The Florida Gators will face a team not entirely unlike themselves in the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl this week. UF will need some standout performances to come out on top, and beyond the stars like Kyle Trask and Kadarius Toney, here are three players I’m looking to for getting them.
Trey Dean
With Shawn Davis out the last three games of the regular season, Dean got increasing playing time. He played a prominent role in the SEC Championship Game, securing the only turnover for the Gators with his interception and playing a solid all-around game.
Davis will not play the bowl. The Sooners’ pass attack will require a lot of nickel sets, and Brad Stewart played a lot at the star position in Atlanta. Rashad Torrence missed the LSU game to injury and didn’t play much against Alabama. All signs point to Dean getting plenty more snaps at safety in the Gator’s postseason contest.
Stewart, Davis, and Donovan Stiner all walked on Senior Day, and Davis and Stiner have accepted postseason all-star game bids. It would be a big surprise if any of them returned next season. Dean will need to provide veteran leadership at the position for the younger guys like Torrence and 2021 signee Cory Collier. There’s no better way to start than by showing out for the second game in a row against a good passing attack.
It’s not all about next year, of course. UF will need a good game from Dean just to win. OU quarterback Spencer Rattler has been up-and-down this year as a redshirt freshman, and he is liable to have a bad performance at times. UF’s defense used to eat freshman quarterbacks for breakfast before letting Vandy’s Ken Seals and LSU’s Max Johnson put up their best games in passing efficiency and second-best in ESPN’s total QBR metric. Florida can and must do better against Rattler to finish the season with a win.
Keon Zipperer
Kyle Pitts opted out, meaning the future is now for Florida at tight end. Kemore Gamble has played well on the whole, but Zipperer has the highest ceiling at the position. The Cotton Bowl would be a good time for him to make a statement and maybe generate some buzz for himself going into next year.
Zipperer has seven receptions on the year, which actually trails Gamble by two. That said, four of his seven grabs came in games where Pitts was out: three against Arkansas and one against LSU. UF knows going in that Pitts won’t be there, so it can try to scheme him some catches. The Oklahoma defensive strategy and the rotation between him and Gamble will play a part there; Zipperer had no receptions on only one target against Vandy (another game Pitts missed) while Gamble had three grabs on four targets.
The place I want to see him shine is blocking. UF must believe in him as a blocker to a degree because in the handful of times they’ve gone I-formation the last two years, Zipperer lines up at fullback. However, the blocking from the tight end spot has been lacking this year when Pitts isn’t on the field, and Pitts is not an all-world mauler or anything. I don’t think Zipperer is either, but with a more run-heavy offense coming with Emory Jones next year, shoring up his blocking would be a great way for Zip to separate himself from Gamble.
Pitts was such a fixture this year that people will be looking for the next one of him. While there won’t really be another since he was such a unique player, why shouldn’t UF have a “next Kyle Pitts” candidate? Zipperer should look to start his campaign in Arlington.
Richard Gouraige
For the second time in three seasons, the Florida offensive line is about to lose four starters. Only two guys are for-sure starters next year provided they’re healthy. One is Ethan White, who missed a lot of this fall to injury and only played a handful of games last year.
The other is Gouraige, the heir apparent at left tackle. He’s done well enough for himself at left guard the last two seasons, but his play has been variable at times. Though he has mobility for pulling, he’s not a true road grader as you’d want from a guard. He’s more at home at left tackle, and when anything has shaken up the tackle spot, the first move is Gouraige over to left.
His two years of starting will by far be the most experience anyone has unless a grad transfer comes in, and he’ll be in the closest thing offensive line has to a glamour spot. Center tends to make the calls and White figures to slot in there, but Gouraige needs to be the rock for next year’s line.
It would not surprise me at all if Dan Mullen and John Hevesy roll with the veteran-heavy lineup through the whole game, but I’d like to see Gouraige get at least a little work outside one more time against someone other than UF’s own defense. If his work at left tackle against LSU is any indication, he could use the game reps to shore up some things.
Gouraige was one of the cornerstones to Mullen’s first recruiting class, providing the left tackle of the future. Next year’s line is about to build off of him, so let’s see him give a good showing that’ll inspire confidence for 2021.