The 4-5 Florida Gators of Gainesville, Florida take on the 4-5 Samford Bulldogs of Homewood, Alabama at the Swamp at noon this Saturday in their third meeting in 100 years. The Gators shut out the Bulldogs by a combined score of 91-0, winning 34-0 at Gunter Field, Montgomery, Alabama in 1921 and 57-0 at Fleming Field, Gainesville, Florida in 1922. For those keeping tabs on history, the Gators called Fleming Field home for all major sports from 1911 to 1930 before the football team moved out to Florida Field in 1930 (which was subsequently renamed Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in 1989, and later Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2016). It should be painfully obvious now that I am really trying to stretch this post into a full paragraph.
Samford is the alma mater for Bobby Bowden (then called Howard College) and Jimbo Fisher. Both Bowden and Fisher were quarterbacks, with Fisher having played for coach Terry Bowden.
Last week the Bulldogs beat Citadel 35-14 on a 68-yard punt return, a 69-yard run, and 94-yard fumble return. Their best offensive weapon is 5th-year QB Liam Welch out of Augusta (GA), who averages a 65% completion average and 350 passing yards. He averages 43 rushing yards per game, and he gets sacked about 1.2 times a game on average. Welch did have a 582-yard passing day against Eastern Tennessee this season, and he has passed for more than 300 yards five times this season. He has tossed 17 TDs against 13 interceptions. On defense their best weapon is senior linebacker Nathan East; however, the defense as a whole is surrendering nearly 36 points and 480 yards. Here is a quick look at the Bulldog's season to this point:
Dan Mullen is 1-0 against Samford coach Chris Hatcher as head coach at Mississippi State in 2016. Mullen's 3-5 (2-2) Bulldogs defeated Hatcher's 6-2 (2-2) Bulldogs 56-41 in a shootout where Mullen's squad barely outgained Hatch's squad 669 yards (417 passing, 252 rushing) to 627 yards (468 passing, 159 rushing). That game was sloppy with 3 turnovers each. The common thread here is that in 2021 the Gators out-gained Alabama (440 to 331, 1 TO), Kentucky (382 to 224, 1 TO), LSU (488 to 454, 4 TO), and Georgia (355 to 354, 3 TO) and still lost the games due to turnovers and opponent points off turnovers. In a game where it appears that the Gators surrendered, South Carolina was the only team to beat Florida and out-gain them (459-340, 2 TO). Here is a quick look at the Gator season to this point:
If the Gators can secure a shutout it will set a record for longest time between consecutive shutouts of an opponent. The Bulldogs are a quick strike offense with a horrible rush defense, so the Gators just need to control the clock to win this game and not turn the ball over. I anticipate some growing pains as Christian Robinson calls the defense for the first time. I predict a 42-10 victory for the Mighty Gators of Gainesville.
Samford is the alma mater for Bobby Bowden (then called Howard College) and Jimbo Fisher. Both Bowden and Fisher were quarterbacks, with Fisher having played for coach Terry Bowden.
Last week the Bulldogs beat Citadel 35-14 on a 68-yard punt return, a 69-yard run, and 94-yard fumble return. Their best offensive weapon is 5th-year QB Liam Welch out of Augusta (GA), who averages a 65% completion average and 350 passing yards. He averages 43 rushing yards per game, and he gets sacked about 1.2 times a game on average. Welch did have a 582-yard passing day against Eastern Tennessee this season, and he has passed for more than 300 yards five times this season. He has tossed 17 TDs against 13 interceptions. On defense their best weapon is senior linebacker Nathan East; however, the defense as a whole is surrendering nearly 36 points and 480 yards. Here is a quick look at the Bulldog's season to this point:
Date | Opponent (record then vs now) | Score |
---|---|---|
9/2/2021 | vs Tennessee Tech (0-1 --> 3-6) | 52-14 |
9/11/2021 | @ UT Martin (1-1 --> 8-1) | 27-33 |
9/18/2021 | @ Western Carolina (0-3 --> 3-6) | 42-37 |
9/25/2021 | vs E Tenn State (4-0 --> 8-1) | 48-55 OT |
10/2/2021 | @ Mercer (3-1 --> 6-2) | 42-45 |
10/16/2021 | @ Wofford (1-5 --> 1-8) | 27-24 |
10/23/2021 | vs Chattanooga (4-3 --> 6-3) | 13-55 |
10/30/2021 | @ VMI (6-2 --> 6-3) | 45-46 |
11/6/2021 | vs Citadel (2-7) | 35-14 |
Dan Mullen is 1-0 against Samford coach Chris Hatcher as head coach at Mississippi State in 2016. Mullen's 3-5 (2-2) Bulldogs defeated Hatcher's 6-2 (2-2) Bulldogs 56-41 in a shootout where Mullen's squad barely outgained Hatch's squad 669 yards (417 passing, 252 rushing) to 627 yards (468 passing, 159 rushing). That game was sloppy with 3 turnovers each. The common thread here is that in 2021 the Gators out-gained Alabama (440 to 331, 1 TO), Kentucky (382 to 224, 1 TO), LSU (488 to 454, 4 TO), and Georgia (355 to 354, 3 TO) and still lost the games due to turnovers and opponent points off turnovers. In a game where it appears that the Gators surrendered, South Carolina was the only team to beat Florida and out-gain them (459-340, 2 TO). Here is a quick look at the Gator season to this point:
Date | Opponent (record then vs now) | Score |
---|---|---|
9/4/2021 | vs FAU (0-1 --> 5-4) | 35-14 |
9/11/2021 | @ USF (0-2 --> 2-8) | 42-20 |
9/18/2021 | vs 1 Alabama (3-0 --> 8-1) | 29-31 |
9/25/2021 | vs Tennessee (2-2 --> 5-4) | 38-14 |
10/2/2021 | @ Kentucky (5-0 --> 6-3) | 13-20 |
10/9/2021 | vs Vanderbilt (2-4 --> 2-7) | 42-0 |
10/16/2021 | @ LSU (4-3 --> 4-5) | 42-49 |
10/30/2021 | vs 1 Georgia (8-0 --> 9-0) | 7-34 |
11/6/2021 | @ S Carolina (5-4) | 17-40 |
If the Gators can secure a shutout it will set a record for longest time between consecutive shutouts of an opponent. The Bulldogs are a quick strike offense with a horrible rush defense, so the Gators just need to control the clock to win this game and not turn the ball over. I anticipate some growing pains as Christian Robinson calls the defense for the first time. I predict a 42-10 victory for the Mighty Gators of Gainesville.
Last edited: