the Commodores, running back/returner Warren Norman, on the sideline with a broken wrist that was surgically repaired earlier this week. Already at a decided talent disadvantage, Vanderbilt gamely battled on but managed just 110 total yards, 63 through the air and 47 yards on 38 rushing attempts. The Gators forced three turnovers but gave two of them back.
Their internal clocks off because of an 11:21 p.m. CT kickoff and their external body parts feeling the 44-degree chill, Florida struggled through the first quarter. But Meyer and special teams coordinator D.J. Durkin had the right prescription to wake Florida from its doldrums and it was delivered by Rainey, who broke in on punter Richard Kent’s right and blocked the kick.
Two plays later, with Rainey trying to get some feeling back in his cold and numb fingers, Gillislee, who missed the Georgia game with an ankle injury, ran the ball in from the 3 and Florida had a 7-0 lead following Chas Henry’s PAT with 8:47 left on the clock.
The Gators then gave some of the momentum back. After what appeared to be a three-and-out by the Florida defense, Kent’s short kick bounced in front of punt returner Janoris Jenkins, who furious pumped his arms to get his teammates’ attention. Freshman Jaylen Watkins, however, didn’t see the signal and the ball bounced off the turf, hitting him in the foot. The bumble was recovered by Udom Umoh at the Florida 33.
The Commodores got the ball to the Florida 15 but the drive stalled and Vandy’s Randy Fowler lined up for a 32-yard chip shot to cut the Florida lead to 7-3. Fowler got a direct snap from center and rolled left looking for holder Kent, but he took too long to get the pass off and it fell incomplete.
Florida was on the move after a sluggish first quarter, moving from its own 29 to the Vanderbilt 31 on the arm of Brantley. On third-and-4 at the Vanderbilt 37, Brantley, who started the drive with a 9-yard completion to Carl Moore, connected for the third time on the drive with the senior wideout, this time for six yards.
On the next play, the first of the second quarter, Reed threw a tight spiral to the left corner of the Vanderbilt end zone and the missile found Deonte Thompson, who gathered it in for his first touchdown of the season. Henry’s PAT at 14:54 made it 14-0 Florida.
Florida’s next possession started at its own 44 thanks to an 11-yard punt return by Jenkins. The drive was set back five yards after a false start by Thompson, but on third-and-8, Brantley threw to Rainey, who got all of the yards but one yard. On fourth-and-1, the third part of the quarterback triangle, Reed, rushed for seven yards and a first down at the Vanderbilt 40.
On first down, Brantley lined up in the backfield with Burton, who got the snap from center Mike Pouncey, faked a pitch right and ran toward the left. But Burton had an ace up his sleeve — namely Brantley, who stayed back in the pocket.
Burton turned and flipped the ball back to him and Brantley heaved the ball toward the end zone, where Rainey was closely guarded by Vanderbilt’s Trey Wilson. The Commodore defender got an arm on Rainey and was pulling him down when the ball arrived, but Rainey somehow stuck out his left arm and pulled the ball into his midsection as he fell into the end zone for the touchdown at 12:12. Henry’s boot put Florida up 21-0.
Two plays after the Florida kickoff, Stacy took a handoff and turned upfield off left tackle at the Vanderbilt 46. McCray and Stacy met helmet-to-helmet and the ball came loose. Sanders picked it up, turned around and set off for the Vanderbilt end zone where he was greeted by teammates.
But the celebration was put on hold as Stacy laid on the field not moving. Doctors and trainers from both teams worked on Stacy, removing his face mask while keeping him immobolized. Both teams knelt in prayer as Stacy was loaded on a cart and wheeled from the field. Just before exiting the field, the Vanderbilt player held up his right arm and signalled a “V” for Vanderbilt that he was OK.
On the PAT, however, Henry’s kick was blocked and Florida led 27-0.
A good Kent punt plus a block-in-the-back penalty against Florida on the return put Florida back at its own 2 on its next offensive possession. Burton ran for two yards on the first play but then dropped Brantley’s second-down pass, putting Florida into a third-and-8 play from its own 4. Brantley went to his old reliable, Moore, who got the ball a yard past the sideline marker for a first down and Florida had breathing room.
Brantley followed with a swing pass to Rainey, who turned on the jets to gain 20 yards to the Florida 33. The duo hooked up again for 8 yards on first down, and Gillislee ran for 9 yards to get to midfield. Following a Brantley incompletion, Burton rushed for 10 yards for another first down. Reed took a snap at quarterback and gained a yard to the 39.
Then it was Brantley who got the snap and he found Hammond, who took the pass and ran away from defenders for the score with 5:43 left before halftime. Henry’s kick made it 34-0.
When the Vanderbilt drive stalled at the Florida 40 on its next possession, Kent was called in to punt on fourth-and-12. Rainey came in from the punter’s left this time and smothered the ball. The ball was picked up by freshman Patton, who ran 42 yards untouched for the score with 3:29 left to play. Henry’s kick was good and Florida led 41-0.
Vanderbilt’s Wesley Tate was hit by Ahmad Black and fumbled after an 11-yard gain on the second play following the ensuing kickoff and officials marked the ball for play even though Lorenzo Edwards fell on the ball for Florida. But Meyer threw his red flag, eliciting boos from the Vanderbilt partisans, but replays confirmed the fumble and Florida recovery at the Vandy 23.
Not wanting to shove his decided talent advantage into the face of Caldwell and the Commodores, Meyer had Addazio call four straight running plays for Emmanuel Moody. The four rushes totaled just seven yards to the Vanderbilt 16 and the half eventually ended with Florida on top, 41-0.
Following the intermission, the Gators turned the offensive game over to Reed and his fellow Baby Gators while youth also was served on the defense and Florida hardly missed a step.
But first Vanderbilt had its highlight of the afternoon when Ryan van Rensburg was blocked into Florida punter Chas Henry by up-blocker Sanders. Van Rensburg’s block fell to the ground where teammate Javon Marshall picked up the ball and took it the final 4 yards. Fowler’s PAT made it 41-7 with 11:00 remaining in the third quarter.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Reed had a 22-yard gain up the middle on Florida’s next possession after the momentary Gator gaffe and he eventually handed the ball off to Gillislee, who scooted between two tacklers to the sideline and raced toward the end zone, cutting back behind a downfield block, to score on a 43-yard run with 8:33 left in the quarter. Henry’s PAT was good, making it 48-7 Florida.
After the Florida defense forced another Vanderbilt punt, the Gators marched 80 yards on 10 plays to go up 55-7. The touchdown came on a 6-yard scoring run by Reed, who amassed 39 yards on four carries on the drive and also had completions of 12 yards to Solomon Patton, 5 yards to Stephen Alli and 19 yards to Justin Williams. The touchdown with 3:47 left and Henry’s PAT made it 55-7, and the Gators’ partisans in Vanderbilt Stadium had a lot of reasons to sing “We Are The Boys …” loud and proud as the third quarter ended.
Vanderbilt closed the game’s scoring when Jordan Matthews caught a 6-yard scoring pass from Jared Funk with 39 seconds remaining in the game.
FLORIDA 55, VANDERBILT 7
Game 9 / Nashville, Tenn. / Vanderbilt Stadium / Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010
SCORING BY QUARTERS 1 2 3 4—Final
Florida Gators 7 34 14 0—55
Vanderbilt Commodores 0 0 7 7—14
FIRST QUARTER
FLA—Mike Gillislee 3 run (Chas Henry kick good) at 8:47. Drive: 2 plays, 3 yards, 0 first downs, 0:27 time elapsed after Chris Rainey blocked Richard Kent’s punt attempt and Kent fell on the blocked ball at the Gator 3. Key plays: The punt block came after Vanderbilt called a timeout to get a player onto the field, allowing the Gators to put their punt-block team on the field. Rainey rushed in from Kent’s right and made the block with his outstretched hands. Score: Florida 7, Vanderbilt 0.
SECOND QUARTER
FLA—Deonte Thompson 31 pass from Jordan Reed (Henry kick good) at 14:54. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 3 first downs, 1:42 time elapsed following Vanderbilt punt. Key plays: All three Florida QBs had a hand in the drive. John Brantley was 3-for-4 for 23 yards, all to Carl Moore; Trey Burton rushed twice for first downs on runs of 4 and 7 yards; Reed had a pair of carries for 6 yards and then threw a tight spiral that hit Thompson in stride in the corner of the end zone for the TD. Score: Florida 14, Vanderbilt 0.
FLA—Chris Rainey 40 pass from John Brantley (Henry kick good) at 12:12. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 2 first downs, 1:17 time elapsed following Vanderbilt punt and 11-yard return by Janoris Jenkins. Key plays: Reed converted a fourth-and-1 play with a 7-yard run and the touchdown came on the next play with Burton taking a direct snap from center, faking right and taking two steps to his left before turning and flipping the ball back to Brantley, who threw to Rainey. Rainey was being pulled down by Trey Wilson in the end zone but stuck out his left arm and corralled the ball, pulling it to his chest for the TD. Score: Florida 21, Vanderbilt 0.
FLA—Terron Sanders 45 fumble return (Henry kick blocked by John Stokes) at 11:18. Key play: Vanderbilt’s Zac Story was hit by Florida defensive end Lerentee McCray and he fumbled the ball. Sanders, a 309-pound redshirt senior who played at Southeast High School in Bradenton, picked the ball up and trucked on to the end zone. Score: Florida 27, Vanderbilt 0.
FLA—Frankie Hammond Jr. 39 pass from Brantley (Henry kick good) at 5:43. Drive: 10 plays, 98 yards, 5 first downs, 3:31 time elapsed following Vanderbilt punt and Florida penalty for block in the back. Key plays: Brantley completed a 9-yard pass to Carl Moore on third-and-8 at the beginning of the drive, threw a 20-yard flare pass to Rainey, another flare of 8 to Rainey and the Gators got first-down rushes from Gillislee (9 yards) and Burton (10 yards) before Brantley found Hammond, who outraced Commodores down the sideline to score. Score: Florida 34, Vanderbilt 0.
FLA—Solomon Patton 42 blocked punt return (Henry kick good) at 3:29. Key play: Rainey got his second punt block of the game, coming in from Kent’s left to block the Kent punt. Patton, a freshman wide receiver from Mobile, Ala., picked the ball up and ran untouched to the end zone for his first TD at Florida. Score: Florida 41, Vanderbilt 0.
THIRD QUARTER
VU—Javon Marshall 4 blocked punt return (Ryan Fowler kick good) at 11:00. Key play: On fourth and 11 at their own 22, the Gators sent in the punt unit. Henry got a good snap from Chris Guido, but Terron Sanders, one of his up-blockers, blocked Vanderbilt’s Ryan van Rensburg into Henry just as he attempted his punt. The ball went to the ground and Marshall scooped it up and scored. Score: Florida 41, Vanderbilt 7.
FLA—Gillislee 43 run (Henry kick good) at 8:33: Drive: 6 plays, 84 yards, 3 first downs, 2:27 time elapsed following Vanderbilt kickoff. Key plays: Jordan Reed directed the drive. He rushed for 5 yards on first down to the Florida 21 and then added a 22-yard gain up the middle to the next play. Reed then hit Frankie Hammond Jr. for 5 yards, handed off to Emmanuel Moody for 4 yards and then connected again with Hammond for 5 more before Gillislee took the football left, used his speed to get separation from two would-be tacklers and headed to the sidelines before cutting back behind a downfield block for the touchdown. Score: Florida 48, Vanderbilt 7.
FLA—Reed 6 run (Henry kick good) at 3:47. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5 first downs, 3:47 time elapsed following Vanderbilt punt. Key plays: Meyer was emptying his offensive bench with Reed still at the controls. The Florida QB rushed four times for 39 yards and he had completions of 12 yards to Solomon Patton, 5 yards to Stephen Alli and 19 yards to Justin Williams. Score: Florida 55, Vanderbilt 7.
FOURTH QUARTER
VU—Jordan Matthews 6 pass from Jared Funk (Fowler kick good) at 0:39. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 1 first down, 0:32 time elapsed following Karl Butler interception of Reed pass and 33-yard return to the Florida 23. Key plays: Florida’s Cody Riggs was called for pass interference, giving Vanderbilt a first-and-goal at the Florida 6; Matthews managed to get separation from Riggs on the touchdown and made a nice one-handed grab of Funk’s pass in the corner of the end zone. Score: Florida 55, Vanderbilt 14.
GAME SUMMARY
Attendance: 33,848.
Officials: Marc Curles, referee; Jeff Roberson, umpire; W. Randall Kizer, head linesman; Michael Shirey, line judge; Stan Murray, back judge; Rob Skelton, field judge; Jesse Dupuy, side judge; Weinman Lowry, scorer.
Coin toss: Vanderbilt wins toss, defers to second half. Florida defends North goal.
Kickoff time: 11:20 a.m. CT. End of game: 2:49 p.m. CT. Elapsed time: 3 hours, 29 minutes.
Weather: Sunny and cool. Temperature: 44 degrees. Winds: NNE at 6 miles per hour. Relative humidity: 66 percent.
Records: Florida 6-3 overall, 4-3 SEC East; Vanderbilt 2-7 overall, 1-5 SEC East.
Next game: Florida vs. South Carolina Saturday, Nov. 13, 7:15 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2); Vanderbilt at Kentucky Saturday, Nov. 13 at 12:21 p.m. (SEC Network).
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