Getty
The Florida Gators will take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday. Florida looks to build on the momentum of their 5-1 start to the season, while Vanderbilt aims to improve upon their 3-3 record.
The game is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including all the ESPN channels. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
ESPN and ESPN 2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can also watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
Preview
Florida and Vanderbilt have met every season since 1992, a total of 26 consecutive seasons. Excluding a 2013 win for Vanderbilt, Florida has dominated these contests, including a 22-game winning streak from 1989 to 2012. Florida aims to continue this generational dominance through their excellent offensive play. According to Athlon Sports, the Gators have scored on 91.7 percent of their trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard-line, making them a top-25 team in terms of red-zone efficiency.
Vanderbilt’s defense has allowed scores on 79.2 percent of its opponent’s red-zone trips, which puts them slightly beneath the SEC average. Despite this, Florida head coach Dan Mullen will not be taking anything for granted. “I’m a believer in that if you don’t prepare the right way you can’t expect to win the game,” he told 24/7 Sports. “So I don’t know that trap game comes up as much as guys trying to catch their breath after continually proving (themselves). It becomes a mental thing. Toughness, you know?”
Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks echoed his coach’s stance. “I mean it’s another SEC road game. It’s not easy, it’s not easy to win road games, let alone just an SEC game in general,” he explained. “So can’t take them lightly. Just got to keep on preparing, keep on having really good practices. We’ve got to have a great practice today and just keep on going and going. And like Coach Mullen said, you’ve got to prepare for every team and if you don’t prepare you have the potential of losing a game.”
Vanderbilt’s defense has struggled against Florida historically, as has quarterback Kyle Shurmur. College Football News reports that Shurmur only hit 36% of his passes for 82 yards in the 2016 contest that ended 13-6, and connected on 45% of his throws in last year’s 38-24 loss. Shurmur also has to contend with Florida’s quality defense. According to the Tennessean, the Gators are ranked 10th nationally in pass defense with 145.3 yards per game and interceptions with 6.
Vanderbilt’s starting offensive lineman Bruno Reagan is confident that the team is on the cusp of a season breakthrough. “We’re so close,” he told ESPN. “We’re unbelievably close. It’s just about playing better. We’re right there. We saw that in the UGA game. We were driving up and down the field against a really good team.” Vanderbilt head coach Dave Mason is similarly hopeful. “(The) best players are going to play,” he said. “Other guys are going to get their touches intermittently. What we have to do is make sure we get the ball to our best players.”