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Rapid Reaction to Florida's 38-14 win over Vanderbilt

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi10/08/23ZachAbolverdi

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Led by a season-high performance by junior running back Montrell Johnson Jr., the Florida Gators got back in the win column Saturday with a 38-14 victory over Vanderbilt.

Johnson rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while redshirt quarterback Graham Mertz threw for three touchdowns and 254 yards on 30 of 36 passing.

Redshirt freshman tight end Arlis Boardingham caught two touchdowns and finished with 99 yards on seven catches, while freshman receiver Eugene Wilson III led the team with eight receptions for 64 yards and scored his first TD as a Gator.

Defensively, Florida held the Commodores to 58 rushing yards, 1 of 10 on third down and 0 of 3 on fourth down. Aside from Will Sheppard’s 85-yard touchdown and a 52-yard catch by Junior Sherrill, Vandy gained just 197 yards on 51 plays.

In the video above, Gators Online shares our rapid reaction from The Swamp to Florida’s homecoming win over Vanderbilt.

RELATED: Game Balls: Florida Gators top performers against Vanderbilt

Billy Napier opening statement

“I’ll tell you what, Gator Nation keeps showing up. We’re very thankful. We talked to the players Friday about the importance of homecoming. Obviously it’s independent of the competitive part of the game, the execution of the game, but one day they’re going to be coming back, and they’re going to be sitting in that stadium watching the team, and they’re going to want to be proud of how the team plays, the brand of football that they play.

Think about that, who we represent. I think University of Florida is a special place because of the significant impact it’s had on a lot of people along the way. It’s good to win on homecoming. It’s good to play a little bit better brand of football.

I do think there’s things that we need to clean up. I think we had a few too many penalties today. We tackled better. Really gave up one play in the first half, and overall got to play some players there at the end.

This game requires mental toughness, certainly playing in the SEC. I do think that every week is a new week, and sometimes you don’t play the way you want to play. You’ve got to get up off the mat, you’ve got to go back in the ring as a competitor.

We really wanted to play smart today, wanted to play tough, fundamentally sound, and we wanted to play with better energy, and I think we got that accomplished. Out of respect for the game and out of respect for the work that this group has done, I think they played a little more like we want them to today.”

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