The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. Vanderbilt -- #VANDYvsUF

Scott Carter's Opening Kickoff (2017 v1)

Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications

The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. Vanderbilt -- #VANDYvsUF

Thursday, September 28, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter

Florida opens a three-game homestand at 'The Swamp' at noon Saturday against the Commodores.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They saw what everyone else saw.

Whether you watched Florida's 28-27 comeback win over Kentucky at Kroger Field, in your living room or your favorite game-day pub, the UF offense picked up the pace and developed an efficient flow when quarterback Luke Del Rio entered late in the third quarter.

"Definitely moving a lot faster,'' receiver Josh Hammond said. "Luke has been around this offense for a really long time."

The Gators trailed 24-14 when Del Rio replaced starter Feleipe Franks. Kentucky's lead expanded to 13 points early in the fourth quarter before Del Rio engineered the late comeback with the help of freshman running back Malik Davis, whose career-high 93 yards and Del Rio's command of the offense paved the way for a 31st consecutive victory over the Wildcats.

The No. 21 Gators (2-1, 2-0) host Southeastern Conference East Division foe Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday with Del Rio back as the starting quarterback. Coach Jim McElwain announced Monday that Del Rio has moved to the top of the depth chart after his performance in Lexington.

The Gators saw what McElwain saw.

"He just showed he can stay composed in adverse situations,'' defensive end Jabari Zuniga said. "For a quarterback, that's a great quality. He's the leader of the team."

A redshirt junior who started six games a season ago, Del Rio's career took a tumble when a knee injury and shoulder injury ended his season early. He considered retiring from the game and moving on as he rehabbed a pair of shoulder surgeries and Franks and redshirt freshman Kyle Trask battled for the job in the spring. Del Rio appeared deeper in the hole when the Gators added Notre Dame graduate transfer Malik Zaire to the mix over the summer.

Del Rio kept working and believing his chance would come. He was 9 of 14 for 74 yards, one touchdown and one interception at Kentucky. His 5-yard scoring throw to Freddie Swain with 43 seconds remaining tied the game.

"It's been a tough road coming back, being healthy and competing my butt off in camp,'' he said. "Feleipe won the job. He earned it. Sometimes you just need to shake things up and get a spark. I practice as if I'm going to play."

It showed against Kentucky. McElwain is banking on Del Rio's veteran approach to produce more of the same, starting at noon Saturday against Vanderbilt.

"The thing I always liked about him is when you talked about the swagger – the study, the preparation, which creates legitimate swagger – some guys think they have swagger but they haven't put in the work,'' McElwain said. "He actually has put in the work. His teammates respect that and obviously, they're ready to go with it."

For now, here is a closer look at the Florida-Vanderbilt matchup in this week's edition of The Opening Kickoff:

Focus ?
Opportunity ?
Attention to Detail ?#VANDYvsUF pic.twitter.com/iSeceIPaur
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 29, 2017

*****

THREE QUESTIONS WITH … DEFENSIVE END JORDAN SHERIT

Q: What's the challenge in stopping Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb?

A: I've had the opportunity to play him four years in a row now. He's a great running back. You have to dial down and play your gaps. He will find that gap if someone gets out of their gap. It's a good test for our defense. We've had some problems with gap-control recently.

Q: What's your overall take of the defensive line play through three games?

A: We've made some plays here and there, but we also feel the rushing yard total (172.9 yards per game), we can help a lot in that regard as far as tackling. Like I said, gaps have been a big thing for us. Our expectation in that room is sky high, so we need to up our level of play. I need to up my level of play. I had my worst game of the season [against Kentucky].

Q: With Vanderbilt coming off a 59-0 loss to Alabama, do you have to stress to the younger guys how that doesn't impact this game?

A: We won't let them overlook that. I can see for people on the outside it might look like they might not be that good of a team, but I'll tell you one thing, being in that situation, when you've gotten your butt kicked, that Monday in practice was probably hell for those guys. So they're going to give us everything they've got like they have the past two years.

*****

THREE STORYLINES

The Gators are coming off back-to-back wins that went down to the wire. Florida found a way to win both in the final seconds. Is this the game where the Gators put it all together and allow fans to relax and take a breath in the fourth quarter?
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Vanderbilt is coming off a 59-0 beating by Alabama and wants to show that was a one-week illusion after starting the season 3-0. The Commodores have played the Gators tough recently, including a 9-7 loss two years ago in The Swamp.
Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio is making his first start since last season at Arkansas. Del Rio was considered an afterthought by many fans in the offseason with Feleipe Franks and Malik Zaire healthy as Del Rio recovered from two shoulder surgeries. He provided a spark at Kentucky and now gets his seventh career start at UF.

*****

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

This could get redundant as the season wears on, but how can you take your eyes off Florida freshman Kadarius Toney when he's in the game? Toney ran for a 36-yard touchdown from the "wildcat" at Kentucky, threw a 50-yard pass and had four catches. He is instant offense when he's on the field.
The Commodores lost All-American linebacker Zach Cunningham from last season, but they still have one of the best linebackers in the conference in senior Emmanuel Smith, who is fifth in the SEC with 37 tackles.
While freshmen Toney and Malik Davis have emerged as play-making threats for the Gators, junior receiver Dre Massey is still trying find a solid niche. Massey is coming off a season lost to a knee injury and has just one catch on the season. Is this the game where he shows up on the stat sheet?

*****

THREE DIGITS

15-3 – Gators head coach Jim McElwain's record in SEC regular-season games, tying Steve Spurrier for the best 18-game SEC start in school history

7.5 – Yards per carry for Gators freshman running back Malik Davis in the first three games of his career (26 attempts)

5.0 – Yards per carry for Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb in three career games (62 attempts) against the Gators

*****

THE QUOTE FILE

"I'm not sure it's a challenge. It's kind of like having a toy." – Gators head coach Jim McElwain on getting versatile freshman Kadarius Toney more involved in offense
"To come out with our hair on fire and make plays." – UF senior safety Nick Washington on approach to avoid another close battle with Vanderbilt
"I had a bunch of guys come into my office on Sunday. They knew I was angry. The anger and stench of a loss like that, you don't wash it off. You don't take a shower and it just rolls down the drain. That's about getting back to work." – Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason on getting back to work after 59-point loss to Alabama
"They checked their egos, they looked themselves in the mirror and said, 'OK, I have to approach practice a little bit different.' So there's been some progress toward that direction. We're still not where we want to be, but we're working toward it." – UF offensive line coach Brad Davis on his unit rebounding from a "gut punch" in season-opening loss to Michigan
"Johnny, he's not a normal punter. You see him in the weight room; he's one of the strongest guys on the team. I wasn't surprised seeing Johnny pancaking people." – Gators receiver Brandon Powell on punter Johnny Townsend shedding a double team and making a tackle on a Kentucky punt return

*****

INJURY REPORT

OUT FOR SEASON: DB Marcell Harris (Achilles tendon). OUT: LB Nick Smith (knee), WR James Robinson (heart condition), QB Kyle Trask (foot surgery); QUESTIONABLE: DT Khairi Clark (leg), OL Kavaris Harkless (shin); PROBABLE: LB Kylan Johnson (hamstring), RB Brandon Powell (ribs); SUSPENDED: RB Jordan Scarlett, WR Rick Wells, WR Antonio Callaway, LB Ventrell Miller, OL Kadeem Telfort, DL Jordan Smith, DL Keivonnis Davis, LB James Houston IV, DT Richerd Desir-Jones.

*****

CHARTING THE GATORS

Remember back in the Fun-N-Gun days when the annual SEC East date against Vanderbilt often resembled — and was billed — as a homecoming game? Fast forward to present day when the Commodores have given the Gators fits of late.

Their victory here in 2013 helped Coach James Franklin land the Penn State job. Meanwhile, fourth-year Coach Derek Mason has shown he knows how to "D" up the Gators.

In fact, of the SEC teams Coach Jim McElwain has faced at least twice in the regular season since taking over at Florida, the Commodores — by far — have proved to be the toughest team for the Gators to move the ball and score against.

Check out the average yards, first downs and points UF has averaged against those teams:

TEAM (GAMES)	YARDS	FIRST DOWNS	POINTS
Vanderbilt (2)	247.0	13.5	11.0
LSU (2)	298.0	14.5	17.0
Georgia (2)	322.0	17.5	20.5
South Carolina (2)	388.0	19.0	22.0
Tennessee (3)	391.3	16.0	27.3
Kentucky (3)	401.3	21.3	29.0
Missouri (2)	430.0	22.5	30.5

--Chart compiled by FloridaGators.com senior writer Chris Harry.

*****

10 QUICK HITTERS

Florida sophomore receiver Tyrie Cleveland has 13 catches in three games. He needs just one more reception to match his total from his freshman season.
Gators head coach Jim McElwain is 9-1 in one-score games at UF and 17-4 overall in his sixth season as a head coach.
Florida rushed for 186 yards in last week's win at Kentucky and has back-to-back 100-yard rushing games for the first time since last season against South Carolina and LSU.
The Gators have scored in 364 consecutive games and can match Michigan (365 from 1984-2014) for the longest non-shutout streak in NCAA history Saturday.
Sophomore linebacker David Reese has led the team in tackles in each of the first three games and has a team-high 26 on the season.
This is the third consecutive game Vanderbilt is facing a ranked opponent, marking the first time the Commodores have done that since 2009 (at No. 24 South Carolina, vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech and at No. 1 Florida).
Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur was 4 of 15 for only 18 yards in last week's loss to No. 1-ranked Alabama. The Commodores managed only three first downs and 78 total yards. Shurmur needs 72 yards to move into seventh-place on Vanderbilt's all-time passing yards list.
According to multiple reports Thursday, suspended Gators defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis is hospitalized after a serious scooter accident on Tuesday night.
The Gators open a stretch of three consecutive home games against SEC opponents on three consecutive Saturdays for only the second time in program history and first time since 2006.
Senior safety Nick Washington is set to play in his 42nd career game, the most of any player on UF's roster. The only other player on the roster who has played in 40 career games is senior cornerback Duke Dawson (40).

*****

THE OTHER SIDE

If Vanderbilt running back Ralph Webb rushes for 82 yards Saturday, he would climb from the 18th all-time leading rusher in the SEC to No. 15. The three players he would pass: James Brooks (Auburn), Shaun Alexander (Alabama) and 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry of Alabama.

Nobody has to remind the Gators about how good Webb is. The senior played at Gainesville High and was not offered a scholarship by any SEC team other than Vanderbilt. At 5-foot-10, recruiters considered Webb too small to be effective in the SEC. Webb has proven all of them wrong, entering Saturday's game with 3,511 career yards despite a slow start to his senior season (64 carries, 169 yards, two touchdowns).

This is Webb's final game in his hometown. In three career games against Florida, Webb has rushed 62 times for 311 yards, including a 118-yard performance at The Swamp in 2015 in which he scored on a 74-yard run.

"He's run all over us for two years,'' UF coach Jim McElwain said.

The Gators will keep a close eye on No. 7 Saturday:

*****

WHAT THEY'RE WRITING

Will Vanderbilt sink at The Swamp vs. Florida? We're not so sure writes Adam Sparks of The Tennessean.
Overlooked as a recruit, Gators freshman running back Malik Davis now making everyone take notice writes Ryan Young of SECCountry.com.
Vanderbilt look: Commodores have strong defense (not counting last week's disaster) writes Phillip Heilman of The Florida Times-Union.
Gators head coach Jim McElwain says long process ahead for suspended Gators writes Edgar Thompson of The Orlando Sentinel.
UF's offensive line showing improvement after disastrous opening game writes Ethan Bauer of The Miami Herald.
Ten biggest preseason misconceptions about the 2017 college football season (so far) writes Chris Johnson of SI.com. (Gators are included)
Alabama and Georgia are in their own class in the SEC, with admissions closed writes Jason Kersey of TheAthletic.com ($).

*****

BOTTOM LINE

The Gators are due. They're due for a crisp performance. They're due for a game the home fans can enjoy from start to finish. They're due for a win that doesn't seem like a loss by reading Twitter afterward. I don't know if any of that is going to happen Saturday against the Commodores, but I sense it might. Florida's offense picked up the pace when Luke Del Rio took over at quarterback at Kentucky and flashed some real rhythm for the first time all season. Vanderbilt is a much better team than the one that lost by 59 to Alabama. I think Florida is improving and finally has some confidence after back-to-back wins over Tennessee and Kentucky. The Gators aren't Alabama, but I expect them to show they are capable of being a lot better than what they have been so far.