Florida opened its 2015 season with a dominating win over New Mexico State. Here are some of the notable takeaways:
It was over when… Will Grier hit C’yontai Lewis for a 32 yard touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half to make it 34-13.
Play of the game… Vernon Hargreaves’ remarkable interception and weaving return deep into New Mexico State territory, which explained exactly why Jim McElwain has him returning punts.
Game ball goes to… Grier, who threw for two touchdowns, ran for another and put up 207 total yards (164 rushing, 43 rushing) in his quest to claim the starting QB job.
Stat of the game… 26. Nebraska’s loss to BYU earlier today means the Gators now have the nation’s longest winning streak in season openers with 26.
What to be proud of… Florida has two quarterbacks who they can win with. Both Treon Harris and Will Grier played great; neither was perfect, but both seemed more than capable of guiding this team for the long haul.
What to work on… The Florida defense was good in spots, but it was really bad in others, including getting burned for a deep touchdown pass on a 4th and 6. That’s got to be cleaned up.
Bottom line: A big win over a bad team is nothing to throw a party over. But it’s always nice to start out with a W. And the Gators showed some real promise.
Scoring recap:
| 1st | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| NM STATE | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| FLORIDA | 7 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 61 |
Scoring plays:
| Team | Time | Play | NMS | FLA |
| FLORIDA | 1st 8:23 | B. Powell 38 yd pass from T. Harris (PAT good) | 0 | 7 |
| FLORIDA | 2nd 14:09 | K. Taylor 10 yd run (PAT good) | 0 | 14 |
| FLORIDA | 2nd 11:00 | C. Lewis 12 yd pass from W. Grier (PAT good) | 0 | 21 |
| NM STATE | 2nd 6:26 | L Rose III 8 yd run (PAT good) | 7 | 21 |
| FLORIDA | 2nd 3:18 | W. Grier 4 yd run (PAT good) | 7 | 28 |
| NM STATE | 2nd 1:49 | T. Morgan 31 yd pass from T. Rogers (PAT failed) | 13 | 28 |
| FLORIDA | 2nd :24 | C. Lewis 32 yd pass from W. Grier (PAT blocked) | 13 | 34 |
| FLORIDA | 3rd 9:24 | A. Hardin 34 yd FG | 13 | 37 |
| FLORIDA | 3rd 6:32 | J. Cronkrite 3 yd run (PAT good) | 13 | 44 |
| FLORIDA | 3rd 1:44 | A. Hardin 36 yd FG | 13 | 47 |
| FLORIDA | 4th 9:35 | J. Scarlett 4 yd run (PAT good) | 13 | 54 |
| FLORIDA | 4th 4:27 | C. Worton 6 yd pass from T. Harris (PAT good) | 13 | 61 |
