Nov. 7, 2009
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
No. 1 Florida 27, Vanderbilt 3
Attendance: 90,694
Site: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla.
With the 27-3 loss, the Commodores fall to 2-8 overall. They are in the midst of a 6-game losing streak that dates to their 36-17 win at Rice on Sept. 26. It marks the 19th straight loss in the series. The Commodores are also 0-6 in Southeastern Conference play, one year after going 4-4 in league action.
Team Superlatives
– Vanderbilt sacks: four for 28 yards
– Only two penalties for 15 yards (Vanderbilt’s lowest for the season)
– Offensive line, without senior Thomas Welch, protected Adams and did not allow any Vanderbilt sacks.
– Despite the loss, Vanderbilt’s defense held Florida to 375 offensive yards.
Individual Superlatives
– TB Warren Norman had 176 all-purpose yards on the day, with 99 coming from kickoff returns. Norman became the reigning SEC single-season record holder in kickoff return yardage with 951. Norman also moved into second in Vanderbilt’s all-time freshman rushers with 658 yards.
– QB Mackenzi Adams earned his first start of the season at quarterback, replacing Larry Smith, who did not dress after suffering a hamstring injury against Georgia Tech. It was Adams’ 10th career start. He went 13-for-29 with 100 yards and an interception.
– LB Patrick Benoist had nine tackles on the night, including a quarterback sack, with LB Chris Marve following with seven.
– P Brett Upson had seven punts for a total of 297 yards.
– DE Steven Stone’s five tackles on the night included two tackles for loss and a quarterback sack for a total loss of seven yards.
– DE Teriall Brannon had the first quarterback sack of his career, an eight-yard stop at the 6:42 mark of the third quarter.
Second Half
– The second half started off with a 5-yard quarterback sack by DE Steven Stone. This was Stone’s second tackle for loss of the game.
– Norman had a 30-yard rush at the 9:43 mark of the third quarter for a Commodore first down.
– K Ryan Fowler put the first points on the board for the Commodores with a 32-yard field goal attempt through the middle of the uprights at the 8:40 mark of the third quarter. Fowler is 11-of-16 on the season.
– Vanderbilt forced the Gators into three fourth quarter penalties for a total loss of 35 yards.
First Half
– On the opening possession, Adams hit WR John Cole, TB Warren Norman and TE Brandon Barden for first downs, moving the ball to the Florida 35-yard line before the drive ended.
– A QB hurry by Benoist and defensive pass by CB Myron Lewis forced Florida to punt on its first possession. WR Alex Washington’s 6-yard return was the first of the year allowed by Florida. Though the Commodores failed to move offensively, Brett Upson provided good field possession with a 58-yard punt.
– Despite holding Florida to three points, Vanderbilt went scoreless in the first stanza.
– DE Steven Stone posted his 23th career tackle for loss, a 2-yard stop on QB Tim Tebow.
– Marve had an impressive defensive stop, holding Florida to a 27-yard field goal on a 75-yard scoring drive at the 1:00 mark of the first quarter.
– CB Eddie Foster and DE Tim Fugger combined for a tackle for loss of 3 yards at the 6:08 mark of the second quarter, holding Florida to a 45-yard field goal.
– With 6:01 left in the second quarter, Warren Norman became the SEC’s single-season record holder in kickoff return yardage. His 17-yard return allowed Norman to surpass the 903-yard record previously set by Dennis Johnson in 2008.
– With 2:42 left in the second quarter, Patrick Benoist sacked Tebow for a 12-yard loss, then forced Florida into its second punting situation with a third-down tackle.
– Vanderbilt trails at halftime 13-0. It marks the third time this season the Commodores failed to tally points in the first half.
