No. 11 Florida struggled in Week 0 in a close win over Miami, but should have little trouble in its home opener on Saturday against FCS school UT Martin. The Gators are six-touchdown favorites on the College Football Odds at MyBookie.
How to Bet UT Martin vs Florida 2019 College Football Week 2 Odds & Game Info
- When: Saturday, 7:30 PM ET
- Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
- TV: ESPNU
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: SiriusXM
- College Football Week 2 Lines: Florida -44.5 (Total 59)
UCF vs Florida Atlantic 2019 College Football Week 2 Lines, Game Info & Analysis
Weather Forecast
- Sunny: 32°C/90°F
- Humidity: 47%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Cloud Cover: 1%
- Wind: 4 mph WSW
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on UT Martin?
UT Martin is an FCS school from the Ohio Valley Conference that finished 2-9 last year – the Skyhawks are just cashing a big check to go to Gainesville ($500,000) and get bombed.
“I certainly appreciate and Coach Mullen signing this contract to bring us down. Jimbo Fisher will say college football needs this trickle-down effect. If these games get taken away, what it would mean to programs like ours’ and others, certainly OVC and FCS programs, which could ultimately limit scholarship opportunities for players out of high school,” UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said. “It would just keep trickling down because eventually you would have to cut the scholarship level, the amount of scholarships you would give out.”
UTM comes to Gainesville for the first time in program history but they have a good knowledge of playing SEC schools. The Skyhawks played at Missouri and at Ole Miss last season. This year they will also travel to Lexington to play Kentucky. UT Martin is 1-26 all-time against FBS squads with its lone win coming against Memphis (20-17) in 2012. The Skyhawks have played 22 different FBS games since 2006.
UT Martin opened this year with 42-20 win over Northwestern State. Junior running back Peyton Logan put the Skyhawks on top with 4:22 in the third quarter and never looked back – scoring touchdowns of 21 and 53 yards in the second half.
Sandwiched between the two big scoring runs was a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown by Terry Williams followed by a 78-yard touchdown return by Wanya Moton in the fourth quarter to officially put the game away.
Redshirt freshman John Bachus III earned his first career start, completing 8-of-20 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, including strikes of 39 and 43 yards to Colton Dowell and Jaylon Moore, respectively.
Why Bet on Florida?
The Gators were off last week after rallying for a 24-20 win over Miami (Fla.) in Orlando on Aug. 24. The UF defense, though guilty of some bad penalties that kept potential go-ahead UM drives alive, brought a swarming pass rush that produced 10 sacks. Florida’s 10 sacks eclipsed its highest single-game total since 1996, with the previous high being its nine against Auburn on Oct. 18, 1997. Army was the only FBS team to have at least 10 in a game last season. In 14 games under defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, Florida has five-plus sacks in six of them, as well as eight-plus tackles for loss in seven of them.
Offensively, the Gators were just 2-for-13 on third down but 4-for-4 on fourth down, including a successful run by punter Tommy Townsend for a first down that led to the Gators’ first score. QB Feleipe Franks completed 17 of 27 passes for 254 yards, including a first-quarter touchdown of 66 yards on a screen pass to wingback Kadarius Toney and an 8-yarder to tailback Lamical Perine that gave UF a 17-13 lead after Miami muffed a punt. The Gators turned the ball over four times, with three by Franks.
Franks finished with at least three total touchdowns for the sixth time in his career. All six games have come under head coach Dan Mullen. Florida had passing plays of 66 and 65 yards. It had two passing plays of 60-plus yards all of last season. The Gators improved to 4-0 in games decided by fewer than 10 points or less with Mullen as head coach.
Since 2000, Florida is 25-1 against first-time opponents. The Gators have never faced UT Martin, and they will also have their first-ever meeting with Towson later this month. Florida has won 19 consecutive games against first-time opponents, with five of those wins coming against FCS foes. This is the second consecutive year Florida will begin two new series. UF beat Colorado State, 48-10, and Idaho, 63-10, in its first meetings with those programs last year.
California vs Washington 2019 College Football Week 2 Odds, Preview & Pick
UT Martin vs Florida 2019 College Football Week 2 Betting Trends
- Skyhawks are 0-10 SU in their last 10 games on the road
- Skyhawks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games played in September
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tennessee-Martin’s last 5 games played on a Saturday
- Gators are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games played in September
- Gators are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games played in week 2
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida’s last 5 games
Expert Prediction
UT Martin 7 – Florida 49
