UF 35, VANDY 17: The Gators, once 3-3, keep their SEC title hopes alive by rebuffing the pesky Commodores.
By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published November 9, 2003
[Times photo: James Borchuck]
Florida quarterback Chris Leak gets past Richard Freeman. Leak's 1-yard run in the first quarter tied it at 7.
GAINESVILLE - The Gators are in first place in the SEC East division.
That's not a typo.
Really.
The same Gators who were 3-3 just more than a month ago, have found a way back to the top of the divisional mountain. What it all means remains to be seen.
For now, as Florida coach Ron Zook loves to say, it is what it is.
Behind a solid running game (194 yards) and a stellar defensive effort, Florida defeated Vanderbilt 35-17 in front of 90,122 Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
"As I told the players, there were an awful lot of good things out there," Zook said. "There were a few things that weren't as good. I think that happens sometimes, and you have to give Vanderbilt credit. They are a very well-coached football team, and I think it showed. They hung in there, and they kept playing.
"And that's a lesson for our team to learn from them."
It's funny what three consecutive victories against ranked opponents can do for a team's reputation. A month ago, Florida was so bad, it was holding on to a .500 record and looking at staying home for the bowl season.
Saturday, the Gators rushed for more yards in an SEC game than they have all season (194). Freshman quarterback Chris Leak threw for 179 yards. Six players had receptions, and seven ran the ball.
Yet Zook found himself answering more questions about Florida's three fumbles and two interceptions than its victory.
It wasn't a big-time blowout, but it was good enough, the players said.
"We made a lot of mistakes that we need to correct, but we still got the victory," said running back Ciatrick Fason, who had eight carries for 55 yards and scored two touchdowns.
"We'll learn from the mistakes, but it's the win that counts."
Florida (7-3, 5-2) took over first place with Georgia idle and Tennessee playing out of conference, and the players said while they won't dwell on it, it is a feeling of accomplishment.
"Last month, we were on the bottom looking up," said tight end Ben Troupe, who had three receptions for 56 yards. "Hopefully at the end of the season, we'll be on top looking down."
While the Gators played a solid game, a couple of their mistakes were costly. Cornerback Keiwan Ratliff fumbled a punt that Matthew Tant recovered at the Florida 15. Two plays later, Jay Cutler threw a 19-yard touchdown to Erik Davis, and Vanderbilt (1-9, 0-6) led 7-0 just more than three minutes into the game.
On Florida's first possession of the fourth quarter, DeShawn Wynn fumbled.
The Commodores followed with a 13-play drive, capped when Cutler and Tant connected on a 2-yard pass with 7:58 left to make it 28-17. Cutler finished 18-of-38 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. His 18-yard pass with 9:06 left in the game set a school record for passing yards by a sophomore with 2,077, eclipsing 2,059 yards in 1999 by Greg Zolman.
"Jay played pretty good," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "He made some good throws and some good runs. He was playing a quality team out there that was putting a lot of pressure on him."
While the Gators gave up 322 yards, it stepped up when necessary, forcing two fumbles (none lost), grabbing four interceptions and sacking Cutler twice for a loss of 13 yards.
Interceptions by safety Daryl Dixon (one of two on the day) and Ratliff led to 14 points for the Gators, a 3-yard run by Fason with 1:20 left in the third quarter (for a 28-10 lead) and a 52-yard return by Ratliff with 56 seconds left in the game.
A third-quarter interception by Cory Bailey ended a Vanderbilt drive at the Gators 3.
"We're just trying to play a full 60 minutes of football," Bailey said. "Everybody is playing hard and just trying to make sure we don't let up in the end."
Leak finished 15-of-25 for 179 yards, aided by a running game that struggled last week. Against Georgia, Florida gained just 89 yards, but it said running the ball was a priority Saturday. Versatility through multiple runners was the key.
"The running back by committee is good because you always have fresh legs," said senior Ran Carthon, who had a game-high 12 carries for 79 yards. "All of us can play."
