Gators sink Commodores, keep Muschamp's job and SEC title hopes alive
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Last Saturday, Florida coach Will Muschamp slammed the door for the time being on the wolves barking for his coaching scalp with an impressive 38-20 win over Georgia.
This Saturday, the Gators made that big win stand up with a methodical 34-10 win over host Vanderbilt. With three games remaining, including against visiting South Carolina next Saturday, Florida (5-3, 4-3) kept momentum going for a late-season surge to not only save Muschamp's job, but keep slim hopes alive for a SEC East Division title.
"I'm really proud of our football team," Muschamp said after the game played in front of 35,191 at Vanderbilt Stadium. "We had a big win last week. We came back (and) we took care of business."
Making his second start since replacing senior Jeff Driskel, freshman quarterback Treon Harris completed 13-of-21 passes for 215 yards in addition to 49 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Against Georgia, he was asked to pass only six times, completing three, while the Gators ran roughshod over the Bulldogs' defense.
Vanderbilt's defense dared Harris to pass the ball instead of having the running back tandem of junior Matt Jones (82 rushing yards) and sophomore Kelvin Taylor (55 yards) beat them. Against Georgia, the duo combined for 418 rushing yards.
"I am very proud of Treon Harris and the way he played," Muschamp said. "We put some things on him tonight. If they are going to load the box, we've got very talented guys outside that can go get the football. But we still created some things in the run game."
With the loss, the Commodores (3-7, 0-6), who had won two of three games over non-league foes, were eliminated from bowl eligibility after making the postseason a program record three times in a row under former coach James Franklin. With a visit in two weeks to No. 1 Mississippi State and a home finale against rival Tennessee on Nov. 29, Vanderbilt has two more chances to avert its first winless SEC season since 2009.
Saturday night, Vanderbilt committed four turnovers, including two interceptions by quarterback Johnny McCrary, that led to 13 Florida points. In his third straight start, the redshirt freshman completed 14-of-35 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown.
Without the turnovers that included two fumbles by running back Ralph Webb, who gained 83 yards to set the team's single-season freshman rushing record with 843 yards, Commodores coach Derek Mason felt the game could have had a different outcome.
"It would have been a fist fight," Mason said. "It would have come down to the fourth quarter and the last possession. We knew they'd throw it a little more. Our corners could have made plays on a couple of balls. It would have gone down to the wire without turnovers."
Holding a shaky 17-7 halftime lead, Florida started pulling away early in the fourth quarter. After Harris connected with senior wide receiver Quinton Dunbar on a 60-yard pass to the Vanderbilt 9-yard line, he tucked the ball and ran seven yards off the left side for a touchdown to give the Gators a 24-7 lead.
A career-long 48-yard field goal by redshirt freshmen Tommy Openshaw pulled the Commodores within 24-10 with 13:17 remaining. The big play of the drive was a 41-yard pass from McCrary to senior tight end David Dudchock, who made an acrobatic one-hand catch while keeping the defender at bay.
But Florida responded by marching 66 yards on six plays on the next possession. Harris did the final honors by racing 33 yards untouched to the end zone on a delay draw up the middle. And after Gators standout cornerback Vernon Hargreaves picked off a McCrary pass at the Vanderbilt 26, the Gators widened the lead to 34-10 on a 25-yard field goal by senior Frankie Velez.
"Our defense, initially, played stout and gave us a chance," Mason said. "We needed momentum. We leaked oil late in the game. ... That game was much closer than the final score indicated. We have to get better about eliminating mistakes."
In taking a 17-7 halftime lead, Florida scored 10 of its first-half points off the fumbles by Webb. His first fumble came soon after a goal-line stand midway through the second quarter by the Commodores' defense.
The Gators had driven to the Vanderbilt 1-yard line, where a fourth-and-goal rush by Taylor was stymied on a solo tackle by redshirt freshman linebacker Zach Cunningham to keep the score tied at 7-7. But that emotional defensive stop soon was negated when Webb fumbled two plays later, giving the ball to Florida at the Vanderbilt 9-yard line. Four plays later, Driskel made the Commodores pay for the turnover with a 1-yard scoring dive.
Then on Vanderbilt's first play of the ensuing possession, Webb fumbled the ball away again, this time at the Vanderbilt 43-yard line. Although the Commodores' defense stiffened, the Gators took a 17-7 lead on a 40-yard field goal by Velez.
Vanderbilt got on the scoreboard first for a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, driving its second possession 86 yards on only seven plays. The final 33 yards came on a scoring strike over the middle from McCrary to junior tight Steven Scheu.
Florida answered on the ensuing possession to tie the game, marching 60 yards on 10 plays. The Gators got on the board with a 13-yard run by sophomore back Kelvin Taylor.
