Chauncey Gardner-Johnson celebrates after his 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter Saturday. (Photo: Dakota Williams/UAA Communications)
Tone-Setter: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson Stayed True to Gators
Saturday, December 29, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
ATLANTA – The past month has been a defining one for Gators junior defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
Along the way, Gardner-Johnson helped shape Florida's 41-15 beatdown of Michigan on Saturday here in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. And that doesn't even include Gardner-Johnson's Defensive MVP honors and two interceptions, his second pick returned 30 yards for a touchdown that sent the orange and blue side of Mercedes-Benz Stadium into a frenzy late in the fourth quarter.
First, it was Gardner-Johnson who after the Gators' win at Florida State on Nov. 26, grabbed a UF spirit flag and tried to plant it at midfield on the Seminoles' logo. FSU coach Willie Taggert and Florida's Dan Mullen intervened to prevent the emotional moment from escalating into something more than playful jubilation between the rivals, so Gardner-Johnson raced off and around Doak Campbell Stadium. He eventually jumped into the stands to celebrate with fans the Gators' first win over the Seminoles in six years.
Two days later, Gardner-Johnson announced he would forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. In his announcement, which he made on Twitter, Gardner-Johnson set the tone for what transpired on Saturday.
"I want Gator Nation to know that I am 100 percent committed to my team and this program as we look to finish the season strong at our bowl game next month,'' he said.
Gardner-Johnson stayed true to his word.
He championed the program on social media over the past month during the early signing period, and was at it again late Saturday night following the final game of his UF career.
"Who next to join DBU," Gardner-Johnson tweeted.
Gators head coach Dan Mullen runs along the sideline as Chauncey Gardner-Johnson runs back an interception 53 yards in the third quarter. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Of course, Gardner-Johnson has always had something to say as one of the Gators' most popular players over the past three seasons.
"When he first came in, Chauncey was the most aggravating person in the world,'' teammate Cece Jefferson said. "He would never stop talking."
He talked but could walk the walk, too, earning respect from his peers and the allegiance of fans. Saturday wasn't the first time Gardner-Johnson grabbed MVP honors in a bowl game. At the end of his freshman season, he was named Outback Bowl MVP for a pair of interceptions, including a 58-yard pick-six that erased any doubts in a 30-3 win over Iowa.
Still, as important as what Gardner-Johnson did in Florida's first victory over the Wolverines in five attempts – his 53-yard interception return on Shea Patterson's deep throw on first-and-10 from UF's 39-yard line in the third quarter led to a 5-yard scoring pass from Feleipe Franks to Lamical Perine that gave the Gators a 20-10 lead – it's the dedication he showed to his teammates and coaches over the past month that really stood out.
While Michigan's Rashan Gary, Devin Bush Jr., Karan Higdon and Juwann Bushell-Beatty all opted to skip the Peach Bowl to avoid the risk of an injury in preparation for the draft, Gardner-Johnson stayed and played.
"Chauncey is a Gator,'' Perine said. "I know he was really motivated to play this game. A lot of people thought he was going to sit out. Nah, he just did that."
Gardner-Johnson's performance Saturday can only boost his stock in the April NFL draft, which arrives the same month his first child is due, a baby boy. He never backed down, and as Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" fittingly blasted from the speakers during the postgame celebration, an emotional Gardner-Johnson went around the field sharing hugs and stories with his teammates for a final time.
He took the matchup with Michigan personal considering the way the Wolverines beat up the Gators a season ago to set the tone for Florida's tumultuous 4-7 season. He could only watch bowl games last year.
"A lot of people looked down on us,'' he said. "We fought. We did everything a champion is supposed to do and we deserve this win."
Gardner-Johnson's first interception against Patterson on Saturday was the kind of play a veteran leader making his 26th career start saw coming before Patterson threw the ball. Scoping out the play like a center fielder, Gardner-Johnson converged on Wolverines receiver Nico Collins and UF cornerback Trey Dean III, timed his leap perfectly, snatched the ball out of the air and raced to Michigan's 44-yard line.
"He read it as the safety would just sit there,'' Gardner-Johnson said. "We rolled, and I just speed turned, ball came right to me. And, I mean, 'dang.' "
Gardner-Johnson joined select company by earning MVP honors, joining former Gators Emmitt Smith, Errict Rhett and Tim Tebow as the only players in school history to be named MVP in a bowl game twice.
Mullen considers seniors such as Jefferson and offensive lineman Martez Ivey, juniors like linebacker David Reese and Gardner-Johnson as paramount to Florida's turnaround from a four-win season to a 10-win campaign in his first season on the job.
"It's really special for me that these guys all bought in,'' Mullen said.
Perhaps no one was all-in more than Gardner-Johnson heading into the bowl game. His mind was made up about the NFL, but his heart remained a Gator.
Sometimes, the best is saved for last.
"It's been a ride,'' Gardner-Johnson said. "Last year was the most painful for us, not just for me. It hurt. This year was nothing but joy.
"This game right here, like I said, one step closer to the program being back to where it was."
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