South Florida at Florida preview, prediction
Tampa, Fla. (Sep. 16, 2022) – South Florida makes its way to The Swamp for the second time in school history and the third-ever meeting with the No. 18 Florida Gators Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (SECN). USF is the first opponent Florida will face this season that is not ranked in the AP Top 25.
This is the third-ever meeting between the two programs – Florida is undefeated in the series with victories in 2010, and a 42-20 beat down last season where the Gators racked up 666 total yards in Raymond James Stadium.
USF is very familiar with UF starting sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson. Currently ranked sixth in the Heisman race, Richardson had 151-yards passing on just three attempts and 115-yards rushing on four carries against South Florida last season.
Although the Gators are 24.5 point favorites over the Bulls per the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook. the great thing about football is that anything can happen. Bulls head coach Jeff Scott noted that during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“The big message I give [the team] is that the best team on paper doesn’t win; it’s the team that plays the best,” Scott said. “If everyone knew who would win every week, I don’t think we’d be playing any of these games. It would be a boring college football season if the heavy favorites won every week.”
Scott believes his team’s best football is ahead of them.
“You have a scale of zero to ten, with our best being a ten, I’d say what I’ve seen the first two games, we are about a five,” Scott said. “So that’s good and bad. The bad is we aren’t playing our best yet. The good thing is we have another level we can go to, and I think the players know that as well.”
The Bulls are returning some key players from injury this week – junior safety Matthew Hill, senior linebacker Antonio Grier and sophomore receiver Ajou Ajou. Grier led the Bulls in has led the Bulls in tackles, TFL and sacks the last two seasons and might be the heart and soul of the USF defense. He did not play against Howard.
FLORIDA OFFENSE
The prominent threat this offense poses is with quarterback Anthony Richardson. A dual threat weapon who excels in all aspects, Richardson has 421 all-purpose yards, with 110 on the ground. He is also a red-zone threat having three rushing touchdowns. Having said that, Richardson had a rough go of if last week against Kentucky.
Every single UF touchdown this year has been from rushing. Their ground and pound game is elite. Sophomore Montrell Johnson Jr. leads the pack posting 137 yards and a touchdown this season, freshman Trevor Etienne is close behind, having 110 yards and a touchdown. Etienne has football in his blood, being the brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne.
The Bulls have allowed 480 rush yards in just two games this season. In order to give themselves a chance to win USF must find a way to slow down the run and keep Richardson contained in the pocket.
FLORIDA DEFENSE
There is no question that defense is at the next level. Having four-to-five-star athletes at about every position, the Bulls are in for a long night moving the ball down the field.
Despite the loss last week, the Gators defense played sound football. Kentucky only converted 21 percent on third down. They are big and they are aggressive. The Bulls have to find a way to successfully run the football, for the second consecutive week, to have any chance of scoring multiple touchdowns in this game.
USF Offensive coordinator Travis Trickett commented on the Gators' effort level on defense this season.
“If you look at last season to see where they were at, the biggest noticeable change is that these guys are playing hard on defense every snap and playing fast,” Trickett said. “When you do that, you play up to your potential. It’ll be a big challenge for us.”
SHEWEY’S SUMMARY
Both teams have primarily stuck with the run game throughout the first two weeks, so expect a quick game with a lot of rushing. I wouldn’t be surprised if each team surpasses 150 yards on the ground. The Gators are big favorites for good reason.
The Bulls will have to play their best, and must avoid turnovers, to come out this week with a win. Florida’s defense has produced 542 turnovers since 2000, leading the SEC and tied for No. 13 in the country.
The USF players and coaches are coming in ready to compete for a signature win. Can they get it?
I predict the Gators will come out on top by a score of 48-14.