The 25th-ranked Missouri Tigers host the No. 8 Florida Gators on Homecoming in Columbia. Mizzou (3-1, 0-1 SEC) will be looking to bounce back after their conference-opening loss to Mississippi State. Florida comes in at 4-0 under first year head coach Jon Sumrall after a 52-28 statement win over Ole Miss in The Swamp. Kick-off on Saturday afternoon is set for 2:30 p.m. CST as Eli Drinkwitz looks for a statement win of his own.
To discuss the Tigers and Gators, we previewed the matchup with Andrew
Spivey from Gator Country.
Here’s the Q&A to get your ready:
Sammy Stava: Florida comes in ranked No. 8 after a 4-0 start coming off a statement win over Ole Miss. What were the preseason expectations for the Gators in Year One under head coach Jon Sumrall?
–
Andrew Spivey: Florida fans really wanted to see improvement on the field and an offense that could score. Most fans were happy to say 8 wins would be a success so things are definitely going better on the field.
SS: Jadan Baugh has put up ridiculous numbers. Through four games this season he has 83 carries for 600 yards and 11 touchdowns. Do you expect him to land in New York City as a Heisman finalist at this point?
–
AS: If Baugh can continue this ridiculous start then I’m not sure how you can keep him away from New York, especially if the Gators can continue winning. A 10-2 Florida team would really help Baugh’s case.
SS: Besides Baugh, who are some other players to watch on the offensive side of the ball? Who on the defensive side can make a big impact?
–
AS: On offense, stay at running back and remember that back-up running back Duke Clark has had back-to-back huge games. Also receiver Dallas Wilson has had a good year and is dangerous in space.
On defense it all starts with Jayden Woods and what he can do off the edge. Woods had the key sack in the Ole Miss game.
SS: What is the biggest strength of this Gator team? What is their biggest weakness that Mizzou can potentially exploit?
–
AS: Biggest strength is the Gators run game and the offensive line’s ability to push defensive linemen backwards.
I’m watching to see how Austin Simmons will exploit Florida’s struggling secondary.
SS: Florida comes in as a 5.5-point favorite on Mizzou’s Homecoming. How do you see this game playing out on Saturday? Have a final score prediction?
–
AS: Florida has struggled in Columbia but I think they pull out a late win. I have Florida winning 31-24
Thanks to Andrew for chatting with us. Feel free to follow him and Gator Countryon Twitter (X) for opposing coverage this week.
