NFL Tickets
The Florida Gators and the East Carolina Pirates face off in the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday, January 3, at 12 PM ET on ESPN in a match-up of two teams that had opportunities to overachieve, but disappointed.
A 6-5 season wasn’t enough to save head coach Will Muschamp’s job for Florida, but it was enough to get this team to a bowl game. Interestingly enough, the Gators lost three of those five games by less than a touchdown and were only crushed by the two teams that ended up playing for the SEC Championship, the Missouri Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Florida’s offense looked horrible for much of the season, but the defense was strong enough to get things done. A win, even an ugly win, is still a win, and few teams in the country know that better than the Gators.
East Carolina, on the other hand, has been one of the most exciting teams in college football at times. Quarterback Shane Carden has the athletic ability to take off down the field if needed and there is no doubt in my mind that receiver Justin Hardy will see playing time in the NFL. The Pirates boast the No. 6 passing offense in college football, and Hardy accounted for an amazing 110 receptions, 1334 receiving yards and nine touchdowns of that statistic.
Unfortunately, their offensive stars won’t be enough for East Carolina to pull out the win in this one. Florida’s defense is far too talented, and the Pirates tend to be a very one-sided offense. Expect Hardy to get his 10th touchdown, but the combined running forces of Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor to overwhelm East Carolina defensively.
Prediction: Florida 24, East Carolina 14
Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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