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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p dir="ltr"><span>In addition to throwing for 161 yards and a touchdown, Feleipe Franks rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns against South Carolina. He infamously shushed the home crowd after his rushing touchdowns. </span></p><p><span> </span></p>

In addition to throwing for 161 yards and a touchdown, Feleipe Franks rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns against South Carolina. He infamously shushed the home crowd after his rushing touchdowns. 

 

There are great games. There are contests that are riveting from start to finish with both teams battling for supremacy over the course of a fierce battle.

But then there are moments. Single instances that will be replayed through the minds of Gator fans sitting in the stands and watching anxiously from their television screens.

There were quite a few moments that could stand to be the defining one from UF’s athletic season, but our writers have narrowed it down to four: Jaimie Hoover’s walk-off single over Tennessee, Andrew Nembhard’s late 3-pointer over LSU, Brad Stewart’s pick six over LSU and Feleipe Franks shushing the crowd against South Carolina.

Jaimie Hoover: Sports seasons are defined by and remembered for singular plays and moments. It’s nearly impossible to remember every single throw, pitch, kick or hurdle, but a few will come to define Gator sports for years. One moment that will stick in my mind forever is Jaimie Hoover’s walk-off single against Tennessee to send Florida to the Women’s College World Series. Hoover’s walk-off is my pick for the alligatorSports Moment of the Year.

The game was tied 1-1 in extras, with the winner advancing to the WCWS. 

Hoover, Florida’s powerful right-handed hitter, stood in the box with runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth.

Tennessee pitcher Ashley Rodgers stood in the circle at 103 pitches, dueling Florida’s Kelly Barnhill inning by inning. 

Rodgers flicked a drop ball down and in to Hoover, and Hoover cracked it over the shortstop to send Amanda Lorenz home for the winning run.

The intensity of the moment and what was on the line for Florida, combined with Hoover’s heroics and Lorenz’s outstretched arms as she galloped home, made Hoover’s walk-off unforgettable. – Dylan O’Shea

Follow Dylan O'Shea on Twitter @dylanoshea24 and contact him at doshea@alligator.org.

 

Andrew Nembhard: Freshman Keyontae Johnson drew three defenders as he drove to the basket. The 6-foot-5 forward passed the ball to Andrew Nembhard with four seconds to go before the crowd in Nashville erupted as Nembhard’s ball found the bottom of the net.

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My pick for the Moment of the Year goes to the shot by the 19-year-old freshman that ended LSU’s SEC Tournament run. 

The Gators entered the game as the underdog with their hopes of an NCAA Tournament appearance dwindling. In order to earn a March Madness berth, Florida could not afford to lose to the Tigers.

LSU and its freshman forward Naz Reid gave the Gators everything they could handle. It seemed scripted when Reid hit two three-pointers in the last 56 seconds of regulation. The score was tied at 73. Gator ball. Three seconds left.

When Johnson passed the ball to Nembhard – who sunk the biggest shot of his young career – Gainesville and all of college basketball took notice.

The Gators won the game 76-73 and earned their spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Nembhard finished the game with a career-high 20 points to send his team to the biggest stage that college basketball has to offer. Nembhard's heroic shot was the alligatorSports Moment of the Year, without a doubt. – Joseph Salvador

Follow Joseph Salvador on Twitter @JSalvador_14 and contact him at jsalvador@alligator.org.

Brad Stewart: The moment that continues to replay in my brain from the last year of UF athletics took place at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 6. A sold-out crowd of 90,000 people watched anxiously as LSU looked to regain the lead against the Gators. Down 20-19 with just over two minutes to play, starting quarterback Joe Burrow and the Tigers faced a third-and-4 from their own 18-yard line. A pass from Burrow was late to receiver Stephen Sullivan and UF safety Brad Stewart took advantage. What happened next sparked one of the loudest moments I’ve ever witnessed in The Swamp.

Stewart, the New Orleans native, cut in front of the pass, streaked down the sideline and dove into the endzone to secure Florida’s biggest win in Dan Mullen’s first year as head coach.

For anyone that was lucky enough to witness the moment firsthand, I’m sure you’d agree that it was not only the best moment in UF athletics this past season, but one of the best moments in college football as a whole from 2018.

That’s the reason why I believe it’s the alligatorSports Moment of the Year. – Evan Lepak 

Follow Evan Lepak on Twitter @evanmplepak and contact him at elepak@alligator.org.

Feleipe Franks: Taunting has always played a major role in football despite the rules put in place to prevent it.

Whether it’s ball carriers waving at defenders as they cross the goal line or players flexing in the face of their opponents after a big play, taunting makes the game more exciting.

What you don’t usually see, however, is a player provoking his own fans. But that’s exactly what quarterback Feleipe Franks did in a 35-31 victory over South Carolina at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Nov. 10.

Florida came into the contest on a two-game losing streak, falling to then-No. 7 Georgia and an unranked Missouri team by 19 and 21 points, respectively. Franks was benched for quarterback Kyle Trask in the loss to Missouri, and Trask threw for 126 yards and a touchdown in less than two quarters with the game out of reach. 

Trask’s performance was good enough for head coach Dan Mullen to consider a quarterback change, but that was put to rest when Trask broke his foot in practice.

Franks remained the starter for the bout against the Gamecocks, and he let every Gators fan know that he heard the noise surrounding his recent play.

With the Gators down 14-7 in the second quarter, Franks took a snap from South Carolina’s 10-yard line and stumbled his way into the end zone. After his touchdown, Franks ran toward the fans and put his finger to his facemask, shushing the crowd in The Swamp.

That wasn’t the only time he performed the gesture. He signaled for fans to quiet down again after his one-yard rushing touchdown that put Florida up 35-31 in the fourth quarter.

Franks silencing the crowd was a turning point in the 2018 season. UF went on to win its next three games, including the Peach Bowl against Michigan. Let’s be frank, this deserves to be the alligatorSports Moment of the Year. – Bryan Matamoros

Follow Bryan Matamoros on Twitter @bryan_2712 and contact him at bmatamoros@alligator.org.

In addition to throwing for 161 yards and a touchdown, Feleipe Franks rushed for 36 yards and two touchdowns against South Carolina. He infamously shushed the home crowd after his rushing touchdowns. 

 

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