Gators escape with win
Florida rallies in fourth quarter to slip past USF
GAINESVILLE — Florida had hoped that a matchup against a clearly overmatched opponent in USF would be just what the Gators needed to take away the bitter taste of last week’s loss to Kentucky. Instead, UF found itself in a dogfight throughout before pulling out a hardfought 31-28 win Saturday night.
USF kicker Spencer Shrader’s 48-yard field goal missed its mark preserving the win.
Florida tailback Trevor Etienne scored on a 3-yard run with 5:05 left in what would be the go-ahead touchdown.
The Bulls rushed for a season-high 288 yards as tailback Brian Battie and quarterback Gerry Bohanon ran for at least 100 yards apiece.
Early on, it was a return to basics for No. 18 Florida which leaned into a balanced ground game to turn an early 7-3 first-quarter deficit into a 24-13 advantage. But issues that plagued the Gators in their loss to the Wildcats presented themselves again in the second half.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson looked calm and in control of UF’s offense throughout much of the first half, but the sophomore tossed his third interception of the season at the start of the third quarter. USF converted the mistake into a 6-yard touchdown by Bohanon to cut the deficit to 24-21.
Richardson’s problems continued as he completed just one of his next five pass attempts, overthrowing several receivers in the process. He would throw his second interception of the night when USF cornerback Aarmaris Brown picked off his pass in the end zone, squashing a potential go-ahead score with 7:50 left in the fourth.
Montrell Johnson Jr., Nay’Quan Wright and Etienne rushed for combined 196 yards.
“I started making a few plays, which was exciting for me,” he said.
Johnson was proud of his performance despite the loss to the Cardinals.
“I’ve been doing my job pretty well, but there’s always some stuff to fix,” Johnson said. “There’s no such thing as a perfect game, so I’ve just got to be better.”
Johnson almost didn’t enter the NCAA transfer portal. It wasn’t until Eastern Illinois made a late coaching change in the middle of January. EIU coach Adam Cushing resigned after three seasons and Chris Wilkerson was hired to replace him.
“I was about to stay at Eastern Illinois until my head coach left, so I didn’t know if my position coach would stay,” Johnson said. “He said I’ve got to do what’s best for me, so I entered the portal.”
Once there, UCF went after Johnson because the Knights needed his experience badly at linebacker as senior Jeremiah
Jean-Baptiste was the only returning starter.
“UCF was the best school that contacted me, so I came here,” Johnson said. “I love the coaching staff.”
Johnson works under defensive coordinator Travis Williams, who coaches the linebackers. He’s grateful for the chance.
“I”m happy he believed in me,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to prove myself to him. I don’t want to let him down.”
As for his former school, Johnson said he received plenty of messages from his old teammates last week.
“They were proud of me,” he said. “I just want to make them proud and make my family proud. I’m glad they were watching.”
It’s likely they were watching again when Johnson and the Knights traveled to Boca Raton for Saturday’s game.
“They have a great offense,” he said about the Owls. “You’ve got to make sure you’re doing your job or it could be a big play.”