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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sidebar: Gators escape Nashville despite undisciplined play

<p>UF coach Dan Mullen and quarterback Feleipe Franks gameplan during Florida's comeback win over Vanderbilt, 37-27. Franks passed for a career-high 284 yards along with two touchdowns despite two turnovers. </p>

UF coach Dan Mullen and quarterback Feleipe Franks gameplan during Florida's comeback win over Vanderbilt, 37-27. Franks passed for a career-high 284 yards along with two touchdowns despite two turnovers. 

The word “targeting” was uttered by the head referee and blasted over the loudspeakers at Vanderbilt Stadium. Then, chaos ensued.

The score was 21-10, the home side leading, with 1:47 remaining in the first half, and the man with the striped jersey, white hat and mic stood over an injured Vanderbilt player just in front of the Florida bench and was suddenly surrounded on all sides.

Both benches cleared. Flags flew. UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and Commodores’ head coach Derek Mason got into a shouting match.

Each team incurred a squad-wide unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. UF linebackers James Houston IV and Vosean Joseph were ejected for targeting and a second unsportsmanlike call, respectively. Everyone momentarily lost their cool, but luckily, no physical altercations occured, and Grantham and Mason shook hands after the final whistle.

The Gators were trailing 21-3 in the first half, and Joseph got fired up on the sideline, but they ultimately regained their composure. They instead stormed back to complete the program’s largest away comeback since Kentucky in 2003, winning by a final tally of 37-27.

“We didn't have the best week of practice cause we had three really emotional games in a row,” Mullen said. “A good team can beat anybody every once in a while, but great teams find a way, you know, to do it every single week. You've got to find a way, you can't slow down.”

UF overcame a lot of sloppy play to pull out the victory. It had three turnovers and allowed 17 points off of them. It compiled seven penalties for 63 yards and had two players ejected. It came away  with three points on four red zone trips in the first half. Somehow, some way, UF overcame all of those mistakes.

Quarterback Feleipe Franks threw an interception on second-and-one from the Vandy five-yard line on Florida’s opening offensive drive. He also had a dreadful fumble in the second quarter that miraculously rolled 36 yards before a black jersey pounced on it. The Commodores turned both mistakes into touchdowns. 

He finished the night, though, with a career-high 284 yards and two touchdowns despite the turnovers.

The Gators’ offensive line was inconsistent and gave up eight tackles for loss, two sacks and two quarterback hurries. But it pushed running backs Jordan Scarlett and Lamical Perine each to 100-yard rushing performances.

“Sometimes (the offensive lineman) have bad plays, and sometimes they have good plays, you know, but it’s just all about the next play,” Scarlett said. “And they always do a good job of making it right on the next play and doing their job.”

Star safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Joseph, two of Florida’s most important defensive players, both made critical penalties.
Gardner-Johnson drew a defensive holding call in the second quarter on third down of what would’ve been a three-and-out and field-flipping opportunity.

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Joseph drew his first unsportsmanlike foul when he supplexed running back Khari Blasingame after whistles blew on a one-yard loss, setting up a first-and-goal for Vandy.

However, Gardner-Johnson had the game-ending interception, while linebackers Kylan Johnson and Rayshad Jackson stepped up in Joseph’s place.

“It’s not what you plan on, but the next guy’s gotta go step up and play,” Mullen said. “We’ve dealt with some significant injuries during the course of the season, and guys have stepped up and made plays.”

Nearly flawless special teams play kept UF alive.

Kicker Evan McPherson nailed three field goals, including a 43-yarder with 37 seconds remaining to give his team a two-score lead. Punter Tommy Townsend dashed for 18 yards on a fourth-and-1 to keep a third-quarter touchdown drive going.

“That was actually the first time. I never ran a fake in high school,” Townsend said. “I can’t wait to go back and look at film and just watch the play.”

Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr or contact him at mstine@alligator.org.

UF coach Dan Mullen and quarterback Feleipe Franks gameplan during Florida's comeback win over Vanderbilt, 37-27. Franks passed for a career-high 284 yards along with two touchdowns despite two turnovers. 

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