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Franks, who was injured in Florida’s third game of the year against Kentucky, will explore his NFL Draft stock or if necessary, transfer to another school.
The Crawfordville, FL native will finish his Gators career with 4,593 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.
Franks showed incredible progress under Dan Mullen and made a major leap as a redshirt sophomore in 2018 which cumminated in a Peach Bowl MVP selection in January.
In June, Franks was selected in the 31st round of the MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox.
The cupboard will not be bare, however. Florida will have Kyle Trask back as he announced during Florida’s bye week before the FSU game. Emory Jones is also expected to come back and 4-star QB Anthony Richardson is also expected to enter the QB room next year.
Stay posted with ChompTalk.com for the latest on all thing Florida Gators.
For the 24th time, the Florida Gators are Southeastern Conference Champions.
The Gators defeated Texas A&M in a five set thriller to claim the conference title.
Note: Florida and Kentucky finished with the same record in league play and are co-champions.
How it happened
Set 1:
The Gator took set one 25-17. The Aggies scores the first three points of the match before Florida went on a 9-0 run with Thayer Hall at the service line.
The Gators hitting percentage was a solid .333 in the opening set while limiting TAMU to just a .059 clip.
Set 2:
Texas A&M settled in and won the second set 25-19. A Holly Carlton kill tied the set at 11, but the Aggies immediately went on a 11-3 run to take control of the set.
The Gators hit just .167 with six attack errors in the second set.
Set 3:
Florida seized control of the third set from the very beginning. The Gators opened the set with a 6-0 lead on a Thayer Hall service run. TAMU would get within four points at 9-5, but never any closer.
Set 4:
The Aggies battled back and claimed the fourth set 25-22. For the most part the game was back and forth, but a 5-1 run after a 17-17 tie broke the game open for TAMU.
Set 5:
With a raucous crowd ready to explode for a Gators win, Florida actually fell behind 3-0 behind a pair of attack errors. The Gators fought back and actually took an 8-7 lead at the side change.
A&M tied the score at 9 before Florida scored five straight on Marlie Monserez service run to get to match point.
The Aggies scored four straight to keep it tight, but Thayer Hall came in clutch with the kill that clinched the SEC title.
Statistically speaking
For the night, the Gators hit .215 while Texas A&M only recorded a .144 mark. Both teams recorded 59 kills offensively.
Defensively, Florida finished with ten blocks with Lauren Dooley’s five leading the way.
Senior Allie Gregory had a career high in recording 25 of Florida’s 72 digs. Marlie Monserez finished with 40 assists, while Thayer Hall led the Gators with 16 kills.
What’s Next:
Florida will find out it’s fate on Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show. The program will begin at 8:30 and will be aired on ESPNU.
Despite being ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Poll, the Gators hold the nation’s No. 9 RPI (as of 11.24).
Note: Florida held a pre-match ceremony to celebrate the program’s four seniors; Morgyn Greer, Allie Gregory, Chanelle Hargreaves, and Rachael Kramer.
Gainesville, FL – For the first time since Tim Tebow was behind center, the Florida Gators defeated FSU at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida got off to a fast start on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 89,409 screaming fans. The win marks an improvement over last season’s regular season record (9-3) and affords the Gators with an opportunity to win eleven games in year two under Dan Mullen.
Kyle Trask was nothing short of phenomenal in his 30/41, 343 yard, three touchdown performance. He began the night by leading the Gators offense on a 75-yard drive that was capped off by a beautifully blocked screen pass to Freddie Swain that went for a nineteen-yard touchdown. The senior night fireworks didn’t stop there.
The Gators were a perfect five for five in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on each possession. Senior, Van Jefferson, accounted for two of those red zone scores as he hauled in touchdown catches of thirteen and six yards respectively.
Florida had command of the game from the second quarter on and went into the halftime break with a 30-7 advantage. In fact, FSU seemed to have no answers for the Gators’ pass rush and their elite secondary. After their opening possession, — a 75-yard touchdown drive — the Seminoles were only able to muster twenty more yards in the first half.
Although the Seminoles were able to be slightly more productive in the second half, they were in no position to trade blows with the Gators. That’s essentially what they did with both teams scoring an additional ten points in the second half. The Seminoles were clearly outmatched in this one and it comes as no surprise that the Gators won in such a lopsided fashion, besting the rivals from the panhandle, 40-17.
Florida’s defensive front created havoc throughout the night for Florida State. The Gators finished the game with twelve tackles for loss and eight sacks, totaling a loss of sixty-five yards. Jonathan Greenard made the most of his swan song, recording three sacks of his own. The frustration could be seen all over the face of Seminoles’ quarterback, James Blackman, after being victimized by the intense Gators’ pass rush.
It was a special night for Florida’s senior class. A win over a rival is always sweet but to be able to dismantle Florida State under the lights in your final appearance in the Swamp is a memory that will last a lifetime. This senior class has had an incredible ride going from one coaching staff to another and seizing the opportunity to right the ship, to return the Gators’ standard and lay the foundation for future successes.
It has been an incredible season that has been filled with excitement. The Gators have won ten games in each of Mullen’s first two seasons and they’ve done so in spite of injuries to star players. The offense has been potent even without a running game. They have stood firm in the face adversity and they’ve persevered. This is a program that is on the rise and once Mullen puts the recruiting pieces together, this is a team that will win championships.
Florida fans were once again forced to hold their collective breaths as the Gators blew yet another double-digit lead, but held on for a 73-67 victory over Marshall on Friday.
The Gators moved to 6-2 with their fourth straight win while the Thundering Herd fell to 2-4 on the season.
How it happened:
The Gators actually trailed by eight points (30-22) after one half of play. Florida made just 9-30 from the field and were 0-10 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Marshall, meanwhile, connected on four first half treys and made 38.7% of their shots from the floor in the opening period.
The second half was a completely different story, however.
The Gators shot better than 60% and made 4-8 from deep in taking a lead that reached as much as 13 with less than six minutes left in regulation.
The Herd wouldn’t go down without a fight. Marshall closed to within two (69-67) after a three point play by Iran Bennett with 42 seconds on the clock. Andrew Nembhard responded with a stepback jumper to seal the win for Florida.
Individual Stats
Ques Glover: 14 points on 5-9 shooting in 24 minutes
Keyontae Johnson: 13 points (all in second half), 5 rebounds
The Gators will be looking to put the cap on a solid second year under Dan Mullen. They have the opportunity to do so in front of what promises to be a raucous crowd under the lights of the Swamp. From the emotional side of this game, there is plenty of motivation to beat FSU soundly. This will be the final game in The Swamp for the senior class and they want to be the team that restored the Gators’ standard by defeating their hated foes at Ben Hill Griffin for the first time since 2009. The Gators are a team on the rise while the Noles are a team in turmoil even if they’ve won each of their two previous games. Florida at home, under the lights on senior night will be far too much for Odell Haggins and his interim team. The Gators run away with this one, 38-6.
Night game, senior day, last regular season game of the year, an opportunity to take back The Swamp from the ‘Noles, Percy Harvin as Mr. Two Bits and so much more. What more could a team ask for? As if they were even needing a reason to get riled up in the first place. However, I will say that the Seminoles are trying to show their athletic association that interim head coach Odell Haggins deserves a shot at the helm of FSU’s ship. So, even though it may not seem like it considering both teams are on different ends of the playing spectrum, there’s a lot to play for here. And because of that, emotions will run high — which is pretty typical of this game. Being disciplined will be important. As long as Florida can win the penalty battle, there’s no doubt they should win convincingly. I’ve got the Gators finishing their home schedule undefeated — 45-13, Gators roll.
Throughout the season, the Gators and Seminoles have had completely different experiences. As Dan Mullen and company have remained around the top ten of college football’s elite all season, Florida State has struggled mightily in the leadership role of the head coach. Now that the Willie Taggart era is over, the ‘Noles are riding some momentum into Gainesville after back-to-back wins under interim Head Coach Odell Haggins. Put all the FSU momentum and Gators Senior Day festivities to the side, because this is a rivalry game and both teams will show up to play. Ultimately, the Gators are much better off, on the field and in the locker room, which gives them the advantage in this one. I am looking for the Gators defense to shut down Florida State and hopefully the offensive unit can put it out of reach in the first half, I am taking the Gators, 35-13.
Florida State interim head coach Odell Haggins is 2-0 since taking over for Willie Taggart (38-30 win over Boston College, 49-12 win over Alabama State).
The Seminoles put up a lot of points against two struggling opponents, but they don’t excel in any particular area.
FSU’s best team statistics are 30th in the nation in passing (277.5 yards per game) and 31st in sacks (2.64 per game). However, it counters that by being one of the NCAA’s worst passing defenses (114th, 273.8) and offensive lines (122nd in sacks per game, 3.27).
One thing Florida State does well is drawing a lot of opponent penalty yardage (61.1 yards per game), but it cancels that by being penalized more yardage (71.3).
Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles runs a hurry-up approach that could score some points against Florida, but FSU’s defense will struggle covering the immense depth UF has at receiver. The Seminole defense will likely tire as well, as FSU is 128th in time of possession (25:49:91).
Because of that, I have a blowout in The Swamp. Gators win, 41-17.
FSU has looked like a fairly competent team since firing Willie Taggart.
FSU has looked like a fairly competent team since firing Willie Taggart.
Odell Haggins will be coaching for his job, and by all accounts, his players love him and support him as the next head coach at Florida State. But Florida is seeking revenge.
The Gators haven’t beaten FSU at home since Tim Tebow last played at UF.
That will end this year. Florida still has a lot to play for and will take out a ton of frustration on the Seminoles. Gators, 52-13.
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Florida and Florida State will kickoff at 7:30 PM and will be aired live on SEC Network. You can follow @MikeyPfeffer and @ChompTalk for live updates.
Also make sure to check out Own The Fourth Quarter featuring Michael And Will Miles of readandreaction.com.
What are your predictions, Gator Nation? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook.
Gainesville, FL – In year one of Dan Mullen’s tenure as the head coach of the Gators, Florida ended a five-game skid to their hated rivals from the panhandle. In year two, the Gators have the opportunity to finish getting that monkey off of their backs. Although the streak of losses came to an end in Tallahassee, Florida still has not beaten the Seminoles in The Swamp since 2009.
A win on Saturday night would snap that streak, establish a streak of their own, and be an improvement over last season’s regular season mark of 9-3. On paper, Florida looks to be an easy bet to win this game and is favored by 17.5 points. In reality, these are two programs that are headed in opposite directions.
The Gators have a shot at a second consecutive New Year’s Six bowl game under Mullen. Meanwhile, FSU is a program searching for answers and a new head coach. Since the firing of Willie Taggart, the Seminoles have won each of their games under the direction of interim head coach, Odell Haggins.
Although Haggins has his team on the right side of the win/loss column, getting wins over teams like Boston College and Alabama State are much easier than doing so against a team like the Gators. Florida has allowed just sixteen points and a single touchdown through five games in The Swamp this season. It will be a tall task for the Noles to put up enough points to win in such an environment, especially with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
Saturday’s Sunshine Showdown will be the first and only night game inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and emotions will be running high as it is the final time for the Gators’ seniors to play in front of the home crowd. As if that weren’t enough of an uphill climb for the Noles, they enter the game with some uncertainty at the quarterback position.
Redshirt sophomore, James Blackman and fifth-year senior, Alex Hornibrook are both expected to be healthy and available on Saturday night. Blackman has started and won each of the last two games for Florida State and has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,945 yards, 16 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on the season.
Hornibrook hasn’t seen as much action but has filled in nicely while Blackman recovered from a knee injury. Odell Haggins suggested that the starting job was up for grabs this week saying, “We’re going to find out who’s playing the best in practice. That’s who is going to play, Kendal (Briles) and myself, we get together and talk about the situations on offense that we need to talk about.”
Regardless of who starts for the Seminoles, they will be facing a powerful pass rush led by Jonathan Greenard. On the opposite side, Jabari Zuniga is expected to be back, although his impact has been greatly diminished because of a nagging ankle injury. With the subpar performance of Florida State’s offensive line up to this point in the season, I expect to see the Gators’ defensive front living in the backfield.
Both teams have lived and died by the passing game this season with the Gators ranking 19th (292.3 YPG) and FSU 30th (277.5 YPG). This plays into Florida’s hands as they have been much better at defending the pass this season. The Gators are ranked twelfth overall and 23rd against the pass this season, allowing just 193 yards per game. Meanwhile, FSU has been effectively ineffective, allowing opposing quarterbacks to carve them up to an average of 273.8 yards per game.
In the end, the advantage is just too far in Florida’s favor to think that this will be a real contest. Kyle Trask and the talented corps of Florida receivers will take advantage of every miscue and opportunity that the Seminoles afford them. The Gators’ defense is too stingy to allow FSU to generate enough points to keep this one competitive. I like Florida to cover the spread and win big, 38-6.
The Florida Gators volleyball team returned to the friendly confines of Exactech Arena on Wednesday and swept the Arkansas Razorbacks in the team’s penultimate regular season contest.
Florida is now 24-4 overall and are tied with Kentucky at 15-2 atop the SEC standings.
How it happened
Set 1:
Florida took set one by a 25-17 count despite trailing 12-7. A 13-5 run by the Gators closed out the opening set.
Florida hit .250 in the set, but more impressively limited the Razorbacks to just a -.032 hitting mark, with six errors to five kills offensively.
Set 2:
The second set was much more of a back and forth affair. Despite tying the score five times, Arkansas was never able to grasp a lead and Florida took the set 25-21.
Set two saw the Gators net 10 kills to only a pair of errors for a hitting clip of .364. The Razorbacks made ten errors on 35 swings.
Set 3:
Florida jumped out to a 22-9 lead with relative ease in the third set. A pair of successful challenges by Mary Wise put the Gators at match point, but Arkansas went on a 4-0 run before a Marlie Monserez block completed the sweep.
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Statistically speaking
Once again, Florida’s defense led to a big night offensively. The Gators recorded 13 blocks, led by Lauren Dooley who recorded five. Rachael Kramer, Paige Hammons, and Holly Carlton each added four.
Offensively, Kramer led the attack with ten kills on 14 swings for a .643 hitting percentage. Hammons posted seven kills on her 11 swings without an error for a .636 mark.
Monserez finished with 28 assists and Florida recorded seven service aces, led by Hammons with three.
What’s next
Florida hosts Texas A&M on Saturday at 4:00 PM. The senior class will be honored before the contest. The Gators are 16-1 all-time against the Aggies.
Former Florida Gators experienced sinking lows and soaring highs in Week 12 of the NFL. Some crushing losses, a defensive touchdown and Gator-on-Gator crime highlighted a crazy week.
Jeff Driskel (quarterback, Detroit Lions) is 0-3 as a starter for the Detroit Lions, losing each game by eight points or less. Yet, Sunday’s 19-16 loss in Washington D.C. had to be his most painful.
Until 54 seconds left in the contest, Driskel played decent football. He led the Lions to a field goal and a 16-13 lead two drives earlier. Now, with a tie game, he could lead his team to a win.
The only problem was that he didn’t see Quinton Dunbar (corner, Washington Redskins), his former Florida teammate. Dunbar intercepted Driskel’s pass close to midfield, setting up a 19-16 game-winning kick by Dustin Hopkins.
Driskel finished 20 for 33 passing for 207 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. He also ran nine times for 63 yards, but picked up a hamstring injury and is questionable for Thanksgiving Day against the Bears.
Dunbar finished with four tackles, while Jarrad Davis (linebacker, Detroit Lions) had eight tackles (six solo and two for a loss), a sack and two quarterback hits.
Jacoby Brissett’s (quarterback, Indianapolis Colts) statistics at the Houston Texans weren’t really reflective of how well he played (16 for 25 passing, 129 yards; four rushes, 20 yards, rushing touchdown). He managed well against a good defense and put the Colts in position to win despite the absence of his best offensive weapon, Marlon Mack.
The Colts were also a solid 9 for 15 on third down, as Brissett took a lot of check downs to pick up the critical yardage. But on his final drive with two minutes left in the contest, Brissett scrambled for the line to gain on fourth-and-7 and was tackled a half-yard short.
If it wasn’t for a half-yard (or maybe two vital drops by T.Y. Hilton), the Colts would likely have sent the game to overtime or even won.
Vernon Hargreaves III (corner, Houston Texans) played in his first game since being cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had five tackles (three solo) and deflected a Brissett pass.
Carlos Dunlap (defensive end, Cincinnati Bengals) and Joe Haden (corner, Pittsburgh Steelers) shared the gridiron in Cincinnati in the Steelers’ 16-10 win. Dunlap had six tackles (two solo and one for a loss), a sack, two quarterback hits and a batted pass. Haden made two tackles (both solo) and defended three passes.
Brian Poole (safety, New York Jets) had a pick six on a tipped pass in the Jets’ big 34-3 win over the Oakland Raiders. Poole made a one-handed grab at the Oakland 15 and bounded into the end zone for the score.
Duke Dawson (corner, Denver Broncos) started his third game of the year for coach Vic Fangio. He made a tackle (solo) and defended a pass, but Dawson suffered a concussion in a 20-3 loss at the Buffalo Bills.
Florida’s two losses are about as good as it gets. There is no shame in losing to the No. 2 and No. 4 ranked teams in the country.
However, Florida’s wins have been underwhelming to mediocre, at best.
And that is the hardly up for debate.
You can start with the fact that the Gators faced two, yes two, FCS opponents.
While both Tennessee-Martin (7-5) and Towson (7-5) finished with winning overall records, neither earned bids into the 24-team FCS Playoffs. Also, between the two schools a few of their losses came via Austin Peay, Albany, and Elon, not exactly blue blood programs.
After opening the season with a neutral site victory over Miami, many felt this was a positive. The Hurricanes were expected to compete in the incredibly weak ACC Coastal division. That, however, has not been the case. Miami is now 6-5 and coming off an embarrassing loss that even head coach Manny Diaz is calling a low-point in the program’s history.
Auburn is the only team that Florida has beaten that was worth anything.
That said, glance over to social media and you can read all about how horrible and basic the Auburn offense is.
There is also significant talk about the possibility of Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn either being fired or leaving for Arkansas (say, what?).
And that’s what Florida has to hang it’s hat on?
Here’s a list of opponents the Gators have beaten:
Miami (6-5)
Tennessee-Martin (7-5, FCS)
Kentucky (6-5)
Tennessee (6-5)
Towson (7-5, FCS)
Auburn (8-3)
South Carolina (4-7)
Vanderbilt (5-6)
Missouri (5-6)
Florida wins have come against opponents whose combined (non-FCS) record is only 40-37.
Note: We all should question how Baylor, ranked No. 14 in last week’s CFP rankings, moved up five spots (jumping Florida, among others) after beating a 6-5 Texas team.
But is Florida the most deserving two loss team out there?
The answer is no, and it once again comes down to wins.
The committee actually got it right with Penn State.
While the Nittany Lions have been far from flashy this year, they have two quality losses (No. 8 Minnesota by 7, and No. 2 Ohio State by 11) to go with two wins over ranked opponents, including one on the road.
Penn State went to Iowa and defeated the No. 17 team in the country, and followed that up with a home win over No. 13 Michigan.
PSU faced one FCS team (Idaho), but their wins have come from teams with a combined (non-FCS) 49-39 record.
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While very little of this merits debate since most of it will play out over the next two weekends, it’s clear that Florida’s wins just aren’t impressive enough to warrant a top-ten ranking.
This isn’t meant as a slight to the program in any way. What Dan Mullen has done is nothing short of impressive.
Mullen has had to overcome injury after injury and the October gauntlet that this year’s schedule threw at him.
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to beat LSU or Georgia.
But the sky isn’t falling. With a win over Florida State and a few more dominoes to fall, the Gators could play in a New Year’s Six Bowl for the second consecutive season.
The rankings will also begin to take care of themselves.
It’s important to remember, Baylor and Oklahoma will play again in the Big 12 title game. Minnesota will face Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. Utah could lose to Oregon in the PAC-12.
And more importantly, Georgia will probably lose to LSU in the SEC tilt.
The prospects of playing a New Year’s Six Bowl, a potential top-5 finish, and not watching UGA lift the National Championship trophy, should make any Gators fan ecstatic.
*Note: This isn’t intended to debate the merits of several one loss teams in front of Florida.
At one point in the first quarter, Florida trailed the Seminoles 21-8. Throughout the whole contest, the Noles led the way. However, the Gators continued to fight to keep themselves within arm’s reach.
FSU exploded for 25 points in the first quarter. They shot the ball 12-21 (57.1 percent). However, in the second and third quarters, the guests struggled to score the ball, allowing the Gators a chance to come back. In those two quarters, the Seminoles scored 21 total points on 9-28 (32.1 percent) from the field.
Meanwhile, Florida wasn’t shooting the ball particularly well either. Despite shooting 31.6 percent from the floor in both the second and third quarters, the Gators managed to cut what was once a 13-point deficit to just two points at several stages of the third quarter.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the score was 46-44 in FSU’s favor. However, much like in the opening quarter, Florida State found its shooting touch again. They outscored the Gators 20-11 to take the game.
Individual Stats
Kiki Smith scored 14 points to lead the team. After putting away 12 in the first half, she landed awkwardly early on in the second and missed most of the third quarter.
Zada Williams and Ariel Johnson both scored 12 points each. Williams secured a double-double with 11 total boards; five offensive and six defensive.
No one scored from the bench.
Positives
Although it wasn’t a great shooting display from the Gators, there are some positives that Coach Cam Newbauer can take from the game.
Florida only turned the ball over eight times. Heading into the game, the Gators averaged 17.4 turnovers per game.
In addition, the Gators kept it within two points for much of the game against a top-15 opponent while shooting just under 33 percent from the floor.
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