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3 areas where Florida may have the advantage over Michigan
By John Hollis
Published:
The future couldn’t be brighter at either Florida or Michigan, and both programs have their first-year coaches to largely thank for restoring them back to national prominence.
It should make for a compelling matchup Jan. 1 when the two storied programs meet for only the third time in Orlando in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.
But the Gators might have an edge in three critical categories as the game nears.
1. Motivation: They won 10 games and played for the SEC Championship, but desperately want to avoid a three-game losing skid to close the season and somewhat tarnish what has been a remarkable season under new coach Jim McElwain.
Consecutive lopsided losses to rival Florida State and to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game have somewhat tempered the good feelings generated by the unexpected success.
An ugly 20-14 overtime win at home over lowly Florida Atlantic preceded the two losses, meaning the Gators would love nothing better than to erase the taste of the last month of the season and go into the 2016 year on a positive note. Beating the Wolverines and sticking it to the Big Ten would do just that. It’s not that Michigan lacks motivation as much as Florida just has more.
2. Homefield advantage: It didn’t take Michigan fans long to buy their allotment of tickets, but, then again, balmy Florida always sounds better than Michigan in January. But Gators fans proved equally-as-excited to be a part of the ground floor of something special they see McElwain building in Gainesville. The presence of more friends, more family and a more familiar setting closer to home should make Florida players more comfortable and ready to play from the outset.
3. Punter Johnny Townsend: Both teams are extremely well-coached and feature two of the nation’s best defenses, meaning that scoring will likely be at a premium. Michigan has the better quarterback in Jake Rudock (2,739 yards, 17 TDs, 9 INTs), but he’ll be throwing against one of the nation’s best secondaries.
Both run defenses rank in the top 20. Florida, with Treon Harris at quarterback, has shown some big-play capability but not necessarily an ability to drive 70 yards for touchdowns.
Therefore, field position could very well be the difference and Townsend is among the nation’s best at doing just that.
The redshirt sophomore from Orlando was a second-team All-SEC pick after averaging 44.9 yards per kick this season and ranking fourth nationally and tops in the SEC in net punting. Twenty-nine of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line, while 26 boots covered 50 yards or more, including a career-high tying 61-yard effort against Tennessee.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
