The No. 11 ranked Florida Gators dominated in front of an announced crowd of 86,840 on Saturday night, beating Florida Atlantic (FAU) 35-14.
The Florida Gators have now won 32 consecutive home openers, the longest active streak in FBS. Meanwhile, the Owls have now lost four in a row dating back to last season.
Recap
In his first career start, Emory Jones was far from sharp. Through the air, Jones completed 17-of-27 passes for 113 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown. On the ground, Jones had 10 rushes for 74 yards.
Speaking of the running game, Florida had two 100-yard rushers. Starting running-back Malik Davis had 104 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown and quarterback Anthony Richardson had 160 yards on seven carries with one touchdown.
Richardson, who is wearing the No. 15 that Tim Tebow made popular in Gainesville, replaced Jones throughout the game. And to say the least, he impressed. Richardson had a 73-yard score late in the game and an 11-yarder in which he broke three tackles and hurdled another defender. Passing-wise, Richardson was 3-of-8 for 40 yards.
“He’s exciting with the ball in his hands, isn’t he?” Head Coach Dan Mullen said of Richardson. “He’s going to be a great player for us. I think you saw that tonight. His athleticism. He’s a special guy with the ball in his hands.”
For FAU, N’Kosi Perry completed 19-of-33 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown in his first start since transferring from Miami. Perry didn’t get much help from his offensive line; Florida’s defense finished with six sacks, including two by senior Zach Carter.
In total, Florida’s defense allowed 352 yards, holding FAU scoreless through the first three quarters.
Next Up
The Gators will have another inter-state matchup when they face USF next week. Meanwhile, FAU will return home to face Georgia Southern from the Sun Belt Conference.