Five keys to the game: Ole Miss

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The No. 5 Gators hit the road Saturday for a rare road opener against Ole Miss, which will be looking for an upset with first-year head coach Lane Kiffin now at the helm. It’s the first meeting between the two teams in Oxford since 2007, a 30-24 victory for UF with current coach Dan Mullen as offensive coordinator.

Florida currently owns a one-game win streak over the Rebels after a 2015 blowout in Gainesville, 38-10.

Here are five keys to the game Saturday.

Florida’s offensive line struggled with consistency in 2019, but position coach John Hevesy upgraded the right side of his unit this offseason. The acquisition of graduate transfer Stewart Reese, a three-year starter at Mississippi State, should stabilize the right guard spot. Reese has been reportedly gelling with the starting five, but any O-line will need to adjust when there’s a new starter added.

Jean Delance maintained his starting job despite struggling at right tackle last year. There was the possibility of Reese or Richard Gouraige getting the nod there, but both will start on the interior of the line after Delance stepped up this offseason, according to Hevesy. If we see a new and improved Delance, along with veteran guard play from Reese, that will bode well for Florida’s O-line.

The Rebels struggled mightily last season at defending the pass, ranking dead last in the SEC and 120th in the country. They allowed 278.3 yards per game, which should have Florida quarterback Kyle Trask and his receiving corps chomping at the bit. The Gators averaged 300.8 passing yards per game in 2019, which ranked third in the SEC and 16th nationally.

Despite losing four receivers, Trask returns enough weapons at wideout and tight end to pick apart Ole Miss. Expect to see him air it out and even take some risks against this susceptible secondary. This could be the fifth 300-yard game of his career.

After getting lost in the shuffle in Florida’s secondary and dealing with a season-ending torn Achilles injury, C.J. McWilliams is getting a second chance with the starting spot at STAR. UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham demands a lot from that position, and Williams will have a tall task Saturday against Elijah Moore, who led the Rebels in receiving yards in 2019.

Moore is an electric player in the slot and will likely give McWilliams a run for his money. Given his struggles in the past and the fact that he’s coming off an injury, look for Ole Miss to target McWilliams a lot and try to get him matched up on Moore. McWilliams will need to hold his own in man coverage and keep him from making catches in space.

After an incredible freshman year, John Rhys Plumlee is considered the fastest quarterback in the SEC. He made eight starts in nine appearances, setting a new school record for freshman rushing yards with 1,023 and total touchdowns with 16.

Plumlee finished eighth in the country with an average of 113.7 rushing yards per game, which was the highest among all freshmen. Matt Corral is projected to start, but the Gators are going to see plenty of Plumble in this game. Grantham will likely put a spy on him and disguise some looks to try and make the dual-threat QB one dimensional.

Mullen has already conceded that Saturday will probably be a sloppy game due to the long layoff, but it’s imperative that the sloppiness be kept to a minimum. The first few minutes of the opening quarter may not look the best on either side of the ball, but it will be key for the Gators to find their rhythm quickly.

Even though Florida is the obvious favorite in this game, making mistakes on the road in the SEC could create the perfect storm for an upset. Regardless of the talent on both squads, the team that plays cleaner and avoids costly blunders like blown assignments and turnovers will start off their season 1-0.