Florida Gators: 5 reasons Gators will beat Miami in Week 0
By Kyle Grondin
1. Jabari Zuniga faces questionable offensive line
While Feleipe Franks and Lamical Perine are hugely important to the offense and its success, and CJ Henderson can give the young quarterback Jarren Williams problems, there’s one player who can completely take this game over from a Gators perspective: Jabari Zuniga.
Starting with Zuniga, he has 15.5 sacks over his college career and 27.5 tackles for loss. He is a force at the defensive end position that has given even the best tackles in the country fits.
On Miami’s side, figuring out what to do with Zuniga is imperative. Only one starter returns to the offensive line this season (guard Navanugh Donaldson) and the the Hurricanes ranked as one of the worst teams in the country when it came to sack rate and run-stuff rate.
Going up against a player of Zuniga’s talent level with inexperienced linemen will prove to be a headache for the Hurricanes. If they struggle to block him, I don’t see any way Williams has any success in his first collegiate start.
Next. Top 50 players in college football for 2019. dark
These reasons paint the picture of the Gators’ victory as their defense will smother the Hurricanes, and with Franks’ improving ball control, they should be able to win the turnover battle and secure victory in Week 0.
My prediction? Florida wins 24-14.