Florida in control of division destiny as Missouri showdown looms

Published Oct. 17, 2014 6:00 p.m. ET

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When Florida's 2014 schedule was released months ago, there was little doubt which stretch would likely determine its fate in the SEC East.

Welcome to that jungle, Gators.

At 3-2 overall, 2-2 in the conference, Florida enters a testy terrain starting Saturday when Missouri visits The Swamp on Homecoming.

After Missouri, the Gators have a bye week to prepare for the annual clash against Georgia in Jacksonville (Nov. 1), a trip to Vanderbilt (Nov. 8), and then back home to face South Carolina (Nov. 15).

With a pair of wins against SEC East rivals Kentucky and Tennessee and losses to SEC West powers Alabama and LSU, Florida remains in good position of contending for the East crown if it can win out in the division.

If that were to happen, Florida would need Kentucky (5-1, 2-1) to lose one of its final five conference games (at LSU, Mississippi State, at Missouri, Georgia, at Tennessee) to claim the division title. The Gators defeated Kentucky 36-30 in triple overtime last month.

Yes, that's a lot of ifs for the Gators to make it to Atlanta, but it's the reality they face at midseason.

Following last week's heartbreaking 30-27 loss to LSU, the Gators immediately turned their attention to the upcoming stretch.

"Four very winnable games if we go out there and do what we're supposed to do and what we're capable of doing," senior center Max Garcia said. "We have what we want right in front of us."

For more on Saturday's Florida-Missouri game, here is The Opening Kickoff:

FIVE STORYLINES

-- Gators coach Will Muschamp said the plan Saturday is to use both Jeff Driskel and Treon Harris at quarterback. Driskel is expected to start but Harris, who led Florida to a comeback win at Tennessee two weeks ago, will play. Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper said he would like one of them to get a hot hand to make the decision on who plays more an obvious one.

-- Both teams are coming off deflating losses and in need of a win to stay in the hunt for the SEC East title and for morale. Missouri was shut out 34-0 at home by Georgia; Florida lost when LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye hit a 50-yard field goal with three seconds left. Turnovers proved costly for both teams and both want to avoid similar issues with ball security.

-- Gators fans have called for Driskel's benching the past couple of weeks on social media. Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk can relate. After Mauk committed five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble), Tigers fans shouted on social media for Tigers coach Gary Pinkel to bench him. Not happening. "Not at all. He's our guy," Pinkel said.

-- The Gators have registered 10 sacks in the last two games. Alex McCalister has a team-high four, followed by Bryan Cox Jr. (three) and Dante Fowler Jr. (2 ½). Freshman cornerback Jalen Tabor has a sack in each of his first two career starts. They want to pressure Mauk into mistakes but according to defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, they must always stay aware downfield because Mauk looks to pass until the final moment when he scrambles.

-- Regardless if Driskel or Harris is running the offense, Florida's receivers must help out more than they did against LSU. Quinton Dunbar dropped a nice pass from Driskel in the first quarter and tight end Tevin Westbrook dropped a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. It's a broken record the Gators must correct to come out of this four-game SEC East stretch intact.

TOPICAL TWEET

CAST OF CHARACTERS

-- Driskel has the clear edge over Harris in experience -- he often lines up players correctly on changes at the line and other tasks that go unnoticed -- and as a physical run threat. In his brief time with the Gators, Harris has shown an ability to make plays and inject energy into the offense. It will be interesting to see those dynamics at work Saturday.

-- Junior linebacker Antonio Morrison is playing the best of his career according to Durkin. The stats back up Durkin's claim. Morrison leads the Gators with 46 tackles and has 10-plus tackles in each of Florida's four SEC games. Morrison's 46 stops are just 10 shy of his total from a year ago.

-- Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves suffered a head injury trying to tackle LSU bulldozer Leonard Fournette low. Hargreaves left the game and missed the second half. However, he was back at practice this week and is expected to play. Hargreaves' coverage ability will be important against Mauk's improvising style.

-- Freshman running back Brandon Powell returned from a hamstring injury against LSU and showed why the coaching staff is so high on him. Powell's six catches were the most for a Gators running back since Chris Rainey caught six passes in Muschamp's first game at Florida, a win over Florida Atlantic in 2011. Powell is at his best when he gets the ball in open space and can make people miss.

-- If this one is a low-scoring game, Florida is very familiar with Missouri kicker Andrew Baggett. The junior tied a school record with five field goals in Missouri's 36-17 win last season. Baggett is 4 of 7 with a long of 44 yards this season.

TALKING POINTS

GatorZone.com senior writers Scott Carter and Chris Harry discuss the Florida-Missori matchup and the Gators' plan to play two quarterbacks:

QUOTE FILE

-- "We're going to see who has the hot hand and see who's helping move our football team and gives us the best opportunity to win. We'll make that decision as we go through the game." -- Muschamp on using two quarterbacks.

-- "He is really good with the ball in his hands. He's a guy that when you hand it to him does a good job. But you have to manage the rest of the package." -- Roper when asked about lack of carries for Kelvin Taylor.

-- "Playing more and more, he doesn't look like a freshman anymore. He's competing well for the ball. We've blitzed him several times. He's done a good job and executed. He's tackling better." -- Durkin on Tabor's improvement.

-- "They want to get you moving from side to side while their running backs hit you downhill. It's a good challenge for us and we're just going to have to mix up a lot of things. It's a different game plan than what we had last week." -- Gators linebacker Michael Taylor on facing Missouri.

-- "He's a big-play guy. He's a guy that can turn a 10-yard gain into a 40-yard gain." -- Pinkel on Gators receiver Demarcus Robinson.

HISTORY LESSON

The Florida-Missouri rivalry remains an infant in terms of SEC history. Still, these schools crossed paths on occasion after meeting in the 1966 Sugar Bowl.

In fact, former Gators coach Steve Spurrier dialed a Missouri number when he hired his final defensive coordinator at UF. Searching to replace Bob Stoops after Stoops left to become head coach at Oklahoma, Spurrier tabbed then-Missouri secondary coach Jon Hoke as Florida's defensive coordinator.

Hoke hung around for Spurrier's final three years and is now in his sixth season as the secondary coach of the Chicago Bears.

10 QUICKHITTERS

-- Missouri has won seven consecutive road games, last losing on the road at Texas A&M to end the 2012 season. The Tigers have defeated Toledo and South Carolina on the road this season.

-- Gators kick-return specialist Andre Debose leads the SEC in punt returns with an average of 30.3 yards on seven returns. Debose was pivotal in last week's loss to LSU, returning a punt 62 yards for a score and another 53 yards to set up a field goal.

-- Mauk finished a combined 21 of 55 (38.2 percent) for 229 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions against South Carolina and Georgia.

-- Robinson caught five passes for 104 yards last week, his third 100-yard receiving game of the season. Robinson has 30 catches for 476 yards. His 95.2 yards receiving per game ranks second behind Alabama's Amari Cooper (128 ypg) in the conference.

-- Gators junior running back Matt Jones needs three yards to reach 1,000 career yards. Jones has 997 yards on 207 career attempts, an average of 4.8 yards per carry.

-- The Tigers lead the all-time series 2-1. The schools first met in the 1966 Sugar Bowl, a 20-18 Missouri victory. Florida defeated the Tigers 14-7 in 2012 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Missouri's first year in the SEC. And the Tigers won handily a year ago at Faurot Field.

-- Missouri junior defensive end Shane Ray is ranked third in the country with eight sacks and second with 12 ½ tackles-for-loss.

-- Florida's offensive line has been excellent in protecting the quarterback, surrendering just five sacks in five games, a pace tied for the SEC lead and ranked ninth nationally.

-- Through five games the Gators are averaging 73.4 plays per game, an increase of 7.3 plays over last season.

-- Under Muschamp the Gators are 18-2 when they rush for 150 or more yards, and 7-16 when they don't.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Mauk is known for his running ability. Whenever he takes off, the defense must be aware. So must the opposing coach. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier found that out the hard way earlier this season. Check out the video below:

BOTTOM LINE

Whenever a team decides to go to a two-quarterback system, the drama factor is automatically turned up a notch. The Gators have had enough drama. They need wins.

If the Driskel-Harris combination proves to be a success, then why not ride it out. They are similar but offer enough differences that defenses must adjust. Regardless of who does what, if the Gators can come out with a win Saturday, the two weeks to prepare for Georgia won't seem nearly as long.

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