LAS VEGAS, NEVADA- After failing to meet high standards in the 2022-2023 College Football Season, the Florida Gators (6-6, 3-5 SEC) will look to end their season on a positive note as they prepare to face the No. 14 Oregon State Beavers (9-3, 6-3 Pac Twelve) in the Las Vegas Bowl. With a regular-season record of 6-6, Florida will notch their 48th Bowl Game Appearance, but struggled mightily against SEC Opponents, failing to win the SEC East with first-year Head Coach Billy Napier. Meanwhile, Oregon State is in the midst of an unbelievable turnaround led by Head Coach Jonathan Smith. After finishing the 2021-2022 season with a 7-6 overall, 5-4 Pac Twelve Record, Smith led the Beavers to nine wins, with a chance to secure their tenth win for just the third time in program history. Due to this, Smith was named as the co-Pac-Twelve Coach of the Year, while 19 Beavers made all Pac-Twevle Conference Team Selections, the most in the Pac-Twelve.
Review of Florida’s Week Thirteen Loss Against No. 16 Florida State
In his final collegiate game, Richardson completed just 9-27 pass attempts for 198 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while recording 10 carries for 41 rushing yards. Due to this, Napier relied heavily on Florida’s Running Game against Florida State, which didn’t disappoint. As a team, Florida recorded 46 rushing attempts for 262 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 5.7 YPC, and was led by Freshman Running Back Trevor Etienne, who notched 17 attempts for a season-high 129 rushing yards, one touchdown, and 7.6 YPC. Standing at 5’9″ and 217 pounds, Etienne served as Florida’s No. 1 Running Back for the 2022-2023 season, and looks to improve on his rushing statline of 110/705/6 in his Sophomore Season with the departures of Wright and Lingard. Following a one-catch, 27-yard performance against Vanderbilt in week twelve, former Arizona State Transfer Ricky Pearsall rebounded nicely, catching five passes for 148 receiving yards and two touchdowns, all-season highs. Likewise, Sophomore Tight End Jonathan Odom enjoyed a season-best performance, adding 39 receiving yards and one touchdown on three catches.
Although Florida’s offense scored an impressive 38 points, the Gators’ defense was stifled by Junior Quarterback Jordan Travis and the Seminoles, who notched 45 points on 497 yards of offense. Similar to Richardson, Travis’ dual-threat play overwhelmed Florida’s Defense, and Travis accounted for 353 yards of offense (270 passing, 83 rushing) and three touchdowns (one passing, two rushing). Sophomore Running Back Trey Benson formed a formidable rushing duo with Travis, who had 20 rushing attempts for 111 rushing yards, three touchdowns, and 5.5 YPC. Shockingly, Benson actually led all Seminoles in receiving yards, with 51 yards on two catches. Even though he received eight targets from Travis, Sophomore Receiver Johnny Wilson had just two catches for 46 yards, a season-long trend for Wilson. Both Florida and Florida State recorded similar team stats, as the Gators converted on 8-16 third-down conversions, while the Seminoles went 9-16 on third-down conversions. While Florida and Florida State each had one turnover, the Gators were more prone to penalties, commuting 10 for 91 yards, while the Seminoles had just six penalties for 38 yards.
Review of No. 22 Oregon State’s Week Thirteen Win Against No. 10 Oregon
After trailing archrival Oregon 10-31 with 3:38 left in the third quarter, Oregon State stormed back, scoring 27 of the game’s final 30 points to win the 2022 Civil War Rivalry Game 38-34. In doing so, Oregon State eliminated Oregon from playing in the Pac-12 championship game, and dashing any hopes of the Ducks making their second college football playoff appearance. Admittedly, Freshman Quarterback Ben Gulbranson struggled mightily against Oregon, completing 6-13 pass attempts for 60 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Fortunately for Gulbranson, Oregon State’s running game lead the offense versus Oregon, as the Beavers notched 43 rushing attempts for 268 rushing yards, five touchdowns, and 6.2 YPC, all-season highs. Of the seven Beavers to record rushing attempts, Freshman Damien Martinez served as the workhorse back, finishing the game with 15 carries for 103 rushing yards and 6.9 YPC. In addition to Martinez, Sophomore Jamious Griffen (8/75/0) and Junior Deshaun Fenwick (8/53/1) also enjoyed solid rushing performances, while Freshman Isaiah Newell (2/21/2) and Gulbranson each accounted for two rushing touchdowns.
It’s worth noting that Oregon’s Senior Quarterback Bo Nix enjoyed another good performance, completing 27-41 pass attempts for 327 passing yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Throughout the entire 2022-2023 season, Nix relied heavily on Sophomore Receive Troy Franklin (8/78/1) and Senior Receive Chase Cota (9/136/1), each of whom caught a touchdown pass from Nix. Sophomore Running Back Noah Whittington served as Oregon’s lead back, rushing for 81 yards, one touchdown, and 5.1 YPC on 16 carries, while Freshman Jordan James (9/26/1) and Sophomore Bucky Irving (13/52/0) also contributed. Even though Oregon State struggled to slow down breakout star Nix and Oregon’s passing game, the Beavers made crucial stops on defense when it mattered most. For reference, Oregon converted on just 5-14 third downs and 0-5 on fourth downs, which helped solidify the upset win.
Sophomore Quarterback Jack Miller Named QB1 Following Richardson’s Departure to NFL 2023 Draft
According to multiple sources, Richardson announced his decision to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft on December Fifth via social media. In reference to this, Richardson also announced that he will not play in Florida’s upcoming Bowl Game versus Oregon State on December 17th.
Richardson experienced a range of results in his lone season as the Gators’ full-time starting quarterback, completing 176-of-327 (53.8%) pass attempts for 2,549 yards, 17 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions while recording 654 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 103 carries. While Richardson’s dual-threat ability lead Florida to impressive wins over No. 7 Utah, Texas A&M, and South Carolina, Richardson’s questionable plays held the Gators back in SEC Conference matchups versus No. 20 Kentucky, No. 11 Tennesse, and No. 1 Georgia.
With Richardson opting out and backup Quarterback Jalen Kitna being removed due to child pornography charges, Walk-on Kyle Engel, Freshman Max Brown, and Sophomore Jack Miller are the Gators’ remaining quarterbacks. After committing to the Ohio State University in 2020, Miller was delegated to backup duties behind Joe Burrow and Justin Fields. Brown and Engel are both developmental projects, leaving Miller as the unquestioned starter for Florida versus No. 14 Oregon State. Across six games at Ohio State, Miller completed 7-14 pass attempts for 101 passing yards while adding a 21-yard rushing touchdown as the primary backup.
How will Florida and No. 14 Oregon State Respond to their Players Opting Out of the Las Vegas Bowl?
Oregon State Senior Jack Colletto Ready for Las Vegas Bowl After Winning 2022 Paul Hornung Award
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After enjoying an impressive five-year stint at the University of Oregon State, Senior Jack Colletto was named the 2022 Paul Hornung Award Winner. Since its establishment in 2010, the Hornung Award honors and recognizes the nation’s top major college football player who displays the versatility to successfully play both sides of the football. As the 2022 Paul Hornung Award Winner, Colletto joins an extensive list of former Award Winners, including Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, LSU’s Odell Beckham, Washington’s Shaq Thompson, and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley.
“This accomplishment is a huge honor and I am grateful to win this award,” Colletto told The Oregonian/OregonLive via text message. “This award was not only won by my efforts, but the efforts and dedication of many around me. I couldn’t thank enough my teammates who have helped pave the way for my successful and the coaches for ultimately believing in me.”
Standing at 6’3″ and 239 pounds, Colletto’s primary position is linebacker, as he notched 46 total tackles, one interception, and two forced fumbles from 2018-2022. It’s worth noting that Colletto has also thrived on offense. While serving as Oregon State’s quarterback, in the wildcat formation, Colletto has completed 25-50 pass attempts for 254 passing yards, while adding 109 rushing attempts for 408 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns in 42 collegiate. For reference, Colletto has run for 86 yards and six touchdowns on 25 attempts this season, and was named to the 2022 All-Pac Twelve First Team as an-all purpose player. With the Las Vegas Bowl being Colletto’s final college game, expect Smith to get Colletto involved in a number of ways.
Game and Betting Information for Florida vs No. 14 Oregon State
Game Information
- Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Saturday, December 17th, 2022 - Kick-Off Time: 1:30 P.M. ET
- TV: ABC
- Game Spread: +10 Florida
- Point Total Over/Under: 52
- Moneyline: +285 Florida, -365 Oregon State
- Football Power Index (FPI): Favors Oregon State at 56.9%
Betting Information
- Florida is 7-5-0 against the spread (ATS) this season.
- The Gators have a perfect 3-0 ATS record when playing as at least 10-point underdogs.
- This season, seven of Florida’s thirteen games have gone over the point total.
- Oregon State is 10-2-0 ATS.
- Oregon State has yet to lose ATS (3-0) as a 10.5-point favorite or greater this year.
- This season, seven of Oregon State’s twelve games have gone over the point total.
Florida’s and No. 14 Oregon State’s Team Statistics for 2022-2023 Season
Scoring offense: Florida: 31.8 PPG, 43rd in Nation | Oregon State: 32.4 PPG, 37th in Nation
Rushing offense: Florida: 213.9 RYPG, 16th in Nation | Oregon State: 199.2 RYPG, 27th in Nation
Passing Offense: Florida: 227.5 PYPG, 69th in Nation | Oregon State: 200.4 TYPG, 103rd in Nation
Total Offense: Florida: 441.5 TYPG, 32nd in Nation | Oregon State: 399.6 TYPG Yards, 59th in Nation
Scoring Defense: Florida: 28.8 OPPG, 90th in Nation | Oregon State: 21.4 OPPG, 31st in Nation
Rushing Defense: Florida: 176.2 ORYPG, 101st in Nation | Oregon State: 114.0 ORYPG, 20th in Nation
Passing Defense: Florida: 239.6 OPYPG, 89th in Nation | Oregon State: 228.3 OPYPG 75th in Nation
Total Defense: Florida: 415.8 OTYPG PYPG, 103rd in Nation | Oregon State: 342.3 OTYPG, 31st in Nation
Turnover Margin: Florida: +8, 16th in Nation | Oregon State: -1, 74th in Nation