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Examining Florida football's top 10 plays of the decade

With the New Year finally here, GatorsTerritory takes a look back at the top 10 plays of the decade for the Florida Gators football program.

NUMBER 10 comes from the 2011 matchup with Alabama when Andre Debose beat cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick on the first play of the game for a 65-yard touchdown pass from John Brantley.

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NUMBER NINE is Matt Elam’s forced fumble in the Gators' 2012 victory against LSU.

Zach Mettenberger hit Odell Beckham, Jr. on a deep ball down the right sideline before Elam closed distance and ripped the ball away just before Beckham went down inside the Gators' 25-yard line. The fumble was recovered by De’Ante Saunders with less than five minutes left in the third quarter of a one-point game.

NUMBER EIGHT was the second longest play in Florida football history and took place in Death Valley during 2016 season.

Florida QB Austin Appleby connected with then freshman receiver Tyrie Cleveland on a 98-yard touchdown along the right sideline where he shook a defender, and then finished the play off for a Gators touchdown.

That gave the Gators a 10-7 lead early in the third quarter of a tightly-contested game.

NUMBER SEVEN came this season when running back La’Mical Perine busted an 88-yard touchdown with roughly nine minutes left in the game to seal an outstanding showing in UF's homecoming victory against Auburn.

The Gators also rolled out throwback uniforms for the first time since their 2006 win vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide.

NUMBER SIX comes from a rather odd game from inside the Swamp.

Late in the 2012 season, the Gators were tied with Louisiana-Monroe with just 12 seconds remaining in the game before Louchiez Purifoy found a way to shoot through the line and block ULM’s punt. The ball then dropped into the waiting arms of Jelani Jenkins who returned it 36 yards to win the game.

NUMBER FIVE is Michael McNeely’s fake field goal against UGA.

Early in the first quarter, UF lined up for a 39-yard field goal in an attempt to get its first points of the game. McNeely, who was not the starting holder, took the snap and ran 22 yards to the end-zone in a play that sparked a big victory against the rival Bulldogs.

NUMBER FOUR was one of the more exciting moments in the Swamp, and took place during the 2015 season.

Down by four and on a pivotal 4th and 14 with just under two minutes left in the game, Will Grier hit Antonio Callaway about four yards beyond the sticks. Callaway then turned up the sideline and took it 63 yards to the house, thanks to a peel-back block from Brandon Powell.

That play put the Gators up by one with 1:26 left in the game and ended up being the game winner as well, as Tennessee missed its attempt at a game-winning field goal.

NUMBER THREE was one of the loudest, if not the loudest, moment at the Swamp in recent memory, and it took place during the 2018 season vs. LSU, which was ranked No. 5 at the time.

With less than two minutes left in the game, Brad Stewart jumped a Joe Burrow pass on 3rd and 4 and took it back 25 yards for a touchdown to record a big-time victory for the Gators' program.

NUMBER TWO was one of the best goal line stands I’ve ever witnessed, and it came in Death Valley against rival LSU.

On 4th and goal from the one-yard line with only three seconds left in the game, Marcell Harris and Jordan Sherit busted into the backfield and held Derrius Guice just inches short of the end-zone to win the game.

For the Gators, that game-winning stop clinched the SEC East for the 2016 season.

And finally, NO. 1, the 2017 Hail Mary toss against Tennessee. It was 1st and 10 and the Gators were lined up on their own 37-yard line with just nine seconds left of a 20-20 game.

Feleipe Franks stepped up in the pocket, and then scrambled to the right before launching a deep ball that flew about 65 yards in the air and landed in the arms of Tyrie Cleveland for a 63-yard score that ignited the crowd and team alike.

It was one of the most exciting plays in Florida history from one of most exciting offensive plays in football.

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