Expert Predictions: Gators Wire crew weighs in on Vandy matchup
Florida football will travel north to face the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday for the final Southeastern Conference matchup this season for the Orange and Blue. The Gators arrive with a 6-4 record (3-4 SEC) fresh of clinching a berth in a bowl game while the ‘Dores are 4-6 (1-5 SEC) after snapping a 26-game conference losing streak last weekend.
Florida holds the upper hand in the all-time series with a 43-10-2 record dating back to 1945. Interestingly, Vanderbilt won the first three games and held the series lead until 1962, when the Gators took the lead for good at seven games to six. The last win for the Commodores came back in 2013 when they spoiled homecoming to snap a 22-game losing streak in the Swamp.
The Gators Wire crew converged to give their predictions for Florida’s penultimate game of the 2022 schedule at Vanderbilt. Take a look below at what we think will go down this Saturday in Nashville.
Adam Dubbin - Managing Editor
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Florida has thoroughly dominated the series’ history and there is not much to suggest that they will not come away victorious this time as well. The Vandy game is the one matchup on the schedule that the team is expected to win every single year.
However, the Commodores have some momentum from its upset Kentucky last weekend and have the home-field advantage as well, while the Gators have shown some significantly inconsistent play at times this season. We have seen both the Jekyll and Hyde of this team this season and anything is possible.
Still, it looks good for the Orange and Blue this weekend — especially if they keep playing as they have recently. By keeping the turnover margin in their favor and pounding away on the ground, the Gators should handle their penultimate regular season opponent fairly easily.
Florida 35, Vanderbilt 17
David Rosenberg - Assistant Editor
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
Was Vanderbilt’s upset against Kentucky enough for me to consider a Florida loss this week? No. Florida’s finally rolling and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has the Gators playing their best football of the season. Falling to the Commodores would be devastating for this team, and I don’t think Napier and Co. will allow that to happen.
I’m not sure Vandy will have an answer for Florida’s run game, and Anthony Richardson has been better on the road than at home this season. It might not be the blowout Gators fans want after watching the South Carolina game, but Florida should take care of business by two scores, even if the weather is as bad as expected (Florida boys aren’t made for a high of 43 degrees Fahrenheit).
Florida 31, Vanderbilt 21
Pat Dooley - Staff Writer
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
What will give Florida more issues — the two quarterbacks or the cold? Billy Napier is doing the right thing by saying he doesn’t want to hear about it and I have seen Gator teams thrive in cold Nashville 11 a.m. local time games.
Florida needs to keep the momentum going and not be happy with just getting to a bowl. Get to a better bowl.
Be good on defense for four more quarters. Keep from turning the ball over. Stop special teams mistakes. It’s a pretty simple plan.
Florida 31, Vanderbilt 23
Sergio De La Espriella - Staff Writer
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
It’s undeniable that the Gators have drastically improved over the past month, or so. The losses to LSU and Georgia showed flashes of what this team could be and the wins over Texas A&M and South Carolina showed those flashes stretched out over the course of four quarters.
Florida could potentially finish the season 8-4, giving them positive momentum heading into early signing day. In order to do that, they need to get past a Vanderbilt team that is playing its best football since James Franklin was at the helm.
Florida is clearly the more talented team, and should be able to put the Commodores away. While the weather will certainly be a factor, the Gators’ reliance on the run game doesn’t make it as big a deal to me. I expect the Gators’ offensive line, running backs, and [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] himself to run the ball heavily, potentially ending the game before 3 p.m. EST.
Defensively, I think the Gators can extend their “no touchdowns allowed” streak to at least eight quarters, especially with the pass rush looking incredible since [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag].’s departure from the team.
This season has always been about progress over results. However, the progress is far enough along that a negative result against Vanderbilt would be unacceptable.
Florida 38, Vanderbilt 13
Tyler Nettuno - Gators Wire alumnus
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Vanderbilt will certainly be playing with some confidence in this one after snapping an unbelievable 26-game SEC losing streak with a road victory against a ranked Kentucky squad. But despite the result of September’s contest, I think Florida is a tougher out than the Wildcats right now.
The Gators seem to have turned something of a corner, and it’s worth noting that three of this team’s four losses are against current top 10 squads. Anthony Richardson is still limited as a passer, but he’s taken care of the football over the last month and had one of his best rushing performances of the entire year in the blowout against South Carolina.
Meanwhile, the defense had perhaps its sturdiest performance since 2019 against the Gamecocks, whose only score came on a fake punt. Bottom line: Vanderbilt is better than it’s been, and I don’t think this one will be easy. But don’t expect the Commodores to pull off two in a row.
Florida 38, Vanderbilt 17
Editor’s note: Tyler is the managing editor of LSU Tigers Wire and a college football staff writer for FTW!
Composite Prediction
Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun
While our predictions had a variance of around a touchdown for both the Gators and the Commodores, the Gators Wire crew was otherwise consistent in selecting Florida over Vanderbilt by a comfortable enough margin. Ultimately, the scores averaged out to give the Gators a 17-point win on the road in Nashville.
Florida 35, Vanderbilt 18
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