Florida Snaps Arkansas' Six-Game Losing Streak, Falls 39-36 in OT
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Billy Napier on Monday said that Florida's sold-out, black-out matchup with Arkansas in Week 10 would be "a historic event."
Although the head coach meant well, as UF debuted a black uniform set to express military appreciation ahead of Veteran's Day, the game ended in a historic fashion that Napier did not intend on.
The Razorbacks (3-6, 1-5 SEC) for the first time defeated the Gators (5-4, 3-3 SEC) inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, 39-36, on Saturday.
Florida was without three starting defenders due to injury, with linebacker Shemar James out for the year following knee surgery and defensive linemen Cam Jackson and Tyreak Sapp sidelined due to upper body injuries.
Arkansas immediately took advantage of Florida's personnel changes with a well-scripted, up-tempo opening drive that went 75 yards over seven plays and 2:54 of game clock, ending in a touchdown reception by running back A.J. Green on a wide-open wheel route, tossed by Preseason All-SEC quarterback KJ Jefferson.
The Razorbacks' defense followed up by stripping the ball away from Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall on the first play of Florida's debut series, which cornerback Jaylon Braxton took 33 yards back to the house to put UF in a 14-0 hole less than four minutes into the contest.
However, Arkansas' offense stalled for the most part from there. It either punted or committed a turnover on four consecutive drives after its opening score and was limited to a field goal before halftime was reached.
In the meantime, Florida managed to cut into Arkansas' two-possession lead with back-to-back touchdown drives. Freshman wide receiver Eugene Wilson III crossed the goal line in both cases, from 19 and six yards out, tying the bout at 14 before the end of the first quarter.
Like Arkansas, however, Florida's offensive momentum came to a halt with five of its next six drives combining for 33 yards, although kicker Trey Smack snuck a 47-yard field goal in just before halftime to tie the game back up, at 17. Razorbacks' kicker Cam Little was good from 37 yards out the drive before.
In the midst of its offensive struggles, Florida faced a scare early in the third quarter when quarterback Graham Mertz took a shot while rolling out left and was slow to get up. He was escorted to the sideline by trainers and replaced by redshirt freshman quarterback Max Brown for one play, before returning to the field for UF's next offensive series.
Arkansas blew two scoring opportunities by missing a field goal on the drive following Mertz's injury and fumbling the ball away on its next series, with Gators linebacker Scooby Williams and cornerback Jaydon Hill splitting the takeaway.
Seemingly unaffected by his hurt, Mertz stepped into a 32-yard touchdown toss to Pearsall on the play to give Florida its first lead of the day, 23-20, with 1:38 left in the third quarter. UF's extra-point attempt was botched by a bad snap.
Arkansas and Florida exchanged five scores in the fourth quarter from there. After a field goal from each squad, Jefferson scooted for a 25-yard Razorbacks touchdown just under the five-minute mark, then Trevor Etienne scampered 26 yards to end a three-play, 72-yard Gators drive in response.
UF held a 33-30 lead at that point, although the Razorbacks marched right back down the field to tie the game at 33 with 44 seconds left, thanks to a 49-yard Little field goal.
Florida got the ball and faced a 75-yard drive to prevent overtime. Chunk gains of 15, 16 and 20 were created before an offensive illegal substitution at the Arkansas 21-yard line prompted Napier to send Smack out for an all-but-game-winning field goal attempt with eight seconds left on the clock.
From 44 yards out, Smack was no good, and free football was awarded to those in The Swamp.
Arkansas won the coin toss and elected to send out its defense, which limited Florida to one gain of four yards and forced a field goal. Smack converted from 39 yards out.
A holding penalty on former Florida-turned-Arkansas offensive lineman Josh Braun pushed the Hogs back to the 35-yard line on their chance to score. but Jefferson saw an opening on the next snap and rushed up the gut to gain a critical 20 yards.
Raheim Sanders then rushed for 11 yards to set Arkansas up at the four-yard line. From the shotgun on 1st and 4, Jefferson hit receiver Tyrone Bolden for the game-winning touchdown on a slant route.
Florida begins its three-game slate against top-14 opponents, by the College Football Playoff rankings, with a trip to Baton Rouge in Week 11, to face the No. 14 LSU Tigers next Saturday. Kickoff time remains to be determined.
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