UF Delivers Solid Win vs Arkansas in Night Game

On my 19th birthday I enjoyed the first night game at the Swamp in ten games. The noise in the Swamp was deafening as the #18 Gators (4-1) defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-3) by a score of 30-10.  This was Florida's third straight SEC win and right now they are 3-0 in conference play. Things started off slow as the Gators went down early 7-0. However, the momentum was changed on a dime when junior Loucheiz Purifoy took an interception back for a touchdown to give the Gators a 10-7 lead. From there, UF never looked back as Tyler Murphy threw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns. Solomon Patton was the main target on the night as the senior nabbed six balls for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. Patton's performance was key as the Gators could get nothing going with their run game. The Gators accounted for only 115 rushing yards and no touchdowns. This asset of their game needs to be fixed before the really important match ups vs the likes of LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, and FSU.

As usual and expected week and week out, the Gators defense came ready to play. They only forced two turnovers (one fumble and the interception return) but they were instrumental in swaying the momentum in UF's favor. Besides the run game, I would have to say that the only other thing the Gators need to work on is special teams. They had a field goal blocked and had a missed extra point. These are by no means critical issues that warrant a new kicker, they are just little things that need to be corrected because they can come back to bite the Gators in the big upcoming games. 

UF looked good for the most part in their win vs the Razorbacks. It was so impressionable that ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit put it on his list of convincing wins for the week. For Arkansas, It does not get any easier for them as they head home to face #14 South Carolina. UF's first big test will be this Saturday vs #10 LSU in Death Valley. This is the game where the entire nation will get to see what Tyler Murphy is truly made of. The Gators defense will come ready to play but the question is will the offense have what it takes to score enough points to beat LSU? I guess we will just have to just wait to see what unfolds this Saturday.

*Stats accredited to Gatorzone.com