College Football Betting -- Orange Bowl: Virginia Has Daunting Task vs. Trask...... and Florida "D"

  • In Charles Jay
  • Mon, Dec 30th, 2019 3:38:26 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


The Florida Gators hope that their defense can be a dominant factpr as they prepare to face the Virginia Cavaliers in the Orange Bowl, slated for Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.


When looking at the Virginia Cavaliers and their accomplishments in the Atlantic Coast Conference, they have some decent wins, but is there anything there to suggest that they can keep up with the Florida Gators for sixty minutes? That is something worth examining as we take a look at the Orange Bowl game, which is scheduled for Monday night (8:05 PM ET) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

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So what could one do to make the case for Virginia (9-4 SU, 6-7 ATS)? Well, they beat some teams that they probably should have beaten, including Pittsburgh, Liberty, Florida State, North Carolina and the traditional rival, Virginia Tech. They also lost to Miami and Duke and when they stepped up to face a top-level foe in the ACC championship game, they were throttled 62-17 by Clemson.

This is a team that features a dual threat at quarterback. Bryce Perkins is going to be a lot of trouble if opponents let him roam. The Arizona State transfer had 3215 yards passing and 745 rushing.

Aside from Perkins, the Cavs didn't have a whole lot going for themselves on the ground. In fact, they only averaged 126.5 yards per game and less than four yards an attempt. But Joe Reed is one of those guys who can help them make up for it. He made 70 receptions this season. And Perkins was able to spread it around, to the likes of Terrell Jana (67 receptions, 780 yards) and Hasise Dubois (65 catches, 979 yards). So they will challenge Florida's secondary.

Reed also brings a lot of added value to the Virginia cause, because he is #1 in the nation in kickoff returns. But the Cavs have a difficult time with the return men of other teams, as they are 121st in kickoff return defense and 123rd in punt return defense.

In the college football betting odds that have been posted on this Orange Bowl game, the Gators are sizable favorites:

Florida Gators -14.5
Virginia Cavaliers +14.5

Over 55.5 points -110
Under 55.5 points -110

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Florida (10-2 SU, 8-4 ATS) has lost only twice, to LSU and Georgia. And in the LSU game, they were going punch for punch until very late in the game. So don't get any illusions about the fact that they are top ten-caliber. Dan Mullen, as many people know, was a big hit as offensive coordinator for the Gators when Tim Tebow was running wild. Their offense was not staggering, but a case can be made that they upgraded the attack after quarterback Feleipe Franks went down for the count with an ankle injury.

Kyle Trask, who didn't even start for his high school team, became a very effective backup - so effective, in fact, that he finished 11th in the nation in passing efficiency. The numbers were there; we'll give them to you just because you're probably curious - 2636 yards, 24 touchdown passes, and almost 68% completions. The Gators have a collection of wide receivers, including Freddie Swain (35 catches, seven TD's) and Trevon Grimes (15.1 yards per reception), not to mention tight end Kyle Pitts (610 yards). It would appear Trask will have to move the ball through the air, because the Florida running game doesn't necessarily control games.

But the Gator defense absolutely DOES. It is mandatory that defenders have speed when they are chasing Perkins around, and Florida has that. The Gators have the tenth-ranked stop unit in the nation. They are stiff against the run, allowing 3.2 yards per carry. They were 21st in pass efficiency defense, and they get quite a push, with 46 sacks and 97 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Both of those figures put them in the nation's top ten.

And get this - the Gators have allowed opponents to get into the end zone only ELEVEN times in 31 red zone trips.

Virginia has stumbled when facing genuine quality defenses. And aside from Clemson, this is the best defense they've faced. Remember that Florida had no problem beating up on Michigan (41-15) in last year's Peach Bowl. So we're going to lay the points.

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(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only)


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