Hargreaves Named SEC Freshman of the Week

University of Florida defensive back Vernon Hargreaves, III earned the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honor for his performance in the 24-7 win at Kentucky, the league office announced Monday.

Hargreaves made his third interception of the season, the most by an SEC freshman and the third-most nationally among freshmen. He intercepted the pass in the end zone from Kentucky’s Maxwell Smith to rob the Wildcats of a third-quarter touchdown. Hargreaves currently leads the Gators in interceptions.

Next up, Florida (3-1, 2-0 SEC) returns to The Swamp to host Arkansas (3-2, 0-2 SEC) on Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Gator Football at LSU to Kickoff at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 12

The start time for Florida’s game at LSU was announced by the Southeastern Conference office on Monday. The Gators will face Western-Division rival Tigers on Oct. 12 will be at 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS.

SEC Football on Saturday, Oct. 12

Missouri at Georgia – 12 p.m. on ESPN

South Carolina at Arkansas – 12:12 p.m. on SEC TV

Western Carolina at Auburn – 2 p.m. on PPV

FLORIDA at LSU – 3:30 p.m. on CBS

Alabama at Kentucky – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2

Bowling Green at Mississippi State – 7:30 p.m. on FSN

Texas A&M at Ole Miss – 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

Florida Football Set for 7 p.m. Kickoff Against Arkansas on Oct. 5

The Gators will play their first home night game on Oct. 5 when they host Arkansas at The Swamp. The game will be at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.

SEC Football on Saturday, Oct. 5

Missouri at Vanderbilt – 7:30 p.m. on CSS

Arkansas at FLORIDA – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2

Georgia at Tennessee – 3:30 p.m. on CBS

Kentucky at South Carolina – 7:30 p.m. on FSN

LSU at Mississippi State – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

Ole Miss at Auburn – 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU

Georgia State at Alabama – 12:21 p.m. on SEC TV

No. 3 Florida Puts on Blocking Showcase in Sweep of Ole Miss

Behind a season-high 15 blocks, the No. 3 Florida volleyball team stayed unbeaten in Southeastern Conference play with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-12) sweep of Ole Miss Sunday. Florida’s 15 blocks are the most in a single match since Oct. 5, 2012 against Arkansas (16.5).

Sophomore middle blocker Simone Antwi led the block party for the Gators with a career-high-tying seven blocks (two solo, five assists) against the Rebels. Antwi was second on the team with 12.5 points as she also slammed seven kills.

Gators Win Fourth Consecutive Pinch A Penny All Florida Invitational

The University of Florida Swimming and Diving program displayed its depth in capturing the teams’ fourth consecutive Pinch A Penny All Florida Invitational. Both the Gator men’s and women’s sqauds defeated programs from the state of Florida in a postseason style format with early morning prelims and evening finals.

Over the course of the three-day meet, the Orange and Blue registered 21 NCAA provisional cuts. On the final day of competition, the Gators emerged victorious in 10 out of 12 events. Throughout the weekend, the Gator teams brought home victories in all five relays.

Teams: Florida State, University of Miami, Nova Southeastern, North Florida, Southern Florida and Florida Gulf Coast attended the three-day meet at the O’Connell Center. The Seminoles will return to Gainesville for a dual meet on Jan. 4.

Scores:

Women’s team rankings:

1. University of Florida 1146                             2. Florida State University 798

3. Florida Gulf Coast University 695                4. University of Miami 400

5. Florida Southern College 346                      6. University of North Florida 286

7. Nova Southeastern University 119

Men’s team rankings:

1. University of Florida 1269                             2. Florida State University 970

3. Florida Southern College 487                      4. Nova Southeastern University 449

5. University of Miami 105

No. 7 Florida soccer defeated 1-0 at Missouri Sunday

COLUMBIA, Mo. – An early goal was all the Missouri Tigers needed Sunday to upset the No. 7 Florida soccer team 1-0 Sunday afternoon in front of 973 fans at the Audrey J. Walton Complex. It was the first win for the Tigers in the six-match all-time history between the two teams.

Sunday’s SEC Scores

No. 22 South Carolina 1, Arkansas 0

Alabama 4, Tennessee 2

Mississippi 7, Auburn 0

LSU 3, Mississippi State 2 OT

Texas A&M 3, Vanderbilt 0

No. 25 Kentucky 1, Georgia 0

The Tigers took the lead early in the match when Kaysie Clark scored her first goal of the season off the ball from Danielle Nottingham at 8:11. A penalty kick was awarded to the Tigers in the 17^th minute, but the shot by Nottingham was wide.

After a slow first half, the Gators had several chances in the second, including in the 68^th minute when a lifted ball from Annie Speese was sent to Savannah Jordan, but she couldn’t get a touch on it before the goalkeeper covered it. Pamela Begič’s header off a Speese corner kick in the 72nd minute hit the crossbar. In the 77^th minute, Tessa Andujar brought the ball to the end line. The deep cross she set was tapped backwards by Jordan’s foot, but the header by Begic was wide. The final good look came in the 83^rd minute when Speese had some space to bring the ball into th box. She dribbled and took a hard shot but it was blocked by a Tiger defender.

RECORDS: Florida (8-2-1, 2-1 SEC); Missouri (6-5, 2-1 SEC).

THE SERIES: Florida leads the series 4-1-1 all-time.

No. 7 Florida soccer opens SEC road play with 4-1 win at No. 24 Mississippi

Four goals by four different Gators gave the No. 7 Florida soccer team a 4-1 win over Mississippi Friday evening in front of 1,023 fans at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. It was the Southeastern Conference road opener for the Gators.

Friday’s SEC Scores

No. 22 South Carolina 2, Auburn 1

Georgia 1, Missouri 0

Arkansas 3, No. 25 Kentucky 0

Alabama 5, Vanderbilt 2

Tennessee 1, LSU 1 2OT

Texas A&M 8, Mississippi State 0

Florida opened the match scoring on its first three shots to put the team up 3-0 after just 16 minutes of play. A cross from Annie Speese into the center of the box ended with Savannah Jordan hitting her 11^th goal of the season at 4:32. Then Pamela Begič put in the ball at 13:23 off Jordan’s first collegiate assist. It was Begič’s third goal of the season. Then it was Begič’s turn for an assist, finding sophomore Claire Falknor with space and time in the box. Falknor turned and put it in for her first goal of the season at 15:10.

The Rebels’ scored their only goal of the match in the 28^th minute when Bethany Bunker scored off a long throw in.

The final Gator goal came off a scrum in front of the goal. Junior Jillian Graff hit her first goal of the season in the final minute to give UF the final margin.

Jordan now has 11 goals, making her one of five in NCAA Division I play to turn in 11 or more goals this season.

Gators Sweep Swimming Events on Day 2 of Pinch A Penny All-Florida Invitational

The Florida Gator men’s and women’s teams responded from a slow morning to sweep all 14 swimming events and 15 of 16 events overall on the second day of competition at the Pinch A Penny All Florida Invitational.

Sophomores Corey Main (Auckland, New Zeland) and Sinead Russell (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) each won the 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle to lead their respective teams. The Gators witnessed a dramatic improvement in times from the morning to the evening sessions, which resulted in 8 NCAA provisional cuts, giving the Gators 14 NCAA B cuts through two days.

Scores: Both Gator teams are in first place. The women lead second place Florida State 730-534. The men lead second place FSU 841-658.

Sound Bites: “I was very disappointed in our team’s morning performance. It was very lackluster. Tonight, after I talked about the corrections that they needed to make, we were very enthusiastic and aggressive with our swims. Outstanding performances and lots of doubles, but the problem is that they have to understand that you have to do this in the morning because that is how the end of the year is structured. The purpose of this meet was to learn about the end of the year, so hopefully we learned a lot from today.”- Head Coach Gregg Troy

“Corey Main was a late addition to our team last year and is just now hitting stride. Sinead Russell was very good today and is a phenomenal athlete and racer. Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, Rhode Island) was good tonight. She doesn’t like not touching the wall first, but we’re swimming her in different places that aren’t her expertise because we want to see younger people swim. Lindsey McKnight (Coral Springs, Fla.) and Natalie Hinds (Midland, Texas) had some great swims tonight. I’m interested to see how we can learn and improve from here.”-Head Coach Gregg Troy

Clean Sweeps: The Gator men’s 400 individual medley put together a clean sweep, taking first through fourth. Red-shirt senior Sebastien Rousseau (Cape Town, South Africa) registered a first place performance in  3:49.29 and was trailed in order by junior Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez (Madrid, Spain-3:49.47), junior Matt Elliott (Peoria, Ill.-3:55.73) and senior Connor Signorin (East Windsor, N.J.-3:56.95). The Gator repeated the feat in the 200 free, as Main (1:37.69) paved the way and was followed by junior Dan Wallace (North Berwick, Scotland- 1:38.61), senior Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland-1:39.06) and freshman Mitch D’Arrigo (Rome, Italy- 1:39.17).

First to the Wall:

·         McKnight kicked off the individual portion of the finals with a victory in 400 IM, winning in 4:21.51.

·         Hinds captured the 100 butterfly in mark of 53.91.

·         Cieslak earned victory in the 100 fly (47.36).

·         Russell won the first of her two events, the 200 free, in a time of 1:48.16. She brought home the 100 back win in 54.40.

·         Main added a win in the 100 back (47.70).

·         Senior Hilda Luthersdottir (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland) touched first in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.26)

·         Elliott placed first in the 100 breast (55.52).

Relay Magic: For the second consecutive day, the Gators swept all four relay events. To kick off the final session, the women’s 200 medley group of Russell, Luthersdottir, Hinds and senior Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) touched in 1:41.99. The men’s foursome of Main, Elliott, Rousseau and deBorde followed up with a victory in the same event in 1:28.75

To cap off a perfect day for the women, the Gators delivered a 1-2 finish in the 800 free relay. Zalewski, McKnight, Russell and Beisel posted a time of 7:19.27 and were followed in second by freshman Danielle Valley (Bradenton, Fla.), Hinds, sophomore Ashlee Linn (Sarasota, Fla,) and sophomore Taylor Roy (Woodstock, Ga.). The men equaled the women’s 800 free finish, tallying a 1-2 finish. In the first race in the event since winning the 2013 NCAA title, the 800 free group of Wallace, junior Carlos Omana (Miami, Fla.), Rousseau and Main came home first in 6:32.82 and were followed by Signorin, D’Arrigo, Cieslak and Solaeche-Gomez.

Jones, Murphy Lead Gators to 24-7 Victory Over Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Tyler Murphy passed for a touchdown and ran for another Saturday night and tailback Matt Jones rushed for a career-high 176 yards and a score as the 20th-ranked Florida Gators defeated Kentucky 24-7 and captured their Southeastern Conference road opener at Commonwealth Stadium.
Make that 27 straight wins for the Gators (3-1, 2-0) in the series, dating to 1987. That's the longest current winning streak for one team over another in the nation and now the longest by any program in SEC history.
Murphy, the fourth-year junior from Connecticut making his first career start, completed 15 of 18 passes -- including his first 13 attempts -- for 156 yards, including a 9-yard scoring strike to Trey Burton in the second quarter and later in the period added a 5-yard TD run on an option keeper. He was intercepted once.
On the whole, it was an impressive display for Murphy and picked up where he left off last week when he replaced starter Jeff Driskel (broken leg) and helped lead the Gators to a home win over Tennessee.
He made one big mistake in the third period when he stared down his receiver and was intercepted by linebacker Josh Forrest, who returned the ball 38 yards to the UF 38. Five plays later, though, UK quarterback Maxwell Smith's heave into the end zone was intercepted by leaping true freshman cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, his third pick of the season.
The Hargreaves play was the signature moment on a night when UF's defense put together another overwhelming display. UK's lone points of the night came in the first quarter when the Wildcats executed a picture-perfect fake field goal and placekicker Joe Mansour ran 25 yards for a touchdown that tied the game at 7-all.
The Gators (3-1, 2-0) scored the game's next 17 points, finishing with 402 yards of total offense. Their defensive counterparts held the Wildcats (1-3, 0-1) to 173 yards, sacked UK quarterbacks five times and limited the Cats to 1-for-8 on third down.
Murphy's touchdown run late in the second quarter capped a nine-play, 62-yard drive, highlighted by a 19-yard completion to Burton. HIs touchdown pass came two plays after Jones, the sophomore tailback, had a 67-yard run that only ended because wide receiver Quinton Dunbar, trying to position himself to block some UK defenders, tripped his man to the ground. The Gators scored anyway, making it a 3-play, 79-yard drive in just 1:32.
It was an impressive march, but not as impressive as the one Murphy led his teammates on to start the game.
After a holding penalty on the opening kickoff stuck the Gators in a hole at their own 7, Murphy took his team 93 yards on 13 plays to give the Gators a 7-0 lead after the game's first possession. The drive was the longest TD march -- in yards, plays and time consumed (7:47) -- for UF this season and was capped when Jones went around left end for his 2-yard scoring run on third-and-goal.
Jones went on to carry 28 times on the night.
On Kentucky's first possession, the Wildcats drove to the UF 42-yard line, but a sack and penalty forced the UK into a third-and-long that came up short.
Enter Mansour for a 42-yard field goal attempt on fourth-and-9.
Instead of kicking the ball, Mansour took a pitchout from his holder, sprinted around the right side and raced untouched into the end zone to tie the game. The play came against the first-team UF defense, which remained on the field in the situation yet was caught completely off guard. No defender was remotely close to the area in the right flat, with the 6-foot-2, 189-pound Mansour hitting the sideline and beating the Gators to the pylon.
The Gators had a nice drive going, but an illegal formation penalty nullified a first-down reception inside the Wildcats 25 and after a sack of Murphy, Austin Hardin was well short on a 53-yard field attempt.
The next time the Gators got the ball, Jones, Murphy and Burton did their thing.
Murphy capped the series after that with his scoring run out of the pistol formation.
Kentucky reached UF territory twice in the second half, but was turned away by Hargreaves the first time (third quarter) and on downs the second time (fourth quarter), with the Gators taking control and behind Jones basically ran out the clock.

No. 3 Gators Open SEC Action with Sweep of Mississippi State

The No. 3 Florida volleyball team opened Southeastern Conference play with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-11) sweep of Mississippi State Friday evening at the Newell-Grissom Building.

Florida was led by sophomore outside hitters Gabby Mallette and Živa Recek, who both turned in double-digit kills against MSU. Mallette led all hitters with a match-high 11 kills, while Recek tallied 10 kills to go along with nine digs for a near-double-double.

Quick Hits:

·         Junior libero Taylor Unroe scooped 17 digs against the Bulldogs, continuing her 23-match double-digit dig streak dating back to Nov. 4, 2012. Unroe hasn’t registered a reception error in the last eight matches. The Gator junior was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for her performances against No. 17 FSU, Marquette and Milwaukee.

·         Senior middle blocker Chloe Mann turned in her fifth errorless match of the season, hitting .538 with seven kills against Mississippi State. Mann is hitting .465 for her career, as she is the NCAA active leader in the category and sits just behind NCAA record holder in career hitting percentage, Penn State's Arielle Wilson (.468).

·         Senior setter Taylor Brauneis dished out 36 assists for the Orange and Blue, coupling that tally with 11 digs for her sixth double-double of her career and third of the season. Brauneis set Florida to a .330 hitting percentage, the 10th time the Gators have hit above .300 in 2013.

·         Florida is now 43-0 all-time against Mississippi State and the Gators haven’t dropped a set to the Bulldogs since 2009.

Gators lose DT Dominique Easley to season-ending knee injury; Driskel undergoes successful surgery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Gators senior defensive tackle Dominique Easley will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ACL in his right knee.

Easley suffered the injury late Tuesday night near the end of Florida’s practice in a non-contact situation. The Gators’ practice was pushed back to 7-9 p.m. due to inclement weather.

Gators head coach Will Muschamp was hopeful Easley’s injury was not as serious as tests revealed.

“As I said earlier today on the SEC Conference Call, Dominique injured his right knee in practice in a non-contact situation,’’ Muschamp said following Wednesday’s practice. “Test results have revealed that he suffered a tear of both his ACL and medial meniscus, which will require season-ending surgery.

“I talked to Dominique and the team this afternoon and we will continue to look for his leadership and experience throughout the season. Watching any of your players go through this is one of the hardest things about being a coach.

“Obviously, it is hardest on Dominique. We are disappointed for him, but we will be there for him every step of the way through his surgery and rehab process.”

This is the second time Easley has suffered a torn ACL. In the final regular-season game of his sophomore season in 2011, Easley suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and missed Florida’s win over Ohio State in the Gator Bowl.

He returned to play 11 games last season and finished the season with 26 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss and four sacks. Easley recently said he felt back to full speed after getting re-acclimated to the game a year ago.

“My confidence was really messing me up,’’ he said. “I feel like my old self now.”

Easley was backing it up with his play on the field. While his stats (5 tackles, 2 TFL) were not overwhelming, Easley’s presence was hard to miss in Florida’s first three games.

“Dominique is a guy that has a great motor, great enthusiasm as you can see on the field,’’ Florida defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said Wednesday. “I think that’s a contagious thing. He plays the game the way we want guys to play on defense.

“With all that being said, he’s a part of the whole team, guys I think are playing well and doing things. We plan for [injuries] everywhere and that’s why we play a lot of guys.”

The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Easley has drawn rave reviews for his early season play and recently projected to be a high pick in next April’s NFL Draft.

In 32 career games, Easley has 72 tackles, 18 tackles-for-loss, 5.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and a blocked kick.

"I want to leave my mark here,'' Easley said after Florida’s season-opening win over Toledo. “I want to be considered a Gator Great.”

In other injury news, Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel underwent successful surgery on his fractured right fibula Wednesday afternoon. Driskel was injured in the first quarter of Saturday’s 31-17 win over Tennessee.

Driskel had a plate and screws inserted in his fractured fibula, and doctors also repaired his medial ligaments and put two screws across his ankle joint.

Florida Football Slips One Spot (No. 20/19) in Latest Polls

After taking down SEC-East rival Tennessee for the ninth-straight year, the Gators dropped one spot in both the Associated Press Poll, to No. 20, and in the USA Today Coaches Poll, to No. 19, released today. The Gators will continue SEC play at Kentucky on Sept. 28. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast by ESPNU.

There are seven teams from the SEC currently ranked in the polls. Among the 10 teams remaining on Florida’s schedule, there are four top-15 teams present in rankings: No. 6 LSU (Oct. 12 in Baton Rouge, La.), No. 10 Georgia (Oct. 27 in Jacksonville, Fla.), No. 12/13 South Carolina (Nov. 16 in Columbia, S.C.) and No. 8 Florida State (Nov. 30 in The Swamp).

Fans can purchase season, single-game or group football tickets on GatorZone.com.

For all of the latest information on Florida football, log on to http://www.gatorzone.com/football/ or follow the team’s Twitter account @GatorZoneFB at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneFB.

Associated Press Top 25 Poll					USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS		RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1.	Alabama (56)	3-0	1496		1.	Alabama (59)	3-0	1547
2.	Oregon (4)	3-0	1418		2.	Oregon (3)	3-0	1480
3.	Clemson	3-0	1340		3.	Ohio State	4-0	1399
4.	Ohio State	4-0	1320		4.	Clemson	3-0	1332
5.	Stanford	3-0	1270		5.	Stanford	3-0	1312
6.	LSU	4-0	1167		6.	LSU	4-0	1161
7.	Louisville	4-0	1088		7.	Louisville	4-0	1140
8.	Florida State	3-0	1049		8.	Florida State	3-0	1121
9.	Georgia	2-1	1029		9.	Texas A&M	3-1	1044
10.	Texas A&M	3-1	1011		10.	Georgia	2-1	1020
11.	Oklahoma State	3-0	849		11.	Oklahoma State	3-0	909
12.	South Carolina	2-1	828		12.	Oklahoma	3-0	863
13.	UCLA	3-0	798		13.	South Carolina	2-1	825
14.	Oklahoma	3-0	689		14.	UCLA	3-0	731
15.	Miami	3-0	687		15.	Miami	3-0	613
16.	Washington	3-0	559		16.	Northwestern	4-0	560
17.	Northwestern	4-0	477		17.	Michigan	4-0	534
18.	Michigan	4-0	450		18.	Baylor	3-0	465
19.	Baylor	3-0	441		19.	FLORIDA	2-1	449
20.	FLORIDA	2-1	414		20.	Washington	3-0	427
21.	Ole Miss	3-0	342		21.	Ole Miss	3-0	331
22.	Notre Dame	3-1	256		22.	Notre Dame	3-1	317
23.	Wisconsin	3-1	130		23.	Fresno State	3-0	156
24.	Texas Tech	4-0	127		24.	Wisconsin	3-1	98
25.	Fresno State	3-0	110		25.	Texas Tech	4-0	92

Mann Becomes New Career Hitting Percentage Leader as No. 4 Gators Sweep Milwaukee

Senior middle blocker Chloe Mann had a night for the history books, as she took over Florida’s career hitting percentage record in Saturday’s 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-10) sweep of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The reigning SEC Player of the Year and a 2012 AVCA First Team All-American hit an errorless .583 against Milwaukee with seven kills on the night.

Mann set the record with her first swing of the night, having to register at least 1,200 attempts for her career to be eligible for the all-time list. The old record was held for 13 years by Heather Wright (1997-2000), who hit .424 during her years in the Orange and Blue. Mann is currently hitting .465 for her career. Saturday was her fourth match of the season where she hit .500 or better and the second straight.

No. 8 Florida soccer opens SEC play with 3-0 win over Alabama

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Three goals – all by Gator freshmen – gave the No. 8 Florida soccer team a 3-0 win over Alabama Friday evening in front of 1,719 fans at the James G. Pressly Stadium. It was the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

It was Gator Soccer Alumni Night and many members of the program’s past 18 seasons were on hand to cheer Florida to a win in its Southeastern Conference opener. Since the program’s first season in 1995, the Gators have won 12 SEC titles, advanced to 16 NCAA Tournaments and won the 1998 NCAA Championship.

A set play gave the Gators their first goal in the 26^th minute. Junior Havana Solaun sent the corner kick to the middle of the box where it was headed down by sophomore Lindsey Cooper. The ball hit the ground just in front of the goal line and freshman Savannah Jordan used her right foot to put it across the line. Jordan scored her second goal of the evening with less than three minutes left before halftime. Sophomore Brooke Smith sent a centering pass to freshman Meggie Dougherty Howard just above the box. Jordan received the ball from Dougherty Howard, turned and used her right foot to take the shot which banged off the far post and into the goal.

Jordan now has 10 goals, making her one of three in NCAA Division I play to turn in a double-digit season goals total.

Florida’s final goal started near the end line when senior Maggie Rodgers shielded off her defender, allowing her to send a vertical pass to junior Tessa Andujar outside the top edge of the box. Her cross into box was headed in at the near post by freshman Liz Slattery for her first goal as a Gator.

Gators Lose Driskel for Season; Teammates Disappointed for Junior Signal-Caller

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Will Muschamp knew the play was much worse than it even looked -- and it looked really bad.
On the third series of the game, Tennessee defensive back Devaun Swafford had just taken an interception back 62 yards for a touchdown to stick the Florida Gators in an early hole Saturday at the "Swamp." Not good.
Then he saw quarterback Jeff Driskel on the ground and motioning toward the UF sideline.
“Jeff is as tough a kid as I’ve been around,” Muschamp said. “When he looked to the sidelines and waved, I knew it was not good.”
Driskel, the junior quarterback from Oviedo, Fla., suffered a broken right leg on the play and will have to undergo season-ending surgery.
“It’s sad,” senior wide receiver Trey Burton said. “I feel for him.”
Driskel had a Tennessee defensive lineman clinging to his ankles when he tried to force a pass to Burton on the Volunteers sideline. As he fell forward throwing the ball, he twisted to the ground and immediately grabbed for his leg.
Just like that, the Florida offense -- and the 2013 season -- fell to fourth-year junior Tyler Murphy, who entered Saturday’s game having never attempted a college pass. Murphy performed admirably (134 yards and a touchdown passing; 84 yards and a touchdown rushing) in leading the Gators to a win they had to have.
For the record, UF’s new backup is redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg, who has never played a college snap.
"Obviously, there was some adversity in the game," Muschamp said.
Losing a starting quarterback can lead to a season of adversity. Instead of bemoaning the situation, Muschamp threw out the “one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity” line after the game. That doesn't mean he wasn't heartbroken for Driskel, who was the quarterback of record for an 11-2 team that played in a BCS game last season and spent the offseason as one of the team’s leaders and point man on offensive workouts.
“I hurt for him, hurt for us,” Muschamp said. “This is going to hurt us. Jeff’s a guy who’s won a lot of ballgames for us here. I’m disappointed for him.”
The two shared a brief moment at halftime before the Gators, behind Murphy, returned to the field and put away the Vols behind an error-free second half on offense (versus three first-half turnovers) and some stellar defensive play (UF forced six UT turnovers).
The interception, though, was a tough way for Driskel to exit his junior year. He performed so well in preseason camp, even after missing the first week due to an emergency appendectomy, but struggled two weeks ago in committing three turnovers in a 21-16 loss at Miami.
Driskel wanted badly to atone for that performance.
Now his final season numbers will read 42 completions in 61 attempts (68.9 percent) for 477 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions and two fumbles.
“It was really disappointing. He’s given a lot to this program,” senior center Jon Harrison said. “I would never wish or hope that on anybody. I didn’t even know it was that serious until I saw him in the boot. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Gators Defeat Tennessee for Ninth Straight Win in Series

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Backup quarterback Tyler Murphy accounted for a pair of touchdowns and the Florida defense forced six turnovers as the No. 19 Gators defeated Tennessee 31-17 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams Saturday at the “Swamp.” The win was the Gators' ninth straight in the series.

Murphy, summoned after starter Jeff Driskel was forced from the game with an ankle injury in the first period, entered the game having never thrown a pass as a collegian. He finished eight of 14 for 134 yards, and added another 84 yards rushing on 10 carries, including a fourth-quarter touchdown of seven yards to push UF ahead 31-10.

The Gators (2-1, 1-0) finished with 382 yards of total offense, but it was their defense that set the tone behind four interceptions and two fumbles. The Volunteers (2-2, 0-1) finished with 220 yards of total offense, but at halftime had just 31 yards on 25 plays.

The Gators led 17-7 at the half, thanks to a 2-yard touchdown run from Mack Brown with 37 seconds to go in the second quarter. The Vols got a field goal on their first drive of third period from Michael Palardy. The points came after UT coach Butch Jones opted for a quarterback switch, benching ineffective redshirt freshman Nathan Peterman (4 of 11, 5 yards, 2 interceptions) in favor of Worley, the junior backup.
UF was bouyed by a spectacular two quarters from a defense that forced four turnovers and held the Volunteers 31 total yards on 25 plays. Tennessee's only points came when cornerback Devaun Swafford returned a Jeff Driskel interception 62 yards for the first score of the game. Driskel injured his ankle on the play and was replaced by Murphy, the junior backup who began the day having never attempted a college pass.

Brown's touchdown was set up by a tipped-ball interception by junior defensive tackle Darius Cummings, whose 30-yard return set the Gators up on the UT 40. Seven plays later, one a crucial third-down run by Murphy to move the chains, Brown took an inside handoff and broke it outside for the score and 10-point lead.

The touchdown was UF's second of the day. Earlier in the half, Patton took the pass from Murphy and weaved around two UT defensive players and raced 52 yards for the touchdown and 10-7 lead.

That play came after UF defensive back Brian Poole came down with a batted ball to set the UF offense up at its own 44.

UF's Austin Hardin had kicked a 23-yard field goal late in the first quarter after the Gators' defense forced a turnover deep in UT territory.

Swafford's touchdown return came when Driskel, with a UT defender wrapped around his ankles, tried to force a throw to wide receiver Trey Burton, who was blanketed in coverage on the Tennessee sideline. The ball hit Swafford in the numbers and he raced untouched for the score at the 9:23 mark of the period.

The pick was Driskel's fourth turnover in the last two games and the QB's fifth of the young season. He left the field after the play to be examined by UF's health team.

The play marked the second miscue for the Gators. One possession earlier, punter Kyle Christy let a center snap sail through his hands and picked up the ball in time to be smashed and brought down at the UF 15.

The Vols took over from there, but UF sophomore defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., made a spectacular play in crashing from the left side, beating a chip block by the UT tailback and forcing a fumble that he recovered.

Fowler did it again later in the quarter when he sacked Vols quarterback Nathan Peterman and forced a fumble the Gators recovered at the UT 6. A fumble on first down cost UF six yards and the Gators eventually had to settle for the field goal from Hardin to get on the board.