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Published Oct 9, 2020
GT Staff Predictions: Florida vs. Texas A&M
GatorsTerritory
Staff

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Jump inside below as the GatorsTerritory crew make their predictions for Florida's road matchup against Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M.

Bender: Notching an SEC road win is always a difficult task, but thankfully for the Gators, there will not be 100,000-plus fans crammed inside Kyle Stadium on Saturday. That is a significant factor in this year's matchup, especially when you consider the amount of talent on A&M's roster. Kellen Mond operates behind a reliable offensive front and is capable of racking up several touchdowns, but UF boasts enough offensive firepower to outscore the Aggies. They also have one of the more reliable kickers across the map in Evan McPherson. Todd Grantham's unit has fell short of expectations through two weeks, however, there is no doubting the amount of talent at UF's disposal. Forcing Mond to be one-dimensional and making him uncomfortable in the pocket will be key, so I expect the Gators to dial it up with several blitzes. It might not be the cleanest victory, but Florida gets it done in a nail biter.

SCORE: 31-28, Florida.

Abolverdi: This game is easily the Gators’ toughest road trip of the year, but they won’t have to deal with the 12th Man or A&M’s full roster. The Aggies had a half dozen players opt out this season, including impact starters Jhamon Ausbon and Anthony Hines. Those absences are magnified in a top-five matchup, and Florida has no shortage of talent on either side of the ball. UF’s defensive play has been inconsistent through two games and must find a way to contain Mond, a dual-threat quarterback who rushed for 500 yards in 2019. Both teams haven’t defended the pass well, so look for both Mond and Kyle Trask to air it out. But the Gators have more weapons on offense and will be too much for A&M to keep up with.

SCORE: 34-24, Florida.

Clarke: The Gators have continued to struggle defensively, but I don’t think Texas A&M has the horses to race with them. The Aggies will have success offensively because they have an experienced quarterback running their offense and are coached by one of the most well-respected offensive minds in college football, Jimbo Fisher. However, A&M has a young, depleted secondary and UF coach Dan Mullen and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson will look to exploit that. I expect Florida’s passing offense to continue putting up numbers with Kyle Trask, who will have a big day back in his home state playing in the stadium he was named after. He’ll not only connect with Kyle Pitts, but all of the weapons at his disposal. I have Florida winning this one, but I think it will be the closest game of the year.

SCORE: 34-27, Florida.

Reynolds: Saturday’s matchup with Texas A&M could prove to be more challenging for Florida than its last two games. This is the first ranked opponent the Gators have faced this season, but the Aggies have been somewhat inconsistent across their first two games. In their opener against Vanderbilt, they put up just 17 points against arguably one of the worst defenses in the SEC, but scored 24 points last week against the No. 2 team in the country. UF’s defense should be able to have one of its better performances of the season against Mond. He’s coming off a 300-yard passing game at Alabama, but hit that mark just once last year in SEC play. I expect the Aggies to score with the way the Gators have been playing defensively, but they still come out on top.

SCORE: 35-28, Florida.