Florida linebacker James Houston IV made a shot in Oklahoma on Tuesday prior to their meeting in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on December 30.
Houston, a junior redshirt, was asked about playing in the Big 12 area at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He said he was not concerned that Oklahoma would have some form of home advantage.
“Oklahoma is a good match, but they are not at our level.” he continued. They are not the SEC. They are not the Florida Gators. So we have to put on a good show. ‘
Houston’s comments were in stark contrast to the rest of his teammates.
Wide receiver Justin Shorter called Oklahoma “a pretty good team.”
Quarterback Kyle Trask had only seen a Sooners movie, but was impressed.
“They have some solid players,” he said. “We’ll just have to draw up a good game plan and just execute it.”
Oklahoma, whose season got off to a rocky start 1-2, has since had seven consecutive wins, including a Big 12 Championship last Saturday, finishing at number 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Florida, which ranks seventh, has suffered back-to-back losses against the unranked LSU and No. 1 Alabama in the SEC championship game.
The Gators will be without star-tight Kyle Pitts after the Biletnikoff Award finalist announced earlier this week that he was opting out to prepare for the NFL draft.