Completing a 10-2 (6-2 SEC) regular season, the No. 9 Florida Gators earned a trip to the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium to battle the No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers (9-4, 6-2 ACC) on Monday, December 30.

Finishing one-game back of the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC East, the Gators nearly earned a trip to the Conference Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Winners of the ACC Coastal, Virginia fell to No. 3 Clemson in their Conference Championship Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on December 7. Having already reached the nine-win mark for the first time since 2007, the Cavaliers are seeking their first 10-win campaign since 1989.

A look at the coaches

The man most Florida fans wanted after the midseason firing of Jim McElwain in 2017, Dan Mullen is wrapping up his second season at the helm of the program.

First meeting former Gators coach Urban Meyer at Notre Dame in 1999, he followed Meyer to Bowling Green, Salt Lake City and, eventually, Gainesville. Serving as offensive coordinator/quarterback coach from 2005-08, Mullen was instrumental in the developmental of players such as Chris Leak and Tim Tebow.

Receiving his first head coaching opportunity in the SEC with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2009, he posted a 69-46 (33-39) record in Starkville and was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 2014.

Mullen is 20-5 (11-5) during his time at Florida, including 1-0 in bowl play. Last year, the Gators routed Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines, 41-15, in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

His 15th year as a head coach overall, Bronco Mendenhall is in his fourth season with Virginia. Prior to joining the Cavaliers in 2016, he oversaw the BYU Cougars for 11 years from 2005-15.

An example of incremental improvement, Virginia went 2-10 (1-7) in Mendenhall’s first year in charge. A four-win improvement, they reached the Military Bowl against Navy in his second year, but were routed, 49-7.

The Cavaliers would give him his first bowl win since the cross-country move by shutting out the South Carolina Gamecocks, 28-0, in the 2018 Belk Bowl.

This game also serves as an opportunity for Mendenhall to reach the .500 mark during his time in Charlottesville. At the moment, he is 25-26 (14-18). For his career, Mendenhall has posted a .642 winning-percentage (124-69), including a 7-6 mark in bowl play.

Gators’ rush defense vs. Virginia’s rush offense

Thriving under defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s tutelage, Florida boasts one of America’s stingiest defenses. This is especially true against the run as the Gators have held opponents to an average of 107 yards per game, 12th among FBS programs.

Redshirt senior linebacker Jonathan Greenard leads the team with 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks, and fellow senior David Reese has amassed a team-high 87 tackles.

Averaging 3.5 yards per carry, redshirt senior quarterback Bryce Perkins is the top ground-gainer for Virginia with 745 yards. Rushing for at least 100 yards in three of the team’s final five games, he scored 11 touchdowns with his feet.

Despite carrying the football just 111 times, sophomore Wayne Taulapapa has found the end zone 12 times and racked up 459 yards. Standing just 5-foot-9, Taulapapa weighs roughly 210 pounds, a build similar to former California Golden Bear C.J. Anderson.

Gators’ pass defense vs. Virginia’s pass offense

While not quite as highly rated as their run defense, Florida’s defense also ranks in the top-20 against the pass, holding the opposition to 192 yards per game (18th).

Electing to take his talents to the National Football League, junior cornerback C.J. Henderson will not play in the game. A first-team All-SEC selection by the coaches, Henderson did not intercept a pass this season, but did have a sack and three tackles for loss.

Juniors Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner and redshirt sophomore Marco Wilson will have to be on top of their games in Henderson’s absence.

Featuring three wideouts with at least 600 yards, the Cavaliers possess the nation’s 36th-best passing offense at 263.5 yards per contest. Earning All-ACC honorable mention, senior Hasise Dubois has been Perkins’ favorite target with 979 yards on 65 catches.

Junior Terrell Jana is second on the team in both receptions and yards with 67 and 760, respectively, and senior Joe Reed — who leads the team with 70 catches — should return after missing the ACC Championship Game with a hip injury.

Gators’ rush offense vs. Virginia’s rush defense

A Meyer disciple, Mullen’s team have become known for their power spread approach. This year, however, the Gators have shown a more pass-happy dimension to their offense.

His third consecutive season with at least 500 rushing yards, senior Lamical Perine has paced Florida’s backfield with 539 yards and four scores on 118 attempts (4.6 AVG).

Sophomore Dameon Pierce and redshirt freshman quarterback Emory Jones are the only two other players on the roster with at least 200 yards on the ground.

Ranking just inside the top-40 total defenses in terms of yardage, Virginia is better against the run than the pass. Juniors Zane Zandier (11.5) and Charles Snowden (10) and sophomore Noah Taylor (10) have all reached the double-digit tackles for loss mark for co-defensive coordinators Nick Howell and Kelly Poppinga.

Gators’ pass offense vs. Virginia’s pass defense

When redshirt junior Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Lexington on September 14, many Gators fans felt their anxiety levels spike.

Putting most, if not all, of these concerns to rest, fellow redshirt junior Kyle Trask has done a remarkable job in Franks’ stead. Seeing action in a total of 11 games, Trask has completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,636 yards, 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

Partially due to Trask’s success, Franks announced his intent to leave the program on December 1.

Surpassing the 600-yard milestone, sophomore tight end Kyle Pitts finished as Florida’s leaving receiver. The only other Gator to finish with 500-plus yards, redshirt senior Van Jefferson found the end zone six times and caught 43 passes.

Continuing to build on his breakout 2018 performance, senior Freddie Swain tallied a team-high seven touchdown catches on 35 receptions.

Allowing 228.2 yards per tilt through the air, junior safety Joey Blount has done a bit of everything for the Cavaliers’ defense. Snatching a team-leading three interceptions, he has also compiled six-and-a-half tackles for loss and three-and-a-half sacks.

Special teams

One of the SEC’s steadier kickers, sophomore Evan McPherson has converted on 87.5% (14-16) of his field goals for the Gators this season. As with most kickers, he has also been nearly automatic on extra points, knocking through 44-45.

In what will be his final game for Florida, redshirt senior Tommy Townsend has punted the football 40 times this season for an average of 44.5 yards.

Another honorable mention All-ACC selection, junior Brian Delaney is 20-24 (83.3%) on field goals for Virginia. Sending it away 51 times, fellow junior Nash Griffin is averaging over 41 yards per punt.

Overall

Florida won the only previous matchup between the two schools back in 1959 by a score of 44-10. UF has played in the Orange Bowl three times — in 1967, 2002 and 2009 — with the most recent victory earning them their second national title in a three-year span. This will be the first Orange Bowl appearance for Virginia, and their first New Year’s Six bowl game as well.