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Head coach Dan Mullen announced to the media on Monday
Photo via 247Sports from UAA Communications
Cornerback Elijah Blades is no longer a member of the Florida Gators defense.
Head coach Dan Mullen announced the sudden dismissal during a media session on Monday afternoon. Blades only suited up for three games this season but he didn’t put the pads on Saturday against the Vanderbilt Commodores.
“We dismissed him from our program,” Mullen said. “He’s no longer with the team. I met with him and dismissed him from the program yesterday.”
The unexpected release leaves the Gators defensive backfield running thin in the depth chart since the injuries to juniors Jaydon Hill (ACL) and Kaiir Elam (Knee).
Blades, a graduate transfer from Texas A&M, will now look for a new University to attend and play for. But Blades had always been a Gators fan growing up and originally committed to Florida in high school.
Instead of attending his dream school, Blades changed his mind to play for Nebraska. But after the Blades signed, he enrolled at Arizona Western Community College. The cornerback was sought after by the Gators once again but joined Texas A&M.
Issues occurred to keep Blades from transferring to UF but he was able to make the final roster just weeks before the first snap of the season. The cornerback recorded three tackles deflected a single pass this season.
We missed last week’s grades but we’re back this week. The Florida Gators rebounded from their horrendous road loss at the hands of Kentucky with a 42-0 Homecoming win over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday. Florida earned its second shutout in as many home games against Vanderbilt. But this win is a little deceptive as problems still reared their head.
Offense: B
Emory Jones posted a pretty nice stat line as he went 14-for-22 for 273 yards with four touchdowns and one interception plus 40 yards on five carries. But there were still gaffes like underthrowing receivers, being late on a few patterns with several receivers open, completely missing a wide open Rick Wells and of course the forced pass leading to a tip drill interception. But not an absolutely terrible performance. Nay’Quan Wright was a big sparkplug with 103 total yards on just nine touches. He did well with the extended work due to Malik Davis being held out. Florida didn’t dominate the time of possession but didn’t really have to as none of its scoring drives even sniffed the three-minute mark. It was good to see other backs like Demarckus Bowman and Lorenzo Lingard get some run with Davis out and in garbage time. The only things to really complain about outside of Jones were the Gators scoring on just two of their first five drives and going scoreless from midway in the third quarter to the end of the game.
Hard to argue with a shutout but some of that might’ve been more likely caused by Vanderbilt’s own futility as a football team. The Gators allowed 200 yards in the first half alone to a Vandy team much worse on offense than Kentucky. Not to mention the Commodores were 5-for-11 on third downs and ran 49 plays from scrimmage. Florida did however turn it around in the second half as the defense gave up just 87 yards, forced a 3-for-9 conversion rate and held them to 30 plays run in the second half. One place where the Gators struggled though was quick hitters to the flat. It led to several first downs as the linebackers couldn’t get out there to cover in time. Rashad Torrence stood out to me in this game. He played much faster than when he started the season and seemed to be involved just about everywhere on the field as he led the team with 15 total tackles including five solos. The young corners of Avery Helm and Jason Marshall Jr. were tested regularly and seemed up for the challenge as well. Also, can’t forget the interceptions made by Trey Dean and big defensive tackle Daquan Newkirk. Any time a big man can get the ball in his hands is a plus in my book.
After the absolute worst special teams performance by a Dan-Mullen-coached Gator team against Kentucky, Florida played well in this phase of the game against the Dores. My only gripes about special teams from Saturday were just one or two things on punt team. First off, Jeremy Crawshaw shanking a punt out of bounds for just 22 yards after booting a 52-yarder previously isn’t exact amazing. It’s the second game in a row he’s had a less-than-great punt. All other ones were stellar though including a 69-yard moonshot in the second half. The other problem was with some issues in punt blocking on some returns that didn’t give Xzavier Henderson much room to operate. No field goals attempted by the Gator unit but Christmann was perfect on all of his extra point attempts. The best thing from that game though was Crawshaw’s fake punt scamper for 28 yards to give the Gators some juice on a drive.
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) October 9, 2021
Conclusion:
The Gators once again did not play a full game even against such an inferior opponent. This team is yet to play a full 60 minutes of quality football. Despite all of the faults though, Florida did what it was supposed to do and didn’t lay an egg at noon in front of a Homecoming crowd. They shut out Vanderbilt at home once again and now have outscored the Dores 106-0 in their last two meetings in Gainesville. The Gators were able to rest some players and get some younger ones in as well. Now it’s on to another nooner but this time in Baton Rouge.
Following a difficult loss in Kentucky, Florida’s first quarter response against Vanderbilt was important in Saturday’s homecoming contest. The Gators got off to a fast start and rode the momentum to a 42-0 win over the Commodores.
The Gators scored touchdowns on their first two drives to take a 14-0 lead through one period of play. RB Nay’Quan Wright led the charge for the offense on the first drive with a 34-yard gain that was initially called a touchdown, though overturned on video review. Dameon Pierce plunged in from one yard out.
Following a poor punt (6 yards) by Vandy P Harrison Smith, the Gators opened their second possession with excellent field position, ultimately scoring in eight plays.
The Florida defense again lived on a “bend but don’t break” mantra, allowing over 200 yards to a previously stagnant Vanderbilt offense. But, the Gators’ adjustments in the second half allowed to Commodores to finish with just 287 yards of offense.
Following a second quarter interception from Daquan Newkirk, Florida’s offense quickly marched down the field for another touchdown. A 51-yard reception by Weight set up the Emory Jones touchdown pass to Trent Whittemore to put Florida up 21-0.
The Gators made it 28-0 with their first drive of the second half as Jones found Pierce for a 61-yard touchdown reception.
The following Florida drive saw a pair of big passes to WR Jacob Copeland (47 yards and 25 yards) with the latter resulting in a score.
A Trey Dean interception set up another Gators touchdown as Pierce, yet again benefitted in the short yardage, goal line situation. Rick Wells came away with two catches on the possession for 29 yards.
Florida coasted through the fourth quarter allowing some of the depth of the team gain valuable experience.
For Florida, Saturday’s shutout was the first defensive shutout since November 2019 when they kept Vanderbilt off the scoreboard.
Quick Stats:
Jones: 14-22, 273 yards, 4 TD, INT
Jones: 5-40 8.0 AVG rushing
Copeland: 5-79, TD receiving
Wright: 7-46 rushing
Torrence: 15 tackles (5 solo)
Powell: 1.5 sacks
3rd down: 2-9
Penalties: 8-80
Whats Next:
Florida will take on LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday. The game is scheduled for a noon (eastern) kickoff from Tiger Stadium. The Tigers are currently 3-2 with a matchup against No. 16 Kentucky on Saturday, that hadn’t been completed prior to the publishing of this article.
Coming off the stunning upset to Kentucky, the Gators return home to face Vanderbilt in Saturday’s homecoming contest.
Fortunately for Florida, the Commodores rank as one of the worst programs in all of the FBS in almost every statistical category on both sides of the ball.
With their playoff hopes all but eliminated, which Gators football team shows up against Vanderbilt on Saturday?
The following are our staff’s predictions for Florida’s homecoming showdown with Vanderbilt:
The Gators get a dose of exactly what the doctor ordered as outmatched Vanderbilt will come into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium as a 39-point underdog. The Commodores only accrue an average of 315 yards on offense while their defense yields 447. Despite a disappointing outing at Kentucky, the Gators are still averaging over 500 yards on offense. Sophomore QB Ken Seals will lead the Vandy offense, but he’s accounted for as many scores as interceptions thus far in 2021. Florida has averaged 31 points per game, but if they are held close to that number, there are bigger issues to be addressed by Dan Mullen and his staff. The Gators roll, 52-13.
42-10. No, that’s not a game score, that’s the record Florida holds over Vanderbilt. While Florida took a surprising 20-13 loss to Kentucky Saturday, they have a strong chance to redeem themselves in the Swamp this upcoming Saturday. Vanderbilt sits fifth in the SEC East with a 2-3 record, taking a hard hit against Georgia, Stanford and East Tennessee State. Florida, sitting fourth in rankings, isn’t doing too much better after their loss against Alabama and Kentucky. The Commodores are losing by a larger margin, however. An embarrassing 62-0 loss against the Bulldogs proves their weakness on the offense; a leg up for Florida’s defense. The Gators are hungry for a win in the Swamp. Unless it unexpectedly drops the ball once again, I have Florida winning. Gators, 35-14.
Florida will return home on Saturday to a homecoming crowd of 80,000 and the Swamp should be deafening after suffering a brutal defeat from the hands of Kentucky. Quarterback Emory Jones put up decent numbers against the Wildcat defense but the Gators failed to capitalize in Kentucky territory and score consistently. But Vanderbilt is a team that is far-less stacked than Kentucky and that was proven after the Commodores snuck out with a two-point victory over Connecticut and were blown away by Georgia, 62-0. The Florida run attack will plow through the weak Commodore defensive unit to rack up 100-plus total yards and make the final score a massacre. Gators, 40-6.
…
Florida and Vanderbilt will kick off from the Swamp at 12:00 PM on Saturday. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.
The Florida Gators 2022 recruiting class lost a prospect as Berkley Prep (Tampa) tight end CJ Hawkins announced his commitment to the Stanford Cardinal Thursday evening.
Florida and Stanford both offered the 6-foot-7-inch and 220-pound product on March 9, 2021. Hawkins committed to UF five days later. He unofficially visited Florida on two separate occasions: June 1, 2021 and Sept. 18, 2021 along with attending a camp on June 30. The three-star player also had an official visit in Paolo Alto just five days prior to that camp.
The Gators current have no tight ends committed one season after having the highest drafted tight end in NFL history. However, they still have plenty of roster with eligibility following the 2021 season. As of right now, the Gators have junior Keon Zipperer, redshirt freshman Jonathan Odom and the freshmen pair of Gage Wilcox and Nick Elksnis who could all potentially come back for 2022.
The lights shined bright at Regal Soccer Stadium Thursday night, however, the Gators did not. Amato and the Gators were held scoreless for their fifth time this season in just 13 matches.
Tennessee dismantled Florida with a 2-0 victory to improve to an impressive 11-1 while Florida sits at 3-7-3.
Not much was clicking for the Gators on either end of the field. They only managed to take seven shots in 90 minutes, four of which were taken by senior Shaye Seyffart. Seyffart managed to put half of those shots on net, but both would end in the arms of the opposition.
On the other half of the field, Florida did not have an answer to the Tennessee attack. The Vols applied persistent pressure on the Gators backline and goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg.
A penalty kick in the 22nd minute would open it up. Junior Claudia Dipasupil executed the 12 yard shot, giving Tennessee the early lead.
They would extend that lead to two in the 52nd minute when freshman Jordan Fusco found the back of the net. Fusco’s goal was assisted by Dipasupil and redshirt sophomore Jaida Thomas.
The Gators played frustrated late in the match. They were charged two yellow cards in the last third, one to Syd Kennedy and on another to Georgia Eaton-collins. Kennedy’s yellow card turned red in the 77th minute, the first red card of 2021 for the Gators.
Despite allowing two goals, goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg had another good day in net, doing as much as she could with 25 shots taken by Tennessee. Goldberg recorded six saves to increase her season total to 65.
The Gators will try to turn things around when they head home to face Missouri on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Florida fans desperate for positive news will be delighted to hear that the Gators landed the commitment of 4-star defensive lineman Jamari Lyons on Wednesday.
Lyons is a 6’4, 290 lb interior defensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting cycle out of Melbourne, FL.
247Sports ranks Lyons as the nation’s No. 235 overall prospect and the 30th ranked DL in his class. The in-state defender officially visited the Gators on June 4 and received an offer from Gators DL coach the same day.
Lyons also held offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, and Georgia, among others.
The Gators now have fifteen commitments in the 2022 class that ranks No. 16 nationally according to 247Sporrs.
No. 22 Florida grabbed a share for second place in the SEC Standings following a pair of home victories over Ole Miss this past weekend.
The Gators swept the Rebels in both matches and dominated the stat sheet in all six sets. Florida limited its errors to single digits in both contests for the first time since opening weekend. Sunday’s match marked just the second time this season in which the Gators held an opponent below a .100 hitting percentage.
Florida bullied Ole Miss around the net where it racked up 13 more blocks in the series. Senior middle blocker Lauren Dooley led the Gators with 10 total blocks, but senior outside hitter Thayer Hall denied Ole Miss sophomore Samantha Schnitta in Sunday’s match for the weekend’s lone solo block.
Redshirt senior Lauren Forte and freshman Merritt Beason each played an incredibly efficient match Saturday. Forte recorded 11 kills on 16 attempts with only one error (.625) and Beason landed nine kills on just 13 attempts without an error (.692).
Match One Box Score
Ole Miss: 19-14-16
No. 22 Florida: 25-25-25
Match Two Box Score
Ole Miss: 17-13-17
No. 22 Florida: 25-25-25
Series Stat Leaders
Aces
Adams: 2
Monserez/Hall/Ceasar/Beason: 1
Kills
Hall: 22
Caesar: 21
Beason: 18
Assists
Monserez: 74
McKissock: 4
Hall/Ceasar: 2
Digs
Ceasar: 25
McKissock: 22
Monserez: 14
Blocks
Dooley: 10
Hall/Beason: 7
Forte: 6
Next Up
The Gators will return to the court Saturday in Baton Rouge where they’ll face LSU in a two-game road series. Saturday’s match is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will air on SEC Network+.
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