Florida vs. Charleston Southern Fearless Prediction, Game Preview

By: Pete Fiutak | August 15, 2018 8:18 pm

Florida vs. Charleston Southern fearless prediction and game preview.

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 1
Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
Venue: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
Network: ESPN3

– 2018 CFN Preview | Florida Preview

Florida (0-0) vs. Charleston Southern (0-0) Game Preview

Step One for Charleston Southern: score a point vs. an FBS team.

The Buccaneers were decent last season – finishing with a 6-5 record – they lost to Indiana 27-0 and 49-0 against Mississippi State.

A Mississippi State team coached by Dan Mullen.

Now it’s Mullen’s debut as the head coach of the Gators, with a chance to get the quarterback situation settled, the offensive rhythm in place, and the defense in a groove before kicking off the SEC season the following week with the annual win over Kentucky.

One Reason Why Charleston Southern Will Win

The Bucs have to get the pass rush going right away.

Tenth in the FCS in sacks last season, the D loses Anthony Ellis, but gets back Ronnie Harris and London Johnson with the ability to get into the backfield for a defense that allowed just 312 yards per game.

The Florida quarterback situation is going to be an ongoing discussion, needing a whole lot more production at the position as the season goes on. It’s up to Charleston Southern to throw the timing off from the start.

One Reason Why Florida Will Win

The Gator defense is about to have a fun day.

Charleston Southern wasn’t all that into scoring last season outside of three massive outbursts against three miserable teams. In all, 176 of the team’s 250 points scored last season came in three games.

There’s experience returning, but against Florida in a charged-up, new era environment, the Buc offense isn’t going anywhere.

After a season with just ten touchdown passes, 1,394 passing yards, and the quarterbacks combining to hit just 49% of their throws. CSU might struggle to throw for 100 yards against yet another loaded Gator secondary.

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What’s Going To Happen

The Florida spring game will turn out to have been more competitive.

The quarterback options will all get live action, the run-in game will be strong, and the defense will be dominant. This should be over after two drives, with the only drama around whether or not the Bucs score.

They won’t.