The University of South Florida is making its much anticipated trip to Gainesville this week. USF is an up and coming program with an up and coming coach who will probably have a power 4 job very soon. Few who are outside the footprint of CFB in Florida know the challenge this team presented until last weekend. This game was already seen as a trap game (by those who know Florida football) before the season started given South Florida’s recent history of going toe to toe with power conference opponents, including the Gators on a few occasions, but national attention turned to this game after a USF rout of Boise State in week 1. Many Gator fans began fearing a repeat of 2022. God forbid.
With that aside, here is my take on this matchup. I expect the Florida offense to be able to run the ball effectively. I also expect the pass game to be improved this week, as DJ Lagway continues to shake off the cobwebs. One thing that will be interesting to see is if the pass blocking improves this week. There were far too many blown assignments against LIU, and with a trip to Baton Rouge looming, there has to be significant improvement this week. Also, as usual, Billy Napier’s playcalling and personnel usage are major factors. Here’s hoping they throw the ball to Tre Wilson some this week. A man can dream. I expect that despite these factors, the offensive product will be improved and will continue to improve.
The defensive side of the ball is where things get interesting for Florida. As a lifelong Gator fan, I have to try to block out the decades of UF defenses struggling against running QBs. If the rushers can keep contain and the linebackers can fly to the ball in support this will be an easy game. If they don’t, this will be a long day for the Florida defense. I optimistically expect the former. Injuries play a major role in this game as well. If Caleb Banks is healthy, that’s a huge boost for this Gator defense.
I think Florida gets on the board early and often and I think the Gator D is too much for USF. Score prediction:
Florida 38 – USF 10
Eric White
College Football Digest 