The Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners are set to kickoff from the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday. The Gators finished the regular season ranked seventh and were quite possibly a shoe throw away from reaching the College Football Playoff. As for the Sooners, they finished with an 8-2 record and a Big-12 title.
This matchup poses a battle of strength on strength. Despite the old stereotype that Big-12 is all offensive fireworks, Oklahoma ranked 19th in total defense during the regular season. That is better than three out of the four schools in the playoffs, with only Clemson ranking higher.
The Sooners defense ranked within the top 25 in yards per play and total yards per game and was just outside the top 30 in total yards allowed (3,336).
This Sooners defense is very stingy against the run in particular. It gives up the second least yards per game on the ground, allowing just 90.6 yards each contest. It allows just 2.27 yards per carry as well. Oklahoma also had 38 sacks on the year, good for third in the country. Despite the sack numbers, the Sooners do struggle against the pass, ranking 77th in passing yards allowed.
Where the Oklahoma defense really thrives is on third downs. It ranked fifth in third down conversion rate, allowing opposing offenses to convert just 27.7% of the time.
On the other side of this game is a Florida offense that has been record-breaking. Led by Heisman finalist quarterback Kyle Trask, the Gators averaged 508.8 yards per game.
Trask is the X-Factor in this game. He put up historic numbers through the air this season, throwing for 4,125 yards and 45 touchdowns in just 11 games against an all-SEC schedule. For comparison, last year’s Heisman winner Joe Burrow threw 43 touchdowns in 11 games that included opponents like Georgia Southern and Northwestern State.
Now, Trask will be without his top four weapons on offense. Tight end Kyle Pitts and receivers Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney have all opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft, while receiver Jacob Copeland is out due to COVID-19. The top weapons outside for the Gators will be Justin Shorter, Xavier Henderson, and Trent Whittemore.
While the aerial attack has been nothing short of lethal for the Gators, they have produced next to nothing on the ground. They are the 110th rushing offense in the country, averaging just 120.5 yards per game and scoring just 11 rushing touchdowns.
This game will come down to which weak part of an overall strong unit will break first. Will the Gators try to establish the run against an elite Sooners run defense? Or will they do what they’ve done throughout the year and air it out against a below-average secondary? Tune into ESPN at 8 p.m. on Wednesday to find out.
Featured Image Courtesy of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
