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Rapid Reaction: Vanderbilt loses sixth SEC game to Florida at home
By Jason Hall
Published:
The Vanderbilt Commodores (3-7, 0-6 SEC) fell 34-10 to the Florida Gators (5-3, 4-3) in Week 11. The Gators outgained Vanderbilt by a 429-308 margin in total offense and held the Commodores scoreless in the second and third quarter.
Quarterback Treon Harris threw for 215 yards on 13-of-21 passing. He added 53 rushing yards and two scores on nine attempts.
Here are a couple of thoughts on the game:
What it means: Vanderbilt still has several flaws that need to be addressed. The offense struggled against solid competition and failed to stay within striking distance. With the loss, the Commodores cannot finish with enough wins to gain bowl eligibility, but have hope moving forward with several key players.
What I liked: Vanderbilt’s defense looked strong early. However, the offense was incapable of providing much of a threat against the Gators and couldn’t keep their teammates off the field. Florida went on to scored 24 unanswered points after its first score before the Commodores’ fourth quarter field goal.
What I didn’t like: Johnny McCrary made several key mistakes. The redshirt freshman threw two interceptions and went 14-of-35 passing, throwing a 40 percent completion percentage. After a career game against Old Dominion, McCrary saw a forgettable performance against the Gators and will need to bounce back in his two remaining games.
Who’s the man: Ralph Webb. Despite two fumbles, Webb was able to gain 83 yards on 16 carries, setting a new Vanderbilt freshman rushing record. The Gainesville Fla., native passed the late Kwane Doster’s previous best of 798 yards and now has 843 with two games remaining.
Key Play: Tied at 7-7 with 11:02 remaining the second quarter, Vanderbilt began its drive on the 1-yard line. On second down, tailback Ralph Webb ran nine yards before fumbling. Florida recovered and ran a successful 4 play scoring drive that was capped off by quarterback Jeff Driskel’s goal line leap over the pile. Florida went ahead 14-7 and held momentum for the remainder of the contest.
What’s next: Vanderbilt faces its second bye week before traveling to Starkville, Miss., to face the No. 1 Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-0, 5-o).
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
