IN THE TRENCHES: WEEK 9 OUTLAND TROPHY MATCHUPS PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES FLORIDA VS. GEORGIA AT JACKSONVILLE, 3:30 P.M. ET ON CBS Jacksonville, Fla., is the focus of our Outland Trophy sojourn this week, as Florida (6-1) and Georgia (6-1) face each other with the SEC East lead in the balance. Each team has an Outland Watch List member on its offen- sive line. The last time these teams met when both were ranked came in 2012, when No. 12 Georgia upset No. 3 Florida, 17-9. The Gators, whose No. 9 ranking is their highest since November 2015, are having a remarkable turnaround season thus far and are the only team in the current AP Top 25 that finished the 2017 season at or below .500 (4-7 in 2017). For Georgia, it starts with their running game and the offensive line captain in senior center Lamont Gaillard (Fayetteville, N.C.). The Bulldogs have been fortunate by only starting three different alignments in seven games and have had the same starters up front in the last three games. Gaillard has started every game this season and in 35 straight since 2016. Georgia is third in the SEC in rushing offense (226.3 yards per game) and second in SEC-only games (207.8). The Bulldogs, even coming off their 36-16 loss at LSU, are on pace to set a record for scoring average in a season. The 16 points at LSU still left Georgia averaging 39.0 points per game, second in the SEC only to Alabama, and slightly ahead of the 2012 team that owns the record at 37.8. Gaillard and the Bulldogs line is protecting quarterback Jake Fromm well also. Fromm is 18-3 as a starter, all with Gaillard in front of him at center, and has a 66.9 completion percentage that is currently second in the SEC and within one percentage point of the school record. The consistency up front has helped Fromm to rank fourth nationally on the active list in passing efficiency at 163.58. Florida enters the game on a roll having won five straight and defeated ranked opponents (Mississippi State and LSU) in back-to-back games for the first time since 2008. Along the Gators’ offensive front is senior left tackle Martez Ivey (Apopka, Fla.). Ivey has 38 starts in 43 career appearances and started his 19th in a row two weeks ago at Vanderbilt. One point of emphasis from first-year coach Dan Mullen has been rotation at various positions – including the offensive line – aiming for a fresher team in the fourth quarter. It appears to be working. The Gators are averaging 6.55 yards per carry (504 on 77 carries) in the fourth quarter this season, which is ninth in the country and leads the SEC. Florida was 58th in the same category last year.

USF at Houston, 3:30 p.m. ET ON ABC/ESPN2 This game figures to be a shootout between two of the nation’s top offenses. It’s only the second time that 2017 Outland Trophy winner Ed Oliver (Houston, Texas) of Houston has faced a team with another Watch List member. In this game USF right tackle Marcus Nor- man (Sebastian, Fla.) will be facing him on almost every play. USF is 11th nationally in total offense, putting up 505.0 yards per game, 15th in rushing (237.6) and 32nd in scoring (35.6 ppg). But can the Bulls’ front hold off one of the most aggressive defensive fronts in college football with its standout player in the middle? Norman has been a stable part of USF’s rise the last three seasons, as the No. 21 Bulls have reappeared the past three weeks after a 21-week run through the rankings in every poll of the 2016 and ‘17 seasons. The senior has started 28 straight games at right tackle, second-most on the team at any position, and has helped USF to back-to-back 3,000-yard rushing seasons. The Bulls’ offensive numbers are eye-popping, and they’re red-hot, coming off a 611-yard performance last week against UConn, includ- ing 346 on the ground. It was USF’s second 600-yard game this season and fourth topping 500 yards. Houston and Oliver will have plenty of work to stop USF’s ground game, which has ranked in the nation’s top 10 the past two seasons and currently stands at 14th at 236.9 ypg. Running back Jordan Cronkite is third in the nation, averaging 143.3 pards per game and 7.8 yards per carry, and if he can hit that average Saturday, he’ll top 1,000 yards for the season. The Bulls’ line is providing plenty of protection too, as USF is 15th in the country in sacks allowed at 1.15 per game. Getting those sacks will be the charge of Oliver, who is nearing the end of his Cougars career having already declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. Despite constant double- and triple-teams at his defensive tackle spot, Oliver leads all defensive linemen nationally with 51 tack- les through seven games, which is also third on the team. The consensus All-American leads all active players nationally with a career average of 1.64 tackles for loss per game, and his 1.9 average this season is third. Oliver is a turnover-maker as well. He forced his sixth career fumble two weeks ago against East Carolina, a fumble that was scooped and scored from six yards out by linebacker Emeke Egbule. Most recently, Oliver had five tackles, including 2.0 for loss, and a sack in Houston’s win at Navy last Saturday. Houston comes in to the game third in total offense (555.3 ypg) and second in scoring (48.7 ppg) in the nation. Yet no team in the Ameri- can Athletic Conference plays as well on the road as USF, which is 13-2 away from Tampa in the last three seasons and has won six of its last seven conference road games.

Scott Farrell, collegepressbox.com outlandtrophy.com #FIGHTFLU @OUTLANDTROPHY 2018 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST

OL Paul Adams, Missouri...... @Paul_Adams77 DT Dre’Mont Jones, Ohio State...... @TheOfficial_80 OL Trey Adams, Washington OL Michael Jordan, Ohio State...... @BigMikeJ73 OL Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas OL Luke Juriga, Western Michigan...... @Luke_Juriga56 C Ryan Anderson, Wake Forest C John Keenoy, Western Michigan...... @Keenoy_52 OL Alex Bars, Notre Dame...... @AlexBars_ OL Marcus Keyes, Oklahoma State OL Ryan Bates, Penn State...... @52batesryan C Sean Krepsz, Nevada...... @Skrepsz DT Terry Beckner, Missouri...... @beckner_jr DT Dexter Lawrence, Clemson...... @llawrence2139 DT Ryan Bee, Marshall...... @r_bee91 G Jimmy Leatiota, Eastern Michigan G David Beedle, Michigan State...... @Big_Bug90 DT Ira Lewis, Baylor OL Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin...... @BeauBench DT Ray Lima, Iowa State C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin...... @TylerBiadasz OL Chris Lindstrom, Boston College ...... @Big_Fish68 OL Lanard Bonner, Arkansas State OL Greg Little, Ole Miss...... @Thegreglittle G Tyler Bowling, Tulsa...... @T_Bowling72 C Toa Lobendahn, USC...... @T_Lo55 C Garrett Bradbury, N.C. State...... @Gbradbury_11 OL Joe Lowery, Ohio...... @thejlow_65 OL Parker Braun, Georgia Tech OL Kaleb McGary, Washington...... @steelers47kaleb OL Ben Bredeson, Michigan C Connor McGovern, Penn State...... @Condor_McGovern DT Derrick Brown, Auburn...... @DerrickBrownAU5 OL Patrick Mekari, California...... @PattM5997 C Jesse Burkett, Stanford C Chandler Miller, Tulsa OL Yodny Cajuste, West Virginia...... @YC_Rich4Ever DT David Moa, Boise State...... @moaconstrictor_ DT Marquise Copeland, Cincinnati...... @Be_Steezy_ C Sam Mustipher, Notre Dame...... @smustipher53 C Deontae Crumitie, Troy...... @deontaecrumitie C Will Noble, Houston...... @W_Noble OL Michael Deiter, Wisconsin...... @MichaelDeiter OT Marcus Norman, USF...... @MarcusNorman77 OL Tommy Doles, Northwestern...... @TommyDoles DT Ed Oliver, Houston...... @Edoliver_11 OL O’Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech...... @Osheadugas C Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama...... @RossP71 C Alec Eberle, Florida State...... @aleceberle54 OL Ben Powers, Oklahoma...... @BigBen_72 OL David Edwards, Wisconsin...... @d_edwards79 OL Isaiah Prince, Ohio State...... @ThePrince_59 OL Bobby Evans, Oklahoma...... @BobbyEvans44 OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State...... @DaltonBigD71 C Justin Falcinelli, Clemson...... @Jfalc50 NT Olive Sagapolu, Wisconsin...... @OSagapolu C Lo Falemaka, Utah...... @peterfalemaka OL Dru Samia, Oklahoma...... @DruSamia OL Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas...... @HFroholdt OT Max Scharping, NIU...... @MaxScharping C Lamont Gaillard, Georgia DT Jordon Scott, Oregon DT Greg Gaines, Washington...... @GregGaines99 DT Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State....@GrindSimmons94 C Tyler Gauthier, Miami OL Trey Smith, Tennessee...... @smithtrey98 DT Youhanna Ghaifan, Wyoming...... @yogaifhan81 OL Trevon Tate, Memphis...... @_TopSh0tta C Jake Hanson, Oregon...... @J_Hanson55 OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon...... @calthrock_54 OL Phil Haynes, Wake Forest...... @PhilHaynes95 DT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame...... @JerryTillery G Nate Herbig, Stanford...... @nate_herbig OL Patrick Vahe, Texas...... @PatrickVahe DT Trysten Hill, UCF DT Ricky Walker, Virginia Tech OT Mitch Hyatt, Clemson...... @themitchhyatt DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson...... @cwilkins42 OL Martez Ivey, Florida...... @tezivey OL Jonah Williams, Alabama...... @JonahGWilliams C Jordan Johnson, UCF DT Daniel Wise, Kansas

By conference: American Athletic 9; ACC 12; Big 12 11; Big Ten 13; Conference USA 2; Mid-American 5; Mountain West 3; Pac-12 11; SEC 11; Sun Belt 2; Independents 3. KEY DATES: • Semifinalists: Wed., Nov. 14 (The Old Mattress Factory, Omaha, Neb.) • Finalists: Tues., Nov. 20 (ESPN) • Winner: Thurs., Dec. 6 (The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN) • Award Banquet: Wed., Jan. 9 (Downtown DoubleTree Hotel, Omaha, Neb.)

ALL NCAA DIVISION I FBS INTERIOR LINEMEN ARE ELIGIBLE TO WIN THE OUTLAND TROPHY outlandtrophy.com #FIGHTFLU @OUTLANDTROPHY