Vanderbilt vs. Florida: Game Grades, Analysis for the Gators

No. 10 Florida clinched the SEC East and sealed its place in the conference title game with an ugly 9-7 win over Vanderbilt in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Gators (8-1) were shut down on offense by the stingy Commodores (3-6), gaining just 258 yards of total offense while committing a season-high four turnovers. But the Florida defense was even stingier, limiting Vanderbilt to 177 total yards, 74 of which came on one play in the first half.

Despite the sloppiness, the Gators are headed to the SEC title game for the first time since 2009. Here's how they graded out from the two-point win over the Commodores.

Positional Unit	1st-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	D-
Run Offense	D	D-
Pass Defense	A+	A+
Run Defense	C-	B
Special Teams	C-	B
Coaching	C-	D+

Florida Gators Grade Analysis

Pass Offense

One of Treon Harris' biggest strengths is his ability to take care of the ball, and he entered the game with zero interceptions on the season in 78 pass attempts. That streak ended at the tail end of the first half, and Harris threw for just 101 yards on seven completions before the break.

It didn't get better in the second half, as Harris finished the day completing just 50 percent of his passes for 158 yards and no touchdowns. Demarcus Robinson came up huge for the Gators, hauling in nine of the team's 13 receptions for 106 yards.

Run Offense

It looked like it was going to be a good day for Florida on the ground when Jordan Scarlett ripped off a 20-yard run on the game's first play. That was the highlight of the first half, though, as Vanderbilt's defense held strong. Florida finished with 93 rushing yards in the first half, but things turned dramatically in the second.

The Gators offense couldn't get anything going in the third quarter and registered minus-23 yards during the 15-minute period. The Gators finished with 93 rushing yards on 34 carries, averaging 2.7 yards per carry.

Pass Defense

Vanderbilt couldn't get anything going in the air against the Gators. It appeared as though Commodores head coach Derek Mason knew he wouldn't able to move the ball consistently through the air, as Johnny McCrary threw just four passes in the first half, completing one for six yards.

John Raoux/Associated Press

The numbers didn't improve in the second half. McCrary finished the day with 31 passing yards, completing just 3-of-14 passes. 

Run Defense

Florida's run defense was looking as sharp as the secondary for most of the first half, limiting Vanderbilt to a meager 43 yards on its first 22 carries. But after the Gators' third turnover of the first half, Ralph Webb found a seam and broke free on a breakaway 74-yard touchdown run that gave the Commodores a 7-6 halftime lead. 

The front seven stiffened in the second half, though, as Vanderbilt ran for just 29 yards on 26 carries in the final two quarters. 

Special Teams

The adventures of Florida's special teams continued against Vanderbilt.

The unit got off to a strong start when Brandon Powell ripped off a 71-yard kickoff return to open the game. That set the tone for an excellent day in the return game, as the Gators averaged 13.8 yards on punt returns.

But Florida's struggles in the kicking game haven't been resolved. New walk-on kicker Neil MacInnes was so erratic in warmups that McElwain didn't call his number on 4th-and-goal at the 5-yard line in the first quarter. MacInnes later missed his only extra point attempt.

Even when things went right, they ended wrong. Florida faked a field goal at the beginning of the second quarter, and CeCe Jefferson got the yardage needed to keep the drive going, but he fumbled and the Commodores pounced on it. 

But just when all hope looked lost, Austin Hardin came in cold off the bench and drilled the game-winning 43-yard field goal with under three minutes to go. 

Coaching

Florida came in uncharacteristically sloppy, turning the ball over three times in the first half after coughing it up just once in the previous 19 quarters. After the big win against Georgia last week and with the SEC East Division title on the line, it was surprising to see the Gators look so out of sorts.

Vanderbilt came in with an aggressive game plan on defense, and Jim McElwain failed to produce an answer for it all afternoon.