FSU vs. UF Q&A: Chatting with Hail Florida Hail

This week’s FSU vs. UF Q&A features some questions I posed to Terry Lane, the editor over at Hail Florida Hail, our UF sister site.

1. Will Muschamp’s impending departure has obviously been a big story. Given what you know of this UF team, will this serve as more of a distraction or a motivator?

Frankly, I think the Gators had their “win one for coach” moment with the Georgia game. My biggest worry is that if the Gators don’t get off to a good start and fall behind FSU early, that they’ll lose motivation and it could get out of hand. I think Muschamp will have them ready to play, but the ‘Noles clearly have more to play for and won’t be looking past the Gators. But this Gator team absolutely wants to win for Muschamp and if they can keep it close, they’ll be motivated at the end and find a way to carry Muschamp off the field on their shoulders.
2. Former FSU-commit Treon Harris skippers the Gator offense, but he’s yet to toss a touchdown pass outside of Gainesville. Former Gator Tyler Murphy came close to pulling off the upset last weekend in Tallahassee– what kind of game does Harris need to have to take down the ‘Noles?

Treon Harris has had some explosive games, but the offense has also looked sluggish under him at times. He’s coming off a game where he was 4-12 in passing, so he’ll need to fit some passes into tight windows and connect with his receivers. The Gators have also been plagued by dropped balls and mistakes this season – enough to cost the coach his job – so they will have to limit mistakes. One name to watch is Demarcus Robinson, a sophomore receiver who is coming on strong and primed for some big plays on Saturday.
3. Last year, Kelvin Benjamin absolutely torched a well-respected Florida secondary. How will UF’s present DBs stack up against Rashad Greene, Nick O’Leary, Travis Rudolph, and former Florida-commit Ermon Lane?

Vernon Hargreaves III is a future NFLer and has been playing better all season. He was very ball hawkish against South Carolina and helped shut down the passing game in the second half. They’ve got senior leadership at secondary with Jabari Gorman as well. But they’ve been leaky at times and blown assignments. We’ve not faced a tight end as good as O’Leary; I worry more about him than Greene, who will be Hargreaves’ assignment.

4. Jameis Winston has never lost a college game and averages the sixth-most passing yards in the country. How can the UF defense rattle him enough to gain the victory?

Florida could have the best pass rush the Seminoles have faced this year. If Dante Fowler and his teammates can consistently pressure him, I think our secondary is good enough to force him into some mistakes. Especially in the second half, where Winston gains his confidence. We’ll want to keep him moving too, and not sit in the pocket. If we can make Winston scramble instead of throwing downfield, that’s what we have to do.

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5. Finally, how do you see this one playing out, and what’s your score prediction?

OK, here’s what’s going to happen. The Gators are going to get off to a flying start with some aggressive play calling early. FSU will do their second-half comeback thing. Get it the Gators’ 25 or so with 3 seconds left. Roberto Aguayo in for the field goal when… BLOCKED! Gators get a miracle play on special teams to send the Muschamp out a winner, 30-28.

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