Florida running back Lamical Perine didn’t begin his career on a great note when he fumbled on his very first carry against UMass.

It was a rookie mistake, but his response to the fumble was one that showed Perine’s incredible maturity. Instead of fretting about his blunder, Perine worked hard to earn back the trust of his coaches and teammates.

“He worked really hard in practice, had a really good week of practice, gained the confidence of us and the coaches to allow him to get back in there and compete, and he played incredible on Saturday,” Gators’ quarterback Luke Del Rio told 247Sports’ Thomas Goldkamp.

Perine made up for his mistake in Florida’s 45-7 victory against Kentucky. The freshman back carried the ball 17 times for 106 yards and also caught a 28-yard touchdown pass.

He worked himself back into the Gators’ running back mix and has received rave reviews in the process.

Linebacker Daniel McMillian put it succinctly when telling Goldkamp what he like about Perine; “(He’s) very physical, low to the ground and will bring that boom to you.”