Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

SEC Football

SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know about Florida at Vanderbilt

Drew Laing

By Drew Laing

Published:

Here’s everything you need to know about the SEC East showdown between Florida and Vanderbilt on Saturday night.

When: Today
Where: Nashville, Tenn.
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
TV: SEC Network
Current Line: Florida (-14)

Game Buzz: Despite Vanderbilt’s disappointing record, Florida is viewing tonight’s matchup as a revenge game. Last season, the Commodores embarrassed the Gators in The Swamp and Florida’s players are looking to do the same for Vandy tonight. Derek Mason’s team has still yet to win its first SEC game, but success can’t be far behind with quarterback Johnny McCrary heating up.

Saturday Down South previews

FLORIDA GATORS

Players to watch:

  • QB Treon Harris
  • RB Matt Jones
  • WR Demarcus Robinson
  • DE Dante Fowler
  • CB Vernon Hargreaves
  • ATH Andre Debose

Keys for Florida:

  • KISS — Keep it simple, stupid. Florida showed last week that its offense is at its best when it keeps it simple. Don’t try to do too much because Vandy’s defense is very opportunistic. Rely on the run game and let Treon Harris air it when the game calls for it. Don’t force anything.
  • Contain McCrary. Vandy’s QB situation looks a little more dangerous with Johnny McCrary emerging as a playmaker. He’s got speed, but he’ll look to throw the ball downfield before scrambling out of the pocket. Still, he’s a threat with his running ability and can burn defenses if left unchecked.
  • Get big plays early. The Gators are clear favorites in this game, but they’ll need to establish their dominance early. Florida can’t let Vanderbilt hang around and get some life and energy into that stadium. Tonight is a great opportunity for the Gators to prove they are capable of blowing out the teams that they are superior to.

Glaring weakness to watch: Passing offense. Harris only threw six passes last week, and while it was more than successful against Georgia, it likely won’t fly against future opponents. Vanderbilt will be looking for the run today, so Harris will need to prove tonight he’s capable of making solid passes so the Florida offense doesn’t appear one-dimensional.

Most interesting part of the game: Can Harris have a bigger impact in the offense? He absolutely needs to become a bigger threat if the Gators want to think about running the table in their remaining four games.

Team buzz: After a big win last week, Florida will need to avoid a letdown in Nashville, Tenn., tonight. A win keeps the Gators’ slim hopes of an SEC East title alive.

VANDERBILT COMMODORES

Players To Watch:

  • QB Johnny McCrary
  • RB Ralph Webb
  • WR C.J. Duncan
  • TE Steven Scheu
  • LB Nigel Bowden
  • LB Caleb Azubike
  • KR/CB Darrius Sims

Keys For Vanderbilt:

  • Ralph Webb chasing history. Webb is just 38 yards shy of tying Vanderbilt’s freshman rushing record of 798 yards set by the late Kwane Doster in 2002. The Gainesville, Fla., native looks to break the record against his hometown school, who snubbed the former three-star back during his recruiting process. Webb will remain the feature back in Vanderbilt’s offense and should see major production against Florida.
  • Johnny McCrary must continue success. McCrary looked to be the answer to Vanderbilt’s season-long quarterback questions. The redshirt freshman tied Jay Cutler and Bill Wade for a school-best five touchdowns against Old Dominion in Week 10. McCrary must see a similar performance against a capable Gators defense.
  • Nigel Bowden must contain Florida running game. With dual-threat quarterback Treon Harris inserted into the lineup, the Gators talented running game looks all the more impressive. Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor both recorded over 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns each in last week’s upset over Georgia. Bowden, Vanderbilt’s leading tackler, must continue his impressive redshirt freshman season with a solid performance against the Gators.

Glaring weakness to watch: Lack of depth. Vanderbilt has a nucleus of talented freshman at several positions, but might not have enough to compete with Florida. There are too many holes in Vanderbilt’s lineup to expect a consistent performance, aside from several key players.

Most interesting part of the game: Will Ralph Webb break Vanderbilt’s freshman rushing record?

Team buzz: Vanderbilt is coming off its biggest win of the season. The Commodores saw their best offensive showing and may have found their quarterback of the future. With three remaining games, Vanderbilt’s bowl hopes aren’t impossible, but very

Drew Laing

Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.

You might also like...

2025 RANKINGS

presented by rankings

Read our Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Cookie Policy and

© 2025 Saturday Down South. All rights reserved

We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. We support responsible gambling. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). global.footer.legal