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The No. 15 Florida Gators destroyed the LIU Sharks in their home opener on Saturday. DJ Lagway went 15 for 18 with 120 yards and three touchdowns in the air, but the real star of this game was the defense for the Gators, who led a shutout en route to a 55-0 win.
IT WAS OVER WHEN: LIU fumbled the ball on the 3rd play of the game. It would have been almost impossible for LIU to come back after a momentum steal like that. The Gator Nation had been waiting for eight months to watch this team play football and was already on the edge of its seats. Then Jaden Robinson forced a fumble, and Bryce Thornton came in for the easiest scoop and score of his life. Unfortunately for LIU, to win a game like this, they needed to play perfectly, which means no turnovers.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: True freshman Vernell Brown III. Most people knew coming into this game, we would be seeing more of VB3 than expected because of the Dallas Wilson injury. VB3 made his presence felt immediately with three catches and 79 receiving yards, not to mention another 70 yards in punt and kick return yardage. But his best play was an Odell Beckham Jr kind of one-handed catch just before the end of the first half. Not only was he dominant in this game, but it seems like he won’t be off the field very much this season.
THESE STATS DON’T LIE: Kicker Trey Smack was 2 for 5 on field goals tonight. This is the first game, so I will give Smack a little bit of leeway, but when it gets down to it, you can’t miss gimme kicks as a D1 football player. Don’t get me wrong, Smack was consistent last year, but that was before he had the #1 kicking recruit in the country waiting behind him. If he comes out next week against USF and misses more, I don’t think it would be crazy to see Florida give Evan Noel a shot.
THIS MATCHUP PROVED KEY: The entire Florida defense had probably one of the most dominant defensive performances we have seen from Florida in recent years. The Gators did not allow LIU to score a single point. Not to mention the defense had 7 TFL’s to add to that as well. The LIU offense, and more specifically the offensive lin,e just had no chance against the Gators. The vibe of the defense is something I don’t think people have felt in a while in Gainesville. Every play just looked like the
Gators were excited to hit and tackle. The depth of this side of the ball is going to show itself all year, especially on the defensive line.
WHAT A PLAY: Vernell Brown III‘s 41-yard deep ball catch to set up the last touchdown before the half. It is easily one of the best catches I have ever seen.
UP NEXT: Florida will be back in Ben Hill Griffin next week at 4:15 pm to take on the USF Bulls.
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