Jordan Scarlett's 48-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter gave Florida its first lead. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Gators Notebook: Backfield Duo Impresses, More Tidbits
Sunday, October 14, 2018 | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators' running backs were hailed by fans and media as the most talented and deepest position on the team heading into the season.
While the group had flashes of brilliance through the first six games, the production didn't jump off the page. UF's leading rusher, redshirt junior Jordan Scarlett, entered Saturday with just 54 carries for 268 yards and two scores. No Gator had amassed 100 yards in a game.
On Saturday in Nashville, Scarlett and junior Lamical Perine both went over the century mark, becoming the first UF duo to do so since the two did it in 2016 against Missouri. Their dominance spurred No. 14 Florida (6-1, 4-1) to a come-from-behind 37-27 victory over Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-3).
Scarlett carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. Perine ran 23 times for a career-high 121 yards and a score. Perine also led the Gators with four receptions for a career-high 93 yards. He became the first Gator to amass more than 200 scrimmage yards in a game since Matt Jones in 2014 against Georgia.
"Both guys ran hard," coach Dan Mullen said. "Obviously, we had some explosive runs too, with explosive runs helping out the stats. But I liked our consistency within the run game. I think [that] was pretty solid all night, especially, you know, even at the end, to be able to come in and finish the game running the ball at the end, is pretty huge."
While the statistics were impressive, what was more important was that they made plays when UF's offense most needed them.
With the Gators down 7-0 in the first quarter, Mullen rolled the dice and went for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 47-yard line. Perine took the direct snap and pushed the pile just far enough to pick up the first down. The Gators ended the drive with a 22-yard field goal by freshman Evan McPherson early in the second quarter.
After the Commodores scored a couple of more touchdowns to extend the lead to 21-3, Perine finished off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a 7-yard score to cut the lead to 21-10. Just before halftime, Perine caught a swing pass in the left flat from quarterback Feleipe Franks and ran 63 yards to set up a 25-yard McPherson field goal on the final play of the half.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, UF faced a third-and-3 from Vanderbilt's 48-yard line, trailing 21-20. Scarlett took the handoff and raced untouched through the right side for the go-ahead score. Perine then chewed up some clock on the Gators' last possession of the game (not including a kneel-down).
Scarlett said he and Perine feed off each other.
"We're always competing," he said. "We compete in practice, we compete in meeting room, weight room … and we come out here and do the same thing. He busts a run, I want to come back and bust a run. That's just how we've been doing it, and it's how we're going to continue to do it."
All told, Florida amassed 292 yards on the ground, its most since 2014.
"If you look at it with our guys of those guys really buying in to the rotating the backs and doing what they're supposed to do and being ready to go in those situations, yeah, pretty good day right there," Mullen said.
PLAYS ADD UP
Through the first four games, UF's offense found itself in a conundrum. They were averaging 6.4 yards per play, good for 22nd in the country. However, due to some inconsistencies on offense and struggles with stopping the run on defense, the Gators were only averaging 56.3 plays per game, second fewest in the country.
What would Florida's offense look like if they could find a way to run 70 or 80 plays instead of 50?
The answer: very, very good, at least against Vanderbilt.
The Gators ran 92 offensive plays and piled up 576 yards, their most this season and the third most since 2010. That comes out to a 6.3-yard average per play.
"One of the things we wanted to do was come into the game and play with some tempo," Mullen said. "I thought we played with a little bit of tempo this week, got up on balls, went quick. We were able to do that."
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We were practicing it all week, and I was hoping Tommy would get the chance. During the week, Tommy was like, 'I really hope I don't get killed on this play.' " -- Gators kicker Evan McPherson on punter Tommy Townsend's 18-yard run on a fake punt
EXTRA POINTS
The Gators had lost 26 consecutive games when trailing by 18 or more points, Saturday's comeback from a 21-3 deficit matching the largest in school history in a road victory ... Jachai Polite is the first UF player to record a sack in five consecutive games since Derrick Harvey in 2006 ... Since the start of the 2005 season, Perine, Demarcus Robinson (216 yards, Sept. 13, 2014 -- Kentucky), Chris Rainey (211 yards, Sept. 17, 2011 -- Tennessee), and Percy Harvin (four times) are the only Gators to post 210-plus scrimmage yards in a game.
While the group had flashes of brilliance through the first six games, the production didn't jump off the page. UF's leading rusher, redshirt junior Jordan Scarlett, entered Saturday with just 54 carries for 268 yards and two scores. No Gator had amassed 100 yards in a game.
On Saturday in Nashville, Scarlett and junior Lamical Perine both went over the century mark, becoming the first UF duo to do so since the two did it in 2016 against Missouri. Their dominance spurred No. 14 Florida (6-1, 4-1) to a come-from-behind 37-27 victory over Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-3).
Scarlett carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. Perine ran 23 times for a career-high 121 yards and a score. Perine also led the Gators with four receptions for a career-high 93 yards. He became the first Gator to amass more than 200 scrimmage yards in a game since Matt Jones in 2014 against Georgia.
"Both guys ran hard," coach Dan Mullen said. "Obviously, we had some explosive runs too, with explosive runs helping out the stats. But I liked our consistency within the run game. I think [that] was pretty solid all night, especially, you know, even at the end, to be able to come in and finish the game running the ball at the end, is pretty huge."
While the statistics were impressive, what was more important was that they made plays when UF's offense most needed them.
With the Gators down 7-0 in the first quarter, Mullen rolled the dice and went for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 47-yard line. Perine took the direct snap and pushed the pile just far enough to pick up the first down. The Gators ended the drive with a 22-yard field goal by freshman Evan McPherson early in the second quarter.
After the Commodores scored a couple of more touchdowns to extend the lead to 21-3, Perine finished off a 12-play, 75-yard drive with a 7-yard score to cut the lead to 21-10. Just before halftime, Perine caught a swing pass in the left flat from quarterback Feleipe Franks and ran 63 yards to set up a 25-yard McPherson field goal on the final play of the half.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, UF faced a third-and-3 from Vanderbilt's 48-yard line, trailing 21-20. Scarlett took the handoff and raced untouched through the right side for the go-ahead score. Perine then chewed up some clock on the Gators' last possession of the game (not including a kneel-down).
Scarlett said he and Perine feed off each other.
"We're always competing," he said. "We compete in practice, we compete in meeting room, weight room … and we come out here and do the same thing. He busts a run, I want to come back and bust a run. That's just how we've been doing it, and it's how we're going to continue to do it."
All told, Florida amassed 292 yards on the ground, its most since 2014.
"If you look at it with our guys of those guys really buying in to the rotating the backs and doing what they're supposed to do and being ready to go in those situations, yeah, pretty good day right there," Mullen said.
PLAYS ADD UP
Through the first four games, UF's offense found itself in a conundrum. They were averaging 6.4 yards per play, good for 22nd in the country. However, due to some inconsistencies on offense and struggles with stopping the run on defense, the Gators were only averaging 56.3 plays per game, second fewest in the country.
What would Florida's offense look like if they could find a way to run 70 or 80 plays instead of 50?
The answer: very, very good, at least against Vanderbilt.
The Gators ran 92 offensive plays and piled up 576 yards, their most this season and the third most since 2010. That comes out to a 6.3-yard average per play.
"One of the things we wanted to do was come into the game and play with some tempo," Mullen said. "I thought we played with a little bit of tempo this week, got up on balls, went quick. We were able to do that."
QUOTE OF NOTE
"We were practicing it all week, and I was hoping Tommy would get the chance. During the week, Tommy was like, 'I really hope I don't get killed on this play.' " -- Gators kicker Evan McPherson on punter Tommy Townsend's 18-yard run on a fake punt
EXTRA POINTS
The Gators had lost 26 consecutive games when trailing by 18 or more points, Saturday's comeback from a 21-3 deficit matching the largest in school history in a road victory ... Jachai Polite is the first UF player to record a sack in five consecutive games since Derrick Harvey in 2006 ... Since the start of the 2005 season, Perine, Demarcus Robinson (216 yards, Sept. 13, 2014 -- Kentucky), Chris Rainey (211 yards, Sept. 17, 2011 -- Tennessee), and Percy Harvin (four times) are the only Gators to post 210-plus scrimmage yards in a game.
Players Mentioned
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