Florida (5-5, 3-4 SEC) at No. 11 Missouri (8-2, 4-2, No. 9 CFP), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Line: Missouri by 11 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Tied 6-6.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Missouri probably jumped Tennessee for a spot in the Citrus Bowl with its 36-7 rout of the Volunteers last weekend. But even though the Tigers have been eliminated from the SEC title race, they could still improve their bowl destination to a New Year’s Six spot in the Cotton Bowl by winning out. Meanwhile, the Gators at this point just hope to qualify for a bowl game. They have lost three straight, including a loss to struggling Arkansas by a field goal and 52-35 last week to LSU, which piled up 701 yards total offense.
KEY MATCHUP
Missouri RB Cody Schrader against the Florida run defense, which allowed 329 yards and four touchdowns on the ground against LSU. Schrader, a former Division II walk-on transfer, is coming off the second-best game from scrimmage in school history against the Vols, running for 205 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries while catching five passes for 116 yards.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Florida: RB Trevor Etienne had 18 carries for 99 yards and three scores against LSU, his best rushing performance since running for 162 yards and a score against Tennessee in mid-September. Etienne will be facing a rush defense that held the Vols, one of the best running teams in the country, to 83 yards on 23 carries.
Missouri: WR Luther Burden III was among the nation’s leaders in catches and yards receiving a few weeks ago, but he has four receptions or fewer in three of his last four games and has not topped 100 yards in any of those games after doing so in five straight. Burden still has TDs in each of the past three games, and his TD catch in the fourth quarter last week put the game against Tennessee out of reach.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Gators have won three of the past four in the series, including a 24-17 victory in Gainesville last season. … Florida allowed more yardage to LSU last week than any game in school history. … Gators QB Graham Mertz has thrown a school-record 226 consecutive passes without an interception. … Missouri already has eight wins for the first time since 2008, and a ninth would be the most since going 11-3 and winning the Citrus Bowl in 2014. … Schrader’s 321 yards from scrimmage last week was 12 shy of Devin West’s record of 333 set against Kansas in 1998.
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