FLORIDA 38, VANDERBILT 14
WHAT HAPPENED: Florida QB Graham Mertz, who leads the Southeastern Conference in completion percentage, hit the mark on Saturday against Vanderbilt by passing for 254 yards and three TDs in a homecoming victory at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mertz completed 30 of 36 passes (83 percent), connecting with TE Arlis Boardingham for a pair of scores and tossing a TD to freshman WR Eugene Wilson III as the Gators bounced back from last week’s deflating road loss at Kentucky. “I’m proud of our team, proud of our staff the way they responded this week,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “I do think we’ll benefit from going through that. Fuel for the fire in the future.” While Mertz moved the Gators (4-2, 2-1) through the air, it was the legs of junior RB Montrell Johnson Jr. that did a lot of the dirty work when the game hung in the balance in the first half. Johnson rushed for 135 yards on 18 carries, including a 7-yard TD late in the second half that put Florida up 21-7 at halftime. Florida forced a Vanderbilt punt on the game’s opening possession and answered with a nine-play, 93-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard TD run by WR Ricky Pearsall on an end-around. The Commodores (2-5, 0-3) tied the game on a 85-yard TD pass from Ken Seals to Will Sheppard with 6:15 left in the first quarter. Seals tossed a quick pass to the left to Sheppard, who appeared to get away with a facemask penalty against Gators CB Jason Marshall Jr. Sheppard caught the ball, broke free of a confused Marshall, and raced down the field for the game-tying score. The Gators regained the lead for good later in the quarter on Mertz’s 2-yard TD pass to Boardingham. The pass capped a seven-play, 61-yard drive that included six consecutive runs until Mertz took a snap, rolled to his right, and hit Boardingham for an easy go-ahead score. Johnson’s rushing score padded the lead before halftime, and the Gators began to pull away with a 14-play, 91-yard drive in the third quarter that ended on Mertz’s 9-yard scoring pass to Wilson. Vanderbilt trimmed the lead to 28-14 when Seals hit Richie Hoskins for a 21-yard TD pass with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. The Gators tacked on the final 10 points in the fourth quarter: a 40-yard FG by Trey Smack and Mertz’s final TD pass of the game, a 15-yard toss to Boardingham with 7:19 remaining. The Gators rolled up 495 yards of total offense, with 280 passing and 215 rushing. They converted all six of their trips into the red zone, scoring five touchdowns and a field goal to improve to 4-0 at home this season. Afterward, they talked about packing a similar performance when they go on the road next week to South Carolina.
WHAT IT MEANS: Relief. It was a difficult week for the Gators after their lackluster performance at Kentucky, losing by 19 points to the Wildcats in a game that felt over by the end of the first quarter. How would the Gators respond as heavy favorite over the Commodores? Florida took control in the second quarter to pull away and defeat Vanderbilt for the fifth consecutive time at home and avenge the upset loss a season ago in Nashville. The Gators are two games over .500 at midseason and remain in the thick of the SEC East race.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Gators were without tailback Trevor Etienne and starting left tackle Austin Barber, both missing the game due to injury. That did not stop Montrell Johnson Jr. from having a big day. Johnson rushed for 135 yards and scored a TD, surpassing 2,000 career yards along the way.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: When the Commodores scored on Sheppard’s catch-and-run in the first quarter, it ended a 31-drive scoreless streak for Vanderbilt at The Swamp. Florida had outscored the Commodores 98-0 in their last two trips to Gainesville, beating them 56-0 in 2019 and 42-0 in 2021.
UP NEXT: Florida (4-2, 2-1) returns to the road for a game at SEC East rival South Carolina (2-3, 1-2) in a homecoming game for the Gamecocks. South Carolina has a bye week and last played on Sept. 30, a 40-21 loss at Tennessee.
