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Rapid Reaction: Treon Harris proves his worth as Florida routs Vandy, 34-10
By Drew Laing
Published:
Here are some quick thoughts on Florida’s 34-10 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores.
What it means: The win itself doesn’t mean too much, considering Florida was a heavy favorite coming into the game. However, with the victory Florida is still in the SEC East title race with one more conference game remaining. Florida made it a point to pass the ball tonight and Treon Harris didn’t disappoint. The true freshman quarterback enjoyed a breakout performance and he more than proved he’s got the arm strength that defenses will need to worry about in the future.
What I liked: QB pressure by Gators’ front-seven. Florida’s defense seemed to be in the Vandy backfield on every play. At first quarterback Johnny McCrary handled it well, even delivering a TD pass with some UF defenders in his face. But over the course of the game, Florida’s pressure proved to be overwhelming for the redshirt freshman quarterback. The Gators technically didn’t record a single sack but don’t be mistaken — McCrary took several shots in the backfield tonight. Jonathan Bullard, Dante Fowler and Darious Cummings led the charge up front for the Gators.
What I didn’t like: Penalties. Fortunately for the Gators, they were playing Vanderbilt and not a more talented team tonight. Otherwise, 10 penalties for 77 yards would likely have been a much bigger deal than if it wasn’t against the Commodores. Until tonight, Florida seemed to have cured its penalty woes with no more than five penalties in the last five games. But old habits emerged in Nashville and Florida will need to be very careful it doesn’t have a repeat performance against South Carolina or Florida State.
Who’s the man: Treon Harris. The Miami native finished the night with 276 total yards and two touchdowns. He showed off a rocket arm and even flashed some great speed on a few runs. Right now, the future looks bright at quarterback for the Gators.
Key play: On a designed QB run, Harris ran up the middle and was able to slip through a few tackles and show off his speed en route to a 33-yard touchdown run. The score by Harris put the Gators up 21 points with just under 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter and erased what slim hopes Vandy had of getting back in the ball game.
What’s next: The Gators conclude their SEC schedule with a home matchup against South Carolina as they look to win their third consecutive game.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
