The play defied logic.
With just one yard separating the Gators from the endzone, they ran an option off left tackle to the short side of the field.
Boos immediately rippled through Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as Tyler Murphy fumbled the pitch to Kelvin Taylor. A disgruntled Florida fan could be heard from the press box yelling, “Run it up the middle!”
Florida, facing two plays with six yards to go, predictably trotted out the field goal unit after two incompletions. A Brad Phillips 23-yarder couldn’t overshadow Florida running a play that just didn’t sense.
“It was a miscommunication between me and the line. That's just, I mean, once again, we shot ourselves in the foot in the red zone. We got a field goal and needed a touchdown,” Murphy said.
“It was supposed to be a run to the left and then, you know, after we saw the look we talked it through and we tried to go outside to the left. (It was) just the wrong call. That’s just something I’ve got to correct and make sure I see the right look before the game starts.”
The redshirt junior surpassed career highs in pass attempts (46), completions (30) and yards (305) against Vanderbilt. Three passes fell in the hands of the opposition, though. Those three interceptions led to 21 points.
Vanderbilt sacked Murphy five times. On a fourth-and-23 from the Florida 46-yard line, Murphy couldn’t find any receivers open and subsequently tried his best Bob Griese impersonation from Super Bowl VI against the Cowboys. The 26-yard loss ended with Caleb Azubike slamming Murphy to the turf.
Offensive guard Trip Thurman, playing due to injuries on the offensive line, pushed him off Murphy for an obvious unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It didn’t elicit a reaction from the usually fiery coach Will Muschamp, who despises dumb penalties more than struggling place kickers.
The year at quarterback was summed up in the third quarter as Murphy continued to struggle. Former starter Jeff Driskel watched his first game since fracturing his right fibula on Sept. 21. He wore a blue polo shirt and gray shorts with a crutch and a walking boot.
Skyler Mornhinweg, the anointed backup following Driskel’s injury, started warming up with reserve tight end Bair Diamond. The redshirt freshman paced along the sidelines sometimes with his helmet hanging off his right hand and sometimes with his helmet halfway on his head. He hadn’t taken a collegiate snap. He wasn’t even supposed to come close to one in 2013. He came awfully close on Saturday.
Gator Nation’s worst nightmare came true this season. Florida’s free fall coincided with a murderous conference schedule and a backup quarterback’s fall back down to Earth amid an offensive line always in flux. Murphy’s numbers against Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas: 72.2 percent completion percentage, 530 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
His numbers against LSU, Missouri, Georgia and Vanderbilt: 55.7 percent completion percentage, 686 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.
Murphy was the last of five players that addressed the media following the team’s first loss to Vanderbilt in the Swamp since 1945. World War II had just ended 41 days earlier and Harry S. Truman was still the 33rd President.
As for the last time the Commodores beat the Gators period? No players were born yet on the roster. Will Muschamp was 17-years-old in 1988, and UF basketball coach Billy Donovan was playing for then-New York Knicks coach Rick Pitino in his lone NBA season.
Murphy had a performance he’d like to forget. Yet, he owned it.
“I didn't play well. I mean, when you throw three interceptions, you put the defense in a bind,” Murphy said. “You kill your momentum offensively. I've got to play better.”
Follow Adam Pincus on Twitter at @adamDpincus.
Tyler Murphy fumbles the ball during Florida’s 36-17 loss against Missouri on Oct. 19 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo.
