Three Thoughts From Florida's Victory Over Vanderbilt
Photo: Eugene Wilson III; Credit: Alex Shepherd
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida's 38-14 victory over Vanderbilt in Week 6 was just what the doctor ordered following the Gators' brutal defeat at Kentucky the week prior.
At the very least, it was exactly the kind of performance Florida head coach Billy Napier was looking for from his team.
"Out of respect for the game and out of respect for the work that this group has done," Napier remarked after the win, "I think they played a little more like we want them to."
Find All Gators' takeaways from Florida's Week 6 victory below.
Gators "get right" at the right time
In what might be considered the final "get right" game on Florida's 2023 schedule, the Gators (4-2, 2-1 SEC) did just that against the Commodores (2-5, 0-3 SEC) on Saturday afternoon, executing the game plan on both sides of the ball en route to a convincing victory after a bad loss the week prior.
Napier described the Gators as having gotten back into a groove after the game, thanks to the commitment from the team as a whole to respond well in the face of the adversity that the loss to the Wildcats presented.
"I continue to tell you guys that I think this group has some character about them," Napier said. "I see some maturity. I think there's some awareness. I think they've got a pretty good understanding of why they want. I think they have a pretty good understanding of why they lose, what contributes to that. They're able to stay pretty steady."
Napier admitted that it was challenging for Florida's players and coaching staff to overcome the feeling of disappointment that came with the results of Week 5.
That feeling, however, turned into inspiration and "good work" during UF's Tuesday and Wednesday practices before facing Vanderbilt.
"To be quite honest, I think they were embarrassed a little bit," Napier shared. "I think there was an element to that that they wanted to get back in there and play again and make a statement that that's not who they are. I think the staff felt the same way."
Now, the challenge will be for Florida to replicate its strong showings in a comfortable setting on the road. The Gators travel to South Carolina in Week 7 in hopes of securing Napier's second victory away from The Swamp during his tenure as UF's head coach.
Florida will then face No. 1 Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., then Arkansas at home, then No. 22 LSU and Missouri on the road to complete its 2023 SEC slate.
Florida achieves offensive balance, finally, despite injuries
Florida was without three starters and another four contributors offensively in Week 6. In spite of that, the Gators arguably put together their best showing on that side of the ball to this point in the season against the Commodores, with the competition level in mind.
Perhaps most importantly, the Gators' offensive line held its own without starters in left tackle Austin Barber and center Kingsley Eguakun.
Damieon George Jr.'s slide from right tackle to left, Lyndell Hudson II's insertion on the right side, Kamryn Waites' return to play in a swing tackle role from an offseason torn Achilles tendon and Jake Slaughter's re-occupation of snapping duties (he held the role in Weeks 1, 2 and 4, too) allowed the unit to get the job done.
Although quarterback Graham Mertz was sacked three times, only running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. and Treyaun Webb were dinged for allowing pass rush pressures by Pro Football Focus, and no one on the offensive line. On designed runs, Florida also averaged an impressive 8.8 yards per rushing attempt, 4.5 of which came before contact due to the Gators' adequate blocking.
The rushing production becomes even more notable when it is considered that Florida's leading rusher in 2023, Trevor Etienne, also did not play in the game due to injury.
"I'm proud of the players that had to play," Napier said. "In particular the two tackles, Lyndell, Kam Waites, both of which had an opportunity to play. Treyaun Webb did some good things today ...
"Montrell, in his career, I think he went over 2,000 yards today if I'm not mistaken. Early he was good, he was really good. The one touchdown, he just makes a guy miss and walks in there. He played big today. He's a 218-pound back, but I thought he played with an edge today. He was tough to tackle."
Napier also complimented freshman Eugene Wilson III in his return to play from a collarbone injury, as the versatile receiver caught a team-leading eight passes for 64 yards and his first-career touchdown. Redshirt freshman tight end Arlis Boardingham, too, earned praise from the head coach for posting single-game career highs with seven catches for 99 yards and two scores.
Wilson and Boardingham's production was a product of Mertz's 30-of-36, 254-yard, three-touchdown passing line.
"A lot of good," Napier said of Florida's offensive performance. "We challenged them, and I think they answered that challenge."
UF defense displays resiliency in bounce-back performance
Right now, Florida's Week 5 defensive showing appears to have been an anomaly performance.
Florida had missed 27 tackles in total and 6.5 per game entering the Kentucky matchup, only to almost triple its weekly rate with 19 against the Wildcats. But the Gators came back to Earth defensively against Vanderbilt, missing only six tackles during the game.
The results, especially against the run, were apparent. The Commodores averaged only 3.94 yards per designed rush over 16 attempts in Week 6 and were forced to rely upon an inconsistent passing attack to remain competitive offensively.
"We tackled better," Napier assessed. "Really gave up one play in the first half."
After recording just one true turnover over the first five weeks of the campaign, Florida forced three fumbles and recovered one on Saturday. It also held Vanderbilt to 0-of-3 on fourth-down conversion attempts, setting UF up for touchdown drives twice.
"Conversion downs are — those are turnovers, right? We count them as takeaways. We count them as turnovers," Napier said. "When we talk about turnover margin, we include turnovers on downs. That's a critical piece of the puzzle for sure."
The Gator defense's underwhelming performance against the Wildcats negatively impacted the unit's statistical averages, but it remains a top-20 group in points (16.8) and yards (286.5) allowed per game after its showing against Vanderbilt.
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