Coming off a disappointing loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, the Florida Gators hope to bounce back this weekend at home against the Colorado State Rams. After beginning the season 0-2, Colorado State overcame an 18-point, third-quarter deficit to beat Arkansas 34-27 last week in Fort Collins. Now, the Rams will look to make it two in a row against the SEC by handing the Gators a second straight loss in the The Swamp. Saturday's meeting will be the first ever between these two schools. Colorado State at Florida Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. ET TV: SEC Network Spread: Florida -20 1. Gators' offense In their season-opening victory over FCS opponent Charleston Southern, the Gators were able to pile up 444 yards of total offense. But last week, Florida's offense wasn't as proficient against Kentucky. The Gators gained 360 total yards but managed just 16 points as the Wildcats ended their 31-game losing streak to their SEC East rivals. Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks had an OK game as he threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. But the Gators' offensive line was inconsistent, as Florida averaged 4.4 yards per carry and gave up a pair of sacks. Colorado State has had its share of issues on defense through its first two games. Even in defeat, Arkansas had 437 yards of offense against the Rams, including 299 on the ground, so Florida should have opportunities to do some damage on that side of the ball. 2. K.J. Carta-Samuels In last week's win against Arkansas, Carta-Samuels put together a second half for the ages. After Colorado State had just three field goals in the first half, the graduate transfer from Washington lit it up in the final two quarters, completing 22 of 27 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns. For the game he finished with 389 passing yards, those two scores and an interception. Against Kentucky, Florida's defense surrendered 454 yards, most of that coming on the ground (303). But the Gators also didn't record a sack as Wildcats quarterback Terry Wilson competed 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 151 yards, a pair of TDs and an interception. Carta-Samuels enters this game fifth in the nation in passing at 367.3 yards per game and fourth in completions with 28 per contest. It's no secret that the Rams will try and attack Florida through the air, so it's critical that the Gators find a way to get pressure on Carta-Samuels. Colorado State has allowed four sacks in its first two games and Florida did register three in its season-opening win over Charleston Southern. 3. Florida's defense The Gators have done a good job against the pass thus far, as they rank second with just 77 yards per game allowed but it doesn't matter when your opponent runs roughshod all over you. That was the case last week, as Kentucky piled up 303 rushing yards in its streak-busting victory over Florida. The Wildcats averaged 7.4 yards per carry and not surprisingly had more than twice as many rushes (41) as pass attempts (19). How Kentucky's ground game was so effective that its top running back and quarterback both finished with more than 100 yards. Colorado State hasn't done a lot of damage on the ground through two games (86.3 ypg), but that's because the Rams haven't had to. Behind Carta-Samuels, CSU has the nation's 10th-ranked passing attack (369.0 ypg). Wide receiver Preston Williams has emerged as the team's top target. He is fourth in the FBS in receptions per game with nine and is coming off of a 12-catch, 154-yard and two-TD performances in last week's come-from-behind win over Arkansas. Florida's pass defense has done its job through two games, but Saturday will be the unit's toughest test by far. Final Analysis Although last week's loss to Kentucky undoubtedly still stings, Florida has an excellent opportunity to get back on track against a Colorado State defense that has been very generous to opponents through its first two games. The key for the Gators is to find a way to contain and slow down a Rams offense that overwhelmed Arkansas in the fourth quarter last week, outgaining the Razorbacks 195-16 to complete the comeback. While this could be an entertaining game for a bit, Florida's defense will be the difference as the Gators should be able to get enough pressure on Colorado State quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels to disrupt his effectiveness in the pocket. Prediction: Florida 41, Colorado State 28 — Written by Antwan Staley, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and has extensive experience covering Florida sports teams. Staley has written for Bleacher Report, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post and is a reporter for Pro Player Insiders. Follow him on Twitter @antwanstaley.<doc-sep>GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida Gators will look to rebound from last weekends loss to the Kentucky Wildcats as they host the Colorado State Rams on Saturday afternoon. The Gators will switch up their uniform combination for the first time this season, as the teams Twitter account that the Gators will wear Orange tops, white pants, and traditional Orange helmets against the Rams. The Gators released a video unveiling their threads combination, which can be viewed below. Kickoff will be at 4:00 p.m ET on SEC Network from The Swamp. The Gators are coming off a 27-16 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats last weekend, which snapped a 31 game winning streak agains the SEC East foe in new head coach Dan Mullen's SEC debut. After a hot start in week one of the college football season, UF quarterback Feleipe Franks took a step back in week two's loss, completing 17 of 38 passes on the night with two touchdowns and an interception. Franks also lead the team in rushing in the loss with 11 rushes for 44 yards. The Gators defense was already banged up heading into last weekend's game and took another hit with sophomore cornerback Marco Wilson tearing his ACL in the game. The Gators know the Rams are very capable on offense as well and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is working hard this week to rally the defense. "They’re good. They've got talented wideouts, they have a quarterback that can spin it, their running is solid, their tight end is really athletic," Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. "I think they’re a really good team. They’ve been in SEC stadiums before. They went to Alabama last year and put 23 points on them. They just beat an SEC West team in Arkansas. So we understand we have a challenge and need to play well." Stay tuned to 247Sports and Swamp247 with continuous team and recruiting updates from The Swamp.<doc-sep>The Florida Gators will welcome Colorado State to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this weekend in an unlikely non-conference game for the Gators. Florida and Colorado State have never played each other on the field and had no plans to do so until four years ago. When the decision was made to part ways with Will Muschamp — after a 28-21 record through four years — the Gators went searching for a new coach. A hot name at the time was Jim McElwain, who had been the offensive coordinator at Alabama when the Tide won a National Championship and then turned Colorado State around. The issue was McElwain’s $7.5 million dollar buyout, a figure that Florida was unlikely to foot the entire bill for. At the time Florida owed Will Muschamp and his staff more than $8 million dollars, with $6 million still owed to Muschamp alone (Florida has one more payment of $787,500 due to Muschamp this year to complete his buyout). Still, Foley and a contingent of Florida decision makers made the trip to Fort Worth to meet with McElwain and his wife Karen. Florida wanted McElwain and, at the time, McElwain wanted to be at Florida, a place he viewed as the next step, a huge step up, in his coaching career. They struck a deal. Florida would pay Colorado State $3 million of the $7.5 million dollar buyout; McElwain would pay CSU $2 million in six annual installments of $333,333. That still left $2 million, which Florida agreed to pay CSU for playing a game in Gainesville. Florida could have terminated the contract to play CSU this season but would have still been on the hook for the $2 million they owed. CSU declared it “the largest such buyout [from one school to another] in college football history.” The buyout helped wrap up a funding project that sealed a new football stadium for the Rams. Florida’s $3 million dollar payment is being made in annual installments of $500,000 through the year 2020. This should have been a big week for the Gators, Rams and McElwain. Instead, McElwain is getting paid by Florida and Michigan to coach receivers at Michigan and the Gators are trying to bounce back from a loss to Kentucky, the first since 1986. “I know the game was kind of scheduled like through (McElwain) in a way, but not really,” receiver Josh Hammond said this week. “I don’t think it makes a difference. Just another team that we have to come out and be ready to play.” When Florida parted ways with McElwain they were able to negotiate down his buyout from $12.9 million to a more reasonable $7.5 million. That buyout included a $3.75 million dollar payment on December 1, 2017. McElwain received another $250,000 on on February 25. McElwain will receive $1 million dollars on July 1 until the year 2020 and a final $500,000 on July 1, 2021. So, technically, McElwain is costing Florida $3 million this year alone for one game against a school he spent just three seasons at. Mullen was asked if this week would be odd for him. “I’ll be honest. I look at who we gotta play, and let’s go find a way to go play them. So I never really thought of it that way. I think they’re just coming here right, we don’t return the favor? There we go,” Mullen joked. “I didn’t (pay CSU) personally. That’s a big benefit for me. I’m grateful I didn’t have to do that.” Still it’s an odd week for Florida and Florida fans and one that Florida is footing a pretty healthy bill for.<doc-sep>
The Florida Gators take on the Colorado State Rams on Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida will look to get back on the winning track after falling to Kentucky a week ago. Below is information on how you can follow UF's game against CSU. [What's next for the Gators? Make sure you're in the loop by signing up for our FREE Gators newsletter now!] Florida (1-1) vs. Colorado State (1-2) Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium TV: SEC Network Live Stream: WatchESPN.Com Radio: Gators IMG Network (Station List) Listen Online: HERE Live Stats Update Online: HERE ***GAME NOTES*** • Florida and Colorado State will meet for the first time Saturday, with the Gators coming off a loss to Kentucky and the Rams fresh off a fourth-quarter surge to beat Arkansas in Fort Collins, Colo. • The Gators have won 17 consecutive games against first-time opponents, a streak that dates all the way back to the 2003 Outback Bowl, when Florida lost its first-ever meeting with Michigan. • Florida’s passing defense ranks second nationally, yielding a paltry 77.0 yards per game. Conversely, Colorado State’s passing offense ranks 10th nationally, averaging 369 yards per game. • This is not just a happenstance year either. Florida’s passing defense ranks second among all FBS teams since 2013 (178.1 yards allowed per game), while Colorado State’s passing offense ranks 21st nationally (274.8 yards per game) over the same span. • Florida has a pair of interceptions this year, and sophomore CJ Henderson snagged his fifth career pick last Saturday. Henderson is one of 24 active FBS players with five interceptions since the start of 2017. • In his final four seasons at Mississippi State, Dan Mullen went 10-5 in games following a loss. • The Gators have not finished in the top 100 in scoring offense since 2014, have not finished higher than 96th in total offense since 2010 (when they were 83rd), and their only passing offense to rank higher than 85th after the 2009 season checked in at 79th (2016). • Florida appears to have the perfect man for the job of reviving its offense, though. Mississippi State ranked 42nd (420.4 yards per game) among FBS teams in total offense from 2009-17. The nine seasons before Mullen’s arrival, the Bulldogs were 114th (313.3 yards). • In Florida’s loss to Kentucky, its defense surrendered more than 450 total yards for the ninth time since the start of the 2014 season. • Florida surrendered 300-plus rushing yards for only the sixth time since 1996 in its loss to Kentucky. The Gators last gave up more than 300 rushing yards in a loss to Georgia Southern on Nov. 23, 2013. • The Gators’ 99-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter against Kentucky was just their third scoring drive of 95-plus yards since the start of 2011. • Florida snapped a 15-game drought of scoring a touchdown on its opening drive with an 8-play, 75- yard touchdown drive on the first possession of the win over Charleston Southern.