Florida Gators 27 – Vanderbilt Commodores 3
With each passing game it becomes harder and harder to envision tight end
Aaron Hernandez
in a
Florida
uniform in 2010. Dude is talent. A huge recruit coming in, Gator fans were excited when he signed with Florida. Then came the practice reports. Hernandez dropped A LOT of passes. He looked lost in the offense. People began to think maybe he’d be alright, but Hernandez probably wasn’t the player everyone once thought. But when he put on a game uniform and got on the field it all changed. A “wow” play here and there as a true freshman and thrust into the starting lineup as a sophomore when
Cornelius Ingram
went down. What the Gators ended up with was probably the best tight end in the school’s history (yes, I just said that) and one of the stars of Florida’s 27-3 win over
Vanderbilt
. Hernandez didn’t get into the end zone, but led the Gators with 7 catches for 120 yards. Enjoy him now because in 2010 he could be playing on Sundays.
The word of the game was definitely defense in this one. The offense was far from outstanding, but was efficient enough to put the ball in the end zone more times than needed thanks to the lights out Gator D. Florida held Vandy to under 200 total years with almost a perfect split – 100 yards through the air and 99 on the ground. Dustin Doe and Ryan Stamper were the stars with the Brandons watching from the sideline. Doe led the team with 11 tackles while Stamper was second with 6 and got an interception. That’s now 5 picks for Gator linebackers in the last 2 games. Despite limiting Vandy to 199 total yards and only allowing the Commodores to put 3 on the scoreboard, Florida didn’t do much behind the line of scrimmage. In fact, the Gators only managed 1 tackle for loss and no sacks on the night. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that given the final score, but against a better offense next week, there will need to be more pressure in the backfield.
On the offensive side, the story was a little different. Vandy racked up 7 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. Tackles for loss and sacks are going to happen from time to time given the nature of Florida’s offense, but those are numbers you don’t want to see. Keep in mind, sacks are factored in to tackles for loss (the word “duh” comes to mind), but still. The Gators officially have a date with Alabama in a few weeks. Tay Cody and company will be licking their chops seeing how teams have gotten to Tim Tebow this season. The middle of the line especially needs to tighten up. In terms of the pass and the run game, let’s see solid protection from here on out.
Tebow had what seemed to be a rather pedestrian game, but did manage his highest completion percentage of the season (75%) and added to his career rushing total. #15 probably still carries the ball more than many fans may want to see, but in the end we’re looking at a Florida team that’s 9-0. It may not be pretty. The offense may not always get going early like we’d like. But a 24-point conference win is nothing to scoff at. I remember only a few seasons ago when a 4 score victory over anyone in the SEC was something to get excited about. In 2006 (one of those national championship seasons by the way), the Gators beat the Commodores by 6. That year, fans seemed happy for the win. This time around, if it’s not a final score of 45-10 or something along those lines, then it wasn’t a good game. If Tebow isn’t putting up Heisman stats, then it wasn’t a good game. If the offense doesn’t put up 500+ yards, then it wasn’t a good game. But at this point in the season, it really is time to take each win as a win. 27-3. 9-0. South Carolina up next.