Redshirt senior wide receiver Deonte Thompson: “He’s really helped himself as far as playing on special teams. He’s done a nice job on teams for us. Given his opportunities, I think he’s made some plays for us when given the opportunity. I think he’s played consistent for us. He’s blocked extremely well for us this year. [...] Deonte’s worked extremely hard. He’s done everything we’ve asked. He’s had an outstanding career here. He’s going to graduate in December. He’s done all the right things, and I’m very pleased with Deonte. He can run – that’s the one thing – he can run vertically down the field, and he’s a very physical player. You look at most NFL rosters, they’re going to carry at most six receivers. If you’re not the top one or two, you got to play special teams. I think he’s helped himself this year on our coverage units – punt, punt block – and the different things that he’s been able to contribute to our football team. I think he’s really helped himself as far as those things are concerned.”

Redshirt senior running back Chris Rainey: “I try to judge things with my own eyes. I don’t really like to form an opinion on something that you hear. In my eyes, since I’ve been here, I’ve seen a guy that loves the University of Florida. He loves to compete. He goes out to practice and in the weight room and everything he does, he does 100 percent. He’s got a great sense of humor. He positively affects everyone around him. This team loves him. It’s very obvious to see that. He’s banged up. He’s hurt. His ankle’s bad. We’re sitting there in the Vanderbilt game down on the goal line and we had decided in pregame not to play him. He’s tugging on my back telling me, ‘Put me in the game. Let me carry the ball.’ That’s the type of guy you’re dealing with. That, to me, is a competitive, tough guy that you want playing on Saturday and the type of guy you want on your football team. You need more of those kinds of guys.”

Redshirt senior guard Dan Wenger: “He’s a guy that ahs bonded very easily with our players, very quickly with our players. Maturity, knowledge of the system and what was expected. He’s been a very valuable member for us. He’s a guy that wants to be a strength coach, so he’s in graduate school right now doing very well. He’s a guy I think will be an outstanding coach because of how he deals with people.”

Freshman fullback Hunter Joyer (and his maturity): “The year he has had this season has been very somewhat unnoticed maybe outside of the building. In the building, he’s as appreciated a football player on our football team for what he’s accomplished as a freshman. To come in, block, carry, catch and do the things he’s done offensively and step into the role, he’s a good football player right now but his best football is ahead of him. He’s an outstanding young man and an outstanding student-athlete.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Muschamp said all nine scholarship seniors are set to graduate in December.

» Muschamp on the season so far: “We’re certainly not pleased with the season in any respect. It’s totally unacceptable here at Florida and I realize that. Our goal is to go to Atlanta. In all areas we need to improve.”

» Muschamp on the recruiting importance of UF-FSU: “I don’t think that any young man makes his decision based on the outcome of one game. I’ve never felt that way. At the end of the day, young men make their decision based on the opportunity that they have at a certain school from an education standpoint, a football standpoint, a playing time standpoint, a coaching standpoint, the position coach. I don’t think that three hours on Saturday make a decision for young men. Those ones that it does, I don’t know if you want them in your program.”

» Muschamp on not blaming players for mistakes/losses: “At the end of a game, I’m not like a lot of coaches. I’m not going to come in and blame all of our players. There are a lot of coaches that do that. I’m not going to do that. When we play well, it’s because our players played well. When we don’t, it’s my fault. That’s just been my approach all the time, and the players understand that, too. I’m the first one that’s going to stand up and say I need to do a better job. I think it’s very unprofessional for a grown man to come up here and blame a 19-20-21-year-old kid for a mistake. I think that’s ridiculous, and I’m not going to do that. So if it makes somebody mad, let me know.”

» Muschamp on what he told his team for Thanksgiving: “I love this time of the year, and I told the players this morning, ‘I want everybody to call somebody in your life and thank them. We’re in such a society of self-entitlement and how does it affect me. Somebody has helped you get to the University of Florida. Somebody has helped you accomplish the things you have accomplished in life. I want everybody in the room to call somebody and thank them for what they’ve done for them.’ I love this time of the year from the standpoint of rivalry games and Thanksgiving is a lot of fun.”

» Muschamp on if he considered selling the beach house he owns with Jimbo Fisher: “Have you seen the market up there? Do you want to buy it? The market is not real good right now. It’s a buyer’s market though, you’re more than welcome. Jimbo will cut you a heck of a deal.”

» Muschamp on leadership: “Leaders don’t have bad days. Leaders have maybe one a little tougher than another one, but leaders don’t have bad days. They step up every day and they bring it every day. For younger guys, that’s hard to understand. They’ve got to understand it’s an everyday process about being a good football player, about being a leader, about positively affecting everybody around them. You don’t have bad days. That doesn’t happen.”

» Brantley on everything coming full circle: “Me, Rainey and Deonte, it just seems like yesterday that we were sitting in the back row being freshmen. We’ve had a lot of great times and we’re just excited for our last game in The Swamp being against FSU.”

» Brantley on his health: “I’m feeling a lot better. I’m really close to 100 percent, just feeling better each week.”

» Rainey on his favorite player in the Florida-Florida State series growing up: “Emmit Smith. I got a chance to meet him. That’s all that matters to me.”

» Rainey on what was discussed in Monday’s meeting: “If you study on something on film and somebody comes out with a different formation, you just got to be alert to it, be focused all around. Give it all for the seniors and let them leave the right way.”

» Rainey on spending Thanksgiving with the Pouncey brothers: “They sure do eat a lot.”

With their lead cut to eight, Furman looked to regain their two-score advantage. Stationed at UF’s 47-yard-line, QB Chris Forcier tossed the ball to TE Colin Anderson, who threw it 47 yards down the field to Sederrik Cunningham for a touchdown.

The Gators were reeling at the end of the first quarter but took it to the Paladins shortly after the second quarter began. Florida ended a seven-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard rushing score by freshman fullback Hunter Joyer, and Brantley hooked up with redshirt sophomore WR Andre Debose for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of UF’s next possession. A two-point conversion failed, leaving the Gators down 22-20.

Florida sophomore defensive tackle Dominique Easley blocked a punt on FU’s next drive, getting his team the ball back at their opponent’s 34-yard-line. Brantley responded with a 29-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman WR Quinton Dunbar, who tapped one foot down in the back of the end zone for the score.

UF had a chance to add a field goal at the end of the half, but Sturgis pushed a 40-yard attempt to the left and Florida kept its 27-22 lead at the break.

The teams traded field goals and punts to open the second half before swapping touchdowns to close the third quarter. The Gators had possession with 1:16 to play in the quarter, and Brantley again threw deep to Debose for a 64-yard touchdown. The Paladins responded immediately with a 77-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jerodis Williams on the first play of their ensuing possession.

Florida held just a five-point advantage into the fourth quarter but took their shots at Furman from that point forward. Sturgis nailed a 55-yard field goal to end the quarter’s first possession, and freshman safety De’Ante Saunders intercepted Forcier’s next pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to put the Gators ahead 47-32.

After another pair of punts, Florida got back on the board when redshirt sophomore Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins picked off Forcier and returned it 75 yards for the second pick-six of the game.

Though they were trailing 22-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Gators outscored the Paladins 47-10 through the final three quarters of the contest.

Debose had a career-high 151 yards and two touchdowns, and redshirt senior RB Chris Rainey led the rushing attack with 15 carries for 90 yards. Reed added four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown, Dunbar had two catches for 54 yards and a score, and Thompson made two grabs for 45 yards.

Saunders registered Florida’s first interception return for a touchdown this season and caught his second pick in as many games. Jenkins nabbed his first interception of the season after dropping a number of balls early in the year.

Sturgis’s two field goals gave him 44 for his career, good for second all-time in school history behind Jeff Chandler (67).

The Gators posted more than 50 points in a game for the first time since registering 55 against Vanderbilt one year ago.

Despite the 22-point victory, Florida only outgained Furman 453-445. The Gators had 116 more yards in the air (329-213) but were outrushed 233-124 on the afternoon. UF committed six penalties for 60 yards in the contest, gave up two fourth-down conversions (on two attempts) and possessed the ball 13:24 less than FU (23:18-36:42).

Florida will conclude its regular season next Saturday by hosting rival Florida State in The Swamp. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will air live on ESPN2.

Photo Credit: Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

Weis also discussed Florida’s two other quarterbacks on Tuesday, noting that each can play and has the opportunity to win the starting job this week.

Redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy: “His biggest asset over those other guys is just a year of experience. Having been involved in the college football program for a year, be it a different offense, gives him a little bit of an upper hand.”

Freshman Jacoby Brissett: “Jacoby probably, the only reason why Jacoby hasn’t been a factor at this point is only because he came here in the summertime. He had to play catch-up over the other guys. The other guys were here in the spring when we put everything in. That’s the only thing that kept Jacoby from possibly being the second guy in. I don’t know how it would have played out if he was here in the springtime with the other guys, but he wasn’t.”

He also addressed whether or not specific thought has been given to redshirting Brissett (or even Driskel before the season began). “Although the thought is in the background, it’s too early in the year to do that. Once Jeff played, you don’t want to put Jacoby in just to hand off. But if Jacoby gives us a chance to win this week, Jacoby will gladly play. He would be more than happy to trot out there for the first time.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» On if he thinks Brantley will play again this season: “Yeah, I do. You already were told by the head coach that he’ll let you know on Monday. He’s going to let you know on Monday, right? Isn’t that what he said/ He said, “I’ll let you know on Monday,” so the head coach will let you know on Monday.”

» On if he has had to rebuild the offense’s confidence this week: “Our coaching staff, at least the veteran coaches on our staff, have all been through experiences like this before, and we got a good idea how to handle it. It’s not like panic sets in, pandemonium sets in, it’s very matter-of-fact evaluation of what we do and what they do. It’s not a finger-point situation. Let’s be objective about the things that we could have done better and then here’s what we’re going to do to fix it and let’s move on. I don’t think there was any panic or any loss of confidence or all those things. I think that when you have a bunch of experienced guys who have been through the highs and lows, it becomes much more matter-of-fact.”

» On losing to Alabama: “They coached better than I did and they played better than we did. Not ever would I ever not start with the fact that I have to do a better job. When John goes down, I have to do a better job to put us in a better position to make plays.”

» On his evaluation of LSU: “We know it’s a formidable opponent. They’re ranked first in the country. They’ve got a great defense. You’re playing them on the road. It’s loud and you’re playing without your starting quarterback. What that does is, that gives you all the, “us against the world” mentality where you sit there and say, “Yeah, I guess we should just not go. We should just stay home this week.’”

» On if all three quarterbacks could play Saturday: “I would doubt that.”

» On if Driskel did indeed sprain his ankle on Saturday: “All three guys practiced today. What more do you want me to tell you? I’m not going there. It’s just not my territory. I feel I’m overstepping my bounds when I address that subject. I should always follow protocol and I just don’t think that’s my place.”

» On redshirt sophomore wide receiver Andre Debose stepping up recently: “The arrow has been pointing up on Andre for about a month. He’s been a very, very slow start – didn’t have a great training camp. He’s got tons of ability, an ability to be a front-line, top-line wide receiver. But he’s got to show you evidence of that. You don’t just go by reputation. They have to show you evidence. That’s part of the good thing that Will’s done since he’s been here. People don’t play based off of reputation; they have to give you evidence. For about the last four weeks…for him, the arrow’s clearly pointing up.”

» On if any changes will be made to the offensive line: “They have to get pressed more and not feel comfortable. With guys that play better or worse, they need to know that they’re not just handed a position. It’s still the same cast of characters that is involved in the mix. [...] It’s not a question of who the people are, it’s just a question of how you intend to utilize them.”

The Gators may have been down 14 points in the second quarter, but the game was far from over at that point. Brantley was in the middle of making up for the biggest mistake he’s made all season, leading Florida on a what started as a six-play, 54-yard drive to Alabama’s 13-yard-line…until he was sacked for losses of 12 and 10 yards, respectively, and knocked out of the game. Muschamp said after the game that he knew the Gators had a chance at that point and was understandably disappointed at how that unfolded.

“It was disappointing from the standpoint that we’re going into halftime, it’s a 24-10 and we’re in field goal range. Thought we’d get at least three there and we’re down 11 with a turnover return for a touchdown,” he said. “You feel good about where we are at that point in the game. And then you lose John and that took a little wind out of our sails there as far as offensively moving the football.

“We came out had some nice stops to start the second half defensively. We just got to find some ways to manufacture some yards offensively in the second half and then defensively just got to finish better, finish better and tackle. We had some guys in spots to make plays. You got to make plays. You got to tackle. I was encouraged from the standpoint of we’re going into halftime and it could have been an 11-point game. But it wasn’t. And that’s the bottom line.”

He also said that he was impressed with what Brantley did on the field. “I thought John played really well. He had big third-down conversions,” Muschamp said. “The deep ball to Andre to start the game. The dig there to Andre that their player made a nice play, knocked the ball off of him. I thought john played extremely ell, threw the ball extremely well, converted third downs against a good defense.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Muschamp on the offense’s ability to move the ball: “When the game flipped and became a two score game, and then at the half we were in a two-minute situation throwing the football. When we lost John, that took the wind out of our sails a little bit as far as some of the things we were doing in the run game. You got to give those guys credit; they played well. We got to find different ways to run the ball and stay balanced in what we do. But we moved the ball effectively in the first half. We felt very good going into halftime [until] unfortunately the injury with John.

» Mushcmap on how he felt the team responded to adversity: “Obviously we didn’t handle it very well. We’ve got to push through it. Injuries are part of the game. We got to go to the next guy and you got to play.”

» Muschamp on if Driskel was prepared: “I think Jeff played well. Again, you got to give him a chance in the pocket and he didn’t have much of a chance. Created a first down on third down there with a nice run. Didn’t have many opportunities with what we were doing.”

»Muschamp on Alabama’s long punt return: “That was disappointing. Our coverage units had been solid to this point.”

» Muschamp on if the team was frustrated in the locker room: “I don’t think there’s any question you’re frustrated. And if you’re a competitor, you should be.”

» Muschamp on not getting any pressure: “When we pressured it was not effective. It really wasn’t.”

» Muschamp on how Debose stepped up: “Andre’s done a good jbo. He’s done a good job in practice. He’s practiced hard and presented those opportunities to be in the position he’s in right now. I’m very pleased with his progress.”

» Muschamp on not running the ball well outside: “We didn’t run the inside running game very well either.”

» Debose on the game as a whole: “We started fast. Things were going good for us. I just saw the coverage that coach told us we were going to get. I saw man coverage and made the best of my opportunity. I just saw green grass and ran as fast as I could.”

» Redshirt senior WR Deonte Thompson on Brantley going down: “We came out playing well. John was throwing the ball around good. The offense was clicking. We were doing everything well. He got hurt and it happens like that. This is football. It happens like that sometimes. We still control our own destiny. We just got to keep going and keep fighting. We still got a lot of tough games coming up.”

Following a pass interference call that helped the Vols continue their touchdown drive, Gators junior safety Josh Evans sought out to redeem himself and did just that, nabbing an interception on Tennessee’s first possession of the second half.

Rainey took his second hand-off of the drive 14 yards and drew a late hit penalty to put the ball in the red zone. Florida chipped away at the yardage before handing the ball to Burton for his second score of the day, a one-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal.

The Volunteers punted on the next drive, giving the Gators the ball on their own 20 after a touchback. Rainey lost three yards on a carry to the right side to start the series but caught from Brantley over the middle which he took to the house for his 83-yard score, putting Florida ahead 30-7 with 8:08 to play in the third quarter.

Down 23 points, Tennessee felt the pressure and began to chip away at their deficit. After the Vols punted yet again, Demps fumbled the ball on a rush up the middle and UT took advantage with a 14-yard slant from Bray to WR Da’Rick Rogers for a touchdown.

A holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff forced UF to start at their own 10. Two short rushes and a pair of incomplete passes led to a punting situation, which senior David Lerner shanked just 22 yards to the Gators’ 31-yard-line.

Bray saw an opportunity and, even though his offense was backed up following a bad snap, completed consecutive 18-yard and eight-yard passes, the latter of which found the end zone for his second touchdown of the afternoon.

With Florida starting to see their lead slip away, Gators offensive coordinator Charlie Weis relied on Rainey to bring the ball down field. UF’s speedster touched the ball seven times on Florida’s 12-play, 50-yard drive, which resulted in a 42-yard field goal by Sturgis, his fourth of the game.

The Volunteers would not go down without a fight. Tennessee started the next possession at their 40-yard-line, and Bray threw eight passes on nine plays, totaling 54 yards through the air (60 total) and ending the series with a 18-yard touchdown pass.

Getting the ball back with 1:49 to play, the Vols again tried to make a move. After moving the ball 39 yards to the Gators’ 45-yard-line, Bray threw his second pick of the game to sophomore safety Matt Elam.

Florida’s defense, though it nabbed two interceptions and registered three sacks on the afternoon, failed to convert a number of major opportunities and was easily the most penalized unit on the field.

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who had six tackles and a sack on Saturday, dropped two potential interceptions and committed a pass interference penalty. Freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson, the victim of two pass interference calls and a holding penalty, also failed to catch two balls that hit him in the hands.

Evans, sophomore CB Cody Riggs and freshman S De’Ante Saunders also committed pass interference penalties, giving the Gators six total. As a team, Florida committed an astounding 16 miscues for 150 yards, significantly more than Tennessee, which was also mistake prone with 10 penalties for 94 yards.

The Gators outgained the Vols by 68 yards but committed penalties that provided opportunities for UT to continue drives that otherwise would have fallen short. Florida held Tennessee to -9 rushing yards, but UT outgunned UF 288-213 through the air.

Brantley finished 14/23 for 213 yards and two touchdowns, while Bray completed 26-of-48 passes for 288 yards with three scores. The latter was intercepted twice but had falls find his opponent’s hands quite often throughout the contest.

Heading out of Gainesville for their first road game under head coach Will Muschamp, the Gators will face the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, KY. The game will air live at 7 p.m. on either ESPN or ESPN2.

Photo Credit: John Raoux/Associated Press

Though Tennessee has been lauded for its outstanding passing attack over the first two games of the season, Bostic said Wednesday that the Gators’ primary job will be stopping the run and forcing the Volunteers to be one-dimensional. Passing game for UT: “Even though they threw for a lot of yards last game, they like to run the ball. You can see it with that big offensive line. We saw it on film – they’re big guys who like to get after it,” he said. “Our main objective is to stop the run first and then we’ll react to the pass.”

In order to do that, Florida will key in on Tauren Poole, who has 45 carries for 199 yards with a touchdown over the first two games. Bostic described him as a “good back, physical, gets downhill, he’s real good between the tackles, so we got to contain him this week.” He said Tennessee’s offense is “old school” and “they’re going to run the ball and control the clock.”

JOB TWO: IF THAT FAILS, CONTAIN THE PASS

The Gators hope to be the first team to limit the Volunteers’ passing attack this season. Junior safety Josh Evans realizes Tennessee’s talented wideouts will present a challenge for Florida but thinks putting pressure on them from the get-go could do the trick. “We’re going to attack them early in the game and let them know that we’re confident in our DBs and they can play them man-to-man,” he said. “By actually getting after them, not letting them get anything on us – deep balls or any big plays during the game.”

That may be tough for a very young secondary that Evans admits has not been tested in game action yet. However, he believes covering his team’s receivers in practice has prepared them just fine. “Honestly these last couple days as far as practices went, we’re going against our guys and stuff, so that’s kind of been a test, going against them while getting ready for this game,” he said.

Going into the game, Evans thinks vision and personnel recognition are the two keys to the Gators’ succeeding. He also believes being conscious about the down and distance will help Florida know who to key-in on from a coverage standpoint and putting constant pressure on QB Tyler Bray will help as well.

Though the secondary may be the defensive unit that everyone is concentrating on heading into the contest, Evans does not feel that makes them any more important than the rest of the defense.

“I don’t feel like the pressure is on us. We’ve been playing pretty good as a unit. I feel like we’ve all been playing as good as a whole defense,” he said. “It’s up to everybody to do their jobs so we don’t put pressure on just the secondary. Everybody’s coming together as a team, even the D-line is going to give us the push up front to help the secondary.”

SECONDARY EVALUATIONS

Evans spent some time Wednesday discussing how his teammates in the seconday have been performing both in practice and in game action this season.

» Freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson: “[His athleticism] can help him pretty good because he’s got good size and he also can jump. That’s one thing that helps him with taller receivers. He’s an athletic young guy and I think that he’s ready to D-up any receiver in the SEC.”

» Sophomore S Matt Elam: “The communication has been great lately. We’ve been communicating and helping out the linebackers and corners and putting them in the right spots. We took steps and steps as far as learning a whole new defense and everything. It was a big adjustment for us but now we’re starting to get the key vitals of it.”

» Sophomore CB Cody Riggs: “He’s a fast guy – a real fast guy. We know that they’re probably going to want to take shots due to his height, but I think he covers up pretty good. He’s a real aggressive guy. He’ll get hands on you and he likes to pres guys a little bit.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» Evans on if he works more with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn or head coach Will Muschamp during the game: “it’s kind of equal, but Muschanmp kind of looks at the secondary as far as the safeties and stuff like that – so he gives us the adjustments. “

» Evans on if he prefers an intense or relaxed atmosphere before the game: “I think being able to relax is pretty good, but before the game everyone likes to pick up the tempo a little bit. By seeing the coaches relax a little bit, it makes you relax and makes it seem that while you’re getting ready for the game nobody is too tight. I say being relaxed and then up-tempo before the game, picking it up a little bit. [Muschamp]’s pretty high-tempo but that’s just him being enthused and being in the game and being a head coach, coaching the DBs and everything.”

» Bostic on how redshirt senior running back Chris Rainey has changed: “He definitely matured a lot, as a player, as a person, everything. As a player he’s still doing the same moves. We laugh at it on the sideline – one of the moves he put on the safety last week – because Matt gets the same move every time and bites it every time. We were laughing about that on the sideline. I’m glad he’s happy; he’s getting the ball like he wants to get it. I’ve gotten the same move, too. Sometimes when he puts that move, you act like he didn’t even get you and you just keep running up the field.”

» Thompson said he had his bell rung and did lose consciousness in the FAU game but did not suffer a concussion. He returned to practice a few days after the game and competed against UAB last week.

» Thompson on how Rainey is different this year: “Just all-around. He’s taken his game up to another level. From offseason all the way to now, he feels like he’s in high school again. He’s confident; he walks around confident and knows he can do it.”

» Thompson on if he expects to stretch the field against Tennessee: “No doubt. It’s SEC play. They feel like they got just as good as players as us, so they’ll come up jam us and challenge us to make the deep ball.”

» Thompson’s thoughts on freshmen Roberson and S De’Ante Saunders: “They’re both going to be a hell of a player. They’re good players. Roberson kind of reminds me of Janoris [Jenkins] his freshman year, when he first came in. Pop is great, got good ball skills. Both of those guys they’re good, great athletes.”

» Thompson on how Roberson is like Jenkins: “He’s good at the line of scrimmage. He’s a good jammer just like Janoris was.”

» Thompson on if he noticed New England’s offense was like Florida’s on Monday Night Football: “It is. Very interesting. I’m like, ‘Man, I know what they’re doing!’”

Senior punter David Lerner saw action for the first time after a six-play, 27-yard drive stalled in the second, and the Gators added Sturgis’s third field goal of the contest on their next drive after sophomore RB Trey Burton impressed with three carries for 30 yards including a big 26-yard gain down to UAB’s four-yard-line.

Starting from their own 21, the Blazers were forced backward as junior linebacker Jon Bostic sniffed out a reverse and completed a 13-yard tackle for loss. Three plays later, UAB snapped the ball past their punter and UF earned a safety.

Receiving the ensuing kick at the Blazers’ 37-yard-line, the Gators charged right down the field. Brantley completed an 18-yard strike to Debose, and Burton finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run to put Florida ahead 25-0 at the end of the first half.

UAB got the ball back to start the second half and began driving on UF, but sophomore safety Matt Elam stripped a 16-yard completion – the first forced fumble of his career – which was recovered by freshman cornerback Marcus Roberson for the defense’s first turnover of the young season.

Brantley found Dunbar over the middle for 18 yards and Burton took a draw play 12 yards in the ensuing seven-play, 72-yard scoring drive, but Rainey accounted for 42 of the yards including the 19-yard touchdown that gave the Gators a 32-0 lead.

The Blazers attempted a fake punt on their ensuing drive but fell a yard short of converting, turning the ball over to Florida just 36 yards from the end zone. Junior RB Mike Gillislee, who entered the game for Demps in the first half, carried the ball three-straight times for 19, four and 13 yards, his final rush resulting in a score.

The Gators took their foot off the pedal after that, entering their entire second-team offense and defense in the game and winding the clock down with their running game. Florida possessed the ball nearly 13 minutes longer than UAB (36:29-23:31) and achieved 17 more first downs (28-11) in the contest.

UF totaled 300 rushing yards on the evening and did not turn the ball over once. Sturgis, in addition to making all of his kicks, forced two touchbacks deep into the end zone.

Brantley finished a respectable 12/19 for 195 yards on the evening, and Dunbar was the team’s leading receiver with 58 yards. Rainey led the Gators with 119 yards on the ground, followed by Gillislee (79) and Burton (46). All three rushers averaged more than 7.2 yards per carry. Elam registered a team-high seven tackles; and Bostic added five.

Florida converted all seven of their red zone attempts but only scored touchdowns on four occasions. The Gators were 4/12 on third down and held the Blazers to 1/10 in the same scenario; however, UF’s defense did not register a sack the entire evening and the team has a whole committed nine penalties for 55 yards, a stat head coach Will Muschamp was none-too-pleased with after the game.

Saturday’s win marks the seventh-straight season that Florida has started 2-0, and the Gators hope to improve to 3-0 for the sixth consecutive year next week as they take on Tennessee at home. The game will air live on CBS at 3:30 p.m.

Photo Credit: John Raoux

On the future of the SEC and other conferences: “I really think we’re heading toward the 16-team leagues eventually. I think there will be four of them at some point, if you ask me personally.”

On if Texas A&M is good fit for SEC: “Their game day atmosphere is very much like the SEC. They’ve got a great backing and tradition and recruiting base is somewhat similar from the standpoint that they do go into Louisiana. When I was at LSU, we recruited against A&M a lot, especially in the southern region. I know they still continue to recruit in Louisiana, so certainly I think it’s a good fit.”

On if Texas A&M joining the SEC helps recruit Texas: “We recruit the state of Florida first of all, and then obviously our region, and if it were to happen, it would certainly help open up some things. […] We do recruit nationally from the standpoint of we’ve got a great, outstanding academic institution, we got a great tradition, and we do attract some kids maybe outside of the state of Florida who want to be Florida Gators.”

On how the SEC could be affected recruiting-wise: “If you look at LSU and Arkansas, and you think back to when Arkansas was in the Southwest Conference and the number of great players they had from the Dallas area, just because that’s where their games were played. The exposure – you’re constantly on television, you’re playing in the state, you’re getting closer to home – all of those things would certainly help those two schools and the Mississippi schools. After that, I can’t really comment on the schools on the eastern side because we really focus our recruiting closer to home here unless there’s a national kid here or there.”