Arkansas football vs. Florida: Scouting report, prediction for Razorbacks' Week 10 game

Arkansas football heads to The Swamp this weekend looking to win its first game since early September and claim a first victory in Gainesville.

The Razorbacks (2-6, 0-5 SEC) will face Florida (5-3, 3-2) Saturday morning (11 a.m. CT, ESPN2) trying to end a six-game losing streak. Arkansas will be ushering in a new offensive coordinator this week, coming off its open date for the final road trip of the season.

The Razorbacks have lost five one-possession games this season, including a crushing loss to Mississippi State two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Florida is coming off a blowout loss to No. 1 Georgia, but the Gators are undefeated at home this season.

Here is a look at four things to watch from the Florida matchup and a score prediction.

Can Arkansas stay out of third-and-long?

Sam Pittman spoke multiple times this week on the need to avoid third-and-long. Opponents are converting 31.9% of third-down attempts against the Florida defense, which ranks 22nd in the country.

"They just have so many different looks, they’re very hard to prepare for just whom to block, and then you obviously have to block the guys," Pittman said. "We think they’ve got two really good defensive ends, and they’ve got big linebackers. We don’t want to be in that third-and-long where we’re sitting there having to drop back all the time."

More: How new offensive coordinator Kenny Guiton is impressing Arkansas football coaches and players

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Limiting the number of drop-back passes is a huge priority for Arkansas under Kenny Guiton and with a struggling offensive line. The easiest way to do that is to find success on first and second downs, giving Guiton different options for play calls on third down.

Turnover battle between strength and weakness

Arkansas ranks fourth in the SEC with a plus-three turnover margin. The Gators are dead last, sitting at negative-three.

If the Hogs want to pull off the upset and finally end this losing skid, creating takeaways could go a long way. Additionally, Arkansas has returned three interceptions for touchdowns this season, one shy of matching the program’s most interceptions returned for touchdowns since 2016.

Extra possessions and free points are a great recipe to spark an offense in the mud.

Limit the three Florida game-breakers

Graham Mertz is an accurate quarterback who does a good job getting the ball to his playmakers and letting them create explosive plays. He's completed 75.9% of his passes this season, which ranks third in the country.

Short passes can turn into long gains through wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, and the Gators are always a home run threat on the ground thanks to Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne. Both running backs average more than five yards per carry and more than 11 touches a game.

When the Florida offense is cooking, these three players are finding success and creating big plays.

It's now-or-never for Arkansas

The Razorbacks have lost six games in a row. They fired their offensive coordinator and they're coming off an open week — as healthy as they've been all season — needing four-straight wins to secure bowl eligibility.

There are no more excuses if another lackluster performance resembling the Mississippi State game rears its ugly head.

Arkansas needs to play inspired, clean football with head coach Sam Pittman fighting for his job. The hardest part of the schedule is over, and it's time for the Razorbacks to win a game in the SEC.

Prediction: Florida 24, Arkansas 16

I think Arkansas will come out with energy, and I think the offense will look better than it did against Mississippi State, but the offensive line is too big a question mark. The scheme will be better suited to KJ Jefferson, but at some point, the Hogs have to block their opponent. It's hard to imagine that changing this week, and the Razorbacks will fail the bowl eligibility test with three games remaining on the schedule.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football vs. Florida: Score prediction, scouting report