Florida Gators vs. ECU: 5 lists of 5

Florida Gators versus East Carolina Pirates Breakdown

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2015
Time: 7:00 PM
TV: ESPN2
Last meeting: 2015 Birmingham Bowl, Florida won 28-20

Last time out:

Florida defeated New Mexico State 61-13
East Carolina defeated Towson 28-20

Meet the Pirates:

Head Coach: Ruffin McNeill (38-27 in 6 seasons at East Carolina)
Conference: American Athletic Conference
2015 Overall Record: 1-0
2015 Conference Record: 0-0
Player(s) to Watch:
• Senior Running Back Chris Hairston. Ran 18 times for a career-high 154 yards and four touchdowns last week, becoming the first Pirates player to score four touchdowns in a game in eight years.
• Senior Linebacker Zeek Bigger. Totaled 10 tackles last week against Towson building on his strong junior campaign where he totaled 140 tackles (66 solo).

5 Things To Know About East Carolina:

1. Projected starting quarterback Kurt Benkart suffered a season ending knee injury on August 25, leaving junior quarterback Blake Kemp to make his first last week versus Towson. He finished 29-37 for 235 yards.
2. New East Carolina offensive coordinator David Nichol takes over for Lincoln Riley who accepted the same position at Oklahoma. Nichol was promoted to offensive coordinator after coaching receivers since 2012.
3. ECU has lost eight of the last ten games vs. SEC opponents.
4. The Pirates were 5th in the nation in 2014 averaging 533 yards per game on offense.
5. East Carolina is 5-11 against power five opponents since 2010. Two of those wins came in 2014 against ranked opponents (#17 Virginia Tech and #25 North Carolina).

5 Things To Pay Attention To:

1. Quarterback performance under the lights Part Two. Last week both Treon Harris and Will Grier got off to good starts and this week they both hope to build on their performance. Thursday Jim McElwain named Will Grier the starter, but Florida will continue to implement the two-quarterback system. East Carolina will be tougher competition than last week; will either quarterback separate himself?
2. Explosive run plays from running backs. Florida Gators ran for 222 yards last week against a weak New Mexico State run defense, but the longest run from a running back was 18 yards. Kelvin Taylor and the two true freshmen Scarlett and Cronkrite combined for 114 yards on 21 carries.
3. Demarcus Robinson’s response. This week Robinson was dropped to 3rd on the wide receiver depth chart after missing the team meal on Sunday. Robinson had a less than spectacular opening game only tallying 34 yards on 6 receptions. Robinson needs to have a greater impact on the game Saturday and be the go-to receiver Florida needs on the outside.
4. Young guns. Versus New Mexico State Florida showcased many pieces of its young roster. As the season goes along and the bumps and bruises occur, Florida will be depending on the contributions from the underclassmen. Getting quality playing time in game situations will go a long way to preparing them for SEC play.
5. East Carolina’s play count and pass attempts. Last year in the Birmingham Bowl the Pirates ran 101 plays and threw 68 passes. In 2014 East Carolina averaged 49 pass attempts per game. With Blake Kemp starting his second career game in The Swamp, how many times will East Carolina put it in the air?

5 Things To Expect:

1. Expect the Florida defense to dominate, start to finish. Last time these two teams met East Carolina racked up 536 total yards. In the first half against New Mexico State the Florida Gators gave up 201 yards of offense, after adjustments the Aggies totaled -1 yard of offense in the second half. Expect Florida’s defense to give a more complete effort and stifle the Pirate offense.
2. Expect continued offensive improvement. It may not be realistic to expect another 600 yard 61 point outing against East Carolina, but expect Florida to continue to be effective and efficient on offense against a defense that gave up 416 yards at home to FCS opponent Towson.
3. Expect more than one penalty. During fall camp McElwain stressed discipline and not committing penalties. Last week Florida committed one penalty in a game for first time since 1977. Chances are that number goes up against this week.
4. Expect a lot of touches by a lot players. Last week fourteen different players caught a pass and nine different players recorded a rush. McElwain and Nussmeier spread the ball around to a lot of players and that went a long way to gaining 606 total yards of offense. Expect that to continue this week before narrowing down the opportunities before heading up to Lexington next week.
5. Expect more balance from East Carolina. Although East Carolina would like to air it out, expect the Pirates to implement more of a balanced attack against Florida to keep Blake Kemp comfortable and attempt to keep Florida off balanced. East Carolina threw the ball 37 times and ran 33 times in their win against Towson.

5 Keys To Victory:

1. Quarterbacks continue to run the offense called for them. Jim McElwain and Doug Nussmeier called a great game last week putting Harris and Grier in situations to be successful. As the coaching staff calls the plays that compliment them, neither quarterback needs to go out and do anything to put Florida at a disadvantage or put them behind in the quarterback competition.
2. Dominate on 3rd down. Against up-tempo offenses, getting stops on 3rd down is essential. Florida held New Mexico State to 1-of-12 last week. Versus Towson, East Carolina was 10-of-17.
3. Limit big plays. New Mexico State had three plays last week account for 101 yards. Florida will need to limit the big plays on defense and keep this game from being in question at any point.
4. Stay hungry. Florida got off to a strong start last week and need to continue to stay hungry and continue improving. Florida cannot overlook East Carolina, they are capable of making this game close and causing fans to rehash the memories that have haunted them the past four years
5. Give the fans a reason to be excited. Jim McElwain wants to restore the glory back to The Swamp. To accomplish this Florida will need to be good early and build off of the momentum established last week. Making The Swamp an intimidating place to play in again will go a long way to getting Florida football back to where it should be.

5 Signs It Was A Good Day:

1. Both quarterbacks continue to play well. If both Grier and Harris play well and there is no separation between them, that does not hurt Florida. McElwain is no rush to name a permanent starter. This decision to choose a quarterback is not about 2014 but this will affect the future of Florida football.
2. Defense gives up less than 200 yards passing. Florida has one of the best defensive back units in the country and this is not the East Carolina Pirates of last year. If Florida holds the Pirates under 200 yards passing, the Gators will be cruising to another victory.
3. Another 300/200 day on offense. Last week the Gator offense amassed 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing. Against East Carolina those numbers are attainable and if reached that will give the Gators a lot of confidence heading into their first road game.
4. Defense records multiple sacks and turnovers. In their last meeting Florida recorded four sacks and two interceptions. Against the quick passing attack, if Florida can get pressure on Kemp and alter the timing of the Pirate offense, the Gators will have an opportunity to make plays on defense.
5. Tight Ends go over 100 yards receiving again. The Florida tight end position showed depth and explosion last week hauling in seven catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Compiling those type of numbers again this week and the Florida offense will continue to open up and become more difficult for opposing defenses to stop.

The Prediction: Florida 42 East Carolina Piarates 17

Florida will dominate from start to finish. Don’t expect another 60-point output, but expect Florida to be balanced and efficient on offense. Both quarterbacks will play well and the Florida running game will be more explosive and dominate the game.