Usually, a nervous and shaky win over Vanderbilt that's not decided until the final minutes would feel almost like a loss to the Florida Gators. But not this one.
This one feels like one very sweet and sustaining victory.
When you've lost four games in a row, a win of any kind is cause for celebration -- and that's exactly what the Gators were doing after hanging on for a 26-21 victory over Vanderbilt before 90,144 in The Swamp on Saturday.
“After losing for a whole month, a win is a great feeling,” sophomore safety Matt Elam said. “It's a relief. It's been a long time.”
The victory improves UF to 5-4 overall and 3-4 in the SEC. It was the Gators' 21st consecutive victory over Vanderbilt (4-5 and 1-5).
After taking a commanding 17-0 lead in the first half, it looked like the Gators were going to snap their losing streak with a comfortable, convincing and feel-good performance on Homecoming.
But for a team that has struggled so (and in so many ways) over the past month, it just wasn't meant to be. The Gators had to sweat out this streak-busting victory in a big way.
The game was not sealed until tight end Jordan Reed leaped in the air to secure a Vanderbilt onside kick with 1:16 left.
“We've been through a tough time,” UF coach Will Muschamp said. “We made it interesting in the second half even though we shouldn't have. We're proud from the standpoint of continuing to push, practice and compete, which our guys do every day, regardless of the circumstances.
“More than anything, I'm really happy for our team. Their effort has been outstanding. They needed this today.”
Desperately.
“To get this win against a good Vanderbilt team, it's huge,” senior quarterback John Brantley said. “It gives us some momentum going into the rest of November. We've got some good teams ahead of us.”
The Gators, going to the Pistol offense for the first time this season, rolled up 280 yards of total offense in building the big halftime lead. At the same time, the defense was dominant in shutting down the Commodores and versatile quarterback Jordan Rodgers.
But the second half was a near complete reversal. The UF offense stalled and Rodgers came to life.
The brother of All-Pro Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, threw a 26-yard TD pass to wide receiver Jordan Matthews with 5:44 to go in the third quarter, then scored on an 8-yard run to cut UF's lead to 20-14 with 10:54 remaining in the game.
After the UF defense came up with a stop, the Florida offense got the ball with 5:59 remaining on its own 6-yard line -- and with Brantley standing on the sideline with an injured right arm.
The Gators needed to run the clock with a true freshman quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, in the game. They did (and more) with a huge assist from the erring Commodores.
On fourth-and-1 from their own 15, the Gators lined up to go for it. Muschamp said of the call, “We were going for it to win the game.”
Vandy took the pressure off Muschamp by jumping offsides.
A few minutes later, facing a third-and-seven from the 24, Brissett was flushed out of the pocket. Just before stepping out of bounds, he managed to launch a pass downfield toward Frankie Hammond, who could not hold on to the ball but was interfered with, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and a huge first down.
A few minutes after that Jeff Demps took a pitch on a third-and-one play, juked the safety just past the line of scrimmage and sprinted 52 yards for a touchdown and a 26-14 lead with only 2:13 remaining.
The Swamp relaxed. But this one wasn't over.
Rodgers drove the Commodores 80 yards for a TD in only 57 seconds to put the game in doubt again. But Reed ended the doubt with he gathered in the onside kick.
“We played a great second half, but we didn't put four quarters together and in this league, with the talent and the coaching, you can't do that, especially where we're at right now in our program,” Vanderbilt coach James Franklin said.
It was a tough win, a shaky win, but the Gators embraced it.
“Everyone is happy,” defensive tackle Dominique Easley said. “We had a tough month there. We had to come back and get ourselves right.
“We feel like we can do a whole lot better. We should be doing a whole lot better.”
The Gators came out of each game in the four-game losing streak feeling the same way. The difference now is they do so with a victory instead of a loss.
“We're building our battle scars,” Muschamp said. “Right now, we've got a bunch. I know one thing, we're going to have a tough group if we continue moving forward with this.
“We will benefit from the tough times we're traveling through. People better enjoy it while they've got you (in this position).”
