The Quick Slant: Florida 45, UT Martin 0

Chris Harry's Quick Slant (2019, football)

Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications

The Quick Slant: Florida 45, UT Martin 0

Saturday, September 7, 2019 | Football, Chris Harry

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

THE QUICK SLANT
No. 11 FLORIDA 45, TENNESSEE MARTIN 0

WHAT HAPPENED: Quarterback Feleipe Franks completed his first 15 passes on the way to throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover Saturday night, and the Gators did what the 11th-ranked team in the country is supposed to do an FCS opponent from the Ohio Valley Conference in their 2019 home opener at Spurrier/Florida Field. The UF offense started slowly, managing just a 3-0 lead through the first 22 minutes before Franks, the fourth-year junior, fired scoring strikes of 69 yards to Van Jefferson and 35 to Tyrie Cleveland to open a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. The Gators added third-quarter rushing TDs from tailbacks Malik Davis and Lamical Perine, then stretched the lead in the fourth quarter when both UF backup quarterbacks, Kyle Trask and Emory Jones, accounted for a TD (Trask passing, Jones rushing). Franks, who had three turnovers in UF's season-opening win two weeks ago against Miami, played just three quarters and finished his night 25 of 27 (that's 92.6 percent). UF tallied 543 yards of total offense (312 passing, 231 rushing), while the defense limited the Skyhawks to 194 yards and posted the program's first shutout since a 32-0 defeat of North Texas three games into the 2016 season. The win, however, looked to have come with a price (read on).

Senior wideout **Tyrie Cleveland** poses after his 35-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. (Photo: Piper Hansen/UAA Communications)

WHAT IT MEANS: Not much, other than the fact UF was bigger, faster and more physical than UTM, which everybody knew well before the kickoff. The game allowed the Gators to build some confidence, pile up some statistics and celebrate some big offensive plays the likes of which were much harder to come by two weeks earlier against a stout Hurricanes defense in Orlando.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Got to go with wingback Kadarius Toney and cornerback CJ Henderson -- unfortunately -- as both players left the game with injuries and did not return. Toney was hit hard on a running play in the first quarter and went to the sideline in obvious pain with what appeared to be an arm or shoulder injury. Trainers tended to Toney in the sideline tent before taking him to the locker room. In the second quarter, Henderson got tangled up covering a deep pass down the middle of the field. Henderson, after remaining on the field a bit, was helped off by two trainers and taken to the locker room. No in-game injury updates were provided by UF.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: Those first 15 completions by Franks were the second-most to start a game by a Florida quarterback in program history. Worth noting: The incompletion on his 16th attempt came on a "Hail Mary" at the end of the half. The record for most completions to start a game remained at 17, set by Chris Leak in a 32-14 season-opening defeat of Wyoming on Sept. 3, 2005, a game that marked the debut of Coach Urban Meyer.

UP NEXT: They've played a neutral-site game and home game, so it's time to go on the road, with the Gators (2-0) facing Kentucky (2-0) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The date will be more noteworthy than in the past three-plus decades after the Wildcats stopped a 31-game winning streak in the series with their dominant 27-16 triumph in Gainesville last season, a game in which UK rushed for 303 yards. The Cats, though, appeared to take a major injury hit Saturday night as well when quarterback Terry Wilson, who passed for two touchdowns and rushed for 115 yards in last year's win at the "Swamp," was carted off the field with an apparent knee injury in UK's 38-17 win over Eastern Michigan. For what it's worth, Kentucky has not beaten Florida in consecutive seasons since 1976-77.