“Every time I see green grass, I just think touchdown.”

This insight into Nay’Quan Wright’s psyche came after Florida’s 42-0 victory over Vanderbilt, and following his breakout performance Saturday afternoon the redshirt sophomore will be dreaming of sheep and six points.

Wright had been an effective third option through the first four games of the season, serving as a deputy to Florida’s headline backs Malik Davis and Dameon Pierce. But as Davis was unable to dress for Saturday’s contest, Wright was unexpectedly thrust into the feature running back role.

“I didn’t actually know,” Wright said about Davis' absence. “I thought he was playing this week. He was in practice, so I thought he was playing.”

However, the Miami Gardens native eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time in his career, carving up the porous Vanderbilt defense on the ground and as a receiver.

Wright stamped his mark on the ballgame from his first touch, as the sophomore bounced to the outside and ran 30 yards all the way to the Vanderbilt goalline. Wright’s carry was ruled as a touchdown on the field before being overturned, but the Gators would score on the following play.

“The O-line is doing a great job opening up those lanes.” Wright said. “Once they give me a crease, I’m going to take advantage of it every time, every opportunity I get. So, hats off to those guys for opening up those lanes.”

He added on a few middling runs throughout the rest of the game, but it was the passing game that allowed Wright to pick up the majority of his yards on Saturday.

Wright came out of the backfield midway through the second quarter and offered a jolt to UF’s sputtering offense. He caught Jones’ pass with acres of space, or “green grass,” in front of him and scampered 31 yards after the catch inside the Vanderbilt ten-yard line.

Involving the running backs seemed to be a point of emphasis in the UF scheme heading into Saturday, as Dameon Pierce hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass and Wright had a more modest six-yard grab on the first play after halftime.

“We practiced it all week, so I just had to come out and execute,” Wright said about his 51-yard reception. “The O-line held their guys up. The quarterback delivered the ball. I just had to do the easy part, run a straight line and catch the ball.”

Although Nay’Quan Wright only scored one touchdown, there's an argument that Pierce stole two more touchdowns from Saturday’s breakout star. Pierce scored two touchdowns on just 12 yards rushing, and both scores came on drives where Wright was forced out of bounds inside the 10-yard line after a lengthy gain.

But Wright dismissed these notions with a smile, saying that he plans to continue improving and work to finish off these plays at the next opportunity.

“Nah, man, I wouldn’t call it stealing,” Wright said. “That’s my fault. I should have got in right there, put my head down. I should have been a little faster and I would have got in. I just gotta finish those types of runs right there.”

Stay tuned to Gators Territory.