College GameDay explains why Missouri is a major test for Florida

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Florida has quickly become one of the biggest stories in college football, and ESPN's College GameDay crew is buying into the Gators' start.

Desmond Howard called Florida "the belle of the ball" during Saturday morning's show, pointing to the Gators' 4-0 start and most recent win over Ole Miss.

"Everybody loves the Florida Gators," Howard said." "Those guys are playing great football right now, especially coming off the win against Ole Miss."

Howard, however, sees Missouri as a much different challenge for Florida's offense.

The Tigers have built much of their defensive success around their front seven, and Howard expects Missouri to focus heavily on slowing Jadan Baugh. The Florida running back enters the matchup with 600 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns through four games.

"Missouri's front seven, those guys, they get after the running game," Howard said. "They have made more contact with the running back behind the line of scrimmage than any other team in the FBS. They're going to stack the box so they can stop Jadan Baugh and make Aaron Philo beat them with his arm."

That could make Saturday one of Philo's most important tests yet.

Florida has not needed its quarterback to carry the offense through the air consistently during its undefeated start. Baugh and Duke Clark have given the Gators one of the SEC's strongest rushing attacks, while Philo has generally been asked to keep the offense on schedule and capitalize when defenses commit too heavily to the run. That's not to say he hasn't flashed some deep-ball ability, though.

Kirk Herbstreit focused less on the schematic matchup and more on what the trip to Missouri could reveal about Florida as a team.

"I think that's a great mindset game," Herbstreit said. "It will show how mature Florida is."

Nick Saban also identified Florida as one of the teams he is watching closely this week, along with Alabama, because both are facing opponents capable of putting points on the board.

“You don’t want to get in a shootout on the road,” Saban said.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: College GameDay explains why Missouri is a major test for Florida

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