- Oct 5, 2017
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IT'S HERE!!! The real college football season begins in two days. Two more sleeps til Christmas everyone! After an off-season of questioning whether or not we would get to see it, we will. Florida will begin with its first road true road game to start a season since 1987. That didn't end well. Neither have 3 of the last 5 against Ole Miss. However, when a highly ranked Ole Miss squad rolled into Gainesville in 2015 the Gators didn't just pull an upset, they dominated.
What does that have to do with the 2020 opener? Absolutely nothing. I don't think there are any Andre Debose type players on either team that were playing for their school for the 2015 game. It is good to go back and look at recent history. In 2015, it was Ole Miss with a 4th year coach and Florida had the first year head coach. This time the roles are reversed.
The season of Covid definitely favors the Gators. They return experience at every position on offense and defense, though some of that experience varies. Ole Miss has plenty of experience to including a potent running game, however, a new head coach, OC and DC. With the shorter amount of time and no spring practice, Ole Miss will still being working on the kinks when facing a Florida team that is in its third year of consistent coaching. Granted, the third season of the last 5 coaches (at least) have been down years comparative to the coach's first two years and two of those 5 were fired in year 3. A third should have been.
Mullen so far feels like he is more in the Spurrier/Meyer side of things (though not as successful...yet) as opposed to Zook/Champ/Mac. He can begin with a statement on the road in the SEC or he can start down the path of the others. The expectations are big, results must be bigger.
Offense
Queue the Frozen soundtrack because "For the First Time in Forever" Florida has a pre-season First Team All-SEC Quarterback. No one could have predicted that he would put up passing numbers we have not seen in a long, long time. For the first time since 2001 we averaged 300+ ypg through the air in 2019. 2020 should be an upgrade. Though Swain, Cleveland, and Jefferson are gone, Grimes, Toney, Pitts, and Copeland return to support Trask. The offensive line should be improved with a year under their belt and a valuable transfer with a ton of SEC experience. Add in Zipperer, Shorter, and Whittemore and this will continue to be a dangerous group. Also, don't sleep on Gamble.
The stable of running backs is one of the deepest we've had in a long time. Pierce is a guy many have wanted to see as a featured back for years. Lingard comes in with plenty of hype after being a 5 star recruit. Will he live up to the hype or be an Emmanuel Moody, solid, but below expectations. Malik Davis who has shown plenty of potential and explosiveness in the past before injuries and fumbling issues. Wright and Clement are two guys that can go in a pinch with Wright being the future of the position.
On Saturday, Florida faces former DC DJ Durkin. They also face an Ole Miss team returning only two members of their secondary that allowed a worst in the SEC 278 ypg through the air last year. Prediction, Mullen tries to show the oline has improved and attacks this worst in the SEC ranking by trying to force the run from the beginning.
I do believe we may see a slow start, but this offense has the experience and weapons to overcome it. If Mullen surprises me and lets Trask set up the run with the pass, we could see the first 300 yard passing game of the year. Ole Miss does not have much size in the secondary (well, a 6-3 true freshman safety), and Florida could take advantage by getting Grimes, Pitts, Zipperer, and Whittemore in at once. Also, Trask could show off improvement in the area he needs to the most, the long ball. Last year, he was not efficient on the long throws. If he shows he can take to top off the defense in Oxford, the run and pass will benefit.
The offense in Oxford will be about sending a message. A message that the running game has improved and that this offense is for real. They will be challenged, but the offense will answer that challenge. If they don't, it will be a long year.
Defense
The defense returns a lot of experience, even if that isn't starting in some areas. Brenton Cox stepping into the Greenard role might just be the most anticipated debut on the defense. The scariest thought is that CJ McWilliams is starting in the Star.
Kaiir Elam showed a ton of natural ability and positioning mentality in his limited time last season and did a great job when starting for Henderson in the Orange Bowl and Wilson could in theory be closer to his old form after a full season after injury. Trey Dean's move to safety might the the move both he, and the secondary, needed as consistent safety play has been a pipe dream for a few years and he might be able to provide that.
Against Ole Miss, there may be some threat from the air, but I'm not sure if a rebuilt offensive line will be able to hold up against Gratham's pressures. However, the big threat is on the ground with John Rhys Plumlee. Though I think Corral gets the starting nod for Ole Miss, Kiffin is not foolish enough to keep Plumlee off of the field. Florida has struggled at times against mobile QB's and Plumlee is the most mobile QB UF has faced along with two running backs that averaged over 5 ypc last season. A LB corps without Reese (the graduated one, not the who knows when/where he will play one) needs to step up along with the DT's, including Dexter and Carter who may end up being the best DT's on the team.
I think we see Ole Miss have some success on the ground, but the talent and depth of Florida is too much. I believe the pass rush forces multiple picks.
Overall
I believe this Gators team has too much talent to struggle more than possibly a half against this Ole Miss team, especially in light of the lack of system familiarity they have going into the game. However, a 4-8 Ole Miss team last year had 5 losses by one score and that tells me they are more competitive than the record were indicate. Plus, throw in a better offensive coach in Kiffin with a DC like Durkin and this team will be better than expected. But, better than expected doesn't mean they are at their potential yet.
Florida 34-17
Also, who will be joining me in Oxford?
What does that have to do with the 2020 opener? Absolutely nothing. I don't think there are any Andre Debose type players on either team that were playing for their school for the 2015 game. It is good to go back and look at recent history. In 2015, it was Ole Miss with a 4th year coach and Florida had the first year head coach. This time the roles are reversed.
The season of Covid definitely favors the Gators. They return experience at every position on offense and defense, though some of that experience varies. Ole Miss has plenty of experience to including a potent running game, however, a new head coach, OC and DC. With the shorter amount of time and no spring practice, Ole Miss will still being working on the kinks when facing a Florida team that is in its third year of consistent coaching. Granted, the third season of the last 5 coaches (at least) have been down years comparative to the coach's first two years and two of those 5 were fired in year 3. A third should have been.
Mullen so far feels like he is more in the Spurrier/Meyer side of things (though not as successful...yet) as opposed to Zook/Champ/Mac. He can begin with a statement on the road in the SEC or he can start down the path of the others. The expectations are big, results must be bigger.
Offense
Queue the Frozen soundtrack because "For the First Time in Forever" Florida has a pre-season First Team All-SEC Quarterback. No one could have predicted that he would put up passing numbers we have not seen in a long, long time. For the first time since 2001 we averaged 300+ ypg through the air in 2019. 2020 should be an upgrade. Though Swain, Cleveland, and Jefferson are gone, Grimes, Toney, Pitts, and Copeland return to support Trask. The offensive line should be improved with a year under their belt and a valuable transfer with a ton of SEC experience. Add in Zipperer, Shorter, and Whittemore and this will continue to be a dangerous group. Also, don't sleep on Gamble.
The stable of running backs is one of the deepest we've had in a long time. Pierce is a guy many have wanted to see as a featured back for years. Lingard comes in with plenty of hype after being a 5 star recruit. Will he live up to the hype or be an Emmanuel Moody, solid, but below expectations. Malik Davis who has shown plenty of potential and explosiveness in the past before injuries and fumbling issues. Wright and Clement are two guys that can go in a pinch with Wright being the future of the position.
On Saturday, Florida faces former DC DJ Durkin. They also face an Ole Miss team returning only two members of their secondary that allowed a worst in the SEC 278 ypg through the air last year. Prediction, Mullen tries to show the oline has improved and attacks this worst in the SEC ranking by trying to force the run from the beginning.
I do believe we may see a slow start, but this offense has the experience and weapons to overcome it. If Mullen surprises me and lets Trask set up the run with the pass, we could see the first 300 yard passing game of the year. Ole Miss does not have much size in the secondary (well, a 6-3 true freshman safety), and Florida could take advantage by getting Grimes, Pitts, Zipperer, and Whittemore in at once. Also, Trask could show off improvement in the area he needs to the most, the long ball. Last year, he was not efficient on the long throws. If he shows he can take to top off the defense in Oxford, the run and pass will benefit.
The offense in Oxford will be about sending a message. A message that the running game has improved and that this offense is for real. They will be challenged, but the offense will answer that challenge. If they don't, it will be a long year.
Defense
The defense returns a lot of experience, even if that isn't starting in some areas. Brenton Cox stepping into the Greenard role might just be the most anticipated debut on the defense. The scariest thought is that CJ McWilliams is starting in the Star.
Kaiir Elam showed a ton of natural ability and positioning mentality in his limited time last season and did a great job when starting for Henderson in the Orange Bowl and Wilson could in theory be closer to his old form after a full season after injury. Trey Dean's move to safety might the the move both he, and the secondary, needed as consistent safety play has been a pipe dream for a few years and he might be able to provide that.
Against Ole Miss, there may be some threat from the air, but I'm not sure if a rebuilt offensive line will be able to hold up against Gratham's pressures. However, the big threat is on the ground with John Rhys Plumlee. Though I think Corral gets the starting nod for Ole Miss, Kiffin is not foolish enough to keep Plumlee off of the field. Florida has struggled at times against mobile QB's and Plumlee is the most mobile QB UF has faced along with two running backs that averaged over 5 ypc last season. A LB corps without Reese (the graduated one, not the who knows when/where he will play one) needs to step up along with the DT's, including Dexter and Carter who may end up being the best DT's on the team.
I think we see Ole Miss have some success on the ground, but the talent and depth of Florida is too much. I believe the pass rush forces multiple picks.
Overall
I believe this Gators team has too much talent to struggle more than possibly a half against this Ole Miss team, especially in light of the lack of system familiarity they have going into the game. However, a 4-8 Ole Miss team last year had 5 losses by one score and that tells me they are more competitive than the record were indicate. Plus, throw in a better offensive coach in Kiffin with a DC like Durkin and this team will be better than expected. But, better than expected doesn't mean they are at their potential yet.
Florida 34-17
Also, who will be joining me in Oxford?
