Two teams clinging to college bowl game aspirations will do battle on Saturday as the Texas A&M Aggies play host to the Florida Gators. The Gators come in at 4-4 under new coach Bill Napier and are two victories shy of being bowl eligible. The Texas A&M Aggies have had an even more challenging season at 3-5 and threaten to garner just the second losing season ever for head coach Jimbo Fisher. The opening kick is scheduled for 12:00pm EST in this SEC battle.
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Florida head coach Bill Napier knew it wasn't going to be an overnight build when he took over as head coach this past offseason. After jumping out of the gates with a huge come-from-behind win over then #7 Utah, the team has gone just 3-4 since. In each of the last two weeks, the Gators have been thumped by long-time SEC powers. First they fell at LSU and then last week, at the annual World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville against #1 Georgia, the Gators were thumped 42-20.
“Not good enough,” Napier said after the loss. “Got to coach better, got to lead better, players need to play better. Simple enough. I think execution can be better.”
Quarterback Anthony Richardson went 18-of-37 for 271 yards and one touchdown in the game. He also carried the ball 11 times for just 19 yards as the vaunted Georgia defense was able to hem in the speedster. Wid e receiver Xzavier Henderson had a big day with five catches for 110 yards and one score. Overall, the Gators had 371 yards of total offense and just 16 first downs. They didn't have any turnovers but did turn the ball over on downs by going 0-for-3 on 4th down in the game. They were also just 4-of-16 on third down conversions.
Defensively, the Gators allowed 26 first downs and 552 yards of total offense which included 244 yards on the ground and four rushing scores for Georgia. They forced three turnovers on the day with two interceptions and a fumble recovery and still lost handily. Florida didn't record a sack and had just three tackles for loss in the game.
Week 8?? Players of the Week ??#GoGators | #jOURney pic.twitter.com/e1DLxSF7xc
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Florida is 71st in college football in scoring offense, despite the dynamic play of Richardson. They are ranked 35th running the ball but just 98th through the air. Florida has really struggled in the red zone, which could be a testament to Richardson's decision-making, ranking 102nd in the country in efficiency. They don't necessarily hurt themselves with mistakes, ranking 40th in both turnover differential and penalties. On the defensive side of the ball, they have struggled. The Gators are 96th in the country in scoring defense. They have done well against the run, ranking 35th but are ranked just 91st against the pass. If you get inside the 20 against the Gators, put the points on the board. They are 120th in the country in red zone defense.
Key Injuries: CB Devin Moore is questionable with an undisclosed injury.