We trust that Arkansas is nice and rested after an off week, and for a change they’ll face a team that isn’t coming off a bye of its own. But timing seemingly hasn’t mattered at all this season when the Hogs play any opponent, because they’ve been consistently bad against the rush. Arkansas ranks 109th against the rush in yards per game allowed and are dead last in the country in yards per carry allowed. Only one team in college football has allowed more rushing touchdowns and the real issue may be that teams don’t even run the ball a disproportionate amount. The Razorbacks are 28th nationally in attempts per game against.
Florida vs. Arkansas 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Will the Hogs wake up on defense?
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Enter No. 11 Florida, which comes into the game with an offense that may not be prolific passing the ball, but it's unquestionably what it does best. With neither Luke Del Rio nor Austin Appleby proving they're much of a threat in the passing game, the Gators use a committee of running backs to generate offense. Look for any one of Lamical Perine, Mark Thompson, Jordan Scarlett, or Jordan Cronkrite to have a big day against a rushing attack that's shown it's more than just susceptible.
The Gators are almost equally as good on defense stopping the run as the Razorbacks are bad. UF has the ninth-best rushing defense in the nation by per-game stats. When adjusted for opponent, Florida looks even better. Their defense is No. 3 in the nation, per S&P+, an advanced metric which measures efficiency using play-by-play data.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS. The announcers are Brad Nessler, Aaron Taylor, and John Schriffen.
Online streaming: CBSSports.com
Spread: The Gators are a slight 3.5-point favorite over the Razorbacks on the road.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Alligator Army (for Florida fans) and Arkansas Fight (for Arkansas fans).
Three big things to know
- Arkansas will be trotting out some sweet new uniforms Saturday. The uniforms have been dubbed the “anthracite” look. The Razorbacks have worn a similar look before both in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, they beat Kentucky and lost to Ole Miss. In 2013, they lost to Mississippi State wearing them. These anthracites will have a slightly different look to them than in years past as well. This season’s look has a different helmet decal.
- Florida and Arkansas are, anecdotally, rare dance partners on the SEC schedule. Since 1997, they’ve only met five times during the regular season. The 2006 matchup in the SEC Championship was the final game before Florida went on to win a national championship game. The schools also met in the early 1980s in a bowl game before Arkansas entered the conference in 1992.
- This week, the Gators debuted in the College Football Playoff rankings just outside the top 10. Last season, UF rose as high as No. 8. Our bowl projections have Florida facing off against Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
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