The Florida Gators will face their first big test of the season as they travel away from the Swamp and head to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama is the third-ranked team in the country and a big step up in competition for a team that spent their first two weeks playing Eastern Michigan and the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Gators showed plenty of holes in their secondary against Kentucky in their 36-30 triple overtime win. They struggled to move the ball for the first half and ultimately had to catch a few breaks to escape with the victory. This should give Will Muschamp plenty of ammunition to motivate this team and get them focused to try and pull off the monumental upset against the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is unproven and they have plenty of questions surrounding their football team as well. Blake Sims is the starting quarterback, but they have shown anything but confidence in him leading their offense. Nick Saban hired Lane Kiffin to take his team to a more up-tempo offense, but he doesn’t look like he is enjoying the transition. These are all the ingredients to cause Alabama to fall apart at the seams and struggling against a very athletic Gator defense could begin that process. Watching Vernon Hargreaves III cover Amari Cooper will be a treat and one of the many great match-ups when the Alabama offense is going against the Gator defense.
Florida Gators vs Alabama Crimson Tide: Positional Breakdown
The Gators will have to play much better this week to have any chance in this one. However, I feel like they like their chance more this week than any other time in the Muschamp era. That may say more about Alabama’s vulnerability than the Gators resurgence.
Quarterbacks
Blake Sims has played well at Quarterback for the Crimson Tide in their first three games. However, he’s played against marginal competition and the coaching staff has failed to really show confidence in him and give him their full endorsement. Jacob Coker is going to be looming over his shoulder all season and it could be something that mentally affects Sims the moment he begins to struggle. The Gators have the most experienced signal caller in this game in Jeff Driskel. Driskel is now 14-3 as a starter and he has the experience necessary to go on the road and win. He traveled to Alabama as a freshman and knows what to expect this time around. He has come up short in the big game multiple times in his career, but Driskel will look to turn that around this weekend.
Advantage: Gators
Running Backs
Both teams have very effective ground games and this one was nearly a push. Florida has their three-headed monster of Kelvin Taylor, Matt Jones, and Mack Brown. I like the combination of Taylor and Jones because it gives them a thunder and lightning approach. Having a big back like Jones that can get the tough yards and pound the ball near the goal line is a great asset for the Gators. The Crimson Tide have their own ground and pound style with star running back T.J. Yeldon. Yeldon has seen limited carries over the first three games as Alabama worked in backup Derrick Henry and explosive playmaker Kenyan Drake. Yeldon figures to see a full load of carries in this one with Henry and Drake spelling him when necessary. It’s basically a push, but Yeldon’s big game experience gives the Crimson Tide the slightest of edges.
Advantage: Alabama
Wide Receivers
The Crimson Tide expect to enjoy the big edge at this position thanks in large part to Amari Cooper, who is off to an electrifying start in new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s offense. Cooper already has 33 catches for 454 yards and two touchdowns. The next leading receiver only has nine catches, so Alabama is a bit of a one trick pony. The same can be said of the Gators passing attack through two games. Demarcus Robinson has emerged as their big play wide receiver, hauling in 21 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns in just two games. Quinton Dunbar gives the Gators a nice second option, but Driskel has yet to find him on a consistent basis. Robinson is still emerging while Cooper is already an established big threat guy, so Alabama has the edge.
Advantage: Alabama
Offensive Line
The Crimson Tide went through some growing pains at the position a season ago and it may have cost them a shot at the National Championship. However, because of that experience, they come into this season as a more polished and well-rounded unit. They have the experience edge over the Gators and they are the most established offensive line. The Gators return some starters, but if D.J. Humphrey is not able to return for this one, they will spend their second week shuffling people around to compensate. That early injury is huge and swings the advantage over to Alabama.
Advantage: Alabama
Front Seven
The Gators may have the best player on the field in Dante Fowler Jr. Alabama lost a lot of talent to the NFL and they are breaking in new starters at five of their front seven positions. They have played well in two straight shutouts, but will face a much bigger challenge with the Gator run game. The Gators have played well up front and gotten plenty of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see how they match up to the Alabama offensive line. They could make it a long day for Blake Sims.
Advantage: Gators
Secondary
Despite the performance last week against Kentucky, the Gators are really talented in the secondary. They are young and inexperienced and will be exposed at times, but the talent is there. Vernon Hargreaves III leads the unit, but Jalen Tabor and Duke Dawson are really talented freshmen. The more experience they get, the better they should perform. Brian Poole and Keanu Neal showed what they can do last week with three combined interceptions of Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles. Alabama is also inexperienced in the secondary and has yet to be challenged like they will this week with the Gators. They will have to go out and prove it. The Gators need to have a big bounce back week but they are fully capable of doing so.
Advantage: Gators
Special Teams
Kyle Christy gives the Gators a big advantage at the punter position. He will give them the advantage to flip the field position every time he steps on the field. Quinton Dunbar and Vernon Hargreaves III give them two very capable return men and they could light up the scoreboard. Their only big question is at the kicker spot. Velez and Hardin have both shown that they are inconsistent and neither guy has grabbed the position. Alabama’s Christion Jones is a very speedy and skilled return man, but the Crimson Tide are breaking in a new kicker and punter. The lack of experience at those positions could come back to bite them in a close game.
Advantage: Gators
Key Matchup: Amari Cooper vs. Vernon Hargreaves III
This matchup will be a lot of fun to watch. VHIII was an All-American as a freshman, and he is going up against All-American wide receiver Amari Cooper. This will be Hargreaves biggest challenge of the season and it will be interesting to see how he performs. These guys will be battling it out on Sundays in the not so distant future.
Overall Advantage
The home crowd advantage sways me in this one, but make no mistake about it, I like the Gators chances in this one. It just feels like they have all the ingredients to pull this one out. They have a tough defense, a hard nose running game, the more experienced quarterback, and they could catch Alabama sleep walking if the Crimson Tide don’t take them seriously after the Kentucky performance. Alabama is ripe for the picking by somebody over the next two months and the Gators could be the first team to do it. If it happens, don’t say I didn’t warn you. However, with that being said, Alabama is at home and they should have just enough to pull this one out. But it will be much closer than the -19 spread.
Advantage: Alabama
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