The college football opening kickoff weekend is finally here. The NFL waits until post-labor day to kick off their season and for this weekend only, we are able to enjoy the collegiate game from Wednesday until Monday. There is nothing quite like that first weekend and it’s something that every college football fan cherishes. The seasons are painfully short, the offseasons are excruciatingly long, and the anticipation for this weekend grows by the day from January until late August.
That anticipation culminates this weekend with schools from across the country kicking off their season. The Florida Gators will do so by welcoming the Idaho Vandals to the Swamp this Saturday for a game on ESPNU at 7 p.m. eastern time.
The Florida Gators are excited to finally wipe the taste of a 4-8 season out of their mouths as they take to the field and welcome a team that was only 2-10 a year ago. However, Gator fans and detractors alike will be quick to remind the Florida faithful that nothing has been a given recently for Will Muschamp and company, losing to FCS Georgia Southern a season ago, and missing the school’s first bowl game in 22 years.
There is a different feeling in Gainesville these days. Fans are confident, but slightly apprehensive as Will Muschamp goes into his fourth season as head coach with his third offensive coordinator. This may be his final chance to show he can lead this team back to the top of college football or at least get to an SEC Championship game. That final chance campaign begins with Idaho and here will be the three keys to the game for the Gators.
Idaho vs Florida: Three Keys for the Gators
1. Look Comfortable on Offense while putting up some points!
The offense has been the downfall for Muschamp in his first three seasons; never as apparent as a season ago when they averaged only 18 points a game. Starting quarterback Jeff Driskel broke his leg in the third game against Tennessee and missed the entire season. He is back and ready to take the reigns of new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper’s offense. It’s put up or shut up time for Driskel. He has two impressive freshmen on his heels and he needs to perform and show that the 11-2 season in 2012 wasn’t a fluke.
The offense will need to move the chains, show that they can get lined up properly, and look comfortable calling the plays and executing on the field. This will be their first live action against a different opponent and it will be interesting to see how the offense looks. With three relatively easy games before Alabama during Week 4, I expect to see a somewhat limited game plan for the first three games. However, Idaho ranked near the bottom of the nation in overall defense last season, so Florida should be able to put up significant points regardless.
2. Stay healthy
This one should probably be listed at number one and is the most important theme to the entire season, and particularly the first three games as this team prepares for its trip to Alabama Week 4. The Gators had 15 starters injured last year that missed significant time. They have more depth this season because so many of the backups were thrust into prominent roles, but the coaching staff would like to see this team stay healthy and see what they are capable of with a full squad.
3. Win the Game
This one is simple. After losing seven of the last eight games last year, including the embarrassing loss to FCS Georgia Southern, the Gators simply need to win this game. Idaho was 2-10 last season and is a team they should roll over no matter where they are currently as a program. Muschamp gets the first two weeks to get things rolling and hopefully he is able to do so.
Idaho vs Florida: Positional Breakdown
Quarterbacks
The Gators will welcome back the highly-criticized junior quarterback Jeff Driskel, whose season ended in the third game against Tennessee a year ago, to take over the reigns of new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper’s system. The Gator offense struggled mightily last season, losing their second-string quarterback to injury as well, and starting a third-string freshman to close out the season. Because of these injuries, the offense averaged only 18 points per game and the pressure will be on Driskel to improve that number and show that Florida’s 11-2 season in 2012 wasn’t a fluke.
Driskel has the rare combination of a strong arm and elusive speed. However, to this point he has been more dynamic with his legs than his arm. He will need to show that he can move this offense through the air and move the chains with his legs when necessary. The increased emphasis on the pass should also help him stay healthy. If he were to go down, the Gators should be much more prepared this year.
Freshman Treon Harris beat out fellow freshman Will Grier and sophomore Skylar Morningweig to win the backup quarterback job. Harris was a highly recruited quarterback out of Booker T. Washington High School. He has tremendous speed, can make all the throws on the field, and has shown great poise in spring and fall practices. Having a backup with a similar skill set should allow the Gators to be better prepared for injury, and they can play with mostly the same offense with either guy. I expect Harris to get a decent amount of playing time in this one, giving us our first chance to see him on the field.
Idaho will likely go with redshirt freshman Matt Linehan, who has less experience than sophomore Chad Chalich (who got some playing time last season), because he has looked good in camp. However, the Gators have the big edge at this position because of Driskel’s experience alone. He may come into this game rusty, but Idaho’s pass defense should allow him to get into the swing of things quickly.
Advantage: Gators
Running Backs
The Gators return a very skilled and experienced threesome at the running back position with Kelvin Taylor, Mack Brown, and Matt Jones all returning. Brown is a strong runner between the tackles, Taylor is an elusive and speedy back, and Matt Jones can carry the load when necessary. The Gators will likely stay pretty vanilla on offense with Alabama coming in a few weeks, so they will lean on the running game. The trio should get a lot of carries and they give the Gators a huge advantage.
Idaho will hand over the reigns to senior Jerrel Brown with Richard Montgomery getting carries as well. Idaho was near the bottom of the country in rushing a year ago, but more experience along the offensive line should see that number increase. It just won’t come in this game against the Gators tremendous defensive line. The Gators have the advantage on the ground.
Advantage: Gators
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
This may be the position that the Gators are most vulnerable at. They lack experience at both wide receiver and tight end and will go into the season with largely unproven players. Wide receivers Quinton Dunbar and Andre Debose are the only returning starters with real significant game experience. Ahmad Fullwood saw a little action last year, but should emerge as a much bigger part of the offense in 2014. The Gators will also be counting on Demarcus Robinson, Latroy Pittman, and others at the wideout spot. Jake McGee and Clay Burton will both see time at the tight end position. Burton has some experience, but it remains to be seen how much the position will be used under Roper’s new offensive scheme.
Idaho returns their leading receiver, Dezmon Epps, who caught at least four passes in every game last season. They also have gifted wide receivers Deon Watson and Josh McCain. They will use a lot of spread sets and we may not see the tight end in this game. The Gators have the advantage, but this one is a lot closer than it should be.
Advantage: Gators
Offensive Line
Both teams are returning a lot of experience on the offensive lines. The Gators lost a couple of productive players, but have a lot of guys who saw action last year due to injuries. They feel good about their starting unit, but the backups will have to prove themselves. Idaho returns nine players who saw starting time a season ago. They have a ton of talent and experience up front, including center Mike Marboe, who has started since his freshman season. I will give Idaho the slight edge because of continuity and familiarity with each other, but this could be more of a push.
Advantage: Vandals
Front Seven (Defensive Line and Linebackers)
The Gators have the advantage in this one and it isn’t even close. Idaho starts three juniors in the linebacking core, but will be breaking in almost an entirely new defensive line. The Gator offensive line should be able to push them around and allow the running backs to have great success. On the other hand, the Gators are loaded on the defensive line, lead by Dante Fowler Jr., and they have a very strong and experienced linebacker unit. The linebackers will be lead by Antonio Morrison and Michael Taylor. The Gator front seven will push the Idaho offensive line around all night, and put lots of pressure on quarterback Matt Linehan. It will be a long day for the Vandals in large part thanks to this front seven.
Advantage: Gators
Secondary
The Gator secondary may be as strong as their front seven, but they are just not as experienced and they need to display their potential on the field. They are led by All-Sec 1st team selection Vernon Vargreaves III, and they will be breaking in stud freshmen Jalon Tabor and Duke Dawson as well. Brian Poole also gives them some experience. The safety position is a little more vulnerable, but with the rest of the talent around them, they shouldn’t be exposed in this game.
Idaho has a lot of experience back in their secondary, but the presence of VHIII alone gives the Gators the advantage.
Advantage: Gators
Kicking Game/Return Game
The Gators hope Austin Hardin can improve on a disappointing 2013 while Johnny Townsend and Kyle Christy will battle for the punter position. That competition should bring out the best of each guy, giving the Gators better results in the kicking game. In the return game, they simply have better athletes. They are much more likely to take one back to the house for six.
Advantage: Gators
Matchup to Watch
The Idaho offensive line vs the Florida defensive line is the matchup to watch in this game. Idaho’s one advantage was in the offensive line. However, as it turns out, they will be going against arguably the Gators best positional unit. Florida’s defensive line is big, mean, and athletic. This will be Idaho’s biggest challenge all year and it will be interesting to see how they come out and play in the very first game after a whole summer of preparation for this matchup. If they can’t block the Gator defensive line at all, it could get ugly in a hurry. If they can hold them off a bit and the Gator offense struggles like it is capable of doing, Idaho could hang around and start to plant seeds of doubt in both players and fans in Gainesville.
Final Prediction: GATORS 49, Vandals 3
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