Week 7 Prediction: Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt Stadium
(Nashville, TN)

Coming off of three impressive wins and the cocktail party inching closer, now the Florida Gators head to lowly Vanderbilt. I know what you’re thinking— don’t snigger, I’ve seen Florida struggle in Nashville before and sneak out of there by the skin of their teeth. For whatever reason, the Gators just don’t take them seriously, much like everybody else when they see that name on the schedule. The bottom line is that— Vandy will give Florida their very best effort, and the Gators had better not go to Nashville sleepy, and especially with the early local kickoff time.

The Gators and Commodores connect every year as members of the SEC East. Believe it or not, this will be the 52nd meeting between these two schools in a series that first started back in 1946. Florida owns a decisive advantage with 39 wins over Vanderbilt, and notably, have won 26 out of the last 27. The Gators haven’t fallen in Nashville since the 80’s, but as I stated earlier, this game is always more interesting than it should be.

There’s no reason why Florida shouldn’t walk out of Nashville with a convincing win, but much crazier things have happened. I’m still not completely sure that the Gators have that switch flipped on in their everyday lives; from the way they train, to the way they practice, heck I’ll go a step further— to what they actually believe at this point. You know that “Gator Standard” phrase that keeps getting thrown around out there. So far so good since the loss to Kentucky— from their collective effort and mental toughness, those things have finally started to align with their talent. For UF to come out and dominate this game from start to finish, like they indeed should, would show me a lot about the mental make-up of this team.

Florida’s defensive line has been a ferocious and unstoppable bunch since that loss to Kentucky. Jachai Polite is probably the best edge rusher in the SEC and isn’t even close. It isn’t just Polite either, do not underestimate what Jabari Zuniga and CeCe Jefferson have brought to this line and added to Polite’s presence. Along with the outstanding defensive line play, this secondary has emerged as a ridiculously stingy group and not allowing any breathing room for anyone they line up against. I was worried that this unit would have their struggles after losing Marco Wilson for the season, but DBU has not only locked down opposing receivers, but also getting takeaways in timely situations. I definitely have to applaud the seriously improved tackling. Of course, it helps the secondary to have an insane pass rush breathing down every quarterback’s neck on a regular basis. The Gator defense is flying to the football and playing downright nasty.

Vandy is led by veteran senior Kyle Shurmur at QB. Shurmur has started 37 games over his four years in Nashville. Shurmur’s experience gives the Commodores a shimmer of hope going into Saturday. The Commodores provide at least a viable passing game with Shurmur, but only have two proven playmakers that have made an impact this season. Wideout Kalija Lipscomb leads the SEC in receptions with 45 and is second in touchdowns with 6. But Lipscomb along with tight end Jared Pinkney have been the only threats that Shurmur can consistently rely on in this offense. The problem for the Commodores is that they have to find a way to run against the Gators, and if they can’t, then things will be extremely challenging on Shurmur to find creases in tight windows. Oh, and you know that nasty bunch will tee off on Vandy’s front and torment Shurmur throughout. If the Commodores can’t develop balance against the Gators, then that’s all she wrote.

Feleipe Franks has improved each week and is getting more comfortable in the pocket. I’ve said it all along that if Franks can give UF just a 7 out of 10 QB play, then this team wins 10 games. Well, Franks is doing that right now and getting the football to his playmakers. Dan Mullen knows his quarterback now and is putting him in positions to be successful. Mullen understands what his quarterback does well and what he’s not secure with. So, with that, the Gators are beginning to explode on offense with the immense talent all over the field. It also helps that the UF offensive line has came to life and keeping Franks upright for long enough to allow him to find those weapons.

Jordan Scarlet and Lamical Perine have started to get the ball more and getting into a rhythm with each game. Both running backs are running harder between the tackles that I’ve ever seen and are keeping each other fresh throughout. No better case in point was last week against LSU where they each ran for over 5 yards a pop against what’s thought to be one of the best front sevens’ in college football.

All of these factors are the reasons behind the Gators resurgence, but that all starts and ends with the obvious— motivation, focus, confidence, and pride.

Prediction:

Derek Mason will have his team ready to go against the Gators, but unless the Gators are just plain lazy and not involved, this game shouldn’t be very close. Mason’s club will play with relentless effort and will not back down from Florida. UF might start slow for the first quarter to quarter and a half, but then will finally get off of the bus and find their groove.

Florida 31
Vanderbilt 10