Tag: Vanderbilt Commodores

Good, Bad and Ugly: Gators Wire weighs in on Vanderbilt win

The Gators Wire crew offers their respective opinions on Florida’s lackluster win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Florida football earned a win on Saturday over the Vanderbilt Commodores inside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, 38-14, for its annual homecoming game. Unfortunately, there were not many fireworks on the field for the fans in this Southeastern Conference East matchup.

The Gators prevailed over an inferior squad despite looking pretty mediocre themselves. The passing game was limited to the line of scrimmage and the defense gave up some big plays, but what is important is that the Orange and Blue are now 4-2 at the midpoint of the 2023 campaign.

Following the Week 6 win, the Gators Wire crew assembled to weigh in with our Good, Bad and Ugly breakdown of Saturday’s victory. Take a look below to see what we had to say about Florida’s bounce-back win over Vanderbilt.

Five takeaways from Florida’s Week 6 win over Vanderbilt

Florida avenged its loss to Vanderbilt from a year ago on Saturday night, 38-14. Here’s what we learned about the team in Week 6.

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.

Pat Dooley’s Six Pack: Instant reactions to Florida’s homecoming win vs Vandy

Pat Dooley gives his instant reactions to Florida’s homecoming win over the Vanderbilt Commodores in the Swamp in Week 6.

You remember the old days, right? Back when homecoming was a chance for the young guys to play in the fourth quarter?

This is Florida under Billy Napier where the young guys are on the field when the game starts instead of when it ends.

The young ‘uns did pretty well Saturday in the Swamp as Florida pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 38-14 win over Vanderbilt (2-5).

It was the fifth straight loss for the Commodores as Florida went to 4-2 and 2-1 in the SEC.

Redshirt freshman Aris Boardingham had a career night and true freshman Tre Wilson returned to the lineup with a bang as the Gators got the “feel better” win they needed.

Pat Dooley looks at Florida’s Homecoming win below.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida football’s win vs Vanderbilt Commodores

Take a look at highlights from Florida’s home win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 7 as a part of this year’s homecoming festivities for the Orange and Blue.

It was not pretty, but Florida football got it done on Saturday afternoon in the Swamp as the Gators prevailed over the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores, XX-YY, for their annual homecoming game.

Billy Napier’s gang never trailed in this one but it was tied 7-7 after Florida scored on its opening drive and an interception on a trick play that gave Vandy favorable field position. After that, the Gators were in control for the rest of the way, but the game did not play out in a manner that makes many confident in this team heading into the teeth of its Southeastern Conference schedule.

Below is a look at highlights from Florida’s home win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 7 as a part of this year’s homecoming festivities for the Orange and Blue.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida’s pregame festivities ahead of Week 6

On Saturday, the team partook in its game-day routine of the Gators walk as well as some additional flair for the alumni event.

Florida football is getting set to host the Vanderbilt Commodores during Week 6 for its annual homecoming game and the vibes have been flowing ahead of the SEC East matchup.

The festivities kicked off on Friday with the traditional parade that now runs through downtown Gainesville. Young and old alike gathered to enjoy the Orange and Blue displays as the University of Florida strutted its best stuff for the locals and fans.

On Saturday, the team partook in its game-day routine of the Gators walk as well as some additional flair for the alumni event. Billy Napier and Co. put on their best smiles for the crowd as his program made its way onto hallowed ground inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Take a look below at highlights from Florida’s pregame festivities ahead of the Vanderbilt game.

Highly touted recruits will be at the Swamp for Vanderbilt game

The guest list for the Florida Gators homecoming game includes a plentiful list of highly touted prospects.

Kickoff between the Florida Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores is just hours away and head coach Billy Napier is welcoming plenty of esteemed guests to experience Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at full force.

Five and four-star recruits will fill the first few rows of the south endzone to watch the Gators try to pull a win during Homecoming week.

Five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin is expected to be in attendance, making his first official visit to the UF campus. The Savannah, Georgia, native is the No. 2 recruit in the nation and is ranked as the overall best defensive lineman. The Gators gave Griffin an offer back in January of this year.

On the other side of the ball, Napier is welcoming five-star Solomon Thomas to watch the Florida offense put in work against Vanderbilt. Thomas is a top-rated offensive lineman making the trip from Jacksonville, Florida. He’s the No. 21 overall recruit and the No. 4 offensive tackle in the nation.

Four-star quarterback Antwann Hill will also be in town for Homecoming. Hailing from Warner Robins, Georgia, the recruit has been chased by several school around the nation and he’ll be making another visit to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, his last was when Florida took down the Tennessee Volunteers at home in Week 3.

Hill is the No. 71 overall recruit and is ranked No. 6 at his position. He’s also been in talks with both Auburn and Alabama.

Kickoff for the Florida Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores is set for 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday. The game will broadcast on the SEC Network.

Florida football announces team captains for homecoming game

Check out the Florida Gators team captains for the homecoming game against Vanderbilt.

The Homecoming parade made its way up 13th Street and now the countdown to kickoff begins.

The Florida Gators (3-2, 1-1 SEC) will host the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-4, 0-2 SEC) and hope to redeem its road loss in Week 5 to the Kentucky.

Florida announced their team captains on Friday afternoon and this week’s list includes some key players who are set to make a significant impact on Saturday.

Headlining the list is transfer running back Montrell Johnson, who’s expected to carry a heavy load with sophomore Trevor Etienne listed as “questionable” on this week’s depth chart.

The running game hasn’t been as consistent since downing the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 3, but Johnson is ready to step into a leadership role.

“Me not having the production that I want, I’m just kind of taking my role as a leadership player,” Johnson said. “Just kind of lead the guys, I’ve been with the program a few years now, so I just be kinda like trying to lead those guys.”

Johnson is averaging 4.5 yards a carry and has racked up 261 yards on top of three rushing touchdowns and a single receiving touchdown.

Here’s how the rest of the captains look.

Junior punter Jeremy Crawshaw will join Johnson at midfield for the coin toss. Defensive lineman Cam Jackson and line backer Shemar James will also be leading the team on Saturday.

James has made himself at home in the Florida defense, wrecking plays while collecting 35 total tackles and four of them have been for a loss.

Jackson has been handy in the front seven as well, earning 17 total tackles with his season-high of six tackles against Tennessee.

Kickoff between the Florida Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores is set for 4 p.m. EDT and will broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Five things to look for when Florida takes on Vanderbilt

Florida has a chance to bounce back from an ugly loss to Kentucky with Vanderbilt visiting town on Saturday. Here are five questions we’ll be asking leading up to the game.

Florida is banged up and coming off a disheartening loss to Kentucky, but the Gators are set up nicely to bounce back against a Vanderbilt team that upset them a year ago.

A few things are different this time around, though.

Florida has a different quarterback, Vanderbilt has a different running back — Ray Davis was the most dangerous man for the Commodores last season, but he transferred to Kentucky and had his way with UF already — and, perhaps most importantly, the game isn’t on the road this year.

Billy Napier hasn’t figured out how to lead the Gators to victory much away from the Swamp, and the team has quite a few players who are questionable to play. UF needs every advantage it can get, and a packed house for homecoming should be a big one.

Here are five things we’ll be watching for on Saturday when Florida hosts Vanderbilt.

Sophomore running back Trevor Etienne might miss Vanderbilt game

A Florida Gators running back is listed as questionable before the Vanderbilt game on Saturday.

The Florida Gators might suffer a major blow in the offensive game plan on Saturday, as sophomore running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne [/autotag]is listed as “questionable.”

The former Freshman All-SEC selection is dealing with an upper-body injury and Napier didn’t provide an update on the status of his running back. Etienne hasn’t been listed as the starter so far this season, yet has the most carries and yards out of the two main running backs.

If Etienne can’t dress on Saturday, Johnson is ready to take on more carries in Etienne’s absence.

“If Trevor can’t go, I trust the coaches to put me in the right position to make the right plays. If that means getting an extra load, I’m down for the challenge.”

Freshman Treyaun Webb would take place as the second-string ball carrier for Florida, followed by redshirt senior Eddie Battle, who’s seen very few snaps this year.

Etienne is averaging six yards a carry and 71.6 yards a game. The sophomore has scored twice on the ground this season.

The Florida Gators prepare for Homecoming week as the Vanderbilt Commodores come to town. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. EDT and will broadcast on the SEC Network.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Montrell Johnson ‘down for the challenge’ on Saturday, expects extra carries

Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson addressed the media ahead of the Vanderbilt game, says he’s “down for the challenge.”

Transfer running back [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] spoke to the media on Wednesday to preview the homecoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The depth chart was released Wednesday afternoon and Florida sophomore running back Trevor Etienne is listed as questionable with an upper-body injury. That means Johnson will be the primary ball carrier for the Gators offense on Saturday.

Montrell hasn’t been quite as elusive or dangerous as his counterpart, but he has the potential to break out a stellar day against Vanderbilt. The Commodores rushing defense ranks No. 83 among FBS teams, surrendering 147 rush yards a game.

Florida head Billy Napier is familiar with Johnson’s game, coaching him up as a Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun and may utilize that chemistry this weekend.