Running onto Florida Field for the last time, Mike Pouncey hid his face in his helmet.
Pouncey, a three-year starter for the Gators, admitted after the game that he didn’t even make it on the field before breaking down. He and strong safety Ahmad Black, who won championships alongside Pouncey both at Florida and at Lakeland High, cried in the tunnel before Black was the second-to-last player introduced.
And when Pouncey’s name was called, the senior embraced coach Urban Meyer near midfield before getting swallowed in a group hug with teammates.
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter and Florida’s eventual 48-10 Senior Day win against Appalachian State already secured, Pouncey was the first player called to the sidelines, where he received hugs from Meyer and offensive line coach Steve Addazio as well as a standing ovation from Gators fans.
“It was an emotional day,” said Poincey, who returned to Gainesville this season even though his twin, Maurkice, left for the NFL. “I gave my life to this program. It paid off today. … More than any other win, this one meant the most to me.”
For such a celebrated group, a senior class pivotal in Florida’s 2008 championship run, this season has proved to be an anticlimactic ending. But on Saturday, for one last time at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Gators dominated, even if they were playing an overmatched FCS team.
The Gators took a 21-0 lead after their third first-quarter drive, gaining 223 yards and picking up 11 first downs in the process. In four quarters last week against South Carolina, Florida managed just 226 total yards, 11 first downs and, most importantly, 14 points.
The Gators finished with a season-high 547 total yards.
Florida came out looking to pound Appalachian State from the beginning, running the ball on 10 of 12 plays in its first two drives.
The offensive line, featuring four seniors playing their last games in the Swamp, paved the way for an easy first touchdown, as junior Chris Rainey ran untouched 16 yards to the end zone.
Florida’s second score was set up by a 43-yard deep ball down the left sidelines from quarterback John Brantley to Deonte Thompson. One play later, freshman Trey Burton crossed the goal line on an easy 3-yard carry.
Criticized all season for not taking shots downfield, Brantley took advantage of the FCS defense with a vertical passing game. The junior completed 16 of 22 passes for 222 yards.
And Brantley finally proved to be a dual threat, albeit in an untraditional fashion. With freshman Jordan Reed lined up at quarterback and Brantley spilt wide, Reed rolled right and found Brantley open in the back-right corner of the end zone to give the Gators a 28-0 lead in the second quarter.
“I didn’t want to act too excited,” Brantley said about when he realized he would be open. “I saw the corner bite. … I was just like, ‘Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it.’”
With many teams choosing to ignore Brantley while the Gators line up in the wildcat formation, fans have asked why Florida even bothers to put Brantley at receiver this season. But on Saturday, Brantley slipped past the unsuspecting Mountaineers defense.
However, some may have wanted Gators coach Urban Meyer to keep that play up his sleeve until Florida played a more important game, perhaps even next week against Florida State.
A week after being pushed around by South Carolina’s run-heavy attack, the Florida defense held Appalachian State out of the end zone. Led by junior quarterback DeAndre Presley, the Mountaineers threatened to score early but came up short when it mattered on two of their first three drives.
Appalachian State reached the Florida 30-yard line on its second drive before Presley failed to connect with tight end Ben Jorden on 4th and 6. On their next drive, the Mountaineers reached the Florida 41-yard line, but left tackle Daniel Kilgore was flagged for a false start, ending the threat.
Appalachian State finally did get on the board with a pair of scoring drives in the second half, when the game was well out of reach. The Gators limited the Mountaineers to just 247 total yards.
Although not statistically his best game, Black still recovered a second-quarter fumble that set up Florida’s fourth touchdown. And he finished with three tackles, giving him a team-high 96 on the season.
“As a freshman, I got told, ‘go get Gatorades’ for my position group,” he said after the game. “Trying to get a rep in practice was like pulling teeth. To go from where I was to where I’m at now is just a tremendous [blessing].”
