Big-play Loucheiz Purifoy carries Gators to victory
Several teammates enthusiastically lifted Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy onto their shoulders during pregame warm-ups before the Gators faced Arkansas.
Purifoy spent the rest of Saturday night carrying No. 18 Florida on his back.
Following an unremarkable start to the season, the junior played his best game so far to help lead the Gators to a 30-10 victory against the Razorbacks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“He was everything we needed today,” cornerback Jaylen Watkins said.
Purifoy electrified a crowd of 90,043 during Arkansas’ second possession midway through the first quarter.
After whiffing on a tackle the play before, which led to a 28-yard scamper by Arkansas running back Alex Collins, Purifoy made amends by racing past the line of scrimmage and pummeling quarterback Brandon Allen.
The hit sent the Razorbacks’ starter tumbling to the turf and the ball squirting loose. Linebacker Michael Taylor recovered the fumble to give Florida possession.
Purifoy struck again early in the second quarter.
“When I seen that he still had the ball in his hands, my eyes got big,” Purifoy said. “If I can get to him when he has the ball in his hands, I’m going to get it out.”
With Arkansas methodically moving down the field, Allen was hurried by multiple defenders and attempted a short pass into the flat.
Rather than finding his intended receiver, Allen watched from the ground as Purifoy snatched the ball out of the air and dashed 42 yards for a touchdown to give Florida a 10-7 lead.
Purifoy’s takeaway was the first interception of his college career.
He finished the game with four tackles, including one sack, and added his first pass deflection of the season. He also was flagged once for pass interference and added a 17-yard punt return.
“To finish on that play, to create some momentum and get that crowd going (was important),” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “The top came off the place when it happened.”
Entering the season, Purifoy, who is widely considered a first-round NFL talent, was expected to be a catalyst for Florida. But after he was suspended for Florida’s season opener against Toledo because of a violation of team rules, he failed to find his groove through his first three games.
Purifoy’s involvement on offense has been minimal. He has only 15 rushing yards and nearly botched a punt return during the second quarter against the Razorbacks. But on defense, he took a step toward becoming the lockdown cornerback many believe he can be.
Behind his strong play, Florida’s defense suffocated Arkansas for much of the game.
Collins, who entered Saturday as the second leading rusher in the SEC with an average of 119.4 yards per game, was solid in the first half before being bottled up after halftime against the nation’s best rushing defense.
Collins ran for 54 yards on 13 carries to spearhead an Arkansas (3-3, 0-2) rushing attack that gained more yards on the ground in the first quarter than any Florida (4-1, 3-0) opponent had in an entire game this season. However, he gained only 3 net yards in the second half.
Despite Arkansas’ proficiency on the ground, the pair of first-half turnovers created by Purifoy and an inconsistent passing game debilitated its attack on offense. Allen finished a meager 17-of-41 passing for 164 yards.
Florida has now held its past 12 SEC opponents to 20 points or fewer, dating to Nov. 12, 2011.
