GAINESVILLE, FLA- Following an impressive 41-24 win versus Texas A&M, the Florida Gators (6-4, 3-4 SEC) returned to Gainesville to play the South Carolina Gamecocks in an SEC-East Conference game. Due to the ever-improving play of Sophomore Quarterback Anthony Richardson and the defense, Florida notched their second-straight SEC Conference Win, blowing out South Carolina 38-6 in The Swamp and clinching bowl eligibility. With just one SEC-Conference game remaining on the Gators’ schedule, it’ll be extremely tough to remain near the top of the SEC East Standings alongside No. 1 Georgia (9-0, 6-0 SEC), No. 5 Tennessee (8-1, 4-1 SEC), and Kentucky (6-4, 3-4 SEC). With this said, Florida still has two games remaining on its schedule, including a matchup versus the quickly-improving Vanderbilt Commodores in an SEC Conference game.
Review of Florida’s Win Against South Carolina
Coming off a great 41-24 victory over Texas A&M at College Station, Florida won their second straight SEC Conference game by routing South Carolina 38-6.
Following his 279 yards of scrimmage and four touchdown game versus Texas A&M last week, Richardson enjoyed another stellar performance against South Carolina, completing 11-of-23 pass attempts for 112 passing yards and two touchdowns along with 15 carries for 96 rushing yards and one touchdown. As previously mentioned, it’s been a volatile season for Richardson, who had a 5:7 TD:INT ratio in Florida’s first five games of the season, but has had a 6:0 TD:INT in the past five games.
In addition to Richardson, Freshman Running Back Trevor Etienne (8/100/1) and Sophomore Running Back Montrell Johnson (24/161/1) contributed to Florida’s dominant rushing attack, which finished the game with 374 rushing yards and 6.9 YPC. Of the nine receivers who caught passes from Richardson, Freshman Receiver Caleb Douglas led the Gators with three catches for 53 receiving yards, while Sophomore Receiver Jonathan Odom (2/6/1) and Junior Receiver Ricky Pearsall (3/53/0) each caught passing touchdowns.
Against Junior Quarterback Spencer Rattler and South Carolina, Florida’s defense flourished, holding the Gamecocks to just 237 total yards of offense and six points, both season lows. A former Heisman Candidate at the University of Oklahoma, Rattler struggled to find consistency in the Swamp, completing 18-26 pass attempts for 145 passing yards and zero touchdowns. It’s worth noting that Rattler didn’t even throw South Carolina’s lone touched, as Junior Punter Kai Kroeger threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Senior Receiver Dakereon Joyner on a fake punt at the end of the second quarter. Similar to their passing attack, the rushing attack wasn’t effective against the Gators’ Defense, as the Gamecocks notched just 44 rushing yards and 1.9 YPC on 23 carries. Finally, South Carolina dealt with multiple turnovers and penalties, committing three fumbles and eleven penalties for 82 yards, and converted on 3-of-11 third down conversions. Overall, Florida played well in facets of the game, resulting in the dominant 32-point victory.
Review of Vanderbilt’s Win Against No. 24 Kentucky
In spite of their best start to a college football season since 2019, Vanderbilt entered their week eleven matchup against No. 24 Kentucky in an attempt to secure their first SEC Conference win of the season. As it turns out, the Commodores did just that, upsetting the Wildcats 24-21 behind Junior Quarterback Mike Wright and Senior Running Back Ray Davis.
In reference to this, Vanderbilt officially ended their 26-game losing streak against SEC Conference opponents, dating back to Vanderbilt’s 21-14 win over Missouri on October 29th, 2019. After serving as the backup to Freshman Quarterback AJ Swann for the past six games, Wright retained the QB1 duties in Lexington, and didn’t disappoint, recording 310 total yards of offense (184 Passing, 126 Rushing), and two touchdowns. Likewise, Davis served as Vanderbilt’s workhorse running back, finishing the upset win with 26 carries for 129 rushing yards, one touchdown, and 5.0 YPC. Junior Receiver Will Sheppard remained Wright’s No. 1 target, who had five catches for 88 receiving yards and one touchdown, highlighted by an eight-yard touchdown catch with 32 seconds left to give Vanderbilt the lead for good.
It’s worth noting that the Commodores’ defense was the main reason why Vanderbilt upset No. 24 Kentucky in Lexington. Before Saturday’s tilt versus Kentucky, Vanderbilt was giving up an SEC Conference-worst 36.8 PPG, but held the Wildcats to just two touchdowns Furthermore, the Commodores recorded six tackles for loss (TFLs), four sacks, and an interception courtesy of CJ Taylor to stifle Kentucky, who gained 322 total yards of offense. on the final play of the game. Most impressively, Vanderbilt neutralized Kentucky’s Senior Quarterback Will Levis, who completed 11-of-23 pass attempts for 109 passing yards, the second-lowest totals of the season for Levis. Vanderbilt was unable to contain Kentucky’s Senior Running Back Chris Rodriguez Jr., who had 18 carries for 162 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 9.0 YPC, all team-highs. The Wildcats did struggle with converting on third and fourth down, as Kentucky went 4-of-12 on third down conversions and 1-of-2 on fourth-down conversions. For reference, Vanderbilt converted 11-of-17 third-down conversions, but did go just 1-of-3 on fourth-down conversions.
Game and Betting Information for Florida vs Vanderbilt
Game Information
- Location: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Date: Saturday, November 19th, 2022 - Kick-Off Time: 12:00 P.M. ET
- TV: SEC Network
- Game Spread: -14 Florida
- Point Total Over/Under: 57.5
- Moneyline: +430 South Carolina, -600 Florida
- Football Power Index (FPI): Favors Florida at 81.8%
Betting Information
- Florida is 6-4 against the spread (ATS) this season.
- Florida has won once ATS (1-1) as a 14-point or higher favorite this season.
- Six of Florida’s and Vanderbilt’s ten games have gone over the Point Total.
- Vanderbilt is 4-6 ATS this season.
- Vanderbilt has won twice ATS (2-3) as a 14-point underdog or greater this year.
Ten Facts to know for Florida vs Vanderbilt
- In the 55 games Florida has played Vanderbilt, the Gators are 43-10-2.
- Dating back to the 2013-2014 season, Florida has won eight straight meetings against Vanderbilt.
- The Gators currently hold the largest margin of victory in the rivalry, defeating the Commodores 71-13 in the 2000-2001 season.
- The last time Vanderbilt beat Florida 2013-2014 season with a 34-17 win in Gainesville.
- For reference, Florida dismantled Vanderbilt 42-0 last season with interim head coach Greg Knox.
- The only Head Coach that has posted a winning record at Vanderbilt since Steve Sloan retired is James Franklin, the current Head Coach at the University of Penn State (24-15 at VAN).
- At 6-4, Florida has already clinched bowl eligibility, but winning versus Vanderbilt or No. 23 Florida State would pass the Gator’s win total from the previous season.
- At 4-6, Vanderbilt needs to defeat Florida and then beat No. 5 Tennessee to become bowl eligible for the first time since the 2018 season, when the Commodores lost to the Baylor Bears 45-38 in the Texas Bowl.
- Through ten games, Florida has seen its offenses produce good results, averaging 31.9 PPG, 438.9 TYPG, 213.2 PYPG, and 225.7 RYPG.
- Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is averaging 26.4 PPG, 363.0 TYPG, 203.3 PYPG, and 159.7 RYPG.