The Quick Slant: Florida 9, Vanderbilt 7 (Instant Analysis)
Saturday, November 7, 2015 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Austin Hardin is from Atlanta and Florida's struggling placekicker just booted his teammates back there for a shot at the Southeastern Conference title.
Hardin's career-long 43-yard field goal with 2:22 remaining Saturday gave the 11th-ranked Gators a come-from-behind 9-7 victory over Vanderbilt in front of more than 90,000 frustrated-turned-delirious fans at The Swamp.
For nearly four quarters, UF did next to nothing against a Vandy team -- and its suffocating defense -- that came into the game sitting fifth among seven teams in the SEC East Division with just one league win. But the Gators found enough, just enough, to move 30 yards on five plays in the final minutes before summoning Hardin for what would be the team's first field goal since the Ole Miss game way back on Oct. 3.
Hardin had missed his last three field-goal tries.
No pressure, right?
Yeah, right.
Here is our quick take on the Florida-Vanderbilt game:
WHAT IT MEANS: Florida, in running away with the East crown (easy to say now, right?), is going to the SEC title game for the first time since 2009. Who the Gators play is weeks from being determined, as Alabama and LSU have a big game in Tuscaloosa tonight, and Ole Miss is still very much in the running. And despite a less-than-impressive performance against the Commodores, Florida still is in the mix for the College Football Playoffs for the mere reason it controls its fate and has a great chance to face a team ranked in front of it for the SEC crown.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: How do you explain what happened with Hardin? Coach Jim McElwain staged open tryouts from among the student body two weeks ago to replace their struggling junior. The staff settled on Neil MacInnes, who suited up Saturday and got the call against Vandy only to miss his only kick -- a point-after attempt -- on the game's second possession. Three quarters and a handful of missed opportunities later, the Gators turned to Hardin for a 43-yard field goal, despite his 3-for-7 marksmanship (including three straight misses) this season. Hardin not only drilled it, but sent it right down the middle, as the sold-out Swamp went wild.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Four turnovers (three fumbles, one interception) by the Gators. Those, plus a terrific performance by the Vandy defense, kept the Commodores in the game. Florida came in with just six turnovers all season and only one over the previous five games.
SUBPLOT: UF's offense struggled against the league's sixth-ranked defense. Quarterback Treon Harris finished 12 of 24 for 158 yards and half of his team's four turnovers (interception and fumble). The Gators totaled just 258 yards, only 93 on the ground. Wideout Demarcus Robinson, benched from the starting lineup, finished with nine catches for 106 yards.
UP NEXT: Florida (8-1, 6-1) goes to Columbia, S.C., to face the Steve Spurrier-less Gamecocks (3-5, 1-5 heading into Saturday's 4 p.m. date at Tennessee) next weekend. If the Gators, who've lost two straight to USC, want to maintain the fantasyland chatter about the CFP, they have to win.
