A Closer Look: Scott Carter Examines the 2012 Football Schedule
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida's 2012 football schedule is finalized and takes on a new look with the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC next season.
Florida and Alabama are the only schools that will play both the Aggies and Tigers in their inaugural season as members of the SEC.
GatorZone.com takes an early look at the Gators' 2012 schedule:
Bowling Green, Sept. 1
The Gators have never faced the school where former Florida coach Urban Meyer started his head coaching career in 2001. The Falcons, who play in the Mid-American Conference, finished 5-7 in 2011. Their biggest win was a 13-10 home victory over Temple and first-year coach Steve Addazio, a Meyer assistant at UF.
Sophomore quarterback Matt Schilz threw for 3,024 yards and 28 touchdowns, guiding an offense that finished 32nd in the country in passing yards (261.6) per game. Schilz's favorite receiver, senior Karmar Jorden, had 1,089 yards receiving but won't be around when the Falcons fly into The Swamp.
However, freshman running back Anthon Samuel (844 yards, 5 touchdowns) provides a dangerous threat out of the backfield. Samuel is from Opa Locka. Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson took over the program in 2009 and has a 14-23 record in three seasons.
@ Texas A&M, Sept. 8
The Gators travel to College Station to officially welcome the Aggies to the SEC. Texas A&M is a program in transition in more ways than one. Not only are the Aggies moving to a new conference, but they have a new head coach in former Houston coach Kevin Sumlin.
Sumlin replaced Mike Sherman earlier this month after leading the Cougars to a 12-0 record and No. 6 ranking before a loss to Southern Miss for the Conference USA title. The Aggies finished 6-6 and are playing Northwestern in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill has thrown for 3,415 yards but he won't be around for Sumlin. Neither will senior running back Cyrus Gray, who has rushed for 1,045 yards. Texas A&M's second-half collapses – the Aggies lost five games this season despite holding double-digit halftime leads – cost Sherman his job. Sumlin will have a young team next season looking for playmakers like Tannehill and Gray to emerge.
@ Tennessee, Sept. 15
The Gators visit Knoxville seeking an eighth consecutive win over the Volunteers in what has become a one-sided rivalry in recent years. Tennessee finished 5-7 in Derek Dooley's second season – after going 6-7 in his first – for the first back-to-back losing seasons at Tennessee in 100 years.
The Vols do have sophomore quarterback Tyler Bray returning. Bray threw for 1,983 yards, 17 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He missed five games in the middle of the season and his importance was revealed as Tennessee managed to score more than seven points only once in that stretch.
While the Vols lose leading rusher Taurean Poole, leading receiver Da'Rick Rogers returns to give Tennessee a dynamic playmaker for Bray to throw to. This will be a big game for Dooley in terms of public opinion – a win could be viewed as the program turning a corner, a loss as more of the same.
Kentucky, Sept. 22
The Gators have won 25 consecutive games against the Wildcats, which is now the longest streak for one conference opponent against another in major college football. The Wildcats had lost 26 in a row to Tennessee until defeating the Vols last month in the regular-season finale.
Still, Kentucky finished 5-7 and missed out on bowl eligibility. Quarterbacks Maxwell Smith and Morgan Newton had their moments for Coach Joker Phillips in his second season, but for the Wildcats to make a huge turnaround, they will need a lot of help.
Freshman running back Josh Clemons showed signs of being a threat but the defense must improve, which won't be easy considering the loss of leading tackler Danny Trevathan at linebacker. Phillips is 11-14 in two seasons.
LSU, Oct. 6
Always a big game, LSU remains as Florida's permanent non-division opponent from the SEC West. The Tigers could come to Gainesville next season as defending national champions if they beat Alabama in the BCS title game next month.
You can expect Les Miles to have another talented team next season despite the loss of quarterbacks Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson, both seniors. Sophomore running back Spencer Ware, who gained more than 100 yards in LSU's 41-11 win over the Gators this season, is returning.
And a fact that opposing offensive coordinators wish they could change: Heisman finalist Tyrann Mathieu is only a sophomore and will enter next season considered the top defensive back in the nation on one of the top defenses in the country.
@ Vanderbilt, Oct. 13
A trip to Nashville to face the Commodores has never been considered too dangerous of a game for the Gators, but this one has the potential to be a difficult challenge based on the way Vanderbilt hung with Florida this season at The Swamp.
First-year coach James Franklin led the Commodores to a 6-6 season and a bowl berth. Vanderbilt is facing Cincinnati on Dec. 31 in the Liberty Bowl seeking its first winning season since 2008 and only the second one of the 21st Century.
Junior Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Packers star Aaron Rodgers, is a multi-threat quarterback that can cause defenses a lot of problems. The Commodores also have running back Zac Stacy returning. He enters the Liberty Bowl with 1,136 yards rushing.
South Carolina, Oct. 20
The Gamecocks won 10 games in a season for the first time in more than 25 years despite the loss of sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore midway through the season due to a knee injury. Lattimore is expected to be fully recovered by the start of next season, giving Steve Spurrier's team one of the country's top rushers to build the offense around.
Meanwhile, sophomore Connor Shaw proved a capable replacement for the departed Stephen Garcia. Shaw's steady passing and elusive ability as a runner helped South Carolina earn a Capital One Bowl bid on Jan. 2 against Nebraska.
South Carolina's defense should also be scary next season with freshman defensive end Jadeveon Clowney just starting to flash the potential that made him the top recruit in the 2011 class by many experts. Spurrier has won two in a row over his alma mater and has a team that on paper has the potential to make it three in a row.
Georgia (in Jacksonville), Oct. 27
The Bulldogs reeled off 10 consecutive wins until losing to LSU in the SEC Championship Game. Georgia could be better next season with sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray (2,861 yards passing, 33 touchdowns) back.
Murray won't be short on weapons as tight end Orson Charles (572 yards receiving), running back Isaiah Crowell (847 yards rushing) and receiver Malcolm Mitchell (614 yards) are all set to return. The Bulldogs face Michigan State in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 seeking their first 11-win season since 2007.
Unfortunately for the Gators, linebacker Jarvis Jones is only a sophomore. Jones has 13.5 sacks entering the Outback Bowl and caused the Gators all sorts of trouble in Georgia's 24-20 win in October, registering four sacks and earning National Player of the Week honors.
Missouri, Nov. 3
The Gators close out a stretch of eight consecutive games against SEC opponents by hosting the Tigers in their first game at The Swamp. Missouri's final game as a member of the Big 12 was a 41-24 victory over North Carolina on Monday in the Independence Bowl.
The Tigers also have a James Franklin, as in sophomore quarterback James Franklin. He has thrown for 2,733 yards and 20 touchdowns in his first season as a starter and forms a nice building block for Coach Gary Pinkel. So does sophomore running back Henry Josey, who rushed for 1,168 yards and nine touchdowns. Franklin added 13 rushing touchdowns for a potent Tigers offense that averaged 32.2 points.
The Tigers lose All-Conference defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton and will be relatively young on defense, but Pinkel has built a program that has won 10 games or more in three of the last five seasons and figures to fit in well in the SEC.
Louisiana-Lafayette, Nov. 10
The Ragin' Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference finished 9-4 and picked up a win over San Diego State in the New Orleans Bowl. Junior quarterback Blaine Gautier is the fuel that ignites the offense, passing for 20 touchdowns and running for three more.
Leading rusher Alonzo Harris is yet another young back who the Gators will face next season. A freshman from Gadsden, Ala., Harris has 638 yards rushing and eight touchdowns for first-year coach Mark Hudspeth.
Prior to taking over at Louisiana-Lafayette this season, Hudspeth served as the passing game coordinator on former Gators offensive coordinator Dan Mullen's staff at Mississippi State. Prior to that, Hudspeth was head coach at Division II North Alabama, where he was replaced by Terry Bowden after leaving to join Mullen's staff.
Jacksonville State, Nov. 17
In their final home game, the Gators will face the Gamecocks of the Ohio Valley Conference. The FCS Division program finished 7-4 behind sophomore quarterback Coty Blanchard and junior tailback Washaun Ealey, who rushed for 1,082 yards despite missing a game.
Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe is no stranger to the SEC, having served as head coach at Arkansas from 1990-92 and offensive coordinator at Auburn when Bo Jackson played for the Tigers.
This is the first meeting between the schools.
@ Florida State, Nov. 24
This is a rivalry the Gators dominated under Meyer, winning six in a row until losing in Tallahassee in 2010. First-year Florida coach Will Muschamp lost his first head-to-head meeting with former colleague and good friend Jimbo Fisher, who is in his second season as FSU's head coach.
The Seminoles are 8-4 and face Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl tomorrow in Orlando. Picked by many to win the ACC, FSU opened 2-0 before losing three consecutive games early in the season. Junior quarterback E.J. Manuel returns next season for one final shot at stardom for Fisher's program.
Manuel threw for 2,417 yards and 16 touchdowns this season but is often inconsistent, especially in big games. FSU's strength next season should be its defense, which allowed just 15.2 points a game in 2011, fourth in the nation.
