Only three games and six teams take the field on Saturday in the SEC due to COVID-19 penetrating the conference. Originally seven games scheduled are reduced to three, as the college football world fears cancellation and the hard fought efforts of players, coaches and programs, evaporating.
The conference features Vanderbilt (0-5) at Kentucky (2-4), and South Carolina (2-4) at Ole Miss (2-4), but only one has National importance. Four of the five ranked teams scheduled to play Saturday had road games, with #6 Florida being the only exception as they host Arkansas.
Games postponed this week.
| Visitor | Home | Status – Reschedule Date ? |
| #1 Alabama (6-0) | LSU (2-3) | Postponed – TBD |
| #5 Texas A&M (5-1) | Tennessee (2-4) | Postponed – December 12 |
| #12 Georgia (4-2) | Missouri (3-3) | Postponed – TBD |
| #24 Auburn (4-2) | Mississippi State (2-4) | Postponed – December 12 |
Arkansas (3-3) at #6 Florida (4-1), 7:00 PM EST (ESPN)
One of the infected this week is Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. Pittman is the third known SEC coach to test positive for COVID-19 joining Alabama’s Nick Saban and Florida’s Dan Mullen. Barry Odom will serve as interim coach.
First Meeting Since 2016
The Gators and Razorbacks meet for the first time since 2016. Arkansas defeated Florida 31-20 on November 5, 2016, representing their only victory against Florida since joining the SEC in 1992 (Florida won the previous nine matchups).
| Arkansas Series History | |
| vs Florida | |
| W-L | |
| Overall | 2-9>> |
| at Florida | 0-4 |
| Florida ranked in Top 10 | 1-5 |
| Florida ranked in Top 5 | 0-5 |
| Arkansas ranked in top 25 | 1-3 |
| SEC Championship Game | 0-2 |
| >>1-9 since joining SEC in 1992 |
Last game – Arkansas
Felipe Franks threw three second-half TD, overcoming a 13-0 deficit to defeat Tennessee 24-13. Treylon Burks continued his strong recent play, hauling in the decisive score, giving him 23 catches for 349 yards and four TD in his last three games.
| Treylon Burks | ||
| 2020 Season | ||
| First 2 Games | Last 3 Games | |
| Receptions | 8 | 23 |
| Yards | 112 | 349 |
| YPC | 14 | 15.2 |
| TD | 1 | 4 |
Last game – Florida
The world’s largest outdoor cocktail party saw Florida face the same start as Arkansas did against Tennessee. After allowing 136 yards on their first seven plays, the Gators defense strangled the Bulldogs, allowing only 142 total yards (80 coming on their only other TD drive) the rest of the game.
| Florida Defense | ||
| November 7 vs Georgia | ||
| 1st 2 Drives | Last 11 Drives>> | |
| Plays | 7 | 50 |
| Yards | 136 | 142 |
| Yards Per Play | 19.4 | 2.8 |
| Punts | 0 | 7 |
| TD | 2 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| >>Gators outscored Georgia 44-14 |
| Florida Defense | ||
| 2020 Season | ||
| 1st 3 Games | Last 2 Games | |
| PPG | 33.3 | 17.5 |
| Yards PG | 495 | 262.5 |
| 1st Downs | 28.7 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 5 |
While Florida’s defense dominated, Kyle Trask led the Gators offense, setting an SEC record with this fifth straight game with four or more TD passes, as the Gators scored 44 of the final 58 points, outgaining Georgia by 294 yards (571-277).
Florida Strengths
Kyle Trask leads an explosive Florida offense ranked 19th in the nation in YPG (495) – second in the SEC – and 12th in PPG (42.4) – second in the SEC. Trask’s 22 TD ties him with three others for the most in the nation, despite playing fewer games (Trask 5 – others have at least 6).
Since taking over for Felipe Franks in week three of the 2019 season against Kentucky, Trask has 46 TD passes and 4,590 passing yards in his 15 starts. Trask has registered at least 4 TD passes in each of his five starts this season.
Graham Harrell of Texas Tech holds the record for most games with 4 TD passes from the start of the season, with six in 2007. Davis Webb playing for Cal in 2016 is the only other QB to throw 4 TD in his first five season games.
| Most Games 4 TD Passes, QB | ||||
| NCAA Football, Since 2000 | ||||
| Games | Team | Year | TD | |
| Graham Harrell | 6 | Texas Tech | 2007 | 24 |
| Kyle Trask | 5 | Florida | 2020 | 22 |
| Davis Webb | 5 | California | 2016 | 22 |
| >>From Start of Season |
second in Yards PG (495) and averages 42.4 PPG.
| Arkansas Defense | ||
| 2020 Season | ||
| Total | SEC Rank | |
| Passing YPG | 222.2 | 2nd |
| Turnovers Forced | 15 | 1st |
| Defensive TD Scored | 3 | 1st |
Arkansas Strengths
Sam Pittman’s crew leads the SEC in turnovers forced with 15. Only Kentucky allows fewer than Arkansas’ 220 passing yards PG in the SEC. However, the Hogs’ inability to stop the run (179.3 YPG – 2nd worst in SEC) is something Florida’s offense could exploit.
| Arkansas Offense | ||
| 2020 Season | ||
| First 2 Games | Last 4 Games | |
| PPG | 15.5 | 29 |
| Total YPG | 277.5 | 426 |
| Rushing YPG | 70 | 172.3 |
Arkansas offense taken off the last four games, averaging 426 yards per game and 29 PPG after averaging 277.5 yds per game and 15.5 PPG in their first two games. Felipe Franks gets his chance to show the Gators they made the wrong choice when Kyle Trask replaced him against Kentucky last season. Franks has 14 TD and just one INT in his last five games.
Prediction:
The Gators offense is too much for a much-improved Razorbacks defense, but the Hogs’ revenge factor with Franks will inspire them to stay in the game until the fourth quarter.
Final Score
Arkansas 24
Florida 34
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