GAINESVILLE, Fla. _ The Florida Gators spent two weeks being critiqued, criticized and called out as undeserving of a preseason top-10 ranking.
The Gators' chance to finally silence their naysayers Saturday night against UT-Martin instead might have raised the volume a notch.
Coming off a sloppy season-opening win against Miami, UF (2-0) struggled to make short work of the over-matched Skyhawks during a 45-0 decision in the Swamp.
The win, which featured 28 second-half points by the Gators, also came at a high cost. Top cornerback CJ Henderson and electric receiver Kadarius Toney left the game with injuries. Neither returned to the field of play.
As an announced crowd of 80,007 looked on, the Gators' offense failed to establish a run game until the game wore on and UT-Martin's defense wore down. UF's one-dimensional attack placed the game squarely on the shoulders of quarterback Feleipe Franks, the target of much of the fans' ire following a three-turnover night against Miami.
Franks responded by completing his first 15 passes, his only first-half incomplete pass on a Hail Mary toss to end the first half with UF leading 17-0. The redshirt junior opened the game relying on check-downs and screens, but on first-and-10 from the Gators' 31-yard line, Franks received ample pass protection and found Van Jefferson in stride behind the defense for a 69-yard score.
A series later, Franks followed a 15-yard completion on third-and-5 to Josh Hammond with a perfectly executed run-pass option that left Tyrie Cleveland wide open for a 35-yard touchdown catch.
At that point, the Gators had more enough cushion to coast to their 29th consecutive win during a home-opener and 20th straight victory against a first-time opponent.
UT-Martin, which received a $500,000 game guarantee, finished with 194 yards and drove inside the Gators' 45 just once. The Skyhawks managed just 97 yards through three quarters against the Gators' swarming defense.
UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's group finished with nine tackles for a loss, including five sacks, giving the Gators 15 in two games.
Junior safety Shawn Davis, starting for injured senior Jeawon Taylor, led UF with six tackles, while redshirt senior end Jabari Zuniga had 1.5 sacks, giving him three in 2019.
Meanwhile, Franks finished 25-of-27 passing for 270 yards, including five passes for 56 yards to Trevon Grimes and four for 94 yards to Jefferson. Senior tailback Lamical Perine totaled 51 rushing yards and a touchdown _ his second of the season and 19th since 2017, more than twice as many as any other current Gator.
UF will open SEC play at 7 p.m. Saturday at Kentucky, 27-16 winners last season in the Swamp to snap the Gators' nation-leading 31-game winning streak in the series.
