The Quick Slant: Instant Analysis from Florida's 34-10 victory over Vanderbilt
Sunday, November 9, 2014 | Football, Scott Carter
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Gators didn't rely on true freshman quarterback Treon Harris much in their upset over Georgia.
They relied on him a lot in Saturday's 34-10 win at Vanderbilt.
Harris rushed for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to ice the game and passed for a career-high 215 yards, completing 13 of 21 passes with no interceptions. Harris added 49 yards rushing.
The Gators fell behind early 7-0 but responded the way they did against Georgia a week earlier: by dominating the rest of the game.
Florida improved to 5-3 overall, 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference after winning back-to-back SEC games for the first time since starting 3-0 in the SEC last season before losing their final five conference games.
The victory also avenged Florida's Homecoming loss to Vanderbilt a season ago. Florida has now won 12 consecutive games at Vanderbilt.
Here is more from Florida's victory over the Commodores on Saturday night:
THE QUICK SLANT
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators didn't waste the momentum they gained by beating Georgia for the first time under fourth-year head coach Will Muschamp. Vanderbilt took an early lead on Johnny McCrary's 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end Steven Scheu. However, the Gators scored 24 unanswered points to seize control, starting with Kelvin Taylor's 13-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter and ending on Harris' 7-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Harris threw only six passes as the Gators relied heavily on Taylor and Matt Jones -- running the ball 60 times -- to carry the load against Georgia. Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper expanded Harris' role Saturday and he delivered his best performance of the season.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Senior receiver Quinton Dunbar had not caught a pass in three consecutive games after hauling in at least one catch in 32 consecutive games. Dunbar returned to life Saturday with four catches for 97 yards, including a 60-yard reception.
SUBPLOT: The Gators need help to get to the SEC Championship Game, but this is a team that has regained some confidence the past two weeks and took some pressure off Muschamp. If Florida did somehow find itself in Atlanta in early December playing for the conference title, it would be one of the biggest in-season turnarounds in UF football history.
UP NEXT: The Gators return home to face South Carolina in what is must-win for Florida to keep its hopes of an SEC East crown alive. Florida has rebounded to win back-to-back SEC games after a disheartening loss to Missouri on Oct. 18. Florida can also clinch a winning record in the conference with a victory over the Gamecocks.
