Gators will keep their attention on Commodores
Escape from Vandy in 2015 is still fresh on players’ minds.
NASHVILLE,TENN. — The Florida Gators have an opportunity Saturday to prove they can shake offff not just one, but two ugly hangovers.
The 23rd-ranked Gators visit Vanderbilt a week after blowing a 21-point lead in being routed 38-28 by the Tennessee Volunteers. If any Gators need a reminder to focus on a team they’ve beaten nine of the past 10 seasons, coach Jim McElwain can point to Vanderbilt nearly ruining homecoming last year before Florida pulled out a 9-7 win clinching the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title.
Safety Marcus Maye said the Gators have learned their lesson and know they can’t let that happen again.
“We know it takes four quarters. We can’t get down on ourselves if we’re down,” Maye said. “We can’t relax if we’re up. It’s defifinitely a learning process.”
The Gators (3-1, 1-1 SEC) aren’t giving up on defending their East title this early in the season. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason isn’t expecting a team based on what’s happened in the last two quarters played.
“Sometimes you fifind yourself in a landslide and you can’t escape it, and when that happens it can be rough,” Mason said. “Coach McElwain’s got to get that group to rebound, and he will. He’s been doing this a long time.”
Mason’s Commodores (2-2, 0-1) want to build on a 31-30 overtime win at Western Kentucky last week. And yes, they remember coming up short in the Swamp last November. No. 23 Florida at Vannderbilt, noon, SEC Network
“To come so close and not come up with the win, it’s unacceptable,” Vanderbilt linebacker-safety Oren Burks said. “There’s something personal about this game.”
Here are some things to watch when the Gators visit Music City.
Wake up: Kickoffff is at 11 a.m. local time, but McElwain is keeping his Gators on Eastern time to help them be ready for their earliest kickoffff this season. McElwain has reason to worry about his Gators kicking offff at noon after struggling in three such games last season.
“I don’t know what it is with noon starts a year ago, we were FAU, Vanderbilt and the bowl game, which none of those results were very good,” McElwain said. “... We’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go play against a team that obviously has some weapons.”
Stopping Webb: Ralph Webb has been Vanderbilt’s biggest offffffffffffensive threat since getting on the fifield, and now the junior ranks second in the SEC averaging 118 yards per game. Webb leads the SEC with fifive TDs rushing, and now sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur is coming offff his best game throwing the ball with a career-high 279 yards in rallying Vandy to a win last week.
Don’t look ahead: The Gators can’t dwell on last week’s game, and they can’t afffffffffffford to look ahead either. LSU visits Gainesville on Oct. 8, giving Florida a chance to avenge last year’s 35-28 loss. “Just go out and focus on what we have to focus on,” Maye said.