Colorado State will visit the Swamp for a game against a struggling Florida Gators team. Here is everything you need to know about this weekends game.
When the Florida Gators hosted the Kentucky Wildcats last weekend, the program was riding a 31-game winning streak against their SEC East opponent, but nothing went as planned for the Gators in Gainesville.
Florida never could get things going offensively, mainly due to an offensive line that struggled in all aspects of the game. That said, the real issue was on the defensive side of the ball, where the Gators had no answer for the Kentucky backfield who racked up 303 yards rushing for the game.
The Rams enter the game with a 1-2 record, having lost to Colorado and Hawaii to start the season, but the team rebounded last week with an upset victory at Arkansas. Quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels torched the Arkansas secondary and racked up 389 yards through the air.
Florida fans have a lot to worry about when looking at the brutal SEC schedule ahead of them, but getting past this fiery Colorado State team on Saturday should be the teams only concern.
How to watch and bet on Colorado State vs Florida
Date: Saturday, Sept. 15
Start Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Gainesville, FL
Stadium: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
TV Info: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN, FuboTV
Betting Odds
Points Spread: Florida -20
Money Line: UF -1150, CSU +800
O/U: 56
Keys to Victory
Florida – While cleaning up the offensive line will be a priority for the Gators this week, the key to victory will be another strong showing by the Florida secondary. The Rams live in and die with their passing game, which should bode well for the Gators this weekend. Sophomore corner back C.J. Henderson has been impressive for the Gators this season, but the secondary lost star corner Marco Wilson to a torn ACL last weekend. How well Freshman Trey Dean can play against Colorado State will have a large say in the outcome, because the Rams will plan to exploit the new corner back all day.
Colorado State – When the Rams travel to Gainesville, they will plan to put on a show through the air. Colorado State quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels enters the game with 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns through three games this season. However, if the Rams want to pull back-to-back upsets against SEC teams, the key will be shutting down the talented Florida running backs like Kentucky did last week. This will not be an easy task for the Rams, who have struggled defensively, giving up an average of 252 yards rushing and 38 points per game this season. Therefore, if the Rams can’t improve on the defensive side of the ball, the Gators will put them away with ease.
Prediction
The Gators talented backfield will exploit a weak Colorado State defense this weekend. Expect a bounce-back game from the offensive line, who will be opening up huge lanes for the Gators running backs all afternoon.
Final Score: Florida 41, Colorado State 17