GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida scored on the first play from scrimmage and never looked back in a 63-10 win Saturday, against Idaho. The 15th-ranked Gators (8-3, 5-3 SEC) returned an interception for a touchdown on the first snap and led 49-0 at halftime.
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Cade Coffey connected on a 38-yard field goal late in the third quarter to get the Vandals (4-7, 3-5 Big Sky) on the scoreboard. Idaho found the end zone when
Mason Petrino hooked up with
Jeff Cotton for a 12-yard touchdown with less than two minutes remaining.
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Playing perhaps their final game together, brothers Christian and
Kaden Elliss combined for 23 tackles to lead the Vandal defense. Christian matched his career high with 13 stops while Kaden added 10, including a tackle for loss.
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Kaden Elliss closes his career ranked fifth in Idaho history in tackles for loss (47) and 13th in tackles (289). His 47 tackles for loss are the most by a Vandal since 2000 and he is the first to crack the top 15 in career tackles since 2010.
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Petrino paced the Idaho offense, rushing for a career-high 87 yards on 12 carries. He also passed for 70 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, both of which were returned for scores.
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After Florida's defense staked the Gators to an early advantage, the offense quickly extended the lead. Florida needed only 42 seconds for its first offensive scoring drive and 17 seconds for its next. The Gators led 28-0 in the first period.
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Freshman quarterback
Nikhil Nayar made his collegiate debut in the third quarter. Nayar finished 1-for-4 for three yards. Freshman running back
Aundre Carter also made his debut, running twice for three yards.
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Idaho wraps up the 2018 season with a 4-7 mark, including a 3-5 record in its return to Big Sky Conference play.
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