Five takeaways from Florida’s Week 6 win over Vanderbilt
The Florida Gators are back in the win column after a 38-14 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Homecoming weekend.
It didn’t matter that Florida was down its best rusher and a couple of starting linemen, among others. The Gators took care of Vandy with relative ease, which hopefully allows the fan base to exhale after last year’s fiasco in Nashville.
Graham Mertz was excellent (when he didn’t throw deep), and Montrell Johnson Jr. had the bounceback game he needed for Florida to put this away comfortably. A couple of freshmen from the wide receivers room stepped up with Caleb Douglas out for the foreseeable future as well.
Speaking of bouncing back, the front seven was excellent in containing Vanderbilt’s rushing attack, but the same can’t be said about the secondary and their coverage defense.
Here are five takeaways from Florida’s win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Billy Napier is starting to favor the guys he recruited
Billy Napier is beginning to turn to the players he recruited more and more as the season goes on, and that’s a good thing for the Florida Gators.
We already knew that Eugene “Tre” Wilson III would be a major part of the offense with Caleb Douglas out, but tight end Arlis Boardingham’s breakout game was a bit unexpected.
Wilson reeled in eight of 10 targets, scoring a touchdown, and finished the night with more yards after the catch (85) than total yards (64). Boardingham caught all seven of his targets, according to StatBroadcast, for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Treyaun Webb also got four carries and made the most of it with 70 yards.
Even Max Brown got some throws in before the game ended.
Let the freshmen run free, I say!
Let's stick with Graham Mertz throwing the ball
It takes a set to call the trick play Billy Napier did so early in the game, but he probably won’t be asking Kahleil Jackson to throw the ball again this season.
Graham Mertz completed 30 of 36 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson threw up a duck that was quickly picked off by Vanderbilt and turned into a touchdown by the Commodore offense.
Mertz isn’t without flaws, though. In a game that running back Trevor Etienne sat in, Mertz rarely went deep and didn’t look good when he did. There’s a reason Napier doesn’t call for the long one more often. He knows his offense.
The curious case of Montrell Johnson Jr.
Montrell Johnson Jr. is always listed as the top running back for Florida, but most agree that Trevor Etienne is the more exciting (and productive) player.
Well, maybe we need to rethink that.
Johnson ran all over Vanderbilt on Saturday, putting up 135 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Sure, it’s not Ray Davis versus Florida numbers, but it’s still impressive for a guy who hasn’t been at his best this year, even against mediocre competition.
If Florida’s going to pull off the upset it needs to get back in contention for a legitimate bowl game, it will need both Etienne and Johnson to be at their best. Averaging 7.5 yards per carry is a step in the right direction for the latter member of that duo.
Florida's front seven is back!
Florida’s front seven struggled last week against Kentucky, getting mowed over by Ray Davis for nearly 300 yards. That wasn’t the case against Vandy, though.
The Gators held the Commodores to 58 rushing yards on 19 carries and recorded six tackles for a loss including a sack and three forced fumbles. That’s a dominant return, even if it is against a team that isn’t well-known for running the ball.
Is the front seven back? It sure seems like it.
The secondary, though...
The secondary hasn’t looked great this year aside from freshman safety Jordan Castell. It’s a bit unfair to bring up turnovers as a be-all and end-all, but the Gators simply do not force interceptions.
Jason Marshall Jr. has been a disappointment this year. He got burned for another long touchdown early, although there did seem to be some confusion on his end directed toward the referee after the play. Regardless, the outcome is reality, and Marshall keeps getting beat.
Vanderbilt almost threw for 300 yards with a 56% completion rate. Something has to change. Jaydon Hill was good, though.
Read more
Pat Dooley’s Six Pack: Instant reactions to Florida’s homecoming win vs Vandy
Sunday Hash: Pat Dooley revisits Florida’s homecoming win over Vanderbilt
PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida football’s win vs Vanderbilt Commodores
PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida’s pregame festivities ahead of Week 6
PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida’s homecoming parade on Friday
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