Matthews Orchestrates Florida's Rhapsody

The beginning for Shane Matthews and the Florida offense proved misleading Saturday night. On his first play, the sophomore quarterback saw his pass blocked by an Auburn lineman. Three of the four times Matthews was sacked came in the first half.
But that deflected pass ended back in the arms of Matthews, and even though Florida lost 12 yards on the play, it seemed to be a signal of what was to come.
The 6-foot-2, 184-pounder from Pascagoula, Miss., completed his first nine passes as Florida scored 34 points in the first half. Even though Matthews didn’t throw a touchdown pass, he completed 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards as the Gators routed No. 4 Auburn 48-7.
Four of Matthews’ completions went to Ernie Mills for 97 yards. The early connections with Mills helped set the tone for the entire game for Matthews.
“My confidence really grew when I completed the two outs to Ernie,” Matthews said. “They had stopped us on the first two possessions, and then we started to move the ball effectively, really mixing the run and the pass.
“The defense kept us in the game as always, and the offensive line controlled the game after the first two series.”
The quarterback duel between Matthews and Auburn’s Stan White simply never materialized. White completed 10 of 27 passes for 135 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass to Herbert Casey. But the redshirt freshman also threw two interceptions.
Inside linebacker Jerry Odom, who was the recipient of one of White’s interceptions, said some comments by Auburn players helped fire up the Gators even more than last year’s loss did.
“They had said in the paper we would quit tonight, and we just wanted to make them quit,” Odom said. “We really did. This is the biggest win I’ve ever been a part of.”
Florida head coach Steve Spurrier said Matthews deserves to make All-Southeastern Conference, based on his performance so far this season.
“Shane had a tremendous game for a quarterback that didn’t throw a touchdown,” Spurrier said. “He might have had as good a game as I’ve ever seen. I don’t know about All-SEC because I don’t vote. I do think he’s had the best season so far of anybody in the league.”
His passes never found a Florida receiver in the end zone, but Matthews almost scored a touchdown running the ball. With the game tied 7-7, the Gators had third-and-goal at the Auburn 7. Matthews gained 6 yards as defensive tackle David Rocker dragged him down at the 1, but running back Willie McClendon scored on the next play. Florida had regained the lead, and the Gators’ fun began.
What made the game more fun for Florida was knowing Auburn had tied Tennessee, which had pounded the Gators 45-3 in Knoxville. Beating the Tigers soundly sent a message to the Vols, and to Florida State.
“It’s great to beat a team in the top five, like Auburn was,” Matthews said. “They did tie Tennessee, and we know we weren’t as bad as we looked against Tennessee. A lot of people didn’t realize we just had an off night, and nothing worked for us. But we never doubted we were a good football team.
“I’m sure this is going to be in the back of the minds of Florida State because Auburn beat them.”
Matthews did not play in last year’s heartbreaking 10-7 loss to Auburn, which extended the Tigers’ winning streak over the Gators to three games.
“I’m happy for the seniors who had never beaten Auburn,” Matthews said. “I have never seen those guys so happy. We beat Auburn in all phases of the game. It’s great for them to go out on this high note.”
Technically, Florida will not be called the SEC champion even if it finishes with the best record. Matthews said the Gators will call themselves champions if they finish with the best record.
“That is a goal of ours,” he said. “We want to finish with the best record in the SEC. Everybody’s got one loss, and Georgia is a tough team. But I think we’ll be ready for them.”
Odom said the team has taken a renegade approach to its season and thinks it will help the Gators against Georgia, as it did against Auburn Saturday night.
“It’s an incredible feeling because this win puts us on our way,” he said. “We have a chance to have the best season Florida has ever had. And we’re going to do it for the university, Florida fans and Florida people, not for anybody outside the state of Florida.
“People outside Florida, for some reason, do not like us. That’s fine. We will play the next three for us.”