The 2018 Florida Gators are just a few days away from their season opener versus the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. It will also be the first time Dan Mullen takes the field as the Florida head coach. Mullen was hired back in last December and has brought a ton of excitement around the program. Florida announced that Feleipe Franks would the starting QB once again and the Gators bring back some of their top upperclassmen like Jordan Scarlett, Martez Ivey and Cece Jefferson. Here is the preview for the Florida Gators vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers game.
Charleston Southern
The Buccaneers come into Gainesville, Florida to take on the Gators. This will also be the Buccaneers’ first game of the 2018 season. The Buccaneers finished the 2017 football season with a 6-5 record with losses against Mississippi State and Indiana. The Buccaneers’ starting quarterback will likely be redshirt-junior London Johnson as he played in ten games last season. Johnson completed 41 of 78 with 581 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. He was also a solid runner as he had 80 carries for 366 yards and three touchdowns. The Buc’s top wide receiver is redshirt-junior Kameron Brown. The 6’3”220-pound receiver was Big South Second Team All-Conference. Brown had 25 receptions for 552 yards and two touchdowns including an 87-yard TD reception.
On defense, the Buccaneers were solid in the 2017 football season. However, they gave up 49 points against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their season opener. One of their top defensive players is redshirt-junior linebacker J.D. Sosebee. The Georgia native was an All-Big South Conference Second Teamer. Sosebee had 81 totals tackles with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble. Another defender Florida should keep an eye on is senior defensive back, Shadarius Hopkins. The South Carolina native was also an All-Big South Conference Second Teamer. Hopkins finished second in the conference in pass breakups with 14. He also had 52 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Florida Gators
The Gators offense will come into this season with a lot of familiar faces and some new ones as well. Franks will be under center once again as he started most of the 2017 season. Scarlett is back after missing the entire 2017 season due to a suspension. Malik Davis has fully recovered and should be 100%. The same can be said with junior running back Lamical Perine. Wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland is back for his junior and with two new very talented wide receivers. Transfers Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes have come in and could become go-to receivers for Franks. There will be changes at Tight End, as Kyle Pitts and Lucas Krull should get playing time this season. Offensive line hasn’t changed much but everybody should be healthy for the season opener.
The Gators defense should look familiar. The defensive line is about the same but they did lose Taven Bryan who went in the first round to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Some names to watch for on the Gators defensive line are Jefferson, Jachai Polite, Jabari Zuniga and Tedarrell Slaton. The Gators defensive line didn’t blitz much under Randy Shannon. But, with Todd Grantham as the defensive coordinator, he’ll be a lot more aggressive and get to the quarterback. Florida has added some new blood to the linebacking corps like Ventrell Miller, James Houston and younger David Reese. Last but definitely not least, Florida’s secondary could have a huge season. Marco Wilson and C.J. Henderson are back for their sophomore seasons. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is looking to redeem himself after a rough sophomore season. Jeawon Taylor and Donovan Stiner will be the new starting safeties.
5 Players to Watch: Charleston Southern Buccaneers
1. WR Kameron Brown
2. LB J.D. Sosebee
3. DB Shadarius Hopkins
4. QB London Johnson
5. RB Ronnie Harris
5 Players to Watch: Florida Gators
1. RB Jordan Scarlett
2. CB C.J. Henderson
3. WR Van Jefferson
4. DE Jachai Polite
5. RB Malik Davis
5 Predictions
1. QB Feleipe Franks scores at least two touchdowns.
2. Ronnie Harris rushes over 30 yards.
3. Florida’s defense has four sacks or more.
4. Kameron Brown has three receptions or more.
5. Florida defeats Charleston Southern 45-0
