Courtesy of ESPN
Here are three keys for Florida in its Outback Bowl matchup with Penn State:
1. Make some plays down the field: Throughout much of Urban Meyer’s tenure, nobody was better than the Gators when it came to making explosive plays down the field. But that was a component that was sorely missing this season from the offense. Florida could use some quick strikes early to get its offense going and spread out the Penn State defense. Chris Rainey figures to play a key role in this game.
2. Force Penn State to throw: Even though Florida will be without top cornerback Janoris Jenkins in this game, the Gators are still plenty talented in the secondary. They will gladly take their chances with Penn State throwing the football as opposed to the Nittany Lions getting their running game cranked up and moving the chains that way. If Florida can get Penn State into a lot of third-and-long situations, then it’s probably going to be a long day for the Nittany Lions.
3. Take care of the ball: The Gators turned the ball over an SEC-high 25 times this season, which is extremely uncharacteristic of an Urban Meyer team. They turned the ball over six times in their last two games against FBS opponents -- South Carolina and Florida State. If they turn it over two or more times against Penn State, they’re going to be in trouble.
