GAINESVILLE, FLA. — Feleipe Franks passed for 274 yards and three touchdowns - all in the first half - and No. 15 Florida ran up 600 total yards Saturday to rout overmatched Idaho 63-10.
Florida rolled to a 49-0 lead at halftime. Gators defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown on the first play to start the onslaught. Four other touchdown drives took less than two minutes and the longest of the seven first-half scores came in 2:24.
Franks hit on 19-of-27 passes and led the Gators to a 42-0 lead before he was lifted with 5:22 left in the second quarter.
Freshman Emory Jones, in just his second game this season, played all but two minutes the rest of the game. His first college TD pass was an 8-yarder to Josh Hammond to close the scoring in the first half. Jones finished 12-of-16 for 125 yards and two scores.
Idaho (4-7) avoided a shutout when Cade Coffee connected on a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter and on a 12-yard pass from Mason Petrino to Jeff Cotton with 1:47 left in the game.
THE TAKEAWAY
Idaho: It was a disappointing season for the Vandals who were a preseason pick to finish fourth (coaches) or fifth (media) in the Big Sky Conference. Among the problems: an 0-6 record where they were outscored by an average of 51.7 to 18.2.
Florida: The Gators likely would secure a spot in a New Year's Six bowl with a victory at Florida State next week. It would cap an impressive first season under coach Dan Mullen, who inherited a 4-7 team with holes on both sides of the ball.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Florida is unlikely to move up unless other teams ranked higher fall.
UP NEXT
Idaho: Season complete. Hosts Western State Colorado on Sept. 5 in 2019 opener.
Florida: Plays next Saturday at rival Florida State, which has won five in a row in the series.
