Arkansas vs. No. 10 Florida preview and prediction

While this is a huge game for No. 10 Florida, Arkansas has a chance to play spoiler and earn its second consecutive home win over a ranked team.

The Razorbacks come into this game off of their bye week and currently sit at 5-3 (1-3 SEC) on the season. They suffered an embarrassing loss at Auburn 56-3 in their last game, and they’ll be looking to redeem that performance on Saturday. On the other hand, Florida comes into this game winners of three straight including the 28-14 victory over Georgia this past weekend. The Gators currently sit at 6-1 (4-1 SEC), and they lead the SEC East. If Florida wins on Saturday, the team would need only one more conference victory to clinch the division.

Following an undefeated record in October, Florida comes into Saturday’s matchup full of confidence, especially with the way the defense is playing. In their six wins, the Gators have yet to allow over 14 points. On the season, the defense ranks second in the nation in both yards and points allowed, and they’re coming off of a performance in which they held Georgia to under 200 total yards of offense and just 10 points. There is NFL talent at all levels of this defense, which makes it an extremely tough unit to game plan for.

Offensively, quarterback Luke Del Rio has struggled in his two games since returning from injury, throwing only two touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s averaged under 200 yards per game, while barely completing 50 percent of his passes in those two contests as well. Given the atmosphere he will be dealing with on Saturday, it will be critical for Del Rio to avoid the mistakes he’s been making.

Head coach Jim McElwain is very familiar with the effect Arkansas’ crowd can have on a game. When asked about the environment in Fayetteville, the former Alabama offensive coordinator was quoted as saying, “They really crank it up there”. In addition to the road test, the unfamiliarity with the opponent is an additional challenge. “This is a huge test for us” said McElwain when asked about the subject, “we’ll find out what it’s all about.” If the defense continues to perform at the level it has in recent weeks, the Gators can keep the noise to a minimum.

The Razorbacks’ offense did receive a bit of good news — it appears that Austin Allen’s knee is fully healthy and shouldn’t be an issue for Saturday’s game. Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema said his quarterback is “100 percent” when asked for an update on his injured knee. On the year, Allen has thrown for just over 2,000 while throwing 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Coming off of its worst performance of the year, Arkansas will look to get back on track at home, where its lone loss this season came at the hands of Alabama.

Fortunately, Arkansas possess a top-three passing game in the SEC (third in the conference in passing yards) and Allen has proven to be one of the best pure passers in the southeastern conference. Consistency is an issue, though, and he’ll be facing the toughest secondary in the SEC this weekend — Florida currently ranks second in the NCAA in passing yards allowed per game.

Allen has had quite an up and down season, and his play will be a critical factor in the outcome of this game. The defense can’t allow 500 yards on the ground again, either. Stopping Florida’s pass game should be no issue, and if they can contain the run game this week, the Razorbacks will put themselves in a much better position to win.

Prediction

A win here is vital for Florida in its pursuit of an SEC East title, while Arkansas would love to improve on a 1-3 SEC record. Considering the Razorbacks’ struggles against Auburn’s defense, it’s hard to see them faring much better against Florida this weekend. The Gators front seven should dominate, and no one — aside from Josh Dobbs in the second half of their game against Tennessee — has had success throwing on this defense. So long as Florida can at least get a competent performance out of its rushing attack and Luke Del Rio can limit mistakes, Florida should be able to take care of business this weekend. Expect the Gators to come out hungry and motivated in one of their biggest games of the season up to date. Florida wins 24-20.

Edited by Adam Milliken

Featured image by Jonathan Babin