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Colorado State Non-Conference Preview: Florida
Colorado State travels to Gainesville to play an SEC team for the second time in as many weeks.
Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire
CSU Heads South To Face The Gators
Colorado State heads to Gainesville to face the Gators as part of the contract buyout of former coach Jim McElwain. The Rams will face their third straight Power 5 opponent, as well as their second straight SEC opponents when they face the Gators.
How to Watch: Saturday, September 15th, 2pm MT, SEC Network
Head Coach: Dan Mullen, First Season
2017 Record: 4–7, 3–5 Conference
2017 Season In Review
The Florida Gators season started with an ugly loss to Michigan. They then had a game canceled due to a hurricane. Three straight wins, followed by five straight losses. Jim McElwain was fired after three of those losses and Randy Shannon was named the interim coach for the remainder of the season. Shannon was only able to secure one victory, against UAB, in a disappointing season for the Gators.
Key Players Returning
QB Feleipe Franks, RB Lamical Perine, WR Tyrie Cleveland, TE C’yontai Lewis, LT Martez Ivey, DE CeCe Jefferson, NT Khairi Clark, LB David Reese, CB Marco Wilson, S Chauncey Gardner
2018 Strengths
With new coach Dan Mullen coming in, the Gators have a lot of wildcards. But one thing that should remain a strength for the Gators is their defense. 19 of the top 24 tacklers return and the defense has talent at every level. The defense has few question marks and will be the Gators main strength as the offense gets it figured out. Feleipe Franks is one of the Gators’ wildcards, but he has the skills to develop into a top quarterback.
2018 Weaknesses
The Gators offense was horrendous last year. They finished 108th in scoring and second-to-last in total yards in the SEC. They got hit by injuries and that took the wind out of their sails. It will be up to Dan Mullen to take this offense to the next level. Right now, the Gators’ offense is their weakness until they show otherwise.
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