SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 8, 2014
Florida 34, Vanderbilt 10: Treon Harris completed 13-of-21 passes for 215 yards and remained perfect as a starting quarterback in the Gators' win over the host Commodores.
Harris, a ballyhooed freshman who made his starting debut in an impressive 38-20 victory over Georgia last week, made the most of an expanded playbook versus Vanderbilt (3-7, 0-6 SEC), connecting with eight different receivers and setting the pace for a running attack that amassed 214 yards and four touchdowns on 50 carries. Former starting quarterback Jeff Driskel had a hand in the rushing game, scoring from 1 yard out as Florida (5-3, 4-3) posted consecutive victories for the first time since Sept. 6 and 13.
Ralph Webb, a Gainesville, Fla., native who grew up in the shadow of Florida Field, had 83 yards on 16 carries for the Commodores, but fell out of the game plan late as Vanderbilt took to the air in the second half. Johnny McCrary opened the scoring with a 33-yard scoring strike to Steven Scheu, but the Commodores trailed 17-7 at the half and allowed 24 straight points to the Gators before Tommy Openshaw kicked a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Florida's two-pronged backfield of Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor combined for 137 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. Harris added 10 attempts, 49 yards and two more scores and looked cool and confident in captaining Floridaกฏs six scoring drives.
The Gators defense built momentum by forcing four turnovers, and quickly overcame the loss of defensive tackle Leon Orr, a senior who stunned the locker room prior to kickoff, when he left the stadium to board a bus back to Gainesville. According to Will Muschamp, who addressed the issue before the game, Orr was displeased with not being in the starting lineup versus the Commodores, and "was more concerned with starting than being part of the team," the Florida coach told reporters.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Florida leads the series 36-10-2 and is 17-7-1 versus the Commodores in Nashville. กญ The Gators closed their SEC road schedule at 2-1, including a neutral-site victory over Georgia. กญ Vanderbilt has one more chance to secure a home conference win when it closes the season versus Tennessee on Nov. 29.