After the 33-14 loss to Kentucky last week, Florida returned home for their 100th annual homecoming game in The Swamp and defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 38-14.
Florida Defeats Vanderbilt 38-14 in 100th Annual Homecoming Game
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier spoke in his post-game press conference of the importance of the homecoming game for not just the present but for the future of the players playing in it.
“Obviously it’s independent of the competitive part of the game, the execution of the game, but one day they’re going to be coming back, and they’re going to be sitting in that stadium watching the team, and they’re going to want to be proud of how the team plays, the brand of football that they play,” Napier said.
Here are my takeaways from the Gators win.
Graham Mertz Continues to Play Well Despite Taking Hits Week After Week
Florida QB Graham Mertz has been quietly having a good season for the Gators.
Mertz completed 30-36 of his passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt. Mertz now has a 79.1% completion rate through six games, which is second-best in the nation amongst NCAA QBs.
The only issue is, that Florida cannot keep him protected on a consistent basis. Mertz was sacked three times against the Commodores and after one of the sacks that came at the start of the third quarter, Mertz left the game temporarily due to injury.
Mertz did come back in the game on Florida’s next offensive drive, but that is a sign that the hits he has been taking this season are mounting up.
It needs mentioning, though, that the Gators were without two starting offensive linemen against Vanderbilt, as starting center Kingsley Eguakun and starting left tackle Austin Barber were both out due to injury.
Florida needs to get their starters back healthy and need to find a way to keep Mertz healthy as well.
No Trevor Etienne, No Problem for the Gators Running Game
Florida Gators RB Montrell Johnson (2) – David Bowie/Gator Country
Florida RB Trevor Etienne was out for the Gators due to an injury against Vanderbilt, but Florida’s running game was still successful.
Florida RB Montrell Johnson rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Johnson also officially passed 2,000 yards rushing in his career against the Commodores.
True freshman RB Treyaun Webb rushed for 70 yards on four carries, including a long 43-yard run just before the third quarter ended.
Even with some starting offensive line and an RB out, the Gators still rushed for 215 yards, which was impressive after the Gators struggled to run the football against Kentucky last Saturday.
Have A Day Arlis Boardingham
Florida Gators TE Arlis Boardingham (8) – Molly Kaiser/Florida Athletics
Ever since former Florida Gators TE Kyle Pitts was drafted 4th overall in 2020 by the Atlanta Falcons, the Gators have been unable to find a TE that they can rely on on offense.
Well, that may have just changed. Florida TE Arlis Boardingham, a redshirt freshman from California, had a career day, catching seven passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Napier commented on Boardingham’s performance in his post-game press conference.
“Arlis Boardingham really showed the growth that we’ve been seeing. That guy is very capable — he’s a mismatch type player,” Napier said.
If Boardingham can continue that level of play for the Florida offense moving forward, it gives Graham Mertz another reliable option and expands the potential of the offense as a whole.
DE Tyreak Sapp Deserves More Praise
A player who has been consistently playing well for the Gators this season and deserves more attention is defensive end Tyreak Sapp. Sapp is a vocal leader for the Gators and made play after play against Vanderbilt.
Sapp recorded three total tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and two forced fumbles. Sapp was primed to take on a bigger role after DE Justus Boone went down for the season with a torn ACL just before the season started. Sap has done that and then some for the Gators.
True Freshmen Made Plays All Game Long Against the ‘Dores
Florida Gators WR Eugene “Tre” Wilson (3) – Katie Park/Florida Athletics
In all six of the games the Gators have played so far, true freshmen have made an impact. Against Vandy, some of the true freshman Florida played made some big plays when the team needed them most.
True freshman wide receiver Eugene ‘Tre’ Wilson returned for the Gators for the first time since he injured his clavicle against Tennessee and caught eight passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Having Wilson back in the lineup will be big for Florida moving forward, as long as he continues to stay healthy.
Napier said in his postgame press conference that Wilson is a player who needs to touch the ball every week.
“He’s one of the players that you want to make sure has an opportunity…we want to make sure when the game is over every week that he had his opportunity to impact the game.”
True freshman defensive end T.J. Searcy stripped Vanderbilt WR Quincy Skinner, resulting in him fumbling, and the Gators recovering on what would have been a 4th down conversion in the second quarter. The Gators’ offense then went right down the field in six plays and scored a touchdown.
Also in the second quarter, true freshman defensive back Ja’Keem Jackson was beaten deep by Vanderbilt WR Junior Sherrill on a 52-yard pass. Jackson was then targeted by Vanderbilt two more times on the drive, but Jackson bounced back and broke up both passes thrown his way, including one on 4th down on the goal line that forced a turnover on downs.
True freshmen safeties Bryce Thornton and Jordan Castell both got the start at the two safety spots, which is something rather unheard of in Gainesville. Both Castell and Thornton made plays, but Castell did get banged up and had to leave the game against Vandy a few times. The future of the Gators’ safety room looks bright with Castell and Thornton.
Looking Ahead: Road Trip to South Carolina for Gators
Next up for the Gators is a road trip to take on South Carolina, which is the beginning of a tough stretch of games ahead for Florida, as four of their next five games (including the neutral site game in Jacksonville against Georgia) are away from The Swamp. Florida has not played well away from home this season, so this stretch will be a huge test for them.
South Carolina will no doubt be thinking about what happened last season when the Gators blew out the Gamecocks 38-6 in The Swamp, next Saturday’s game at 3:30 PM EST on SEC Network should be quite interesting.
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