Ranking Florida Football's 10 Best Individual Performers in Win Over Tennessee
The Florida Gators showed they are still a work in progress in their win over the Tennessee Volunteers, particularly in putting together a good first half.
But, the formula has worked well so far, as the Gators are off to a 3-0 start.
Most importantly, the crew started off on the right foot in the SEC and came up big in the team's first road game of the season.
The game was ugly at times, and it took a few deft calls from Urban Meyer to put the game away, but that is what it takes to win in the SEC.
Here is a look at 10 players who stepped up big for the Gators against the Vols.
10. Carl Moore
1 of 10
There weren't a lot of players to step up big time for Florida against Tennessee, but Moore gets the nod here for his acrobatic catch that kept the drive alive late and for continuing to be a solid receiving presence for Florida.
He didn't put up huge numbers, with only two catches for 26 yards, but in an offense that didn't see anyone put up eye-opening numbers, every play counted.
Moore's was one of the more dynamic plays of the game.
I debated going with Jeremy Brown here, but he was caught sleeping a few times in the defensive backfield (he wasn't the only one, though). His pick and a nice deflection made up for some of his mistakes, and ultimately, the defensive backfield allowed the Vols to keep the game closer than it should have been.
9. Omarius Hines
2 of 10
Hines made the play of the day for the Gators with his 38-yard scamper on a fake punt that gave the Gators the momentum and ultimately the lead they would never relinquish.
The credit obviously goes to Meyer for having the guts to call a fake punt, and he has proven that he is the master of executing them, going 8-for-8 in those situations.
But, give Hines some credit for executing the play and turning it into a monster gain for Florida.
He also had two catches for 15 yards.
8. Mike Gillislee
3 of 10
Gillislee seems to be proving himself in the coaches' eyes, as he received more of the workload than Emmanuel Moody.
Part of that was due to Gillislee being the goal line back, and he excelled in the role, punching in two scores with ease for Florida.
He didn't have a lot of yards, but having a guy who is reliable at the goal line is just as important as the SEC gets tougher.
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7. Jaye Howard
4 of 10
The defensive line dominated the point of attack against the Vols, limiting Tauren Poole to 23 yards on 10 carries and opening the floodgates for six sacks.
Howard was not one of those to record a sack, but he worked his way into the Vols' backfield on several occasions.
The behemoth helped eat up a lot of space in the middle to slow down the running game and open things up for everyone else.
6. Duke Lemmens
5 of 10
Lemmens hasn't gotten a lot of pub to this point, but he deserves some recognition for being part of the action in the backfield all game long.
Lemmens was part of two of the Gators' six sacks and his standout game helped open things up on the defensive line for Florida.
If he continues to emerge and provide another point of attack for the defensive line, the Gators sack numbers may only continue to improve.
5. Jon Bostic
6 of 10
If Hines' play was the most important of the game, the Bostic's may have been second.
Following Janoris Jenkins' botched punt recovery, the Vols were poised to take the lead and put the Gators in a very tough position on the road.
But Bostic played the ball perfectly and took advantage of a Simms' misplay to keep the Gators in control.
The Vols never truly threatened to take the lead ever again in the game, although they did tie it up at 10 in the third quarter.
But Bostic wasn't a one-hit wonder. It seemed any time the Vols tried to make a short play over the middle, Bostic immediately gobbled the play up.
4. Brandon Hicks
7 of 10
Hicks said earlier in the week that the Gators were going to kill the Vols running attack, and they did just that on Saturday.
Hicks helped conduct the sack train with two sacks. The Vols' line struggled keeping tabs on Hicks and Simms found himself on his back a few times.
Hicks started the sack parade with Duke Lemmens on a third down in the first and effectively ended the Vols' hopes with a sack at the end.
3. Deonte Thompson
8 of 10
Thompson still hasn't had a breakout game yet, but he was the Gators' best receiver on Saturday and provided Brantley with a steady go-to weapon.
Two of Thompson's catches kept drives alive on third down, with one keeping the drive alive for the team's lone first half touchdown. He also had a 24-yard catch that helped the Gators put the Vols away for good on Trey Burton's touchdown run.
He didn't have a huge day, with four catches for 55 yards, but if you look at the numbers, he accounted for a third of the Gators' passing attack. So, without him, Florida may not have kept a few key drives alive and taken home the victory.
2. John Brantley
9 of 10
Most people will look at the numbers and say, why is Brantley here?
Yes, he still has a lot to work on, but who doesn't at this point?
He overcame some offensive line struggles and that pesky snap problem early. When it came down to it, Brantley made plays when it counted, methodically and as if he's been doing this for a while.
He made a few throws that showed why people speak so highly of his skill set. He did sail a few passes, but Thompson and Moore bailed him out on two in particular. And, if they caught those balls, then they weren't that terrible in the first place.
He showed that he could get a few yards on runs. Tebow he is not, as evidenced by his attempts to run the option, but at least he made the defense honest on a few occasions.
Ultimately, he made some big strides in the game and most importantly, he did not make any mistakes. The Florida offense isn't where anyone thought it would be, but Brantley was the steady hand that lead the Gators to victory and kept the Vols out of arms reach every time they made a big play.
1. Jeff Demps
10 of 10
Demps didn't have any of those gamebreaking plays this week, but he took on a much larger role in the running game with a career-high in carries.
There were a few times he was hit behind the line, which can be attributed to breakdowns in the line and probably a little fatigue on his part. He also let the ball get ripped out of his hands for a key play.
But, Demps is the team's best playmaker, and at times, it seems he is the only one making things happen.
He gave the Gators good field position with his kick returns. He makes things happen when he catches the ball in the flat, even if it seems like he has nowhere to go. And, he is always good for some nice bursts.
He crossed the century mark in total yards for Florida, and even though a lot of them didn't come in bunches, it was nice to see that he could take on the workhorse role against an SEC squad.
It will be interesting to see if the coaches continue to give him this much work going forward, especially with several much tougher opponents on the horizon. The coaches may want to spell Demps a little more to keep his electric feet fresh, and they can do that with Gillislee and Moody, if they choose to. But there is no denying that right now Demps is the offense's best, well, everything. He was again on Saturday.
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