The Florida Gators will take on the Oregon State Beavers in the 2022 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on December 17th. This game marks the first meeting between the two on the gridiron. Florida is playing its first-ever football game in Nevada across the program’s 115-year history.
There are several key storylines to follow, but perhaps the biggest is that Florida will be without 31 scholarship players, give or take one or two.
Transfers, dismissals, and injuries have weakened the Gators depth across the board.
Leading the group of players not participating in the bowl game is Gators’ QB Anthony Richardson, who started all 12 games for Florida this season and declared for the NFL draft.
Gators’ backup QB Jalen Kitna was dismissed from the team several weeks ago.
JACK MILLER
The third-year freshman is set to make his first collegiate start this Saturday against the Beavers. Miller started the season as the Gators’ backup QB, but a thumb injury set him back and caused him to miss some of fall camp and over half of the regular season.
Miller isn’t likely to light up the scoreboard with deep balls and long rushing touchdowns, but if he can do the little things, the Gators have a chance to be effective and put-up points.
Walk-on Kyle Engel will be the Gators’ backup QB.
RUNNING GAME
There’s no question that Florida will lean on the running game like they have all season. However, it may be more difficult without All-American offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence, who opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Florida will also be without guard Richie Leonard, who has rotated in along the offensive line in 11 games this season. He’s out with a lower-body injury.
Louisiana transfer and redshirt freshman Kamryn Waites is expected to make his first career start. Waites logged just 40 snaps this season. He’s a player to watch on Saturday as he could be an impact player along the offensive line in 2023.
The other significant players Florida will be without are WR Justin Shorter and LB Ventrell Miller; both opted out of the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
I’m not that worried about Florida’s roster entering the bowl game because the majority of the players not participating weren’t providing quality depth throughout the regular season.
One area I’m concerned about is Special Teams. Florida will be without nearly 1,000 special teams snaps in the bowl game.
The Gators have been awful on special teams this season, ranking towards the bottom of the FBS in almost every special teams metric. Now they will with without their top two contributors in Chief Borders and Donovan McMillon, along with several other impactful players.
I envision Florida trying to coast through this game without having to make any real special teams plays. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a limited number of returns on punts and kickoff.
Could Florida come out and play well on special teams? Absolutely, you may see a bunch of players that are happy to be there and are playing with a chip on their shoulder. Effort goes a long way on special teams.
OREGON STATE
The Beavers bring an offense that ranks 6th in the Pac 12, averaging 399.6 yards per game. Their offensive success comes from the ground game as they average 199.2 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry.
QB CHANGE
The storyline this season for Oregon State was the QB change. They started the season with junior Chance Nolan, who played in the first five games for the Beavers before suffering an injury. Nolan had Oregon State holding a 3-2 record.
Redshirt freshman Ben Gulbranson took over the quarterback role and never gave it back. He holds a 6-1 record in games he’s started for the Beavers. Although he’s winning, his numbers don’t jump out at you. He’s completed 61.9% of his passes for 1,290 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions. Gulbranson has thrown for more than 200 yards just twice this season.
DEFENSE
Oregon State’s defense ranks 32nd in total defense. The Beavers give up just 342 yards per game and hold opposing teams to 114 rushing yards a game. Florida will have their work cut out for them on Saturday night.
LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
This game is going to be won or lost at the line of scrimmage. I don’t expect either team to be very effective through the air on Saturday night. Whoever finds the most success on the ground will come out on top. Florida will be without their dual-threat QB Anthony Richardson, who ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns this season. This will make it harder for the Gators to run the football as the threat to run with the QB has decreased.
Florida is currently a 10 point underdog.