FINAL: Arkansas 39, Florida 36 (OT)

Saturday, November 4

Gainesville, Fla.

12 p.m.

Florida Gators

5-4 , 3-3

Arkansas

3-6 , 1-5

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Arkansas

Florida

Chris Harry's Quick Slant powered by Ticketmaster

Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications

FINAL: Arkansas 39, Florida 36 (OT)

Saturday, November 4, 2023 | Football, Chris Harry

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer

THE QUICK SLANT
ARKANSAS 39, FLORIDA 36 (OT)

WHAT HAPPENED: Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson fired a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyrone Broden on Arkansas's first possession of overtime and the Razorbacks, losers of six straight coming in, shocked the host Florida Gators 39-36 Saturday at Spurrier/Florida Field, putting a different kind of spin (and mood) on the first "Black Out" game in program history. Jefferson's heroics came after the Gators took the lead, though they were forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Trey Smack after going three-and-out on their first possession of the extra period. Arkansas was called for holding on its first OT snap, backing Jefferson into a first-and-20 at the 35. No matter. The next play, he ran through the UF defense for 20 yards. Tailback Raheim Sanders basically did the same on the next play, with an 11-yard run to the UF 4. The Jefferson-to-Broden game-winner came on the very next snap. Florida had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, driving 49 yards in six plays to set up Smack — a perfect 3-for-3 on the day to that point and near-perfect 14-for-15 (with one blocked) on the season — for a 45-yard game-winning attempt. Smack's kick sailed wide right, setting the stage for the Razorbacks to steal one on the road. Jefferson finished 20 of 31 for 255 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and weathered five sacks. He rushed 17 times for another 92 yards. Arkansas also got 103 rushing yards from Sanders and 103 receiving yards from wideout Andrew Armstrong. All told, the Razorbacks rolled up 481 yards of total offense (UF had to sit starting defensive linemen Tyreak Sapp and Cam Jackson due to injuries), including 226 on the ground, and were 8-for-17 on third down. For the Gators, fourth-year quarterback Graham Mertz completed 26 of 42 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover. Two of his scoring tosses went to fab freshman Eugene Wilson III, who caught eight passes for 90 yards, with TDs of 19 and 6 yards in the first period. UF, however, was limited to just 112 rushing yards and 394 in total offense. Sophomore tailback Trevor Etienne rushed for 80 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown run with 3:02 to play that put Florida in front 33-30 in the back-and-forth affair that featured eight lead changes and five ties. The UF defense needed a stop to secure a victory, but Jefferson marched his team to the Florida 26, where the Hogs were then called for back-to-back penalties (a holding, followed by a false start). Again, no matter. Jefferson's 10-yard completion to Broden got the Hogs back to the 31, where Cam Little drilled a 49-yard field with 44 seconds to play that provided the points (and tied score) that eventually, courtesy of Smack's late miss, sent the game into OT. The game marked UF's first one to end in overtime since losing 24-23 at Missouri in 2021 in what was Coach Dan Mullen's final one on the Florida sidelines. It was the first home overtime game since beating Florida Atlantic 20-14 in 2015 in what was Coach Jim McElwain's first season.

UF quarterback **Graham Mertz** in action Saturday against the Razorbacks. (Photo: **Gabriella** **Whisler**/UAA Communications)

WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators remain stuck on five wins, meaning bowl-eligibility is still not a thing. On paper, Arkansas looked (by far) like the best chance to secure that bowl-required sixth victory, what with three games against ranked opponents to finish out the season (read on). UF will have to steal one of those if the Gators are to play in December. For Arkansas, the win was its first in Gainesville in six tries since the school joined the SEC in 1992.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: He came to the "Swamp" with a new title. Two weeks ago, Kenny Guiton was the Razorbacks' wide receivers coach. But after the team's 7-3 home loss to Mississippi State, the Hogs' sixth straight, Coach Sam Pittman fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos and elevated Guiton to the interim "OC" post. Guiton called a game that netted Arkansas those 481 yards, a season-high in total offense that bested the previous high of 424 in a home loss to Brigham Young. The Razorbacks had averaged 227.5 yards the previous four games.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: The Gators were down 14-0 just three minutes and six seconds into the game. Arkansas struck on its first possession with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. On Florida's first snap, Mertz threw complete a short pass to wideout Ricky Pearsall, who had the ball ripped from his arms by cornerback Jaylon Braxton, who spun and raced untouched for a 33-yard fumble return for a touchdown. To UF's credit, the Gators evened the score with consecutive TDs on their next two drives. The shootout was on.

UP NEXT: Florida (5-4, 3-3) is back on the SEC road, with a date at No. 13 LSU (6-2, 4-1). The Tigers, who are at eighth-ranked Alabama Saturday night, have won four straight in the annual series, five of the previous six and 10 of the last 13, dating to the 2010 season. UF's last win over LSU was a 27-19 home victory in 2018 when safety Brad Stewart pick-6'd Joe Burrow late in the fourth quarter. After that, with that one win needed for bowl-eligibility, the Gators play at No. 14 Missouri and wrap the regular season at home against unbeaten and No. 4 Florida State.