Furman
N/A0-0
Florida
7th SEC6-6
Furman @ Florida preview
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
THE STORY: November used to be the time when Florida sought to build momentum for the SEC Championship Game and a BCS bowl berth. Not this year. The Gators concluded conference play at 3-5 with last week’s 17-12 loss at South Carolina and look to move above .500 on the season when Florida hosts Furman on Saturday. The Gators have dropped five of their past six following a 4-0 start with No. 22 Florida State coming to Gainesville next week. Furman, ranked No. 24 in the FCS Top 25, had its three-game winning streak snapped in a 41-34 home loss to Elon last week.
TV: Pay Per View, ESPN3. LINE: OFF.
ABOUT FURMAN (6-4, 5-3 Southern): The Paladins gave up 442 yards in the upset loss to Elon and figure to have trouble slowing down Florida’s playmakers. Quarterback Chris Forcier has put together a great year, passing for 2,099 yards and 22 touchdowns while leading the FCS in passing efficiency. Running back Jerodis Williams needs 78 yards against the Gators to reach 1,000 on the season.
ABOUT FLORIDA (5-5, 3-5 SEC): Offensive consistency has been the big theme for the Gators this week. Florida has scored more than 13 points just once in the past six games, struggling to score touchdowns in the red zone. Quarterback John Brantley continues to work his way back from an ankle injury. After missing Florida’s victory over Vanderbilt two weeks ago, Chris Rainey rushed for 132 yards last week, his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. The Gators rank 12th in FBS in total defense.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Of the 75 players who have logged playing time for the Gators this season, 23 are freshmen and 27 are sophomores.
2. Furman linebacker Kadarron Anderson sprained his knee against Elon and may not play Saturday. Anderson leads the Southern Conference with 111 tackles.
3. Florida leads the all-time series 6-2, winning 27-3 in the last meeting in 1990.
PREDICTION: Florida 41, Furman 13 – It’s a down year in Gainesville, but Florida has too many playmakers on both sides of the ball and should win going away.