After pulling off
one of the most memorable wins in UF history, the Gators are looking to build on that excitement as they face Kentucky on Saturday.
GAINESVILLE — UF quarterback Feleipe Franks knew he would need a little time to sit back and make sense of it all.
The 19-year-old also had no doubt his walk-off 63-yard touchdown pass to stun Tennessee was the biggest play of his life.
“Definitely in football,” Franks said. “I just want to take it overnight, relax and then maybe let it sink in. I’ll enjoy it.”
Players, coaches and fans had every reason to embrace the excitement of Saturday’s emotional 26-20 win in the Swamp.
But once the afterglow wore off, the reality remained: Franks and the No. 20 Gators (1-1, 1-0 SEC) have a long way to go.
“We’ve got work to do,” coach Jim McElwain said.
Whatever happens, Franks’ Hail Mary hook-up with sophomore Tyrie Cleveland will go down in Gator lore. Whether UF builds on a game-winning prayer will determine how people remember the season.
Looking back months from now, the play will be either the high point or the turning point of 2017. Franks is banking on the latter.
“When we all put our chemistry together and we’re all communicating and we’re all on the same page, then we’re really lethal at offense,” he said. “And I think towards the end it showed that. We’re only going to improve. That’s the good thing about that.”
The rise of two freshman playmakers, receiver Kadarius Toney