It wasn’t the game Florida’s players hoped it would be.
The confident bunch of Gators predicted a blowout. It wasn’t.
UF’s hyped-up secondary was supposed to incapacitate redshirt freshman Miami quarterback Jarren Williams, who was making his first start. It didn’t.
And yet, despite trailing for a large portion of the game, Florida found itself on top when the clock hit zero. A quick fourth quarter drive for UF orchestrated by redshirt junior quarterback Feleipe Franks — as well as 10 sacks from its ferocious pass rush— made sure of that.
The No. 8 Gators defeated the ‘Canes 24-20, earning their first victory in the intermittent in-state rivalry series since 2008. But despite all its confidence, UF was lucky to even be in it.
Coach Dan Mullen expressed how close it was after the game.
“The last five minutes of the game, I think I aged like 10 years,” he said.
Mullen may have felt that way at the end, but UF fans likely experienced it from the game’s opening possession.
Williams may have been inexperienced, but watching him play would not have given off that idea. He was nearly perfect on his first drive as Miami’s signal caller, going 5 for 5 with 61 yards and leading the Hurricanes (0-1) to a 3-0 lead.
“I thought (Williams) did a good job,” Mullen said. “I thought (UM Offensive Coordinator Dan Enos) did a good job of putting him in position, especially early in the game with some quick throws.”
But Franks was not to be outdone. On his first pass attempt, a late decision caused his ball to lead redshirt senior receiver Van Jefferson out of bounds. But on his second try, he connected with junior receiver Kadarius Toney on a screen pass, and the shifty playmaker did the rest.
Sixty-six yards and multiple broken tackles later, Toney waltzed into the end zone to give the Gators (1-0) a 7-3 lead.
Miami would tack on a field goal in the second quarter, but UF appeared to have the Hurricanes offense figured out.
Unfortunately for Florida, the offensive stagnation affected both teams indiscriminately. Aside from the pass to Toney, Franks was 6 of 8 in the first half, but for only 38 yards.
UF’s defense sustained its lead, but turnovers — including a red-zone fumble — jeopardized it.
With just 45 seconds remaining before halftime, Williams connected with tight end Brevin Jordan despite his ball being tipped. Jordan bounded across the goal line, giving Miami a 13-7 lead at the break.
Florida had a golden opportunity to recapture its lead on the first drive of the third quarter, when a pass interference call on Al Blades Jr. set it up at the Miami 36. But UF proceeded to lose seven yards, and, knocked out of sophomore kicker Evan McPherson’s range, had to punt.
McPherson narrowed the gap to three on a field goal the next drive, but it was clear Florida needed to catch a break.
That break came when Hurricanes receiver Jeff Thomas muffed a punt at his own 13 yard line, which Jefferson recovered. Two plays later, Franks found running back Lamical Perine over the middle for the go-ahead touchdown. It was Perine’s biggest contribution in a game where he only ran for 42 yards on 10 carries, which led the Gators in rushing.
Miami would respond, though, in the form of a 50-yard touchdown run from Deejay Dallas. In addition to the touchdown, Dallas finished with 12 carries for 95 yards.
“There’s a lot we can learn from that game and a lot we can get cleaned up defensively,” Mullen said. “We can be better coaches and we can get them coached better, get the players to play better.”
Once again, UF found itself trailing. But it was just in time for Franks’ best drive of the game.
Franks hit senior receiver Josh Hammond in stride on a streak route for 65 yards on the first play, setting UF up at Miami’s 15. A three-yard touchdown run from Franks on a draw gave the Gators what would be the game-winning score.
Franks threw an interception the previous drive, but bounced back with a 3-of-3, 77-yard drive.
“It’s hard when something like that happens,” he said. “And I think we did a great job of just responding and coming out with a great win.”
Miami threatened Florida on its final drive, converting on a 4th and 34 when defensive back Marco Wilson was flagged for pass interference. But pressure prevented Williams from leading the touchdown drive, and the Hurricanes eventually turned it over on downs.
It wasn’t Franks’ best game. He finished 17 of 27 with 254 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble. He was almost certainly outplayed by Williams, whose 19 of 29, 214 yard and one touchdown performance impressed.
But Franks made the plays when it mattered.
“I was pleased with a bunch of stuff with (Franks),” Mullen said. “One of the things he knows, we’re going to put the game in his hands. And there are some teachable moments in there and some things he can continue to learn. But I think he knows we have the confidence in him to make plays.”
Follow Tyler Nettuno on Twitter @TylerNettuno. Contact him at tnettuno@alligator.org.
Feleipe Franks scored the game-winning touchdown on a three-yard rush with 8:18 left in the game.
