The Gators found themselves in a similar position – trailing to a seemingly inferior opponent, on Homecoming nonetheless.
And considering the woes of kicker Austin Hardin, whom coach Jim McElwain had been hesitant to put the fate of the game at his feet, victory seemed all but a foregone conclusion.
But with the fourth quarter winding to a close and Florida running out of opportunities to overcome a two-point deficit, McElwain had no choice but to call on Hardin to do his job.
The kick? Good.
Florida? Headed to Atlanta as the Southeastern Conference East division champions.
No. 10 UF needed a late 43-yard field goal to down Vanderbilt 9-7 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as the Gators clinched the SEC East on Saturday.
“Something that I wanted to do when I came here was get to Atlanta,” senior defensive end Jon Bullard said, “and this is my first shot, so this is special for me.”
For all that’s been made of Florida’s kicking woes – the Gators hosted tryouts for a walk-on kicker during the team’s bye week – it would be the embattled Hardin who would get the call with the game on the line.
Florida’s defense was its typical outstanding self, limiting Commodores quarterback Johnny McCrary to just 30 yards on 3-of-14 passing.
As UF (8-1, 6-1 SEC) held a six-point lead – walk-on kicker Neil MacInnes failed to convert an extra point following running back Kelvin Taylor’s 3-yard touchdown dash – the Commodores wanted to head into the halftime break with momentum.
With nothing working through the air, coach Derek Mason repeatedly called upon sophomore running back Ralph Webb to carry the load.
All Webb needed was one opportunity to put Vanderbilt in the driver’s seat.
A Gainesville native, Webb sprinted 74 yards down the field and into Florida’s end zone to tie things up at six.
“The one play before half, my hat’s off to ‘em. It was good to see it was a Gainesville native who ran it,” McElwain said of Webb, who had 22 rushes for 118 yards and a score. “That’s got to be a pretty exciting moment for him that he’ll remember for the rest of his life.”
And the Commodores’ kicker, Hayden Lekacz, made sure to avoid a blunder similar to MacInnes’. He nailed the extra point, giving Vanderbilt (3-6, 1-4 SEC) the lead heading into the break.
Any indication UF’s offense would come out of the half fired up and looking to turn the game around soon evaporated in the third quarter.
Florida quarterback Treon Harris failed to get the offense moving as the Gators went three-and-out on their first three drives of the second half. Harris, who completed 12-of-24 passes for 158 yards with one interception, found himself repeatedly under pressure as UF’s offensive line continually lost the battle upfront against the Commodores.
With Vanderbilt’s offensive attack finding itself curtailed by Florida’s smothering defense, the Gators remained one competent offensive series away from regaining the lead.
Now, the Gators have outright clinched the SEC East and will play the winner of the West division on Dec. 5 in Atlanta. While Florida leads all SEC teams in conference championships played-in with 11, the Gators haven’t competed for a title since 2009. Now, with first-year UF coach Jim McElwain at the helm, the Gators are competing for the crown a year removed from firing coach Will Muschamp. McElwain said after the game that he’s seen his team begin to understand what it takes to be successful, and as a result the Gators are witnessing their hard work pay off on the field.
“I know this: they were hungry when we got here again and were just real honest with each other as far as what it takes to really be successful,” McElwain said. “These guys were excited in the locker room, yet very tempered because they know there is a lot of unfinished business.”
All season, the Gators have approached each game as if it’s their last and it has led to a renewed focus in the locker room. And while there’s nearly a month until the team travels to Atlanta – Florida must first take care of business at South Carolina on Saturday – talk of turning national championship dreams into reality was admittedly on the mind of Harris.
“We have to go to practice, pay attention to the install and the details like coach Mac always says. We have to get better every day,” Harris said.
“But everybody keeps saying Atlanta, we’re trying to get past Atlanta. We’re trying to get to the national championship game.”
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
UF running back Kelvin Taylor (21) and defensive end Alex McCalister (14) celebrate with teammates after clinching the SEC East with its 9-7 win against Vanderbilt on Nov. 7, 2015, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
