By: Kirin C. (Writer for @SSN_Gators)
The Florida Gators will host the Central Florida Golden Knights in the prime time window this Saturday on ESPN’s SEC Network. Being one of the best programs in the state of Florida historically, the Gators usually expect to beat Central Florida, currently leading the all time series 2-1. However, both programs seem to be moving in different directions with the Gators regressing and the Knights progressing. Florida football will find out how much growth it made during their bye week after defeating Mississippi state. Fans should primarily expect some defensive adjustments made after their sub par defensive performance against the Bulldogs. On the other side, Central Florida is looking to bounce back from a tough conference loss to Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes at home. The Knights struggled defensively in this game allowing Shedeur Sanders to throw for nearly 300 yards and giving up 48 points.
Some key players for the Gators are QB Graham Mertz and WR Aidan Mizell. Mertz has been extremely accurate in his last two games having completed 31 of his last 36 pass attempts. Mizell continues to show progress with 5 catches for 36 yards against Mississippi State and a 77 yard TD nullified by a penalty. Gator fans should expect to see another explosive offensive performance against the Knights average defense. Florida also plans on sticking to their 2 QB system with both Mertz and Lagway playing.
Central Florida QB KJ Jefferson will be the “X factor” for the Golden Knights in Saturday night’s matchup. Nearly a year ago Jefferson torched the Gator’s defense with 255 yards and 2 TDs in the air as well as 92 yards and a TD on the ground. The Gators have attempted to prepare for Jefferson but as Billy Napier has said, replicating Jefferson is a challenge. UF allows an average of 499 yards against FBS opponents to rank 125th of 134 teams nationally. This includes 231.3 yards against the run, ranking 122nd. The main challenge for the Gator defense is going to be containing Jefferson as he has solidified himself as one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the nation.
Aug 29, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Hampshire Wildcats at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
This past week, the Central Florida coaching staff was informed of Xavier Townsend and DB Bryon Threats’ opt out and plan to enter the transfer portal. Townsend is an explosive slot receiver and kick returner that plans on preserving his eligibility by using his red shirt year. Townsend has logged the eight most snaps (211) among Central Florida offensive players and the most among the team’s receiving core. Threats played a season-high 42 defensive snaps and started 19 games across three years at Cincinnati. He also opted to redshirt and sit out the remainder of the 2024 season.
With the Gators playing a non-conference opponent they were not required to release an availability report regarding injured players. However, there is speculation sophomore WR Eugene Wilson III could make a return to the field this Saturday. Despite missing two games, Wilson still ranks second in the UF receiving yardage with 13 catches for 191 years and 1 TD.
Prediction: Mertz will shine throwing for more than 250 yards. However, the Gator defense will struggle to stop the Central Florida run game ranked 5th nationally against FBS opponents. Gus Malzahn, being an experienced coach, will have a good game plan to exploit Florida’s run defense and use KJ Jefferson’s dual threat ability and athleticism to his full potential.
Score Prediction:
Kirin: 34-27 Central Florida Wins
@SSN_Gators: 45-35 Florida Wins
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