Gators' Montrell Johnson Overcoming Early Fumble Shows Why He's At Florida

Photo: Montrell Johnson; Credit: Alex Shepherd

The Florida Gators were clicking in their first possession of the season, ridding any worry of a return to offensive stagnancy experienced in the past prior to Dan Mullen's run as head coach.

Starting at their own 8-yard line due to a holding penalty on the kickoff, the Gators pushed the ball down the field with an assortment of rushes from quarterback Anthony Richardson and Nay'Quan Wright, as well as a 14-yard completion to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall over the middle. When the time came for the inevitable running back rotation to commence, Louisiana-Lafayette transfer Montrell Johnson was the next man off the bench.

However, following four straight first-down gains, on Johnson's first run of the contest, disaster struck to derail a promising opening series. Slanting toward the left side of the line, Johnson absorbed an initial hit and bounced upfield for an extra yard before having the ball stripped from his grasp.

The Utes recovered and returned it to the Florida 25-yard line. They eventually scored off the turnover with the short field, giving them a 7-0 lead that they held until the end of the first.

Johnson said he will remember that play when he reflects on the contest 10-to-20 years from now.

"It bothered me that much. I was really uncomfortable with it."

Others could allow their first carry of the season with a new program to completely disrupt their game.

However, Johnson responded differently. His next play mentality, aided by his teammates' consolation when he returned to the sideline, resulted in a productive rest of the evening for the New Orleans native.

"Mentally, I flushed it by my teammates, like when I got back to the sideline, my teammates they came over. They encouraged me. They picked my head up when I was down. I really appreciate that out of them."

Despite the rough start, Johnson bounced back to lead Jabbar Juluke's running backs in rushing with 75 yards on 12 carries. He added the lone touchdown not scored by Richardson and supplemented a ground game that compiled 283 yards and four scores on the evening.

The serviceable night following the mishap came partly due to the coaching staff's confidence to give him the ball two possessions later in a similar situation. This time, the 5-foot-11, 218-pound back muscled his way through would-be tacklers to convert on 3rd and 5.

That would result in the Gators' first score of the contest to tie the game at seven apiece.

"It meant a lot to me because it just shows he has a lot of trust in me, a lot of trust in my game," he said. "I'm glad he did because I think I would have had a bad game of — you know, if I got the ball later in the game. So I'm glad he came back to me."

That trust from Napier to his players was evident throughout the night. It came in the way he played young players in crucial moments — like the fourth and goal for Utah to open the second half — his decision to put the ball game in Richardson's hands on the final offensive possession and his thought to get Johnson involved soon after the turnover.

The mistake made by Johnson isn't entirely left in the past, as he has to pay his debts, alongside true freshman back Trevor Etienne, who also coughed up the rock but was lucky enough to recover, for costing the team a scoring opportunity.

However, his ability to bounce back from a rough first carry of his Gators career to then lead a talented group of ball carriers shows exactly why Napier and Co. brought him along when they left UL a year ago. 

His understanding of what's asked to achieve high-level success under this staff and undeniable talent make the bruising back a vital piece to the program rebuild puzzle. Johnson not losing his identity as a runner aided Florida to an improbable upset victory over the No. 7 team in the nation in Napier's first game on the job.

He will look to pick up where he left off and turn in a turnover-free outing when the Gators face Kentucky on Saturday at 7 pm ET in The Swamp.

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