MIAMI GARDENS – The Florida Gators have a chance to complete one of their most successful seasons in recent memory.
One of the SEC’s best teams will get that opportunity tonight (Dec. 30; 8 p.m. kickoff) in the Orange Bowl against ACC Coastal Division champion Virginia, a team that is having one of its best years in school history.
The Gators will come into this game as a heavy favorite to take down the Cavaliers, as they are projected to win this New Year’s Six bowl game by at least 14 points.
The question is this: Can Florida (10-2) get it done? Or will Virginia (9-3) pull off the upset and continue its rise toward national relevancy?
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Florida started off its season in late August with a close 24-20 win over Miami in the Camping World Kickoff Classic. Then the SEC powerhouse scored three straight conference wins over the likes of Kentucky (29-21), Tennessee (34-3), and Auburn (24-13). The 11-point win over Auburn gave Florida some hope to be in prime contention for a College Football Playoff Spot.
But the very next week, Florida suffered its first loss of the season to SEC Champion and College Football Playoff national title finalist LSU (42-28), which made it a long shot to be in the championship mix. And two weeks later, the Gators were officially eliminated from SEC title and national title consideration with a 24-17 loss to SEC East champion Georgia.
Nevertheless, Florida was one of three SEC teams that ultimately earned a New Year’s Six bowl bid (LSU – Fiesta Bowl; Georgia – Sugar Bowl). This is an impressive feat for Florida, Georgia, and LSU, since all three SEC teams finished in the CFP Top 10.
Meanwhile, Virginia had a relatively easier path to the Orange Bowl.
All the Cavaliers needed to do was win the ACC Coastal Division for the first time. They came into this season as the primary favorite to win the division, but ended up taking a complicated path to the title.
The Hoos started the season off with two straight conference wins over 2018 ACC Coastal Division champion Pittsburgh (30-14) and Florida State (31-24). The week after Virginia’s remarkable 3-0 start resulted in another win over Old Dominion (28-17) to go 4-0, but two consecutive losses to now-No. 15 Notre Dame (35-20) and Miami (17-9) raised questions to how serious it should be taken as a program.
After Virginia dropped to 4-2, it won five of its next six games, including a landmark home win in the regular-season finale against in-state rival Virginia Tech (39-30). The key victory gave the Cavaliers a 9-4 record, the ACC Coastal Division title, and a chance to upset defending national champion Clemson in the ACC title game.
Of course, that didn’t happen, as Virginia was utterly throttled by No. 3 Clemson in a 62-17 championship beatdown, which meant the Tigers would win the ACC title for the fifth straight season.
As a result of being the ACC runner-up, Virginia earned its spot in the Orange Bowl
FLORIDA SECONDARY IN MOTION
Guess who’s going to have a big opportunity to shine in his first bowl game?
It’s none other that Ka’iir Elam, the Benjamin 2019 alum who is slated to start at cornerback against Virginia.
How did this happen?
Elam has been one of Florida’s best defensive backs this season, as he posted eight tackles, three pass breakups, and two interceptions in five games played. He earned a full-time starting role toward the end of the season.
For Elam’s efforts, he was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team and a key player to watch for at least the next two seasons.
Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham spoke on his unit’s ability to adapt, which includes Elam.
“Well, I think that number one, we haven’t played with the same lineup all year,” Grantham said. “If you go back and look, we had our starters for the Miami game, and then after that, we’ve not had the same lineup all year, and we’ve had a lot of guys hurt, and because you play well and you win, sometimes that doesn’t get noticed as much as when you don’t win.”
Grantham on Elam:
“Elam is a guy that got thrown in there of the young guys first, and I think he does a really good job, shows his ability to play the ball in the air and he takes coaching, and I think the thing with all those guys is they’ve taken to coaching and worked hard to develop their skill set, and that’s part of development,” Grantham said.
“It’s very difficult to come in and play at an elite level right off the bat, and with the society that we live in today, sometimes we’re not as patient as we need to be with guys,” Grantham continued. “There is a certain amount of development involved in playing this position or this game, and those guys have worked hard to develop their skill set, so I think they look at it as an opportunity to go showcase their talents and what they can do, and they’re all competitive guys, so I look forward to watching them play.”
VIRGINIA QUARTERBACK COULD BE X-FACTOR
Bryce Perkins is a proven leader for Virginia.
The senior quarterback will be playing his final college football game tonight against Florida. It will be the second time he makes an appearance this season at Hard Rock Stadium.
When Perkins played against Miami earlier this fall, it was anything but a performance to remember. The Virginia signal-caller was 25-42 for 252, no touchdowns, and no interceptions, but he was sacked five times in the inexplicable eight-point loss.
But in most of the other games this season, Perkins shined when it mattered most.
In a 38-31 win over North Carolina, Perkins was 30-39 for 378 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. This was his best overall performance of the season, which also included 24 carries for 112 yards and two rushing scores.
But the most impactful moment of glory came against Virginia Tech, when Perkins finished that game with 311 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception on 20-of-31 passing. He added 19 carries for 164 yards and two rushing scores to lead his team to victory.
In 13 games this season, Perkins has 3,215 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also has 213 carries for 745 yards on the ground and 11 rushing scores, which makes it 3,960 total yards and 29 total touchdowns.
Perkins is a true dual-threat quarterback who can make it happen in more ways than one.
“Athletically he’s spot on,” Virginia offensive coordinator Robert Anae said. “Athletically he’s developed as a passer. You know, when you recruit a kid, you just are looking at really the bottom level really when you look at it from a recruiting standpoint because all we’re doing is trying to get the best player we can, so to say, hey, we saw all this, nobody saw all this. What we did not see on the recruiting film is how committed he is to the process. What you don’t see on the film is his ability to lead others in the process. And dang, did he overachieve in that realm. Had no idea that he would be that kind of person, that kind of leader on a team.”
Perkins spoke on his team’s appearance in the Orange Bowl.
“We know that our team and organization is built on unbroken growth, and you look at Coach [Bronco] Mendenhall’s years here, from two wins, to six wins, to eight wins, to nine wins and looking forward to being ten, we think and we know how we run and how our culture is operated and set up, that it’s built to keep increasing and keep moving forward,” Perkins said.
“I mean, next year most of the guys are coming back,” Perkins continued. “We’re losing great guys on both sides of the ball, but this team is stacked with talent, and we’re in the Orange Bowl for the first time, and I expect that we’ll do even better next year. That’s the way Coach Mendenhall’s programs are built and the way that I see us going for the years to come.”
PREDICTION
The matchup to watch will be the Virginia offense vs. the Florida defense.
Honestly, it would be very nice to see Virginia pull off an upset win over Florida. It doesn’t get better than witnessing a team overcome its doubters to come out victorious.
“It sets us up to be one of the best teams in UVA history, just being mentioned with the other great 10-win team,” Perkins said of a potential Virginia win in the Orange Bowl. “It’s a testament to our hard work throughout the summer, our hard work and transition from last year to this year, and the culture and the players who built and kind of set the platform when they first got here. A lot of these guys were on the two-win team and kind of see the transition from the program and how it came from not a bowl game to three bowl games in a row.”
With that said, both teams are very motivated to give their all in the Orange Bowl. But only one team can win this game, and it will be Florida covering the spread in a 42-20 triumph over Virginia.
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde and Jeffrey Wimbrow
