GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida football looks to bounce back from its loss to Georgia last weekend with a win at home against Vanderbilt.
Can the Gators avoid the let down?
The Gators Territory staff make their predictions below:
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JACQUIE FRANCIULLI: I think on paper this is a good matchup for the Gators.
Vandy's pass defense is not very good and its run defense is one of the worst in the SEC. In the last few games, the Vanderbilt defense has yielded 200 rushing yards or more in three of the last four games. This is an excellent game for a Florida offense to reclaim confidence after its lackluster performance in the first half against Georgia.
On the flip side, the Commodores offense has had a problem with poor offensive line play. Although Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn is one of the best athletes in the conference, and gave Florida problems the last time these two teams met, the run game has never materialized for Derek Mason's team. Vandy averages 127.8 yards per game, which is good enough for 114 in the nation. The visitor's offensive line just cannot compete with Florida’s defensive front.
I would not be surprised to see UF start slow. Mentally, Florida may still need to shrug off its disappointment from last weekend, however, after a few drives UF find themselves in the driver’s seat in this game. Florida 31 Vandy 10
Corey Bender: UF witnessed its College Football Playoff chances diminish following last weekend's loss to Georgia, but there is still a lot to play for with a New Year's Six bowl game very much attainable.
With Riley Neal in concussion protocol, Derek Mason said it will be Deuce Wallace who starts under center for the Commodores. Saturday will mark Wallace's first career start, but the redshirt junior has actually appeared in six games this season. However, he has also completed less than 50 percent of his passes to go along with three interceptions and no touchdowns.
With that said, the Gators' pass rush should really be able to wreak havoc against a spotty Vandy offensive line. On top of that, the Commodores' offense ranks 123rd in the country with 17 points per game.There is no doubt they will have to take chances against one of the nation's premier defenses in terms of forcing turnovers, and that is a recipe for a disaster.
For Kyle Trask and the Gators' offense, there is no need to showcase any trickery early on. Take what the defense gives to you, establish some respectability on the ground, and don't force any dangerous throws on your side of the field. Let Todd Grantham's unit set the tone and take full advantage of the favorable matchups in front of them.
The Gators have won 26 of the last 27 meetings with the Commodores, including five straight, and I don't expect that streak to be snapped this weekend.
Florida 34, Vanderbilt 13
Joseph Hastings: The message after Florida’s 28-42 loss at LSU was to not let one loss turn into two. A week after that defeat at the hands of the Tigers, UF bounced back and won a crucial road game against South Carolina.
Dan Mullen’s group will have that same mentality heading into Saturday as they look to avoid losing their third conference game in the past five weeks.
There are never any guarantees in college football, but the Gators are certainly the superior team in comparison to Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 2-6 on the season (1-4 in SEC play) and have an average margin of defeat of nearly 23 points per loss. Florida, on the other hand, is still in play for the SEC East and has suffered a couple of close defeats against two of the top six teams in the nation.
On top of that, Vanderbilt will have to start Deuce Wallace, a redshirt junior making his first career college start. Florida has already proven they can take advantage of an inexperienced quarterback playing at the Swamp as they picked off Auburn’s Bo Nix three times just over a month ago and held him to under 150 passing yards.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who is averaging nearly 100 rushing yards per game and has seven total touchdowns, certainly presents some problems as Vanderbilt’s primary offensive weapon.
I do believe, however, that Todd Grantham will load up in the box and play man-to-man on the outside to limit Vaughn's production and dare Wallace into some tough throws. I also expect Grantham to blitz Wallace frequently to force him to make quick decisions.
UF will have the talent edge by a wide margin on Saturday, and I have them winning in convincing fashion versus the Commodores.
Florida 34, Vanderbilt 10
TANNER DENNIE: After falling to Georgia, Florida heads into this matchup with Vanderbilt looking for a win, but with how this game has gone in recent history, I'm expecting it to get ugly.
Florida's offense wasn't able to get into a rhythm against Georgia and as productive in weeks past. The Gators' defense couldn't apply pressure on Jake Fromm, not recording a single sack. However, I don't think that will factor into this weekend whatsoever.
Vanderbilt comes to the Swamp with its third string quarterback, Deuce Wallace, who has not broken 100 yards in five games or thrown a touchdown. He has also accounted for three interceptions. Talented ball carrier Ke'Shawn Vaughn is the player who could give Florida fits this weekend, though, as he is able to create something out of very little when the play is breaking down.
With the problems that both of these teams have and with how tough Derek Mason's teams normally fare against Florida, I think this game will get out of hand fairly early and be too much for Wallace to handle. Florida 37 Vanderbilt 13
LAUREN REYNOLDS: Finally back in the Swamp, the Gators are aware of mistakes they made last year after the loss to Georgia and won't let it turn into two.
With uncertainty at the quarterback position for the Commodores, expect them to run the ball with Ke'Shawn Vaughn as much as they can. He's their best bet against this Florida defense and if they can get him the ball, he can get it into the end zone. T
he Vandy offense is capable of putting up a lot of points, but the problem is their defense can't stop their opponents from scoring big. This should be one of those cake walk games for Florida's offense. It'll give them a chance to score a lot of points and get their confidence back before traveling to Missouri. Florida 42, Vanderbilt 28
