The McElwainless Bowl Is Finally Here
Can the Rams upset an SEC team for the second straight week?
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Week 3: Colorado State Rams (1-2) vs Florida Gators (1-1)
When: Saturday, September 15th – 4:00 PM ET/2:00 MT
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium; Gainesville, Florida (88,548)
TV: The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and through the WatchESPN app
Streaming: Sling TV (check it out with a free trial)
Radio: Colorado State Broadcast Flagship: 102.9 FM KARS; Denver 104.7 FM
Series Record: This will be the first matchup between Colorado State and Florida
Websites: CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website | FloridaGators.com, the offical Florida Gators athletics website
Game Notes (PDF): Colorado State | Florida
The McElwainless Bowl, as it was so eloquently termed by Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times, will happen this weekend without its namesake. Along with providing free tickets to those affected by Hurricane Florence, the Florida Gators will look to get back in the win column after their 31 year winning streak against Kentucky came to an end.
Meanwhile, the Colorado State Rams finally look like they have some life in them. They scored 25 straight points to upset the Arkansas Razorbacks last week. The Rams will look to continue that momentum as they head to The Swamp to play their third straight P5 opponent.
How can the Rams beat the Gators? Here are three keys.
Three Keys to a Colorado State Victory
The Defense Needs To Continue To Improve
The Rams defense while not great, improved from the first two weeks of the season against Arkansas. Some of that may be attributed to a new system, but whatever the reason, the Rams need to continue on that path. The offense can do its part, but the defense needs to step up if the Rams want to win.
Protect K.J Carta-Samuels
The CSU quarterback stayed in the pocket and made some plays to help the Rams to victory. Carta-Samuels also took some shots while making those play. When he had the time, Carta-Samuels made some nice throws.
The offensive line needs to gel better and protect their QB. You can’t always protect him, but the Rams offensive line needs to reduce the amount of shots Carta-Samuels takes. Protecting K.J. will be the main point of contention for the Rams in this game.
Run The Dang Ball, Bobo
The running game will have its work cut out for it this weekend. Getting the running game going might be easier said than done against this stout Gators defensive line (The starters average 6’4″ and 306 lbs). Coach Bobo even had a good laugh about this when asked in his weekly press conference.
The size of the Gators will give the Rams fits, but even if it doesn’t work, the Rams still need to run the ball. The Gators have given up an average of 262.5 yards rushing on defense. If the Rams can work the ground game a little, it will open up the Rams passing game.
