Lamical Perine was nothing but stellar in final game with the Gators
Lamical Perine was the MVP no one saw coming.
The Gators’ run game struggled to get off the ground this year, but Perine single-handedly turned that around in this Orange Bowl victory.
Just 40 seconds into the game, he found a gap and went for 61 yards to the house, and it wasn’t just a lucky break. The running back, who elected to stay with the Gators for his senior season, would find his way into the end zone two more times on Monday night, marking his only game this season with multiple touchdowns.
“He's one of the best backs in the country,” said coach Dan Mullen. “If you just purely look at stats and rushing yards, you might just kind of get a misread on it, but the reality is he's one of the best backs in the country and he showed it out here tonight, running, catching.”
Across the last 12 games, he was averaging about 45 yards per game on the ground. But against Virginia, he went for 138 rushing yards – a career high. On top of that, he also caught five passes for 43 yards.
“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said quarterback Kyle Trask. “He worked really, really hard and it showed out here today.”
Florida’s inability to get the run game going dulled Perine’s shine this year. He had nearly 300 less rushing yards this season compared to his 2018 campaign. Still, he stayed focused and was able to get the job done when his team needed him the most.
“Lamical deserves everything he’s gotten,” said Feleipe Franks. “He’s such a selfless player. To see him come out here and do the performance that he does, he deserves every bit of it. He deserves every bit of praise, that trophy, and everybody congratulating him. He sat back and has been selfless all year long and he deserves every bit of praise that he gets.”
This was a career night for Perine. That struggling run game meant the senior didn’t get to show himself off as much as he would have liked before heading into the NFL draft. But Mullen found a way to work him in more as the season progressed, showing off his flexibility and ability to play in different positions around the offense.
And Monday night’s performance was one for the books for the NFL hopeful. This was undoubtedly his best game in the Orange and Blue this year and a sure-fire way to get noticed by those scouts.
But the selfless running back wasn’t most excited about the game he had, but about what this win means for the team as a whole.
“When [Mullen] first got here, we were 4 and 7,” he said. “Now, we’ve got two double-digit win seasons. That’s the Gator Standard, winning. It’s just a great feeling to get the Gator Standard back.”
When asked how he wants to be remembered here at the University of Florida, his answer was simple.
“A guy that just gave it his all,” he answered.
Don’t worry, Perine. Your name won’t be forgotten by Gator Nation anytime soon.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.
