GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Among last week's challenges for the Florida football team was moving past the euphoria of a huge win over a fierce rival and moving on to prepare for the next challenge. The Gators did that by putting the emotion and jubilation of their Nov. 7 Georgia victory in the rear view and turning attention toward a capable Arkansas foe that came to town and was promptly and impressively handed a 63-35 defeat.
Now comes a task not altogether different.
Readying for the winless.
UF (5-1, 5-1) will look to maintain its edge — preferably sharpen it — when Vanderbilt (0-6, 0-6) comes calling Saturday at Dudley Field/Vanderbilt Stadium. The Commodores will represent the next bump in a road the Gators hope leads to Atlanta next month and the program's first trip to the Southeastern Conference Championship Game since 2016.
"They're an SEC team," Florida coach
Dan Mullen said Monday. "They're coming up and you see them continue to improve."
Vandy opened the season by throwing a 17-12 scare into Texas A&M on the road. That would be the same Texas A&M that hung a 41-38 loss on the Gators on Oct. 10, as well as 543 yards of total offense, 32 first downs and went 12-for-15 on third down. Against the Commodores, the Aggies not only were limited to just 17 points, but only 372 yards and 17 first downs.
Yes, Vandy's next three games were embarrassing blowout losses, each by at least 33 points, but the last two weeks the Commodores threw scares into both Mississippi State (a 24-17 loss) and Kentucky (38-35 loss), both on the road, and would seem to be gaining some confidence in the seventh season under Coach Derek Mason.
In addition to those points, Mullen will remind his team about the game in Nashville two years ago. The Commodores jumped on the Gators for a 21-3 lead before the visitors rallied for a big 37-27 victory in what was a key point to the coach's first season on the sideline; one in which Mullen was looking to build.
Now, in Mullen's third season, they're looking for bigger things. That requires a level of maturity the likes of which his team demonstrated last week. Time to do it again.
Kyle Trask has completed better than 70 percent of his passes this season for 2,171 yards, 28 touchdowns and just three interceptions. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
"You've got to treat every game the same," said freshman defensive back Rashad Torrence II, sounding more like a third- or four-year veteran. "You can't take one team lighter than you take any other team. Everybody's on the same scale to us. We've got to practice like they're No. 1 and go out there and handle business."
Added fifth-year senior quarterback
Kyle Trask: "Some people even said [Arkansas] was a trap game, but we did a great job of ignoring all the outside noise and focusing on our job and what we can do and just practicing to our full potential every single day. And I just think we have to do a great job of continuing to do that this week. And we're not playing [just] to win every game; we're playing to play to our full potential every game, which obviously, hopefully, includes winning."
That statement bears a question relative to Trask: What is his potential?
All he did against the Razorbacks was complete 23 of his 29 passes for 356 yards and six touchdowns (without a turnover, by the way) in keying an offense that finished with 593 yards and the most points against a SEC foe in 12 seasons. To date, Trask has hit better than 70 percent of his throws for 2,171 yards, 28 touchdowns and just three interceptions, while fixing himself firmly in the 2020 Heisman Trophy conversation.
The Vanderbilt defense ranks 11th in the conference (86th nationally) in giving up 443.0 yards per game, including 257.8 through the air (7th in SEC, 88th in NCAA). The Commodores rate next to last in stopping the run, with 185.8 yards yielded on the ground, which could be good news for UF tailbacks
Dameon Pierce and
Malik Davis, should the Gators opt for the run.
But given Trask's efficiency, why should they?
On offense, Vandy quarterback Ken Seals is completing at a nearly 67-percent clip, with 1,291 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. His top tailback is Keyon Henry-Brooks (85 carries, 374 yards, 2 TDs) and best wideout is Cam Johnson (37 catches, 355 yards, 2 TDs). Vandy ranks 100th or worse nationally in total offense (346.0), scoring offense (16.5 points per game), yards per play (4.81) and rushing offense (126.3 yards per), but the Florida defense has shown it can be generous. Of the 458 yards cranked out by Arkansas, 212 came on three long touchdown plays.
"Last year, we kind of got off to a slow start against them," Trask said. "This year, we're going to be looking to obviously get off to a faster start."
It's true. The two teams were scoreless through the first quarter of their game in Gainesville last November.
Florida won 56-0.
Defensive lineman Zach Carter (17), linebacker James Houston IV and the rest of the Gators smothered Vanderbilt 56-0 last season. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
A similar performance, especially on the road, would be the sign of a team on the uptick and looking to peak at the right time; of a team that is locked in on executing against a nameless, faceless opponent.
For Mullen, it should be an easy pitch, right?
"If not, I guess I'll put on a cheerleading outfit and get on the sidelines and start trying to motivate us that way," Mullen said. "We only get 10 games this season, so you better be motivated for those opportunities and to go make plays. You shouldn't need any more motivation than that."
