It will certainly look different and won’t be nearly as jam-packed, but Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is ready to host football games in the Fall again. The No. 3 Florida Gators are preparing for their home opener this weekend, as they play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks and a familiar face in Will Muschamp.
Dan Mullen and his Gators squad are excited to get back to playing in front of their home crowd in The Swamp after an impressive showing in the first week of the season. Florida took care of business in Oxford, Miss. where the offense was clicking on all cylinders. The Gators were victorious 51-35, behind a career day from quarterback Kyle Trask.
However, in a short season like such, no team can get caught looking in the past. The Gators now need to turn their focus on a Gamecock squad that, on paper, they shouldn’t struggle with. Let’s take a further look at the team’s going to battle in Gainesville Saturday.
Tale of the Tape
The third-ranked team in the country enters Saturday’s matchup as huge favorites over the Gamecocks. As 18-point favorites, the Gators should seemingly have their way against former Florida head coach Will Muschamp. And now in 2020, the Gators appear to be back as a lethal offensive team.
Will they score 50 points each week? Of course not. However, this offense seems to be far more efficient than in years past. It was just one week, but the offense looked good on all levels. The most important may be the improved play of the Gators offensive line. The Ole Miss Rebels aren’t known for their defense and don’t exactly have a fearful pass-rush, but the big fellas upfront for Florida did a great job protecting Kyle Trask. The Gators quarterback seemingly had all the time in pocket on most dropbacks, and he absolutely picked apart the Rebels secondary.
On his way to a career-day, Trask threw for a cool 412 yards and added six scores through the air. The box score was impressive, but so was the way he did it. His improved pocket presence showed that Trask is one of the best signal-callers in college football. He made all the throws too. Down the field, back-shoulder, on-the-run you name it, Trask did it.
His main target came as no surprise, in the form of Kyle Pitts. The Gators tight end caught eight passes for 170 yards, finding the endzone four times! He is a proven matchup nightmare, but he could be in store for a huge 2020. The Trask to Pitts connection will be big for the Gators success this year, and Saturday could be another big day for the duo.
The Gators defense on the other hand wasn’t up to par, but it shouldn’t be a sign of concern this early in the season. Florida was down four starters on that side of the ball, and Ole Miss figures to be one of the top offenses in the conference, maybe even the country. Giving up 600 yards of offense to your opponent is never good, but the Gators defense has a chance to bounce back this week.
As for Florida’s opponent this week, the Gamecocks are coming off a tough loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, 31-27. South Carolina was set to get the ball back in the winding minutes of the game with a chance to take the lead, but a punt return team blunder cost them the game.
In a surprise this offseason, quarterback Collin Hill won the starting job for the Gamecocks over Ryan Hilinski. Hill, a graduate transfer from Colorado State, has a great relationship with new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, his former coach at CSU. In his South Carolina debut, Hill completed 25-of-39 passes for 290 yards and a score, but also threw a Pick-6. Known for his quick-release, Hill could have some success against a Gators pass-rush that was pretty absent last week in Oxford.
His main target last week was slot receiver Shi Smith, and he should be his go-to-guy again this week. Smith caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a score a week ago, and it’s worth noting the Gators struggled against the Rebels playmaker in the slot, Elijiah Moore.
Muschamp is a defensive coach, a very well-respected one at that, but his defensive unit has their work cut out for them this week. Tennessee had their way offensively against the Gamecocks for the most part. They gave up 394 yards of total offense a week ago, and it’s not going to get any easier.
Prediction
Since arriving in Gainesville, Dan Mullen has had his way against Muschamp’s Gamecocks. Expect for that to be much of the same this weekend. The Gators are just the more talented team, and frankly they have a lot more to play for this season. Look for the Florida defense to try to rebound after giving up some big plays last week. And as for the Gators offense, expect much of the same.
Score: FLA 41, SC 20
For more College Football coverage, click here.
