Arkansas vs Florida: Everything You Need To Know

Oct 29, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio (14) throws the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In what will be the fourth trip to Fayetteville for Florida, Arkansas hopes to beat the Gators for the first time since 1982.

Currently, Florida controls their own destiny. They lead the east with a 6-1 record and 4-1 in the conference. Their only loss came from Tennessee in late September. The Gators are hoping to come to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and advance their win streak to four.

Florida opened as a 4 point favorite over Arkansas with a predicted score of 27.8 to 26.4 Gators. Last week, Florida beat the Georgia Bulldogs 24-10, however, the score doesn’t reflect the total dominance that the Gators demonstrated.

The Florida Offense

When describing the Florida offense, you will not use the words flashy, exciting or fun, however, you can use the word consistent. The Gators run the same pro-style offense that Arkansas does.

Luke Del Rio will be making his first true SEC road start this Saturday against the Hogs. The Gators are 5-0 with Del Rio starting including four home wins and a neutral site win. Luke isn’t setting the world on fire, however, he is pretty clutch. He is completing 60 percent of his passes on third down. Florida overall is converting third downs 54.8 percent of the time. Nationally the Gators have the 70th ranked passing offense.

The rushing attack hasn’t been too much better either. Florida is ranked 67th in the nation in rushing. After seeing what Auburn did to Arkansas, Florida will almost certainly be trying to pound out their drives on the ground and run out some clock. You can expect running back, Jordan Scarlett to get the bulk of the carries on Saturday. The Gators aren’t getting a lot of explosiveness on the ground but Scarlette is consistent. He is averaging exactly 5 yards per carry this season.

The Florida offensive line has come along really slow this season. The line was not opening giant gaps for the run but they are coming along. The issue here is youth. Much like Arkansas, there is a lot of inexperience on the line. They rank 12th nationally in sacks this year. Arkansas will have to step up and START SETTING THE EDGE and MAINTAIN GAP CONTROL. Basically, they will have to do everything they haven’t done all season in order stop this Gator offense.

Oct 29, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Roquan Smith (3) defends Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) to miss the ball during the first half at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida Defense

This is where it Florida could very well win this game. Florida’s defense is good. I mean REALLY good. Last week against Georgia, the Gators held the Bulldogs to an embarrassingly low 21 yards on 19 carries. Florida ranks 9th in the nation in run defense.

When the run game struggled, the Bulldogs went to the air and found out Florida can stop that too. The Gators had 16 quarterback hurries in this one game. Nationally they rank 2nd in pass defense. A big reason for that is cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson. Both of who will have great careers in the NFL.

In scoring Defense, Florida ranks 2nd. Let me just be honest here. This is a national championship quality defense. If they had an offense, Florida could be the only team in the SEC that very well could beat Alabama. It’s ridiculous how good these guys are.

Florida is elite from front to back. They have laser guided linebackers who can dominate in open space as well as get to the quarterback. The defensive line is highly explosive and can create pressure on the quarterback quite often. The defensive ends Jordan Sherit and Jabari Zuniga has 8 sacks between them. The Gators have the ability to shut down an offense from the line to the backfield.

Oct 22, 2016; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers running back am Martin (9) gets past Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Dwayne Eugene (35) and scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Jordan Hare Stadium. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks 56-3. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

What Arkansas Must Do

I know I have said it in just about every article I have written but it’s the truth. Arkansas has to play their best game of the season. They are atrocious at stopping the run and give up huge chunk yardage plays. The Hogs will have to have total gap domination to stop the consistent Gator ground game. If they can just play fundamental defense, they could pose a challenge for the lackluster Florida offense.

On the offensive side of the ball, all I can say is it all comes down to the offensive line. Quite frankly, if they play like they did against Auburn, you can expect the crowd to start leaving the stadium at the half. Austin Allen has got to have time in the pocket. On the flip side of that Allen needs to get rid of the ball quicker. This is where his injury to the knee might hurt him. Arkansas is not going to be able to give him a lot of time. If he is hurting and has mobility problems, there could be a lot of sacks on Saturday.

My Prediction

I don’t see this Arkansas defense getting that much better in the bye week. I think it will be the slow knife that kills the Hogs as Florida will be able to run the ball as consistent as they have all year. The Hogs offensive line will play a bit better but they are still outmatched by this defense. Really hope I’m wrong but I am betting that the Gators cover the spread and win 35-10. Woo Pig!