University of Florida
Location: Gainesville, Florida
Students: 50,116 (32,064 undergrad)
2011 record: 5-4 overall, 3-4 SEC
Overall record vs. USC: Florida leads the series with a 23-5-3 record
Head Coach: Will Muschamp (5-4 in his first season)
Famous Alumni: Stephen Ross (Owner of Miami Dolphins), Bob Vila (Home Improvement Guru), Gene Chizik (Auburn Coach), Erin Andrews (ESPN), Steve Spurrier (USC Coach) and Tim Tebow (inventor of being Tebowed)
Let’s breakdown the game for ya:
Florida and South Carolina are very similar this season. Which would usually be a good thing for the Gamecocks but the Gators are 3-4 in the SEC and looking to savage their season with a victory on Saturday. Spurrier always down plays this game but as one of the all-time greats in Gator history, it always means a lot to have him on the Gamecock sidelines when we play Florida. Last year, the Gamecocks embarrassed the Gators in the Swamp and I am sure they have not forgot how that tastes. One thing is for sure and that is to look for a hard-hitting defensive battle on Saturday.
Gators on Offense: The Gator offense will rely on the speed of Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey to move the ball out of the backfield. Rainey is coming off an injury but is the Gators leading rusher, with 526 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Demps rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns last week. Quarterback John Brantley is also back and on the season, he has passed for 1360 yards, six touchdowns and only three interceptions. Rainey is also Brantley’s favorite receiver as well, he has 305 yards on the season and two touchdowns via the air.
The Gators offense is averaging 26 points per game and 345 total yards per game. I have a feeling the Gamecock defense will hold them below that on Saturday.
Gator Defense: Florida defense is ranked 4th in the SEC in scoring defense giving up just 19 points a game. The key stat for the game is – Florida has the highest ranked pass defense that USC will face this season. Florida is only giving up 182 yards per game in the air and with USC’s passing offense struggling, it could be a long day.
Florida’s defense is young but that hasn’t seemed to slow them down this season. The Gators are lead by Sharrif Floyd and Ronald Powell on the defensive line. Floyd, a player the Gamecocks recruited hard last season has been a beast for the Gators. On the season, Floyd has racked up 31 tackles. Powell plays beside Floyd and is the team leader in sacks with four.
In the secondary, the Gators are lead by safety Matt Elam and corner Marcus Roberson. Roberson, a true freshman, has one interception and 21 tackles on the season. Elam has two interceptions, five pass break ups and 53 tackles on the season.
Moose’s Prediction time: I have a feeling this will be a defensive battle, in that both offensives will do what they can to move the ball but it will come down to the defensives making plays. USC will once again struggle with bad offensive line play, that will limit the pass attack. Florida will look to throw quick passes to give Demps and Rainey a chance to use there speed in the open field.
Brandon Wilds will have a decent day, but USC will need Alshon and the wide reciever group to get open to have a chance against the Gators. Look for double tight-end sets to give Shaw more time to throw and some ‘Wildcat’ with Bruce Ellington.
Florida 17 Gamecocks 14
