The Opening Kickoff: Missouri at Florida -- #MIZZvsUF
Friday, October 14, 2016 | Football, Scott Carter
The No. 18-ranked Gators return home to host Missouri on homecoming.
The Opening Kickoff
Missouri at Florida
#MIZZvsUF
Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Broadcast Info | Game Notes
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Rumor has it that the Florida-Missouri game on Saturday afternoon at the Swamp is in danger of being postponed. And no, there are no hurricanes churning off the coast heading this way.
This is something unprecedented in the 110-year history of Florida football. The Gators are scared. Like really scared, even more frightened than when they gathered to watch "Halloween" last Saturday at head coach Jim McElwain's house with no game to play.
According to sources, many of the players huddled in their hotel rooms Friday night clutching blankets in fear of facing the Tigers. Not LSU's Tigers, but those from Missouri.
Wait, hold on for a second. Oh, geez, my bad. Multiple sources just told me they read those rumors on Twitter from LSU and Tennessee fans. OMG! People are so gullible these days.
Let's check in with McElwain.
"We'll go out in the parking lot as far as I'm concerned,'' he said. "We will play anyone, anywhere, anytime. The Gators never run from anyone or dodge anyone."
There you have it. Whether he was hiding under a blanket cannot be confirmed.
Anyway, back to the regularly scheduled Florida-Missouri game. For more on the SEC East showdown, here is The Opening Kickoff:
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THREE QUESTIONS WITH … ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH RANDY SHANNON
Q: What is the challenge for the defense to slow down a Missouri offense that plays at a fast pace?
A: We're going to have to rotate some guys on defense. We're going to have to rotate some guys up front. We're going to have an opportunity to do it; when they substitute, we're going to substitute. That allows us to give us time to substitute. Officials in the SEC also allows you to have a chance to substitute when they do. So that'll buy us time and also get guys fresh.
Q: What is your assessment of linebackers Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone near midseason?
A: They're playing very, very well. Both of them really intertwine with each other. JD sets the front, but also Alex echoes the front for him. If JD makes a call, Alex echoes the call. Both of them really know what each other is doing all the time. We always tell those guys, if you communicate with each other all the time, great things will happen. I like seeing those guys fly around and have fun.
Q: How has Kylan Johnson, who was recruited here as a safety, made the transition to linebacker?
A: The one thing we said as a staff, at worse he could be a linebacker. He had big bones, really big bones and very athletic back in Dallas. A big guy that can run and is athletic. We said if he don't make it at safety, he could be a great linebacker. He has done a tremendous job. He plays both outside linebackers. He started off at the weak-side linebacker and now he's at strong-side linebacker. Anytime a guy can have the knowledge he does and can contribute and play both positions, that adds depth to the group."
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THREE STORYLINES
- Quarterback Luke Del Rio returns after missing the last two games. Del Rio suffered a left knee injury in Florida's last home game and was ready a week ago if Hurricane Matthew had not wiped out the LSU game. The Gators looked sharper on offense with Del Rio in charge. Will he be rusty or come out throwing darts?
- Missouri is leading the SEC in passing offense, averaging 350.6 yards per game. Florida's defense leads the conference in fewest yards allowed through the air at 139.8 yards per game. Tigers quarterback Drew Lock will be tested to put up such big numbers against a UF secondary highlighted by cornerbacks Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor.
- Neither team played last week. Missouri had a bye after a 42-7 loss to LSU on Oct. 1, and the Gators were grounded by the weather. Both had ample time to prepare for the matchup, so we'll see which team prepared the best on Saturday.
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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- UF sophomore running back Jordan Scarlett started at Vanderbilt and leads the Gators with 274 yards rushing and four touchdowns. While Florida has relied on a four-man rushing attack, Scarlett appears to have gained some separation among the group. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues against Missouri or is more perception than reality.
- Tigers quarterback Drew Lock leads the SEC in passing yards per game (335), is tied for second with 14 touchdown passes, and is first in yards per completion (14.8). The Tigers like to throw the ball down the field. Lock has come a long way since the Gators shut him down a year ago.
- Gators tight end DeAndre Goolsby leads the team in receptions (22) and was named to the Mackey Award watch list this week, which honors the nation's top tight end. Goolsby is becoming more of a threat and can take a lot of pressure off Del Rio if he can get open consistently.
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THE QUOTE FILE
- "We've got a game to go play. And I know Coach Mac has our players focused and we'll be ready to play.'' -- Gators AD Jeremy Foley on Saturday's game after fallout from rescheduled LSU game
- "Once we both get on the same page – and we're very close, we're very close – once we both get on that same page I feel like we can be a very scary duo." – Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis on playing with teammate Alex Anzalone
- "As a defensive back, we like teams that throw the ball. It's high-risk, high-reward. You can get bombed and torched up or you can make some money. So put up or shut up." – Gators cornerback Teez Tabor on facing Mizzou
- "I feel like we can make a good statement coming back. We've got Luke Del Rio coming back. Not knocking [Austin] Appleby at all, it's just that Luke is a little more comfortable with the offense.'' – UF running back Jordan Scarlett on potential offensive improvement
- "We've got to do a great job on the line of scrimmage. They use their hands extremely well. They disrupt you, to say the least. It's a big test for our guys to do some things better than they did [two weeks] ago out on the perimeter." – Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel on facing UF's SEC-leading defense
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INJURY REPORT
PROBABLE: DT Caleb Brantley (hand), DB Joseph Putu (ankle), WR C.J. Worton (unspecified); LB Daniel McMillian (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: LB Jeremiah Moon (thumb); OUT: DT Joey Ivie (thumb), DE Jordan Sherit (knee); DL Justus Reed (undisclosed).
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CHARTING THE GATORS
We've already mentioned one of the big storylines for Florida in this game is the return of redshirt sophomore quarterback Luke Del Rio. A transfer from Oregon State, Del Rio sat out last season and won a quarterback battle against Austin Appleby, a transfer graduate from Purdue.
Del Rio led Florida to three consecutive wins to open the season before getting hurt. Appleby started at Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Here is a look at how the two compare statistically through the first five games:
|
Player |
GP-GS |
Comp-Att-Int |
Pct. |
Yards |
TD |
Long |
Avg./G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Del Rio |
3-3 |
62-101-2 |
61.4 |
762 |
6 |
78 |
254.0 |
|
Appleby |
4-2 |
44-72-1 |
61.2 |
470 |
3 |
51 |
220.0* |
*In games started
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WELCOME BACK
Not only is Saturday's game the first for the Gators at home in nearly a month, it's also Florida's homecoming game.
Former Gators coach Steve Spurrier served as grand marshal at the UF Homecoming Parade on Friday afternoon and was glad to be back for homecoming for the first time in 15 years.
"I don't think I've ever done this before,'' he said of serving as a grand marshal. "When I coached here we loved homecoming. Everybody was happy, come to the stadium happy and leave happy. But we've got a tough one against Missouri."
Two years ago the Tigers walloped Florida 42-13 on homecoming. The Gators have a different outcome on their minds this time around.
Here is a hype video from GatorVision.tv reporter Mitch Gerber to get you ready for Saturday's festivities:
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10 QUICK HITTERS
- Florida's pass defense has earned recognition and for good reason. The Gators and Michigan are the only teams in the country to hold three opponents to less than 125 yards passing this season.
- Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis had a career-high 15 tackles in UF's win at Vanderbilt, joining former Gators linebacker Antonio Morrison as the only Florida players to have that many tackles in a game over the last six seasons.
- Antonio Callaway averaged 15.5 yards per punt return as a freshman, including two touchdowns. Callaway has yet to find his stride as a sophomore, averaging just 3.6 yards on nine returns.
- Missouri is 13-12 against SEC East teams since joining the division in 2012.
- Tigers receiver J'Mon Moore has 450 yards through five games, 100 more than all of last season when he led the Tigers in receiving.
- Missouri's offense likes to strike early on drives. The Tigers have passed for 909 yards (52 percent of their total) on first down and 13 of their 16 touchdown passes have come on first down.
- Gators kicker Eddy Pineiro is 7 of 9 on field goals in his first five games, matching Florida's field-goal production from last season (7 of 17).
- Sticking with Florida's specialists, punter Johnny Townsend is having an excellent season. Townsend leads the SEC with a 50.2-yard average and 15 of his 24 punts have traveled 50 or more yards.
- Missouri leads the all-time series 3-2. The first meeting between the schools was in the 1966 Sugar Bowl, a 20-18 Tigers victory. The teams didn't meet again until Missouri joined the SEC.
- Gators sophomore tight end C'yontai Lewis had two catches at Vanderbilt, giving him six receptions for 57 yards. He caught only four passes a season ago.
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THE OTHER SIDE
This is the fifth consecutive season the Gators have faced Missouri since the SEC expanded to 14 teams and added Missouri to the East Division. However, it's the first time Barry Odom has been the head coach.
Missouri's former defensive coordinator replaced longtime Tigers coach Gary Pinkel, who retired after last season for health reasons. Missouri introduced Odom as its head coach in a surprise meeting with the players.
You may have seen it on ESPN 10 months ago. If not, here is how Odom met the Tigers for the first time as their head coach:
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WHAT THEY'RE WRITING
- Back to routine: Gators shift focus to Missouri after Hurricane Matthew by Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.com.
- Missouri passing attack vs. Florida secondary should be fun to watch writes Brady Ackerman of GridironNow.com.
- With extra time off, it's time for Florida's offense to progress writes Ed Aschoff of ESPN.com.
- Former Gators quarterback Will Grier a year later writes Matt Hayes of BleacherReport.com.
- Gators AD Jeremy Foley's final act a win for UF writes Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun.
- Linebackers Anzalone, Davis leading Florida's defense writes Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald.
- Ground game lagging in Mizzou offense's overhaul writes Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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BOTTOM LINE
The Gators return home to play for the first time since defeating North Texas on Sept. 17. We all know what happened a week ago when Florida was scheduled to host LSU. Hurricane Matthew spoiled those plans. Millions of internet posts on that matchup later – maybe that estimate is high, but it sure seems that way – the game was rescheduled on Thursday for Nov. 19 on Baton Rouge. Thankfully, our attention can return to football and Saturday's opponent, Missouri. Expect a fired up Florida team on homecoming and coming off an unexpected weekend off. The Gators tame the Tigers in this one.
