With No. 17 Florida set to take on No. 11 Michigan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday afternoon in a nationally broadcast showdown (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC), Inside the Gators presents five questions worth considering for the Gators’ season opener.
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* Florida Football Fall Roundtable
* Behind Enemy Lines: Michigan Q&A
* Notebook: McElwain on naming Franks as the starter
* Breaking: Franks named starting quarterback
*Alley: Make no mistake about it, CJM didn't want to do this
* Impact Analysis: Scarlett, Wells suspended
* Scarlett, Wells suspended indefinitely
* Alley: Discuss the big suspensions with Florida fans
* GET TWO MONTHS OF FREE ACCESS
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1. Will Florida be able to overcome 10 players suspended?
With 10 players suspended, Florida enters Saturday’s game down roughly 12 percent of its scholarship roster. The Gators were already considered underdogs against No. 11 Michigan before junior wide receiver Antonio Callaway and junior running back Jordan Scarlett, arguably the top two players on offense, were suspended.
Linebacker depth is an issue, but at the other positions, the Gators have the talent to potentially overcome the suspensions. The bigger question will likely be if the team can rally around the situation and ignore the outside noise. With ongoing investigations surrounding alleged credit card fraud and misuse of school funds, there are unavoidable distractions.
2. Can the other running backs get it done without Scarlett?
Florida will count on three, maybe four, running backs in Scarlett’s absence. On this week’s depth chart (released prior to the suspension), sophomore Lamical Perine and senior Mark Thompson were listed behind Scarlett at No. 2.
In average production, it should not be drastic drop-off. Last season, Scarlett led the team in rushing, recording 889 yards on 179 carries (4.97 yards per carry). Perine and Thompson, meanwhile, combined for 720 yards on 159 carries (4.52 yards per carry). Also encouraging for Florida is that both running backs have logged double-digit carries in multiple outings.
McElwain is also expected to give touches to freshman Malik Davis and possibly Adarius Lemons, another freshman. Malik Zaire will likely have some designed quarterback runs.
3. Can the Gators count on their freshmen defensive backs in a big game away from home?
On his Thursday radio show, McElwain revealed that Florida could play up to four freshmen defensive backs at one time. Marco Wilson, a four-star recruit out of American Heritage (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), will likely see the most playing time of the four as a listed starter at both cornerback and nickelback.
The Wolverines may target Wilson and other freshmen on Saturday, but many of the newcomers outplayed returning veterans to earn their spot in the rotation. Communication is obviously a concern, but McElwain expects senior Duke Dawson and sophomore Chauncey Gardner Jr. to keep that from becoming an issue.
4. Will quarterback Feleipe Franks and Florida’s wide receivers be able to take advantage of Michigan’s unproven secondary?
Even without Callaway, one of the biggest matchups potentially favoring Florida is the Gator wide receivers against the Wolverine secondary. On a defense that must replace 10 starters, cornerback and safety are arguably Michigan’s least experienced areas.
Franks has the arm strength to let it fly in the vertical passing game. If sophomore wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland, Josh Hammond and Freddie Swain are able to get behind the defense, there should be some fireworks on Saturday. There is obviously, however, more to the passing game than just the quarterback and wide receivers...
5. Can Florida win the line of scrimmage?
Michigan comes into Saturday’s showdown with the reputation of being a big, physical group up front on both sides of the ball.
“I just see it as another stepping stone of you know, proving what Coach Mac is saying, that we’re the strength of this team,” redshirt sophomore center T.J. McCoy said this week. “So, they have a lot of good guys. I believe the strength of their team is the defensive front, so we’re going to have to fight our tails off the whole game. You know, it’s going to be a battle and it’s going to be won in the trenches.”
McElwain put it in simple terms on his radio show Thursday.
"Our offensive line needs to control that line of scrimmage and not let them come into our side,” he said.
Florida’s offensive line has been dominated the past two years by Florida State and Alabama. Protecting Franks and opening up holes for Perine and the running backs would show some marked improvement.
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