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Dating back to 1992, the Las Vegas Bowl has been an annual bowl mania tradition. For the second straight year, the Las Vegas Bowl will consist of two Power Five schools. Last year, Wisconsin beat Arizona State 20-13.
When: Saturday, December 17th @ 2:15 PM ET
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
Who: Florida vs. #14 Oregon State
Spread & Total: Oregon State -10; O/U 53
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Tale of the Tape: Florida Gators
Florida began the year with arguably the best win in Week 1: beating a top-10 Utah team in Gainesville. Better yet, Anthony Richardson looked like a Heisman hopeful. That early season spark didn’t last long. Kentucky got the better of Florida in Week 2. Their next test was a failure, a loss to Tennessee on the road. Granted, no one knew how special this year’s Tennessee was. Florida fell to perennial SEC powerhouses LSU and Georgia, and fell to in-state rival Florida State.
Florida’s injuries are piling up. Receivers Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson, the team’s second and third leading receivers, are banged up. Safety Rashad Torrence II missed the season finale due to injury. Quarterback Anthony Richardson is opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Transfer Portal Departures:
OL Joshua Braun
RB Lorenzo Rigard
RB Nay’Quan Wright
LS Marco Ortiz
DL Chris Thomas
Players to Know: QB Jack Miller III
An Ohio State transfer, Miller is expected to replace Richardson as the Gators’ starting quarterback. He has completed seven of 14 attempts for 101 passing yards in his career. He has not recorded a touchdown or interception.
DL Gervon Dexter Sr.
Dexter has announced his intentions to forego his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft. Yet, he is expecting to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. Recorded 50 total tackles this year and two sacks. Recorded an interception against Kentucky in Week 2.
Tale of the Tape: Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State out produced everyone’s expectations for 2022. A team that barely made a bowl game last year went 9-3 and competed in a deep Pac 12 conference. A tough non-conference schedule helped, with wins over two bowl teams in Fresno State and Boise State. Sure, there were forgettable games along the way against the top tier teams like USC, Utah and Washington. But a matchup against Oregon to close the season perfectly encompassed this team: trailed by 17 in the 4th quarter, the Beavers found a way to win outright.
Tight end Luke Musgrave missed the final ten games of 2022 but will declare for the NFL Draft. Defensive back Rejzohn Wright will also be out, as he declared for the NFL Draft but is dealing with a wrist injury.
Transfer Portal Departures:
QB Chance Nolan (Started first five games of the season; benched for Ben Gulbranson)
Player to Know: RB Damien Martinez
Leads the team in a run heavy offense for carries (158), yards (970) and tied for most rushing touchdowns (seven). Six straight 100-yard rushing games.
Jack Colletto
Recipient of the Paul Hornung Award for most versatile player in the country. Has played quarterback, full back, linebacker (primary) and special teams.
Bowl Game Trends:
- Ranked teams are 9-4 when playing unranked teams in the Las Vegas Bowl
Game Synopsis:
Oregon State exceeded their expectations for 2022, while Florida fell short. Now, the Gators are playing catchup without their leader at quarterback among a plethora of injuries and transfers. Miller is the only quarterback currently on the roster after Richardson declared for the draft and Jalen Kitna was released from the team. Would expect the Gators offense to run heavily through the running pair of Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne.
The issue with the Florida ground game is that is the strength of Oregon State’s defense. The Beavers rank 20th in rushing defense, allowing just 17 scores for the season. Meanwhile, Florida’s defense resembles Swiss cheese: they rank 101st of 131 schools in rush defense and have allowed 26 touchdowns on the ground. This feeds into the strength of Oregon State. Gulbranson will have to settle in at quarterback, as an early lead for Oregon State could be too much to overcome for the Gators. I think the rushing attack of Oregon State is too much to handle for this injured Florida team.
Bowl Mania Pick: Oregon State
Bowl Mania Confidence: 41/43
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