------
* Five Fast Thoughts after double-digit victory
* Breaking: Del Rio out for the season
* Instant Analysis: Florida improves to 3-1 with 38-24 victory
* Alley: Florida v Vanderbilt Game Thread
* Poll: Florida's record over the next three games
* 30 DAY FREE TRIAL USING PROMO CODE Gators30
------
On a day that ended with five rushing touchdowns—the best scoring performance the Gators have had on the ground since a win over Georgia in 2014—Florida and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier relied on a stable of backs to run over Vanderbilt 38-24.
It was also the best offensive performance overall the Gators have had all season, besting the Kentucky performance by 72 yards.
Sophomore running back Lamical Perine had three touchdowns but we’re going to start by talking about Malik Davis; it was just that kind of day for the Florida running backs.
The freshman Davis went for 124 yards on 17 carries and found the endzone twice. Perine—who had three touchdowns himself—said Malik Davis is a name the college football world will know.
“Now the nation should know about Malik Davis because he’s a good running back. He (Davis) is going to score a lot of touchdowns in The Swamp, and in a whole lot of other stadiums. I am glad to see him do well. In summer ball, he broke some big runs on the starting defense and he has been doing it ever since.”
Sophomore defensive lineman Jachai Polite is a witness to Malik’s shiftiness, saying he’ll attempt to tackle him in practice then look up and see him four yards down the field.
“He’s hard to tackle, he’s very hard. He’s a great back. He’s elusive and he sees steps ahead of people; like he knows what’s about to come so he’s already going to the next move.”
Sophomore linebacker David Reeves who has to face Davis in practice every day said it’s no surprise to see Davis pull a load—“He’s a great player and he’s working hard, he’s a workhorse.”
There’s a reason running backs are likened to horses—a stable of backs, a workhorse—and anyone who’s every worked with horses knows that the harder a horse works, well, the harder he’ll work. He builds up a good lather and gets stronger as the work goes on. The same is often true of running backs. It’s why a lot of offenses choose to pick one feature back and stick with them as much as possible through the game. But if you have a stable, use them. Run them all enough to keep the legs moving, rotating out to stay fresh. That’s what Florida did today with their stable.
“Momentum man,” said Perine, “when you get to feeling the momentum you just gotta keep going and Coach let you do that. Coach [Ja'Juan] Seider, he do a good job of that.”
The Gators offense existed on a diet of a featured back for every drive, handing off to Davis, Perine, redshirt senior Mark Thompson and freshman Kadarius Toney. The four averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
But it was Davis and Perine who made the biggest impact. The sophomore Perine racked up 58 yards on 15 carries. Then when it came to scoring, it felt so nice he did it thrice.
Perine became the first UF player to score three rushing touchdowns since Jeff Driskel, who also did it against Vanderbilt on Oct. 13, 2012. He is the first Florida running back to rush for three touchdowns since DeShawn Wynn, who rushed for three touchdowns against Kentucky on Sept. 24, 2005.
“The coaches have been pushing us hard in practice and I think it carried over into the game,” explained Perine.
“The offensive line did a good job today, hats off to those guys - they played great and we have to go forward with that.”
Added Reeves, on the new two headed running back duo, “They’re two good backs and our O-line has been doing a fantastic job…Perine, he had a great game today. And they just carried the load for us.”
It was a necessary playbook in the 2nd half after starting quarterback Luke del Rio left with an injury on his plagued left shoulder. [He will have surgery on Monday and is out for the season.] As Feleipe Franks continues to learn the playbook, he has a quarterback's best friend in the backfield now—a stable of running backs who are ready to carry the load.
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.
