Game To Watch: #6 Oklahoma vs #7 Florida: December 30, 2020
Oklahoma will take on Florida in the Good Year Cotton Bowl this Wednesday at 8:00 EST in Arlington, Texas. The Sooners went 8 – 2 this year and won the Big 12 Championship for the sixth straight year, but missed the College Football Playoff after back to back trips to the Playoff. The Gators went 8 – 3 this year, losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Both teams came close to reaching the Playoff in 2020 and will be looking to finish on a positive note.
Recent History
Oklahoma and Florida have only played each other once. The Gators beat the Sooners 24 – 14 in the BCS Championship Game in 2009, the second championship Florida won under Urban Meyer. Florida is now on it’s third coach since Meyer, while Oklahoma has transitioned from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley.
Top 25 Players
What To Watch For…
Can Oklahoma’s defense slow down Florida?
Over their last six games, the Sooners have not allowed an opponent over 30 points and have held four of their last six opponents to 14 points or less. The defense has featured an excellent pass rush over that stretch, recording 24 sacks over that six game stretch or four sacks per game. The Sooners will need that strong pass rush to show up on Wednesday and pressure Kyle Trask. Trask has had an excellent season for the Gators, leading an offense that averages 41.8 points per game and has scored over 30 points in every game this season. The Florida offensive line has protected Trask and he has done a good job of getting the ball out of his hand quickly, resulting in just 19 sacks in 11 games this season. Oklahoma will need to get to Trask to disrupt the Florida offense.
Who will Kyle Trask throw to?
Florida has played without Kyle Pitts for stretches this year, but they will be extremely shorthanded against Oklahoma. The Gators will be without Pitts, Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes who have all opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft. That’s the three leading receivers for the Gators this year. To make matters worse, Florida will also be without Jacob Copeland who tested positive for Covid. Copeland was the fourth leading receiver for Florida in 2020. Trask will have to get in sync with a group of receivers that he has not been throwing to much this year. Florida will need players like Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson to step up at receiver, while Kemore Gamble has filled in for Pitts at tight end this year. Toney is more of an all purpose player, but Nay’Quan Wright provides a similar skill set and could fill in for him. Florida has not had much of a running game this year so it will be on Kyle Trask to get the most out of the young receivers.
Can Oklahoma’s young offense keep producing?
Florida’s defense gives up points. The Gators allowed 28.6 points per game this year, with five of their eleven opponents scoring more than 30 points against them this year, including their last two opponents. Oklahoma has a young and talented quarterback in Spencer Rattler and relies on a young group of receivers to lead the way, led by true freshman Marvin Mims. Oklahoma has scored at least 27 points in every game this year and there’s no reason to think that trend will change. To beat Florida however, they may need to score a lot more than 27. Rattler has improved significantly over the course of the season, he has thrown just two interceptions in the last six games, after throwing five in his first four games. If he continues to play well and spread the ball around to his talented group of playmakers, Oklahoma should have no problem scoring in this game.
Prediction
Neither team will be at full strength for this game, but Florida loses their top four receivers. Dan Mullen is an excellent coach and Kyle Trask is a crafty quarterback, the pair will find ways to score points, even if the offense is not as explosive as they have been in 2020. Florida’s defense has not been good in 2020 and Oklahoma’s offense has matured significantly over the course of the season. Rattler and the Sooners’ offense will score plenty and the defense will get a few key stops to secure the win. Oklahoma 41 Florida 35.
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Kyle Trask Image taken by Gamecock Central is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
