Expert Predictions: How will Florida respond to the hurricane delay?
It has been a rough week for the state of Florida but now that Hurricane Ian has moved on to terrorize other parts of the country, the sun has begun to shine again on north Florida. With crisis averted in Gainesville, it appears that the game against the Eastern Washington Eagles — which was moved back a day from Saturday to Sunday — is clear for kickoff at noon in the Swamp.
There is some interesting history that comes with the first meeting between the two schools, which also happens to be EWU’s first game against an SEC team as well as its debut on the Sunshine State’s turf. This game as originally a condition in Jim McElwain’s contract to coach the Gators, which was delayed by COVID and will now be played long after his departure.
The Gators Wire roundtable gathered to give its outlook for a game that should be easy on paper but has been complicated by recent events. See below what our five expert respondents had to say ahead of this weekend’s gridiron affair along with our composite prediction.
Adam Dubbin - Managing Editor
You know, ordinarily, this would be a simple prediction based on the mismatch presented. In one corner, you have an SEC heavyweight and in the other corner, you have an FCS featherweight that is not too shabby in its own weight class but certainly poses little threat to a powerhouse FBS school.
This game should be an opportunity for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s boys to tune up but with the Hurricane Ian still raging across the southeastern United States, plenty of players’ loved ones — and even they, themselves — have been affected by Mother Nature’s fury.
Nonetheless, the Orange and Blue will pull this one off but it will not be the cupcake affair that it should be. There will be mistakes made that will have to be addressed before the team enters the thick of the SEC schedule.
Florida 42, Eastern Washington 21
David Rosenberg - Assistant Editor
Last year, Florida gave up 52 points and over 500 yards of offense to the Sanford Bulldogs. I’m not expecting that kind of performance against FCS Eastern Washington this weekend, but it’s still largely the same group of players out there that allowed the Bulldogs to rack up points last year.
Billy Napier isn’t Dan Mullen, though. He’s already made adjustments to the defense after a sloppy few weeks. [autotag]Desmond Watson[/autotag] became a starter last week, and [autotag]Jaydon Hill[/autotag] and [autotag]Justus Boone[/autotag] will get opportunities this week. Of course, [autotag]Trey Dean[/autotag]’s injury makes way for [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] at safety, and it comes a week after Dean blew a few crucial coverages.
I expect the defense to go through some growing pains, but Florida should be able to take care of things the way most expect assuming [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and the offense are on the same page they were last week.
Florida 42, EWU 14
Pat Dooley - Staff Writer
There will be some culture shock for a team that has never played an SEC team or played a team from the state of Florida. The defense has been shaken so Florida is shaking it up in the starting lineup and it will be interesting to see if it can grow some confidence.
Or it could be that this is the one chance for a lot of these defenders to play on a Sunday. I don’t think Billy Napier will allow this team to overlook anybody.
Florida 42, Eastern Washington 17
Sergio De La Espriella - Staff Writer
It’s pretty hard to focus on a football game when a catastrophic hurricane has destroyed a portion of the state. Alas, the Gators should take care of business against Eastern Washington on Sunday. I’m expecting the offense to gain some confidence and score some points. I would like to see the backups in the second half, but I wouldn’t be mad if Napier wanted the offense to get more game reps in.
Defensively, I’m looking for the secondary to get back on track. Trey Dean is out with an injury, giving Kamari Wilson an opportunity to make the coaching staff’s job more difficult than it already is. I’d like to see [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] used sparingly, given the ankle injury he played through last week.
Overall, I’m expecting the Gators to take care of business. Eastern Washington are a playoff-caliber FCS team, but an FCS team nonetheless. Here’s hoping for a relaxed second half.
Florida 38 Eastern Washington 10
Tyler Nettuno - Gators Wire alumnus
It can be hard to find intrigue in contests like this, but here goes: Eastern Washington is one of the best programs in the FCS. The Eagles have made the playoffs in seven of the last 10 seasons, including three semifinals appearances and one national championship appearance. This team won a national title in 2010, and it plays on a blood-red field, which is dope.
This game could get a bit weird considering it has an unusual noon kickoff on a Sunday, and it’s only on the schedule thanks to former coach Jim McElwain. EWU is his alma mater, and in 2016, this game was scheduled for 2020 but pushed back two seasons due to COVID-19. So he only missed it by five years. That’s pretty neat! This game won’t be, though.
Florida 42, Eastern Washington 14
Editor’s note: Tyler is the managing editor of LSU Tigers Wire and a college football staff writer for FTW!
Composite Prediction
The Gators Wire gang paid tribute to the late Douglas Adams with their predictions this week, as four of the five respondents predicted the Gators to score 42 points — which we all know is the meaning of life, universe and everything. Hopefully, this game is as fun as Adams’ books were but in the aftermath of a devastating storm, it is hard to gauge what will present itself on the field.
With all of that in mind, our humble crew overwhelmingly picked the Gators to win with a composite prediction that is a bit awkward numbers-wise but still represents a landslide win for Florida.
Florida 41, Eastern Washington 15
Read more
[lawrence-related id=93064,93058,93054,93052,93036]
[listicle id=92916]
[listicle id=92822]
[listicle id=92809]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
