Brandon Powell makes UF proud
GAINESVILLE — After sustaining an injury on a diving touchdown catch just before halftime, Brandon Powell wanted to come back in the game. After all, it was Senior Day. So Powell re-entered the game, book-ending his career with one of his best performances in a Florida Gators uniform.
“[He’s] a warrior,” running back Mark Thompson said.
After he was introduced on the field during UF’s senior ceremony, Powell recorded a career-high tying nine receptions to go along with 75 yards and two touchdowns during Florida’s 38-22 loss to Florida State on Saturday. It was the first two-touchdown performance of Powell’s career.
“He’s been a baller since he got here,” redshirt senior punter Johnny Townsend said. “It’s gonna be awesome to see how he plays at the next level.”
Against the Seminoles, Powell was a safety valve for struggling quarterback Feleipe Franks, who threw three interceptions but continually connected with Powell.
The senior had three catches of 10 yards or more, including a pivotal third-and-9 reception in the third quarter during which Powell escaped an FSU defender and made a 23-yard reception to keep Florida’s drive alive.
“He really did a good job, especially in his last game,” Franks said. “He definitely went out the right way.”
TOWNSEND PREPS FOR SENIOR BOWL: During Florida’s senior day ceremony on Saturday, as players jogged out of the locker room tunnel to greet their families on the field, UF punter Johnny Townsend received the loudest cheer. It wasn’t close. “It was my dream my entire life to come here and play,” Townsend said, smiling. “So just hearing that response from the crowd, it’s an honor to be recognized like that.”
Townsend, a redshirt senior from Orlando, has been one of the best punters in the nation this season and entered Saturday’s game ranked second in the country in punting average (47.93 yards per punt).
He capped his career with a solid game on Saturday, averaging 43.8 yards per punt. And while he did have an uncharacteristic 29-yard punt in the second quarter, he made up for it by booming a 60-yarder one quarter later.
After the game, Townsend said he’s looking forward to playing in the Senior Bowl in January — a game featuring NFL prospects from around the country — in preparation for the 2018 NFL draft.
“I can’t wait to get in front of some of those scouts and coaches and GMs and try to showcase myself the best I can,” Townsend said.
STREAK ENDS: Entering Saturday, the Gators hadn’t scored an offensive touchdown against the Seminoles since 2014.
Florida snapped that streak in the first quarter.
Redshirt senior running back Mark Thompson, in his last game at Florida, scored on a 10-yard run to tie the game at seven, ending the offense’s scoreless streak.
“I just wanted to see my parents and have them see me in the Swamp,” Thompson said. “So that was really cool.”