The Florida Gators are back in the Swamp after an extremely disappointing loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. Florida went into Lexington looking unprepared and it cost them as the Wildcats bested the Gators 20-13. We take a look at the Florida vs Vanderbilt preview to give you the high points to watch for.
Florida will now host another SEC opponent this homecoming weekend. The Vanderbilt Commodores coming off a huge 30-28 win over UCONN. The Commodores will come into Gainesville with a 2-3 record.
During their rivalry, Florida has a 42-10-2 all-time record against Vanderbilt. The Gators have also won seven straight against the Commodores. The last time Florida played against Vanderbilt in the Swamp, the Gators shutout the Commodores 56-0.
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vanderbilt Commodores come into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for their first SEC road game of the season. The Commodores will be led by their head coach, Clark Lea, who’s in his first season as Vanderbilt’s head football coach.
The Commodores offense will be led by sophomore quarterback Ken Seals. The Texas native has had an up and down season for the Commodores. Seals has completed 56.4%of his passes for 894 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions.
Sophomore running back Rocco Griffin is the lead rusher for the Commodores. Griffin has rushed for 215 yards on 55 carries and one touchdown. Junior running back Ra’Mahn Davis has also ran the ball well with 211 rushing yards on 44 carries and a score.
Sophomore wide receiver Will Sheppard is the leading receiver for Vanderbilt. Sheppard has 27 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Fifth-year senior Chris Pierce Jr. has also contributed for the Vandy passing attack. Pierce has 24 catches for 290 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Vanderbilt has had a very forgetful season so far as they have allowed 35 points per game. Sophomore linebacker Ethan Barr leads the Commodores in tackles with 40. He also has 21 solo tackles, one tackle for loss and an interception.
Junior linebacker Anfernee Orji has also been a solid contributor for the Commodores defense. He has 37 tackles including 23 solo tackles and a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss. Cornerback Jaylen Mahoney has also been a key player on their defense with 22 tackles, a sack, an interception and two pass breakups.
Florida Gators offense
The Florida Gators will look to improve on offense after their horrendous performance against the Kentucky Wildcats. They’ll also look to clean up their mistakes with false starts that were very costly last Saturday.
Redshirt-junior quarterback Emory Jones will get the start on Saturday and looks to have a big game against the Vanderbilt defense. Jones has 68.9% of his passes for 871 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. Jones has also rushed for 438 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior running back Malik Davis is the lead rusher for the Gators. Davis has rushed for 279 yards on 49 carries and three touchdowns. Another senior running back that’s been great for Florida is Dameon Pierce. The Alabama native has 34 carries for 226 yards and five touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver Jacob Copeland continues to lead the Gators in receiving with sixteen receptions for 291 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Xzavier Henderson has also been productive for the Gators this season. The Miami native has ten catches for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Florida Gators defense
The Florida defense will look to continue their recent success as they had a very impressive performance against the Wildcats. Senior strong-side defensive end Zachary Carter has been Florida’s most valuable defensive player.
Carter has 15 tackles on the season including eight tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Sophomore defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has been excellent for Florida this season. The former five-star recruit has 21 tackles including two tackles for loss, two sacks and two fumble recoveries. All-American cornerback Kaiir Elam has missed the last two games but is questionable for this matchup versus Vanderbilt.
Five Players to Watch: Vanderbilt Commodores
- RB Ra’Mahn Davis
- LB Anfernee Orji
- WR Chris Pierce Jr.
- Jaylen Mahoney
- QB Ken Seals
Five Players to Watch: Florida Gators
- RB Dameon Pierce
- DE Zachary Carter
- QB Emory Jones
- DT Gervon Dexter
- WR Jacob Copeland
Five Predictions:
- Both Florida quarterbacks total over 350 yards of total offense.
- Ken Seals throws for over 200 yards and one touchdown.
- Florida’s defense records at least three sacks.
- Anfernee Orji leads both teams in tackles
- Florida Gators beat Vanderbilt Commodores 49-10.
