NASHVILLE,
Tenn.
– Jeff Driskel scored three touchdowns and rand for 177 yards to lead the
fourth-ranked Florida Gators to a 31-17 win over Vanderbilt at Dudley Field.
Driskel's
third touchdown of the day, a 70-yarder, iced the game with 2:20 remaining and came
after Vanderbilt had cut the lead to seven.
The teams
combined for 23 points in a wild fourth quarter.
Florida (6-0,
5-0 SEC) did most of its damage on the night on the ground, finishing with 403
yards of offense, 326 on the ground. Driskel carried 11 times for a career-high
177 yards. He finished 11-of-20 passing for 77 yards.
Vanderbilt
(2-3, 1-2 SEC) finished with 363 yards of offense, most of it through the air,
as Jordan Rodgers finished 17-of-31 for 237 yards and a touchdown.
Shortly after
Caleb Sturgis hit his third field goal of the night, a 26-yarder to put the
Gators up 24-14, Vanderbilt responded with a 22-yard field goal to cut it to a
one-score game. Driskel's final touchdown run of the night proved to be too
much to overcome.
Zac Stacy
scored on a 1-yard touchdown run mid-way through the fourth quarter to pull
Vanderbilt within 21-14 but Andre Debose responded with a 60-yard kick off
return to set up the Sturgis field goal and extend UF's lead.
Florida had
scored 21 straight points to grab a commanding 21-7 lead before the Commodores
became the first team to score in the fourth quarter against the Gators this
season. It appeared Pop Saunders had intercepted Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan
Rodgers and thwarted the drive, but a holding penalty on the Gators set up the
Commodores at the UF 13-yard line and moments later they cut it to a one-score
game.
The touchdown
reenergized Vanderbilt after it appeared the Gators were poised to break the
game open.
Solomon
Patton raced 54 yards with a fake punt and Driskel scored on a 13-yard run to
give the Gators an 18-7 lead, then Neiron Ball recovered a fumble to set up a
29-yard field goal by Sturgis to give the Gators a two touchdown lead early in
the fourth quarter.
Lerentee
McCray set up Sturgis' field goal by sacking Jordan Rodgers and forcing a
fumble at the Vanderbilt 16 that Ball pounced on. Unable to punch it in, the
Gators settled for a short field goal from Sturgis.
After the
Commodores presumably had forced a punt from the UF 41, the Gators (5-0, 4-0)
snapped to fullback protector Trey Burton, who handed off to Solomon, who tore
around left end all the way to the Vandy 3.
After a
holding penalty pushed the ball to the 13, Driskel went 13 yards for his second
rushing touchdown of the game, also going over 100 yards on the ground for the
first time in his career.
The scoring
drive, which put the Gators ahead by two possessions for the first time in the
game, came after UF thwarted a huge drive by the Commodores (2-3, 1-2), who had
a first down at the UF 6. But false-start penalty and 14-yard sack by blitzing
safety Josh Evans forced Vandy, instead, to settle for a 45-yard field goal
attempt.
The kick was
blocked by defensive end Earl Okine and recovered by Loucheiz Purifoy at the
38.
The
Commodores thought they had a three-and-out, but the Gators had other plans.
The big play
added to an 11-7 lead that came when Sturgis kicked a 23-yard field with 10
seconds left in the first half Sturgis' kicked capped a 12-play, 83-yard drive
by the Gators, who had a second-and-goal at the 1, but were called for a costly
illegal substitution penalty that moved them back to the 6. Back-to-back passes
by Driskel fell incomplete, forcing the kick.
Then again,
it could have been worse.
On
first-and-goal from the 2, Omarius Hines fumbled, but UF tailback Mike
Gillislee fell on the ball at the 1.
UF used the
league's third-rated rushing attack to erase a 7-0 deficit.
Driskel raced
37 yards for a score and Burton converted the two-point conversion to give
Florida an 8-7 lead at 11:27 of the second quarter. Driskel scored on an option
keeper moving left, but would not have done so had true freshman wide receiver
Latroy Pittman not taken out two Commodores defenders with a block downfield.
The score
capped an 11-play, 91-yard march that was UF's longest drive of the
season.
On the PAT,
the Gators lined up in a super unbalanced line, with Burton keeping the ball,
optioning right and scoring untouched for the conversion and the one-point
lead.
The march to
Sturgis' field goal later in the quarter was a 12-play, 83-yarder.
Vandy drew
first blood when quarterback Rodgers hit wide receiver Matthews for a 10-yard
touchdown pass to give the Commodores a 7-0 lead midway through the first period.
Vandy went 66
yards in six plays, with the key play coming when Rodgers wobbled a long pass
down the left sidelines. Purifoy, the UF cornerback, did not look back for the
ball and wideout Chris Boyd took advantage. Boyd turned caught the ball for a
37-yard completion to the Florida 14.
Three plays
later, on third-and-6, Rodgers lofted another pass. The result was similar.
This time, it was Matthews out-timing safety Matt Elam for the ball and early
lead. Carey Spear's point-after made it 7-0 at the 6:45 mark.
Off to its
best start since 2009, Florida now turns it attention to South Carolina next
Saturday at the Swamp. The Gamecocks have won the last two in the series,
Florida will be looking for its first win in the series since 2009.
