Miami football schedule includes three teams listed as on the rise
Florida finished 4-7 in
in Jim McElwain’s last season. McElwain was fired after going 3-4 in the first seven games of the season. Former Miami football coach and linebacker Randy Shannon went 1-3 in the season’s final four games.
Mullen led a significant improvement in the Gators offense from 2017 to 2018. Florida improved from 22.3 points per game in 2017 to 35 in Mullen’s first season. The defense also improved going from 27.3 to 20 PPG.
Diaz is likely to create a lot of pressure on a rebuilt Florida offensive line. The Gators lost four of their five starters from 2018. The Hurricanes are deep at defensive and led the nation in tackles for loss in 2018. They are likely to get off to a good start in Camping World Kickoff Classic week zero.
The Miami offense will be the biggest concern against the Gators. Starting off the season against Florida with an entirely new offensive coaching staff and system is the Hurricanes biggest unknown entering 2019. Enos has faced Florida only once as a coach. That was in 2016 as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas.
Enos is two schools past coaching at Arkansas after joining the Miami football program in January. Florida has an entirely new coaching staff that makes it tough to take anything out of what happened in that game.
The Razorbacks did stomp the Gators 31-10 in Fayetteville. Arkansas rang up 466 yards of total offense on Shannon’s defense. Being in the SEC the last three seasons should provide Enos was the familiarity of at least seeing Florida on video.
"The Gators showed marked improvement in coach Dan Mullen’s first year, improving their win total by six games from 2017. The next goal for Mullen’s team: Catch Georgia for the top spot in the SEC East. In order for that to happen, the Gators will have to rebuild an offensive line that is slated to lose four starters and patch a couple of holes on defense caused by early departures to the NFL. However, Mullen knows how to maximize the talent on his roster, so Florida is primed for another run at a New Year’s Six bowl and a spot in the top 10. Feleipe Franks was one of the most improved quarterbacks in the nation last fall and should take another step forward with another offseason to work under Mullen. However, he could be pushed for time by redshirt freshman Emory Jones. The Gators are loaded with talent at the skill positions. Lamical Perine (826 yards), Dameon Pierce (424 yards) and Malik Davis will anchor the ground game, while the team’s top six statistical receivers – including Van Jefferson and Kadarius Toney – are back for 2019. Florida’s defense held teams to just 20 points a game in 2018 and has the pieces in place (despite the early departures) to rank near the top of the SEC. The cornerback tandem of CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson lines up as one of the best in the conference, linebacker David Reese is back for his senior year, and the addition of Louisville transfer Jon Greenard will provide a boost to the pass rush after Jachai Polite left early for the NFL. The Gators only have to leave the state of Florida once in September (Kentucky on Sept. 14), as they are slated for a neutral-site matchup against Miami in Orlando in the opener, while Tennessee and Auburn come to Gainesville. Road trips against LSU and Missouri won’t be easy, but the East Division is likely to be decided on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville versus Georgia."