Three Vanderbilt players to watch against the Gators
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The No. 6 Gators are currently riding a three-game win streak into what should be their easiest game on the schedule Saturday.
Florida is in the driver’s seat in the SEC East at 5-1, while Vanderbilt has yet to win a game this season. GatorsTerritory looks at three players to watch for the Commodores as they try to pull off the upset in Nashville.
QB Ken Seals
Seals just third true freshman quarterback to start a season opener in the SEC since 1972. He's completing 66.8 percent of his attempts on the year, but his passing numbers won’t wow you. He’s thrown for 1,291 yards, but has the same number of interceptions as touchdowns with eight each. If Vandy is going to have a shot in this game, Seals will need to be more careful with the ball and find opportunities to gain yardage in chucks. Florida’s defense has shown to be susceptible at giving up chunk play at least once or twice a game.
RB Keyon Henry-Brooks
Henry-Brooks leads Vanderbilt in rushing with 374 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 85 carries. Despite missing the first two games of the season, he also ranks second on the team in receptions (22 catches for 215 yards) and all-purpose yards (589) behind quarterback Ken Seals. Henry-Brooks has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last two games. If he can continue to grind out yards in the run game, that will give the Commodores a chance to keep Florida’s dynamic offense off the field and shorten the game.
Johnson is the leading receiver for Vanderbilt, catching 37 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns. He had 117 yards two weeks ago and 97 the game prior, but held to 17 yards receiving last Saturday. Johnson isn't overly explosive with an average of 9.6 yards per reception, but does a good job of making himself available to the quarterback. The Gators will be looking to shut down Seals' No. 1 and force him to look elsewhere for his completions. If Johnson can find a way to get open and make some first-down grabs, it could keep the Commodores competitive in this game.