On Saturday, the Gators made a decisive victory against the Golden Panthers at Ben Hill Stadium. In front of over 90,000 attendees, they pushed their record to 11-0 for only the second time in the University of Florida's history. This win also puts the Gators winning streak at 21 consecutive games. They defeated 3-8 ranked FIU.
Gators managed to shut out the Panthers through almost the entire first half, allowing only one 3-point field goal less than 30 seconds before the end of the second quarter. Kicker Dustin Rivest was responsible for the only Panther scoring with that kick, while the Gators racked up over half of their game points, making the half-time score 35-3 Gators.
Florida dominated early with an interception return of 41 yards by Brandon Spikes, a senior linebacker, just over 13 minutes into the game. The interception made Spikes the only player in the United States to have achieved 4 pick-sixes within the last 2 years. It was his 6th career interception, and his 4th that lead to a touchdown, putting the first score on the board for the Gators at 7-0.
The next Gators score came at 9:18 in the second quarter with quarterback Tim Tebow running 55-yards, a career-high for Tebow, to make the touchdown and run the score to 14-0. That touchdown became Tebow's 54th, giving him the record for all-time touchdowns.
Chris Rainey made the next two touchdowns, the first with a 27-yard run after a shovel pass from quarterback Tebow. This was Rainey's first touchdown for the Gators. He then made a 22-yard run after an option pitch from the quarterback, making this his second rushing score, and number 7 of the season for the Gators, putting them at 28-0. He made 3 receptions, a career-tying achievement with a career-high of 61 yards.
Jeff Demps, a sophomore from Winter Garden, Fla., pushed the Gators halftime score to 35 with a 3-yard scamper, with the Panthers getting their only score of the game, a 37-yard field goal, just 29 seconds before the end of the half.
Early in the second half, Riley Cooper, a Gators wide receiver from Clearwater, Fla., caught an 18-yard pass, his 7th touchdown pass of the season, pushing the board to 42-3.
John Brantley came in for Tebow with over 13 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, and managed 73 yards and two touchdowns. The first was thanks to a reception by Omarius Hines, a wide receiver from Corsicana, Texas, whose 20-yard touchdown pass reception was his first scoring for Florida.
Brantley threw a career-long touchdown pass of 16-yards to Justin Williams of Folkson, Ga. This was his second score this season, pushing the score to 56-3 at just over 11 minutes left in the game. Deonte Thompson, a sophomore from Belle Glad, Fla., led Gators receivers with 66 yards and 5 catches.
Brantley had another career-long pass of 31-yards that was received in the end zone by Frankie Hammond Jr. of Hollywood Fla. This was also Hammond's inaugural score for the Gators, and pushed the score to its final of 62-3, leaving Gators undefeated this season.
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