Sluggish & Ho-Hum But Still A Record Breaking Performance From No. 6 Florida Gators Over Vanderbilt
You have to win games like this. If you want to win a championship, you have to win games like this. That was the message No. 6 Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen gave to his team at half, before the Gators went on to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 38-17 in Nashville.
"I don't know that we had our best week of practice this week," admits Mullen.
"Not attitude-wise, I just kind of thought we were a little bit blah a couple of the days...it was kind of we had a good day and then a bad day, a good day and then a bad day of practice this week, and it kind of looked that way [today] offensively and defensively. A good drive, a bad drive, a good drive, a bad drive.
"It was that way all day offensively and defensively. Kind of a good then bad, good then bad. It wasn't poor attitude, it wasn't anything. I think it was kind of just a ho-hum performance for us if that's the best way to put it, which we can't do if we want to be a great team. We can't do that....so I'm really pleased with our guys finding a way to win and suck it up and be good enough to win and make the plays we need to to win despite not playing at our top, our best for the entire game."
The early morning chilly kickoff was ugly at the onset. Florida won the toss and deferred, but Vanderbilt took advantage of the opportunity and drove down field on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that picked the Gators apart in a multitude of ways.
Runs up the middle, around the edge, shots to the flat, downfield and for short yardage or long. The Dores did it all on the first drive, using their scripted plays to take a 7-0 lead. It’s become expected from the Florida defense each game; a slow start before settling in and making stops—albeit while still inevitably giving up one or two big plays through the rest of the game.
"That's what it feels like,” admits Elam (two tackles, one interception, one pass breakup) of the consistent slow starts.
“But, I feel like we shouldn’t—we don't need anything to motivate, we shouldn't need anything to motivate us to start strong. I don't understand like why we do that, but, you know, it starts in practice. I'm definitely [going to] try my best to have us to go faster, get the play call faster, and just execute. I feel like we were supposed to dominate today and we didn’t.”
In total, Vanderbilt finished with 406 yards of total offense (319 through the air) and averaged six yards a play.
Following the initial score, Florida answered with a drive that heavily featured Kadarius Toney (six receptions, 107 yards, one touchdown) and saw the senior joystick juke a DB onto his face for a wide open 27-yard touchdown that tied the game.
But Vanderbilt proved they could work off more than just 15 scripted plays and put together another long drive—this one 12 plays that lasted over five minutes—that moved into the redzone. Ventrell Miller who carried the defense much of the day with his six tackles (one for loss) dropped Ja’Veon Marlow for a loss of two yards and forced a field goal. With the way the defense had been giving up yardage (138 yards to that point), a field goal felt like a win, despite the 25-yarder giving the Dores a 10-7 lead.
After giving up a score on the first two drives, the defense made a stop at midfield on the Dores third offensive drive with a big pass break-up from Marco Wilson (two tackles, one pass break-up). Those are all things that are somewhat expected and has been the case all season. A slow start from the defense while they settle in and settle down.
What was unusual was Florida’s offense stalling on its second and third drives of the game, forced to punt both times.
After a 32-yard Evan McPhearson field goal tied the game at 10, the Gators defense forced a four-and-out and a three-and-out as Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham’s unit started to find their footing agains the winless Dores. That was enough breathing room for the Florida offense to snap out of their uncharacteristic lull as well, somewhat created by the small crowd of just over 1,100 people (1,147 total, all family members from both teams).
Those two defensive drives bookended a Kyle Trask clinic.
With just under three minutes to play in the first half (2:42 to be exact) Trask and the Gators took over at their own 15-yard line. Two quick shots to Jacob Copeland (five receptions, 56 yards) and two more to Justin Shorter (five receptions, 94 yards) put Florida at the Vanderbilt 34-yard line.
From there, Trask dropped back and took a deep shot to his tall receiver Tre Grimes (three receptions, 44 yards, one touchdown). The senior “Ocho” climbed the ladder over two defenders to come down with a ball that would’ve embarrassed a lesser man.
“I’m not really sure about the metrics, but he got up there pretty high,” jokes Trask.
“We knew they’d been playing a lot of drop coverage, so we found ways to get some receivers sitting down in the folds, and just getting a lot of chunk plays, one after another, and then I saw Trevon had a good matchup on the outside and I just tried to throw it up to him and give him a shot. I know he’s a great player that can catch balls over anybody, so I really just had to give him a shot and he made a great play.”
After winning the toss and deferring, the Gators had first possession in the second half. They used it to march downfield on a 12-play drive that lasted just over five minutes and ended with a power run by Dameon Pierce for the 1-yard rushing score that sent the Gators up 24-10.
Pierce (11 rushes, 55 yards, one touchdown; one reception, six yards) was responsible for 50% of the plays on the drive, including the difference maker; no not the touchdown. If you have to win games like this to win a championship, you also have to have coaches and players that trust each other to do so.
Facing 4th and 1 from inside their own 35-yard line (the UF 34-yard line), Mullen elected to go for it and trusted Pierce to move the chains. The big back did just that, with a hard rush up the middle for two yards.
“That's why they pay you the big bucks, I guess,” jokes the man with the $36,600,000 contract.
“We felt comfortable with the call we would have in that situation and our ability to be able to get it. And it also would give us an opportunity -- we're pretty good offensively -- it would give us an opportunity to really separate us in the course of the game. It wasn’t just the fourth down, but going out and getting the touchdown afterwards.”
After another punt from Vanderbilt, thanks in large part to pressure from Zach Carter (four tackles, one pass breakup, two quarterback hurries) that forced an errant throw, the offense took back over on their own 11-yard line. A holding penalty, followed by a short Malik Davis (eight rushes, 38 yards, two receptions, 20 yards) run to buy some space, Kyle Trask had another—well not Heisman moment exactly, but definitely a moment for the Heisman reel.
On 2nd and 17 from his own 13-yard line, Trask dropped back off a RPO only to see a defender break through the line and stick his arms out for a non-social distanced hug. Evading the sack, the 6-3 Trask ducked and pressed the “B” button to spin into space. Rolling out right with room to run, Trask could have justifiably pulled the ball and taken off; but he saw something downfield.
Working to the sideline for space, Trask directed downfield, pointing towards the space he wanted either Justin Shorter or Rick Wells to go for the ball. With a defender two yards off of Trask and barreling, the quarterback set his feet and heaved the picture perfect shot to Shorter…or Wells.
Shorter caught the 46-yard pass, but Trask had faith at least one of his teammates would make the grab.
"I believe they were playing drop-eight zone and just trying to, it was kind of an obvious passing situation,” recounts Trask.
“I just got out of the pocket and saw Rick Wells and Justin Shorter. I just pointed to both of them just to go because there was nobody, there was nobody back there. They were past the last line of defense. And I just threw it to both of them really. They were both wide open,” he laughs.
“So it was kinda just whoever went and caught it because they were both wide open past the last line of defense. And Shorter went and snatched it and they did a great job of just executing the scramble drill, if you will, whenever you’re outside of the pocket and you’re just breaking off the route and finding the empty zone in the defense.”
A touchdown pass to tight end Kemore Gamble in the back of the end zone—his third of the season, all after stepping in for Kyle Pitts during the Georgia Bulldogs win—made it 31-10.
A busted play on defense meant Vanderbilt brought it back within 14 points off a 58-yard slant and go score. Then the Dores downed a punt at the 1-yard line. But once again, Kemore Gamble proved himself perfectly capable of filling in for Pitts.
From his own endzone, Kyle Trask found Gamble along the sideline. The big end rambled and rumbled his way down the boundary, eventually being pushed out of bounds and taking out two Vanderbilt players, a trainer and a Gatorade cooler in route to a 34-yard gain that suddenly gave Florida ample breathing room with which to work.
Emory Jones(1-1, 30 yards, one touchdown; four rushes, 25 yards) entered at quarterback mid-way through the driveway and on 2nd and 2 from the Vandy 30-yard line, found Gamble on a bubble. After breaking a shoelace tackle, the redshirt junior thundered into the endzone for what would be the final score.
The Dores attempted to chip into the lead and made it back to the redzone before corner Kaiir Elam picked off Kenny Seals in the endzone to give his offense the ball back and run out the clock.
“It was something I watched on film all week you know when they get in the red zone, they, they like to lean on the slot zone, they like to do double move. They try, he tried to do a slant and go and I had my head back to the ball and made a play,” explains Elam.
Each team had one turnover on the day; the Seals interception and a Kadarius Toney fumble from a punch out. The Gator defense, maligned in commentary all day, held the Dores in the redzone on the ensuing drive, getting after the freshman passer and allowing no points off the turnover.
Still, adjustments continue to be needed on the defense and Dan Mullen sees answers in younger guys playing more often—alongside veterans, not in spite of. And that will change soon.
“I want to roll guys early, I don't think we did defensively. I think offensively we did a good job of that, on defense I was a little disappointed, I got on it, we haven't been rolling guys and I'm like 'Hey, I want to roll these guys through.' We've get a long season, you've got to develop guys, we've got to stay fresh for four quarters and the best way to do that is roll guys through and build depth and experience. And you've got to do it early in the game and I don't think; that's something I will address: that that wasn't done earlier in the game.”
Elam would also add better communication. Plays coming in late from the sideline can’t happen against a tempo offense (which is what Vanderbilt ran on Saturday) as they can catch Florida on their heels, like on not only the busted 58-yard touchdown, but the first score of the game, which came on Elam.
“On that touchdown I gave up, I was looking over, the whole defense was looking over for the play. They were going fast. My linebacker called me over, because the tight end lined up out and the wide receiver lined up in. But were to busy looking for the play so we didn't get to communicate, get lined up and they already snapped, snapped the ball.
“So I had to try my best to get the ball. And then, I'm supposed to be inside leverage. I mean, it’s just something we got to go faster, get the call to get lined up. But I think, I mean you just gotta play, just trust what Coach Grantham is telling us to do.
“And I think we have to clean it up, especially where we want to go, you know, SEC Championship, National Championship, I think it’s just something we have, have to clean up because I think, like you said, most of the yards came from those slants and those bang 8’s [post-routes].”
And in many ways, with what we’ve come to expect of this Florida Gators offense, the 586 yards of total offense 29 first downs and 7.7 yards per play is somewhat of a disappointment. This despite the fact Florida scored 35 or more points for the ninth consecutive game, breaking the school record for most such games (eight games during 2008 and first eight games of 1996). It's also the seventh straight game with that point output against a SEC team, breaking those same aforementioned records. But that's standard now right?
Kyle Trask didn’t break any new records on Saturday. He didn’t throw four touchdown passes in a game for the first time all season, having to “settle” for 383 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, 26-35 passing. He finished one touchdown shy of tying the all time FBS record for most touchdowns through seven games.
He doesn’t care.
“We’re here to win games. I’ve said this enough times, I don’t care if I throw 10 touchdowns or zero touchdowns, I just want to win. We did a great job—we started a little flat, but we did a great job coming together and finding a way. This was a huge win for us.”
It’s an expected answer from a humble guy on a team-first roster. Yet it also mirrors the lesson the Gators will take home with them from Nashville. The Commodores always seem to play Florida hard, especially in their stadium, however empty it may be. But if you want to win a championship, sometimes you have to win games like this.
You have to figure out how to bounce back from a slow start, how not to get discouraged by an early game; how to find your own motivation in an otherwise empty stadium. How to win in whatever way is necessary that particular day for that particular game. For that matter, how to adapt amidst COVID-19 worries, even if it means arriving at the stadium 62 minutes before kickoff and getting dressed on the field to avoid the small visitor locker room.
Whatever it takes.
When you’re chasing a championship, you win with whatever it takes.
Says Trask, “Something Coach Mullen’s told us, was he’s been on championship teams and sometimes they came out flat but they still found a way to win. And obviously we came out pretty flat, obviously you want to start off faster than that, but at the end of the day we found a way to win and that’s all that matters.”
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