Charting the Gators: History for receivers vs. New Mexico State
Friday, September 11, 2015 | Football, Chris Harry
Sophomore wideout C.J. Worton hauls in a touchdown in the fourth quarter last week, one of 14 different Gators who caught a pass in the season-opening defeat of New Mexico State.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The detailed game-by-game sheets stashed away in the communication department's vault at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium go back to 1946. Before that, official stats are limited.
But this much we do know (thanks to some tireless digging by intern Zach Dirlam): Last week's 61-13 trouncing of New Mexico State marked the first official time in UF football history the Gators had 10 players catch at least two passes.
Those players were:
Demarcus Robinson (6 receptions); DeAndre Goolsby, Antonio Callaway, C.J. Worton (3 each); Brandon Powell, C'yontai Lewis, Alvin Bailey, Kelvin Taylor, Valdez Showers and Jake McGee (2).
All told, 14 different receivers caught at least one pass. Some wondered, including our Mr. Dirlam, if that was a record, but I reminded him that Steve Spurrier once coached here. Sure enough, young Zach only had to go back to Spurrier's final season at UF – Sept. 8, 2001 in a 55-6 beating of Louisiana-Monroe in the second week of that season – to find a game when 14 different Gators caught passes.
Remember these guys?
Jabar Gaffney (8 receptions); Taylor Jacobs, Reche Caldwell (5); Kelvin Kight (3); Robert Gillespie, Ran Carthon (2 each); O.J. Smith, Carlos Perez, Brian Haugabrook, Earnest Graham, Brian Stone, Aaron Walker, Ben Troupe and Rob Roberts (1).
