It’s a new season, so it’s time for a new segment: 10 predictions. Pretty self explanatory, really; I just list off ten things I think will happen. It could be a stat, or it could be more subjective. It could be anything, really. It’s a color wheel of things to watch for, basically.
So let’s get to it.
1) Both Treon Harris and Will Grier throw for over 150 yards. Simple. New Mexico State’s defense sucks. It’s just a matter of if both get enough playing time to do so.
2) Florida’s defense forces at least three turnovers. A ferocious Gator defense against a putrid Aggie offensive line could easily get twice that, but Geoff Collins may be saving some of his particularly tricky blitz packages for better opponents.
3) Brandon Powell explodes. Pretty subjective, but it’ll be pretty clear at the end of the night whether I got this one right or not. He’s been working with both the running backs and wide receivers, running on tap passes and jet sweeps, and I can’t wait to see what that looks like in a game. I just hope we will see it tomorrow.
4) New Mexico State gains less than 190 total yards of offense. Black or white. They will or they won’t. 190 seems like a good over/under, though, and I’ll take the under.
5) Florida will score a defensive or special teams touchdown. Between a pick six, scoop and score, blocked punt return touchdown, blocked kick return touchdown, punt return touchdown and kick return touchdown, the Gators have plenty of chances to get at least one of these against a team that’s best at self destructing.
6) Jordan Scarlett breaks off a 25+ yard run. Kelvin Taylor’s day should be done by or shortly after halftime. Let’s see if the prized freshman can carve up what figures to be an utterly defeated Aggie defense with a huge run to kick start his career highlight tape.
7) New Mexico State will not score a touchdown. Hell, if Eastern Michigan didn’t last year, why should a similarly hapless New Mexico State team?
8) A Florida tight end (Jake McGee or C’yontai Lewis) will catch a touchdown pass. The Gators have had to reach deep into the bag to find some playmakers in the receiving game this fall, and the answer may lie with their tight ends, both of whom have had fantastic fall camps. Now it’s time for them to pay it off in a real game.
9) Florida out gains New Mexico State by 300+ yards. This isn’t so much suggesting that Florida will put up 650 yards, but rather snickering at the Aggies’ anemic offense. It’ll go something like 485-165. That ballpark.
10) Florida puts up half a hundred. It won’t be quite as memorable as the time Steve Spurrier did it Between The Hedges, but it’ll be a nice start to the Jim McElwain era.
Projection: Florida 63, New Mexico State 3