The Bears’ 2017 NCAA campaign is off to a solid start after they defeated NAIA’s College of Idaho, 41-14, in their opening game on Saturday. Jacob Knipp impressed in his season debut, completing 17 of 27 passes for 238 yards. It was an emotional return for Knipp who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury. Knipp came out with guns blazing in the first quarter, throwing for 103 yards and rushing for a touchdown.
The Bears will look to build on that strong start when they lock horns with the Florida Gators this coming weekend. They will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Florida defense that surrendered 433 total yards on Saturday. One guy who needs to step up for Northern Colorado in this ballgame is Trae Riek. He rushed for 71 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the win against the Yotes. Riek will look to find some gaps against a Florida D-line that allowed 215 yards on the ground in the loss to Michigan.
Florida’s College Football Playoff hopes took a huge hit on Saturday as it suffered a humiliating 33-17 defeat to Michigan at AT&T Center. It was a disappointing loss for the Gators who had their 27-year opening day win streak snapped. The Gators recorded just 192 yards of total offense in that ballgame, their fewest since posting 180 total yards against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2015 SEC Championship Game.
Much of the blame for Florida’s inept offensive performance should be placed on starting quarterback Feleipe Franks. The redshirt freshman completed just 5-of-9 passes for 75 yards in his first start for the Gators. His replacement, Malik Zaire, didn’t fare much better, finishing 9-of-17 for 106 yards. Zaire, who took a whopping five sacks, fumbled the ball twice, the second of which led to Michigan’s final touchdown.
The Gators will look to get their season back on track when they host Northern Colorado this coming Saturday. Even with his poor performance in the season-opener, head coach Jim McElwain’s still sticking with Franks as his starting QB against the Bears. Franks needs to inject some life to a Florida offense that will still be missing the services of lead running back Jordan Scarlett and top receiver Antonio Callaway. Scarlett and Callaway were missing from the team’s “unofficial” depth chart, posted on Twitter on Tuesday, perhaps a major clue that they remain suspended for this weekend’s clash.
It’s crucial for McElwain that his running backs deliver this time around against the Bears. The Gators were simply atrocious with their ground game against Michigan, managing just 11 rushing yards on Saturday. With Scarlett still sidelined, the onus is on Mark Thompson, Lamical Perine and Malik Davis to get the job done against Northern Colorado. They accounted for just 29 yards in the loss to the Wolverines.
The Gators are 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Florida not only wins but also covers the spread against Northern Colorado.
