1. Well, Florida is 4-0 under Jim McElwain, and it appears to be a result of strong defensive play. We know about how great the secondary is, but what else defensively has contributed the most to this strong start?
No single player has done more for Florida's defense than Jonathan Bullard, who's been a monster up front. He's not as athletic as the greatest SEC defensive linemen of recent years -- he won't awe you with either his speed or strength -- but he's but it all together as a senior, and understands both the end and tackle positions extremely well. If he can get jumps on interior linemen, he can disrupt entire series, and he has been the Gators' best pass rusher from both spots.
Beyond that, I think the secondary being good at limiting completions has been a key, as well as generally good play from Florida's linebackers. The Tennessee game showed that wrapping up is a weakness, as two safeties led the Gators in tackles, but not every team has Jalen Hurd, and not every team will flummox Florida with midline QB option keepers.
2. Will Grier hasn't been incredible, but he certainly appears to have been serviceable. What has worked right for him this season? Conversely, how have defenses rattled him?
Grier's been good when he's had time and tried to go through his progressions, and has executed a lot of one-read stuff well. The problem? His internal alarm clock appears to have tripwire sensistivity and jackhammer volume, and he bails on both going through progressions with his feet set and trying to make things happen in the pocket very quickly. His habit of throwing without his feet set killed a few throws against Tennessee, and his scrambling -- an asset in Florida's first three games -- was largely neutralized by the more athletic Vols.
But in that magical fourth quarter, he settled in (behind better protection, it should be noted) and played his best football, making difficult throws with accuracy. And if Florida can get that guy for a full game, or close to it, Florida can be much better than it currently is on offense.
3. Do the Florida special teams present any problems? I noticed that Hardin is just 3/6 so far this season, with all of his attempts coming from within 39 yards. Any explanation other than he's just not very good?
They present problems to Florida, sure.
Hardin's gone from being inconsistent to solid and back again, and missed last week's game with an undisclosed injury before getting shaded hard by McElwain in a press conference; I'd expect to see Jorge Powell in his place, and we've never seen Powell kick a field goal in a game, so that's probably not a good thing.
But it's really the rest of Florida's special teams that worry me more. Kick returns have been a disaster, with Brandon Powell breaking just one good return in four games, and some untimely penalties burying the Gators on kicks that should've been touchbacks. Punt returns have been slightly better with Antonio Callaway handling them, but he's a true freshman, and I think his aggressiveness fielding kicks is likely to result in a major mistake at some point. Kick and punt coverage haven't been great, either, and though Florida's had some success in booting kicks for touchbacks and got a great game out of punter Johnny Townsend against Tennessee, those are both inconsistent units. I wouldn't be surprised if special teams haunts Florida in this or any other game this year.
4. Ole Miss has been hit or miss with the pass rush, but at times it's outstanding. Has the Gator offensive line been productive in pass blocking? Is there a weaker side of the line?
It's been intermittently good, which is a far cry from the rampage many expected from Florida's painfully green line this year. The problem for Florida is that the seasoned vets (Trip Thurman, Cameron Dillard, Antonio Riles) aren't world-beaters, and the young guys (David Sharpe, Fred Johnson, Martez Ivey, Tyler Jordan) are too young to really take over. Grier's happy feet aren't purely him seeing ghosts; he's legitimately gun-shy because there have been blown assignments and bad whiffs in all four games.
I think the weak spot is definitely the interior, where Thurman, Dillard, and Riles have all failed to impress. And Robert Nkemdiche should be able to overwhelm any or all of them, physically -- which might be part of why Florida appears ready to use the bigger Ivey at guard this week.
5. What's your prediction on the outcome of this game? Give a score and how it gets there.
What I told the Podcast Rebellion folks was Mississippi 34, Florida 21, and I don't think I have changed my mind on that just yet. The Rebels are favored for a good reason -- they're better -- and I could see a 10-point lead in the first half standing up over the course of the game. I'd be more surprised by a blowout than by a really close game, though.