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Florida aims for 17th straight victory over Vanderbilt

Oct 31, 2006 - 9:46 PM No. 7 Florida (7-1) at Vanderbilt (4-5), 12:30 pm EST

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - Seventh-ranked Florida can move to the brink of clinching a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game when it visits Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The Gators (7-1, 5-1 SEC East) will win the division with victories this weekend and next Saturday vs. South Carolina, but they also could clinch a spot in the conference championship with a win Saturday coupled with a loss by eighth-ranked Tennessee to No. 13 Louisiana State. The Volunteers are 3-1 in SEC play but have lost to the Gators.

Florida jumped out to a three-touchdown advantage over Georgia last Saturday before holding on for a 21-14 triumph in their annual neutral-site battle in Jacksonville.

The Gators, who forced five turnovers, sputtered on offense for much of the game, with quarterback Chris Leak completing just 14-of-28 passes for 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Leak later dismissed reports he played the second half with a concussion.

Florida has dominated its series with Vanderbilt, winning the last 16 meetings and going 24-3-1 in the last 28, though last year it needed two overtimes to post a 49-42 win. The Commodores have dropped seven straight here since a 24-9 win in 1988.

The Commodores (4-5, 1-4 East) are in last place in the division but have won four of their past six games after beginning the campaign 0-3.

Chris Nickson ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 250 yards and a pair of scores for Vanderbilt in a 45-28 triumph at winless Duke last weekend. The sophomore became the first Commodore quarterback to throw for 250 yards and run for 150 in the same game.