This upcoming Saturday will NOT be the last Saturday of August… and yet, a big college football game will be part of it. We must have done something good to deserve this.
By Matt Zemek
College football arrives early with a game which recalls the old “Kickoff Classic,” the game which began in the early 1980s and lasted nearly 20 years. This isn’t called the Kickoff Classic, but it essentially occupies the place of one. Here’s how the Florida Gators can beat the Miami Hurricanes in this anticipated clash:
1 – Feleipe Franks in Command
Is this an obvious key to victory? Sure… and sometimes, the obvious keys are the best ones. A season opener against a good team with a good defense requires the quarterback to make good decisions and avoid catastrophic mistakes. Franks has endured a largely tumultuous and bumpy Florida career. He has lashed out at fans and suffered through horrendous patches of play. However, coach Dan Mullen stuck with him and gained a payoff in the Peach Bowl. Franks processed the game well, made the right reads, and used his footspeed to outplay Michigan.
The key reminder about that Peach Bowl: Some of Michigan’s best defensive players sat out that game to prepare for the NFL Combine. Florida was not playing the very best Michigan defense in that contest. Nevertheless, Franks made substantial progress. If Mullen has him prepared and Franks implements the game plan, Florida will not only win this game; it will enter September knowing that it can give Georgia a full run in the SEC East. Florida can’t meet expectations if Franks struggles for large portions of the season.
2 – Jarring Jarren
If Franks is key No. 1 on Saturday evening, Jarren Williams is the second key. Tate Martell, who transferred from Ohio State, was unable to beat out Williams, a freshman, for the starting job. The story made national news not because Williams’ name is widely known, but because Martell talked trash to Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, the man who will have the job Martell once coveted.
The Miami program has failed to reach elite status over the past decade and a half (minus the 2017 season in which the Hurricanes made the Orange Bowl) for many reasons. The biggest one, however, is clearly the lack of strong quarterback play. Miami might be taking a risk here by playing Williams, but if you remember, Martell was used in red-zone and running situations at Ohio State. He has never displayed big-league passing skills. Williams winning the QB derby is not as big a shock as some might make it out to be. Moreover, there is no law saying Miami and first-year head coach Manny Diaz can’t turn to another signal-caller.
Florida should hope it can force a change by flustering Williams from the get-go.
The Gators won multiple big games last year (LSU in particular) because their defense stood tall. This is a night to lean on the defense once again and create a bloodbath similar to what LSU gave to Miami in last year’s season opener.
3 – Contain the Chaos
In a late-August opener, you are likely to see a lot of chaotic plays from two teams which will have many rough edges and won’t play polished football. Teams generally grow into their best selves. They don’t throw down a masterpiece in Week 1. Ragged, uneven play is to be expected.
In the midst of all this, the Gators and Canes will both try to be the team which doesn’t make the massive blunder: the breakdown on punt protection, the mix-up in the secondary on assignments, the mistimed shotgun snap which turns into a lost fumble or a 25-yard loss, et cetera. Mistakes will be made, but avoiding the especially chaotic lapse could easily be the aspect of competition which decides this game.
SEE Also: Florida First Look: Miami (FL)
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