Key Matchups to Watch for Florida Gators vs. USF Bulls

Three key matchups to monitor between Florida and USF on Saturday.

Photo: Montrell Johnson, Jr.; Credit: Alex Shepherd

Florida may be a 24.5 home favorite over the USF Bulls of the American Conference, but that doesn't mean there won't be matchups worth monitoring when the Gators take the field in The Swamp for the third week in a row on Saturday.

All Gators has broken down the three matchups to watch for Florida below. One matchup indicates where this game could move in Florida's favor, whereas, the other two serve as benchmarks for what we want to see from the Gators a week removed from a disappointing loss to Kentucky. 

Florida's running game vs. USF's front seven

The Gators ran the ball 62 percent of the time in their win over Utah, and only 46 percent of the time in their loss to Kentucky. The Wildcats did a good job limiting UF's rushing production in the second half, but ultimately, the running backs weren't given much of a chance to get into a groove, even though it was a one-score game up until there was 1:25 left in regulation.

That should change this weekend. Florida should have no problem committing to the ground game against a Bulls defense that is allowing 240 rushing yards per game to begin the season, good for sixth-worst in the FBS.

We've been asked about UF's running back rotation two weeks in a row in the All Gators' mailbag, and head coach Billy Napier addressed the situation the same way we did during Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference, detailing the team's running back committee consisting of Nay'Quan Wright, Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne.

"That's been our philosophy for a long time. We've been one of the best rushing teams in the country," Napier said. "Those players have went [on] to play in the National Football League. Montrell, Trevor and Nay'Quan, those guys are next up."

We could reasonably see each back posting 10+ carries against the Bulls, and perhaps even Lorenzo Lingard cracking the rotation before the final whistle blows. Run the ball and run out the clock.

Young contributors vs. increased opportunities

Napier may not want to publicly underestimate the Gators' Week 3 opponent, but outsiders understand that this is a matchup Florida should win with ease. That should result in the Gators giving young contributors more reps than they'd receive in a typical week as well as playing reserves.

Although USF isn't the most imposing program on Florida's schedule, these young players will still be tested against quality players. So will their understanding of the playbook and their responsibilities within UF's scheme. 

There may be no better example of a big test for young contributors than redshirt freshman Jeremiah 'Scooby' Williams and true freshman Shemar James filling in for Ventrell Miller at MIKE linebacker. The duo has flashed their talent over the first two weeks of the season but have been challenged by Napier to ensure strong communication across the defense, something Miller is usually responsible for.

Redshirt freshman Austin Barber will earn his first career start as well, filling in at right tackle for the injured Michael Tarquin.

Freshmen defenders in safety Kamari Wilson, cornerback Devin Moore and safety Kamari Wilson could be key contributors in Week 3, too. Moore is already regularly in rotation at cornerback, playing every third series against Kentucky, and we wouldn't be surprised to see his reps increase against USF in case he is called upon as a starter later in the season.

Etienne's usage may increase near the end of the game, but likely not drastically as he's already contributing heavily to the offense. If anything, UF will want to preserve his health if the game gets away from the Bulls.

Anthony Richardson vs. himself

Ultimately, when he gets the chance to pass the ball, the most important aspect of this game will be quarterback Anthony Richardson's performance. His disappointing showing against Kentucky derailed his confidence, he admitted, and that's something Florida's QB1 will need to regain before his first career road start against Tennessee in Week 4.

For the same reasons well documented above, Richardson has a chance to bounce back this week against a team that Florida should have no qualms about defeating when you consider the significant talent gap. While we think Florida is likely to bleed the clock via the run game, Richardson will still get plenty of opportunities to pass the ball and get the Gators moving between different field zones. 

In particular, Florida can stand to improve in the fringe zone, an area that can prove to be the difference between a touchdown and a field goal.

Will Richardson shine as he did in Week 1, posting an efficient passing line and shredding the Bulls on the ground (for the second season in a row, we'll add)? Or will we see a quarterback that is uncomfortable and struggles to complete more than two passes in a row similar to Richardson's Week 2 showing?

Richardson will need to play with a much clearer head and more confidence this time around to achieve the former.

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