GatorCountry brings you a new podcast as we bring you our Friday predictions before the Florida Gators take on FSU on Saturday.
Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre give you their keys for the Gators on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball against FSU.
Andrew and Nick also give you their three players to watch for the Gators on Saturday, plus we pick several rivalry games around the country.
TRANSCRIPT:
Andrew: What’s up, Gator Country? Your man, Andrew Spivey, here with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, Friday before the best weekend in football, rivalry weekend. I’m excited. We’ve said this before, and this may be a Florida State team that’s terrible, and this may be a Florida team that isn’t playing for anything, but name me a rivalry game between Florida-Florida State in the last six years that had this many storylines.
Nick: There are a ton. Last year we’re just sitting here and talking about FSU stinks, Florida stinks. Who’s going to win the game? The first to 3?
Andrew: Then it was one of those that was like, I mean, what did you play for? Florida’s sitting here, and they’re 11, right?
Nick: Yes. Came out last night. Jumped from 13 to 11.
Andrew: I don’t know why I was thinking something else. 11 in the College Football Playoff. Florida State’s got all the storylines. We’ve talked about it. They have all those things that are out there for them that if they can win the game they get all those storylines that can really go about. Again, will the game turn out to be a great game? I don’t know. I really don’t. It could be ugly. It really could be. It could be an ugly football game. I tend to think that it won’t, but it could be. At the end, it’s going to be a storyline. There’s a lot of pressure on both sides. There’s a lot of pressure on Willie to keep the streaks alive, and then there’s a lot of pressure on Mullen to win the game. It’s the first rivalry game for him. It’s a lot of pressure.
Nick: I guess, who would you think has more pressure on them to win this game? I would say it’s Dan Mullen, because of the season Willie’s already had. I think FSU fans are probably expecting a loss this year, more so than expecting a win. You never want to be like that in a rivalry. I think that’s just where it is, where the teams are. I would say there’s more pressure on Dan Mullen to win this game than there is Willie Taggert. It’s almost sad that it’s that way, because losing this game, to me, I’ve already marked this season as a success for Dan Mullen, and losing to FSU is not good. You shouldn’t lose to this FSU team, but I don’t think that makes this season not a successful one. Less successful. Yes. Not a success totally. I don’t agree with that.
Andrew: I can see what you’re saying.
Nick: Does that make sense? To me it’s a successful season. Obviously if you lose to Florida State it puts a bad taste in your mouth at the end of the year, but I wouldn’t say it’s not a successful season just because of the one game.
Andrew: No. I agree with you. I will say this. It’s what Mullen said on Monday. He said, “It’s one of those, but …” A successful year, but … Will it be fair to him, because I think it was a successful year no matter what happens, but it could happen. Now here’s this, Nick. If you lose this game, you better win the bowl game, because, guess what? McElwain has always been judged by how he finished the years. He would lose FSU. He would lose to Alabama in the SEC Championship game, and he lost in the bowl game to Michigan.
Nick: Ugly ends to the season every year.
Andrew: You look at, think about how Kevin Sumlin at A&M was. He would always start strong, and he would always finish like doggie.
Nick: Start 6-6 and end 7-6.
Andrew: Yeah. That would just be how they would go. Again, here’s the thing for me. I see what you’re saying on that, but at the same time, I think a lot of pressure is on Willie, because, yes, a lot of people are expecting you to lose, but then again, their fans are also very cocky. To the point where it’s like do they really expect to lose? Do they feel like we can win this game?
Nick: I don’t think FSU fans or Gator fans will ever think we can’t win this game. I think, just based on the season that FSU has had, they’re probably not as confident. You won’t know it by the way they act on social media this week, but they’re definitely not as confident as they were beating Florida in, let’s say, 2013, ’14, ’15. They’re probably much more confident going into those games playing Florida, given the talent discrepancy and the coaching discrepancy. To me, you never expect to lose a rivalry game. I think this would be an upset, not just in Vegas. It would be an upset to me if Florida State wins this game.
Andrew: No. It would be. I’m just saying I think that the pressure is a little bit more, for me. I mean, I’ve made the argument, and I do say there’s a lot of pressure on Mullen to win this game, because I’ve said it. I know people disagree. This is a must-win football game. There is no questions for me. This is a must-win football game, or you’re going to go through a year of misery of recruiting against Florida State. That’s what it is. But I do see some pressure on Taggert, because do you really want to be that guy? Do you really want to be that guy who snapped all those streaks? I’m not talking about just the winning streak. I’m talking about that bowl streak, and I’m talking about that over 500 streak. Do you really wan to be that guy?
Nick: Never want to be that guy. Will Muschamp was that guy for so many things.
Andrew: That’s what I’m saying. You never want to be that guy. Listen, Dan Mullen didn’t want to be the guy who lost that streak to Kentucky, but at the end of the day, that’s one game. This is something that, and don’t get me wrong, that Kentucky streak was impressive, but this is a super impressive streak. The longest bowl streak and then going 40 some years of never having a losing record. That’s decades. That’s four decades, Nick.
Nick: That’s a long time. Predates us by over a decade.
Andrew: That’s what I’m saying. Think about that. That’s why I think there’s pressure. Listen, there is a lot of support for Willie Taggert, but if you’re Bobby Bowden, you’re probably a little pissed off he loses.
Nick: Yeah. Might be some part of Bobby Bowden that’s like, you shouldn’t have run me off. That’s probably past.
Andrew: He’s like 90.
Nick: Since Jimbo’s had … How old is Bobby Bowden? Let me see.
Andrew: I don’t know. He’s old.
Nick: Probably lost that after Jimbo. He’s 89 years old. You’re close.
Andrew: I was close.
Nick: Just turned 89.
Andrew: I knew he was old.
Nick: You know where he was born?
Andrew: When?
Nick: Do you know where?
Andrew: He was born somewhere in Alabama.
Nick: Birmingham, Alabama.
Andrew: Birmingham. That’s right. I remember there was talk of him possibly going to Bama, all that kind of stuff. He’s in the Alabama Hall of Fame and all that good stuff.
Nick: I used to be in there.
Andrew: Where’d he go to college?
Nick: I already crossed out of the page.
Andrew: It’s all right then.
Nick: Birmingham, Alabama. 89 years old. I wonder if Bobby will be there. He went to Alabama as a freshman, and then transferred to Howard.
Andrew: Got you. Makes sense now. We talk about that though, Nick. This is a game that there’s a lot of emotion. You and I have been in the stadium. We’ve heard the FU chants to Dante Fowler. We’ve heard that stuff.
Nick: That was awesome. Dante was like a WWE wrestler. He was just eating it up, loving it.
Andrew: You could just see his veins like popping. You could just see the pissed-offness explode in him. That was cool. For me too, Nick, we continue to talk about keys in this game, and you never can talk about the key of playing within yourself in this game. You cannot go out of here in this game and try to do too much. I want to get on that with Feleipe in a few minutes, but as far as the defense goes, we’ve talked about that a little bit on Wednesday, not going out here and trying to make a kill tackle. Vosean, do you want to knock Terry’s head off across the middle? Sure. But I’d much rather you make that clean tackle than miss it because you’re trying to go for a kill shot.
This FSU team likes explosive plays. That’s how they score. Missed tackles will lead to that. Chauncey, Vosean, the safeties, all those guys have got to bring 8A games to tackling. For me, that’s a lot of emotion that goes into it, because everyone wants to get that big hit. Everyone wants that Brandon Spikes against Georgia hit. Everyone wants that. Guess what? If you go for it, you’re not getting it.
Nick: Missed tackles, I don’t think that’s what it was against Missouri. It’s definitely what it was against Kentucky.
Andrew: I mean, for a lot of it it wasn’t the end all, end all against Georgia, but it definitely didn’t help.
Nick: No. Missed tackles never helps.
Andrew: No. But you know what I’m saying? Late in the game, when Georgia was up three, I believe, or was it six? Something like that. You had the embarrassing missed tackle by Donovan Stiner. Then you had a couple more missed tackles that allowed Swift to score, that put them up two scores. Again, it wasn’t the end all, end all. The end all, end all was not completing on 3rd down and turnovers. That was the Georgia game. In this rivalry game, we talk about it, you can’t have penalties. Stupid penalties will kill you and missed tackles will kill you.
Then, as I go to my next point, Feleipe Franks. Bring it down. Play within yourself. Play pissed off. If that’s what it is, play pissed off. You coming into the game trying to make something happen, don’t go be trying that over the middle. Be calm, that kind of stuff. We talk about it. Florida’s probably going to take some deep throws, if you’re overamped, you’re going to overthrow.
Nick: I think that should only really affect you probably first drive maybe. That could be every game. That could be Idaho and not just a rivalry game. You get amped up to play, especially when you start to realize in this game, shoot, this is the last one. Yeah, we have a bowl game, but this is the last one of the regular season. It’s hard to contain that emotion, but once you get into the flow of the game, and you get hit, you go to the sideline, you start going through the motions again. Okay. A drive ended, whether it was a touchdown or a turnover or a punt, you get back on the headset, and you’re getting the corrections. You’re back into it.
Andrew: Right. You’re right. It’s a lot on that. I’m just saying as far as rivalry games. You want to play with that extra intensity. Again, this isn’t another game, but when the whistle blows and kickoff happens it has to be another game. It has to be. It has to be another game as far as you doing your job, as far as being more focused, that kind of stuff. I get that. For me, that’s my key, Nick. I’ll give you your turn. You can state your key. For me, that’s my key. Just playing within yourself.
Nick: Sometimes easier said than done, but I agree with you.
Andrew: Right. No, 100% easier said than done. I mean, I could not imagine a guy like, for instance, a Dante Fowler, the emotion he went through. I mean, he was called some terrible names. Listen, I’m not going to sit here and say that I didn’t enjoy it, because it’s what college football is about. I didn’t enjoy what they said, some of the things they say, but I enjoy that college football banter back and forth. For me, I was cool with it. I couldn’t imagine what a guy like Dante Fowler, the emotion he really went through. Some of the guys who have played, Deondre Francois, he talked about growing up, maybe not being a huge Florida fan, but was watching Florida a lot. He visited Florida a lot. Those guys who played together, I can only imagine. For me, that’s just my key, staying focused.
Nick: Staying focused. There’s a lot of guys. I mean, you go back to Matt Elam, Dante Fowler was a Florida State commit forever. That’s another thing that I love about this week, whether it’s Michigan-Ohio State, UCF-USF, Florida-Florida State. This week there’s so many relationships, good and bad, that go back and forth. You mentioned it, I think, Wednesday. Quincy Wilson, when we met Quincy Wilson he and Ermon were on the same seven on seven team. He was friendly with Dalvin, because they were both South Florida guys. As Quincy started seeing the writing on the wall, done. Friendships end over this game.
Andrew: Right. Absolutely. Give me your big key of the game.
Nick: Big key of the game is, like you said, tackling. As always, winning the turnover battle, because we talked about that a little bit earlier and said you are better than Florida State this year, but not that much better to where you can lose four turnovers and win the game. I think those are really the two. It’s tackles, because tackles, for me, goes along with big plays. For me, don’t miss tackles. Don’t turn the ball over.
Andrew: Okay. Do you expect in this game Florida to go deep? Do you expect them to take those shots? I say that, because we know what Feleipe has done. Do you expect it to happen?
Nick: Very selectively.
Andrew: Okay. I expect, and I could end up being an idiot on this podcast. I’ve done it before, and probably will do it 50,000 times before you and I end this podcast, Nick. I expect them to be selective as well. I expect them to try to start hitting some of those swing passes, the stand passes, try to hit some slant routes, that kind of stuff. Bud talked about it when he was on with us on Wednesday. The linebackers are very bad in coverage. Get Kyle Pitts the ball with those guys. Get Moral the ball there. Maybe get your running backs the ball there. I expect them to be selective with it as well. I kind of expect it to be one of those games where Dan is okay with getting four yards a play, or he’s okay with throwing a three-yard pass and setting up 2nd and 7.
Nick: That, to me, that would be my game plan. That’s been Florida’s game plan all year. Stay ahead of the sticks. I think swing passes, screen passes, and slants. That’s how I see this game going. You’re kind of just keeping the ball, staying ahead of the chains, and just moving it. Like Bud pointed out, Florida doesn’t have all those explosive plays. That’s not who they are this year. I don’t think you try to bank on that being who we can be for one week, if we haven’t been that for four months.
Andrew: Right. Exactly. Here’s the thing for me. Does it matter? At the end of the day, does it matter? As long as you score points, does it really matter?
Nick: I think seven counts, whether it’s a one-yard rush or 99-yard pass.
Andrew: That’s the way I look at it. Again, the way I look at it is Mullen understands. He’s not a dummy. This isn’t his first go around. Again, he’s had these guys for, what, next week a year? I mean, you’re thinking about it’s almost a year since Mullen took the job, so he’s had these guys for almost a year now. He understands that he has to be selective with what he does with this team. I think he understands the limits of what Feleipe Franks can do. Again, I think that if he can start hitting some of those short passes you can open that running game up a little bit. The thing is once you can get those guys to spread out of the box a little bit, then that’s when you’re going to be able to start hitting some runs. This defensive line, I mean, I get what Bud says. I do. I understand what Bud says. Bud is high on this rushing attack, I mean this pass rushing attack, and that’s fine. I don’t trust their middle guys to stop the run. I don’t trust their linebackers to stop the run.
Nick: I think I agree with you. I think they could for a little bit, but I think at the end of the day they’ll get worn down a little bit.
Andrew: If you can get them to stop having seven and eight, nine guys in the box, that’s when you’ll be able to start hitting some of the stuff. If you can’t hit the passing game, that’s when you’re going to have that. It’ll be interesting to see how that happens.
For me, with Florida on defense, I still expect them to bring a good bit of blitzes, but I think Todd Grantham will be selective in them. If he’s able to get a pass rush with his front four, just bringing four guys, that will help him a ton. Bud said it, if they can’t hit the big plays, you like your chances. How would you expect the defensive play call to be?
Nick: I would say more conservative this week. Just because I think, if Grantham is looking at the film all year long, he has to be thinking we can get pressure with four. If you can get pressure with four, then that’s going to be really tough for them. That means our linebackers can stay home, read the play, and if it’s a run, fill your gaps. To me, if you can get pressure with four, there’s no sense in bringing six. Now, I don’t mean don’t blitz at all one game, one time the entire game.
Andrew: Right.
Nick: If you can get pressure with four guys, to me that’s a win as a defensive coordinator. That opens up things for me. Now I can selectively blitz when I want to, but for the majority of the game I’m going to be forcing Deondre Francois to beat me with his arm, and he’s going to be under pressure. We’re going to have seven guys in coverage.
Andrew: Would not surprise me at all to see more of Chauncey coming off the edge, bringing some corner blitzes, that kind of stuff. I mean, that’s one of those where good luck. First of all, you do not see corner blitzes get picked up very often. You just don’t. That’s a situation where you would then force a quick throw, and that’s a situation where you’re chances of getting a big play against that corner blitz is very unlikely. To me, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see more corner blitzes and stuff this week.
Nick: I can see that too. That’s a good point.
Andrew: It’s all about getting pressure on Francois. Any other final points before we start making picks here?
Nick: No.
Andrew: Again, I talk about this rivalry game being big. I think while you’re looking at this game it’s even, I say, in a lot of ways. Florida’s defense is better. I think Florida’s offense is better when given time. I think that will be the one thing that could concern me is a guy like Brian Burns out there, but this is Martez’ last regular season game. It’s his last chance. Let’s see what you’re made of, Martez.
Nick: Martez, a bunch of guys. Fred.
Andrew: I’m talking about Jawaan as far as blocking. I don’t think this should be Jawaan’s last game.
Nick: Cece. There’s some seniors here. RJ Raymond is a fifth generation Gator, and he’s never beaten Florida State. C’yontai Lewis, he was in the stands for his official visit, and the lost to Florida State. He’s been her for all five. This means a lot to these guys, the seniors. This is their last chance to beat Florida State, and you never want to be known as a class, that happened to the last senior class last year. We never beat Florida State, or we never beat Georgia, or we never beat Tennessee. Peyton Manning can never say he beat Florida, no matter what he does. He’ll be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, never beat Florida.
Andrew: That’s right. Nick, there’s great games this week. You’ve got the list. Who you want to pick first?
Nick: We’re going to start with the war on I4.
Andrew: Okay.
Nick: #9 UCF Knights at USF. UCF jumped Ohio State Tuesday in the College Football Playoff Poll. That is the highest a Group of Five team has ever been ranked in the College Football Playoff Poll.
Andrew: What’s Ohio State now? 10?
Nick: Ohio State is 10.
Andrew: Okay. So, Florida probably jumps them. Florida will jump them with a win, and their loss to Michigan. If they lose to Michigan. UCF.
Nick: Smart pick. We’ll both take UCF.
Andrew: Charlie Strong, whatever. That ain’t happening.
Nick: Second game, another one close to our hearts. #6 Oklahoma at #13 West Virginia. Senior Day for Will Grier.
Andrew: Will Grier bounces back, gets that W and goes on to have a great NFL career. Proud of Will. I’ll take a second here to say this. Will Grier, the stories are out there, whatever. Will Grier is a good human being and a good family guy, great family. You and I are both very impressed by Will. I think we both wish him the best. So, go Mountaineers.
Nick: You’re picking the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Andrew: 100%.
Nick: I’m going to go with you. Will Grier, West Virginia will not win this game, shouldn’t win this game. Their defense shouldn’t not be able to stop Oklahoma. I believe in some Willie goat magic.
Andrew: Kansas stopped Oklahoma for most of the game. Is Kyler already looking forward to spring training?
Nick: Maybe.
Andrew: I would be. Cash that’s laying on the table waiting for him. Think about it, Nick. Just think about that for a second here. You’re Kyler Murray, right. You got outside shot of making the playoffs, and you’re thinking, my consolation prize is that cool fat $5 million signing bonus sitting on the table waiting for me to report to Arizona for spring training to hit some baseballs.
Nick: Yeah.
Andrew: Wish I had that choice. I’d have already been in spring training. Sorry.
Nick: Yes. Same.
Andrew: You got West Virginia. Okay. We’re picking the same so far.
Nick: I don’t know what they call this, the Apple State bowl. I don’t know. #16 Washington at #8 Washington State.
Andrew: How can you go against Leach?
Nick: Wazzu.
Andrew: Wazzu. Wazzu wins.
Nick: I got Wazzu as well. That could shake some things up. #8 Washington State playing for a chance, and out, out, outside chance to get into a playoff. If you think about does Alabama slip up against Georgia in the SEC Championship? Does Michigan slip up against Ohio State? Outside chance.
Andrew: Wazzu.
Nick: Speaking of that game, I’m going Wazzu too. #3 Michigan on the road at #11 Ohio State.
Andrew: This game, I mean, what’s the winning streak for Ohio State? Four?
Nick: I was just pulling that up right now. Michigan has not won in a long time. Let me see. Last time Michigan won was in Ann Arbor in 2011.
Andrew: Wow.
Nick: Six years in a row.
Andrew: Wow.
Nick: The last time Michigan won in Columbus, 2000.
Andrew: Here’s the deal. I said I thought Michigan would win, but then I remembered something. Urban Meyer wins these rivalry football games. He wants to win his last game before he retires. Buckeyes cruise.
Nick: Wow. Buckeyes cruise. You have picked against Michigan all year long, and you’ve yet to get any of those picks right.
Andrew: I was. I was picking Michigan, and then I heard that, and I remembered, bro, this is Urban Meyer in a rivalry football game.
Nick: Yeah. I’m going with my boys, my boys in Ann Arbor. Michigan.
Andrew: This is my thing. Every bit of me says Michigan wins this football game. Michigan should win this football game. Right? Michigan should win this football game. Michigan is the better football team.
Nick: Ohio State’s won 13 of the last 14.
Andrew: No. Urban’s sick. He’s not even giving the pregame speech. Give me Michigan.
Nick: You’re flipping back.
Andrew: I’m flipping back. He’s not even in pregame speeches. He’s got a headache.
Nick: You’re a flip-flopper.
Andrew: Every part of me says, and I kind of gave away my pick earlier when I said when Ohio State loses. No. Ohio State loses this game.
Nick: Okay. I got Michigan. You got Michigan. The Iron Bowl. Actually, we’ll save the Iron Bowl, because we got some loser teams here.
Andrew: Okay.
Nick: I wanted to see what you had to pick. Tennessee at Vanderbilt.
Andrew: The fighting Derek Masons.
Nick: Really?
Andrew: Yes. The fighting Derek Masons.
Nick: Why?
Andrew: They’re playing for pride. They want a bowl game.
Nick: They’re 5-5, looking for a bowl game.
Andrew: They can run the ball, and they’ll run the ball against Jeremy Pruitt’s defense.
Nick: Both teams 5-5. This is a win or go home game.
Andrew: Yup.
Nick: Is Vanderbilt 5-5?
Andrew: Yup. They’re both 5-5. This is a winner goes to the bowl game. Derek Mason.
Nick: Saturday at 4:00pm.
Andrew: Derek Mason. Nobody will be watching that game, outside of the state of Tennessee.
Nick: No. I’m going to go Vandy as well. We’ve picked all the same teams so far. This one is not going to change. The Iron Bowl, Auburn at #1 Alabama.
Andrew: 24-point favorite. Do they cover?
Nick: That’s wild.
Andrew: 52.5, the over-under. Do they cover?
Nick: Yeah. I think Bama will cover. I was super high on Jarrett Stidham last year. I thought he was very good last year. He hasn’t been that this year. Good luck against that Alabama defense, and Auburn hasn’t been a great defense. Does Tua play in the fourth quarter?
Andrew: Excuse my French, but Auburn takes an ass whooping home, because of last year. Saban’s not losing this game two years in a row. You can hang that shit up. It doesn’t matter if Alabama was 1-9, they’d have won this game. Saban’s not losing this game. Those guys, they could have lost the National Championship game last year by 100, and in the locker room would have still been playing the Iron Bowl from last year. Saban is not losing this game two years in a row. They cover.
Nick: Yeah. Alabama covers, and might hit the over on their own.
Andrew: I mean, good luck stopping them. Stidham’s going to play, Stidham’s going to try to throw against this defense? Yeah, okay. Okay.
Nick: Especially when you get down early, and then you got to start throwing the ball all over the place.
Andrew: Good luck. Quinnen Williams, Bugs. Good luck. Don’t think so.
Nick: Let’s get to our picks. I went first last week, so you’re up.
Andrew: I mean, I have Florida winning. I’ve went back and forth a little bit, Nick, on the score of the game. At one time I had 30-24, something like that. I have Florida winning, and I’ll say 31-21.
Nick: Okay.
Andrew: No. 31-17.
Nick: Okay. I’d probably say, I probably got it around that score. I never pick scores, but I probably got it around there. I’m taking Florida as well. This is the first time I’ve picked Florida to beat FSU in a while.
Andrew: Me too. I kind of went against my mindset.
Nick: I think you picked them two years ago.
Andrew: I know, but I’m saying I kind of went against my mindset. We usually say when the streak gets up there we don’t pick them until they prove they can do it, but I’ll go against that. Florida’s so much better of a team. I mean, again, I don’t think Florida’s a great team, but Florida’s just so much better of a team than those boys.
Nick: Yeah. Florida’s not a great team, but they’re better than FSU.
Andrew: Exactly. My first pick of the game is Retire Moms. I mean, the poor guy shouldn’t have to do much. Just roll out of bed, and he should get a couple sacks.
Nick: That works. My first pick, I’m going a little off the wall this week after this pick. My first one will be Jabari Zuniga. I think it’s a big day of getting pressure, so Jabari on the other end there.
Andrew: Okay. My next one, I think the running game gets going. Lamical. Lamical gets six.
Nick: I’m going with Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. His last time playing FSU. Not making that prediction right now.
Andrew: Okay. Well, I’m going to turn it around, and the last time playing in this game for Cece Jefferson should be a big one. 96 gets him a sack.
Nick: Okay. You switched your pick.
Andrew: Did I?
Nick: You were going to go David Reese.
Andrew: No, that’s right. I was going David Reese. I’ll go ahead, I said Cece.
Nick: You’re going to go with Cece.
Andrew: Yeah. I don’t know why. I did switch my pick to Reese, but I’ll go ahead. I’ll stick with 96.
Nick: Okay. You’re going 96. I’m going with Feleipe Franks.
Andrew: Feleipe Franks. So, guys, Feleipe …
Nick: This has not worked out well all season when I pick Feleipe Franks, but we’re trying it again.
Andrew: Feleipe, please break the curse. Break the curse. Break the curse of the Bambino. The guy picks you, and you have bad games. Don’t let that happen again, man. I told Nick. Nick and I go through our picks beforehand, and I told Nick. I said, Nick, neither one of us wants to watch a bad football game, man, please don’t pick him, and he picks him.
Nick: Yeah.
Andrew: X factor?
Nick: X factor for me is going to be the coaching staff.
Andrew: Okay.
Nick: I think that’s both with a game plan and also with just keeping the guys calm. It’s their first time in a rivalry. I mean, a lot of them dealt with some Egg Bowls, but I put this one above the Egg Bowl.
Andrew: Oh yeah.
Nick: Keeping the guys calm, keeping focus. Don’t let the game get out of hand, because that can happen easily in a rivalry game like this.
Andrew: Okay. My X factor is going to be something that has been big for this staff, for Urban’s staff, for these guys. In big games like this, special teams wins them games a lot of times. I just feel like special teams will be a deciding factor in this game. Special teams.
Nick: Okay. Smart pick.
Andrew: Yeah. Nick, tell everybody where they can find us. We hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We’re taping this and running on Friday. We hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Hope you guys will join us on Saturday for rivalry talk. Tell everybody where they can find us, Nick. We’ll get out of here. We’ll see everyone on Monday.
Nick: www.GatorCountry.com for all your Florida Gator news. The podcast is there in audio and transcript form. Podcast is anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Just search @GatorCountry. Subscribe. Never miss an episode. You can find us on social media. @GatorCountry on Facebook and Twitter. @TheGatorCountry on Instagram. I’m @NickdelaTorreGC. He’s @AndrewSpiveyGC.
Andrew: There you go. Guys, we appreciate it. As always, chomp, chomp, and go Braves.
Nick: You stay classy, Gator Country.