The Florida Gators are going into a very important conference game this weekend when they welcome the LSU Tigers to the Swamp. They have found themselves struggling to gain momentum for the past year and a half, they are facing very serious outside distractions with the Treon Harris sexual assault allegations, and the program could very well be at a very crucial crossroads in their history.
The Gators find themselves at 3-1 (2-1 in SEC) and are very much in the hunt for the SEC East race due to each team having glaring flaws that could keep them from reaching Atlanta. Florida will likely still control their own destiny even if they lose this game to LSU, but they need to win this Saturday to maintain the slight momentum they began to build last week against Tennessee.
The Gators defense was much improved and cemented the fact that they can carry this team all the way to the SEC Championship. Will Muschamp finally made some adjustments on offense, including inserting Treon Harris into the game and consciously running with the quarterback more to move the chains and extend drives. They avoided a disastrous loss and extended their winning streak over the Vols to ten consecutive years.
LSU is down this year thanks in large part to being raided of talent by the NFL, finding themselves in the stacked SEC West, and battling their own quarterback competition where neither guy has stepped up to earn the job. The match-up doesn’t have the hype and anticipation that it has in recent years, but it is no less important for either team. Florida needs this game to continue to control their own destiny as they prepare for main East rivals Missouri and Georgia while LSU is already 0-2 in SEC play and desperately needs the win to save a little respect. If they drop this game they may find themselves struggling to gain bowl eligibility. They would need two wins against Kentucky, Ole Miss, Alabama, at Arkansas, and at Texas A&M.
Florida Gators vs LSU Tigers- Keys to a Gators Victory
1. Eliminate the distractions. The Gators must tune out all of the outside noise, put aside the distraction of Treon Harris being away from the team this week, and try to use the negative criticism of their play to motivate and bring this team together. This team needs to become closer as a unit and all of this outside noise may help them do just that. They may take on the “us against the world” mentality that has been very successful for football teams throughout the years. It’s going to be very difficult due to the seriousness of the allegations against Harris, along with questions about two teammates getting into a fight earlier in the week, and the uncertainty surrounding their head coach. However, nothing seems to come easy in the Will Muschamp era. This could very well be the most important key to the entire game.
2. Gators must win the ground game battle. The most important battle on the field will take place between the two competing ground attacks. The team that wins the rushing battle will win the game. The Gator offensive line played better against Tennessee, thanks in large part due to the return of D.J. Humphries, and could be better together this week. The LSU defensive front has been exposed this season and Florida should have plenty of opportunities for big gains. Matt Jones will be heavily handed the rock and he has run very well this season. Kelvin Taylor and Mack Brown could see a little more action this week in substitute roles than they have thus far in SEC competition.
LSU has a very dangerous ground attack, averaging just over 211 yards per game on the ground, centered around super freshman Leonard Fournette and steady veteran Kenny Hilliard. The duo has rushed for over 670 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. The Gator front seven may be the most talented that the Tigers have seen all season. Florida has the capability to bottle them up and keep everything between the tackles for short gains. The Gator defense has been very difficult to run against and with LSU’s inconsistent passing attack, Florida should be able to focus in on the rushing attack. LSU will have to be up for the challenge and come out ready to play a physical game.
3. Kurt Roper needs to be more creative on offense. All during spring and fall practices we heard about the new up-tempo, fast playing Kurt Roper offensive attack. We had heard that the Gators offense had received a face lift, was playing fast, and was looking to get defenses on their heels. It seems that since their first half struggles against Kentucky that resulted in just three points, Will Muschamp has put restrictions on the play-calling and the Gators have returned to a heavy ground attack that mixes in far too many bubble screens and short passes out to the wide receivers that barely cross the line of scrimmage. Kurt Roper will have to show a little more confidence in his quarterback to make accurate throws and his receivers to actually haul in catches. He needs to show a little more diversity and creativity in his play-calling and not run the plays that have been unsuccessful the past four seasons under Muschamp. Kelvin Taylor, Ahmad Fulwood, and C.J. Worton all need to be incorporated more in the game plan this week by the offensive coordinator.
4. Keep growing in the secondary and improving communication. The Gators secondary was getting a trial by fire in the first few games as they plugged in a lot of new guys, including a large number of true freshmen, and were experimenting with a bunch of different combinations and pairings. Because of all of the changing parts, they struggled at times with communication and were giving up far too many big plays against Kentucky and Alabama. They cleaned things up a bit against Tennessee and got good solid production from both Duke Dawson and Jalen Tabor, two true freshmen. They are hoping that both of these guys can continue to progress and get comfortable at the SEC level as they go up against a very talented LSU group of wide receivers. The Gators will be at home, which should help with communication, but they need to make sure that they are on the same page and that they are able to adjust on the fly when necessary.
5. Minimize mistakes. Florida has been better with penalties and playing cleaner games so far this season and they will need to continue to perform at that level. Now, they need to cut down on the mental mistakes. Far too many times wide receivers have dropped crucial third downs or easy catches. They need to focus and haul in anything close so they can help raise Jeff Driskel’s confidence at the quarterback position. Driskel also needs to take command of the huddle and the center needs to keep a very close eye on the play clock. Twice this season in crucial end-of-game situations, the Gators have snapped the ball as the play clock was striking zero. They weren’t called for a delay of game on either play, but they still need to address this and clean it up. It could come back to bite them later in the season. Muschamp also needs to stress to his players they can’t afford personal fouls like 15-yard facemasks, late hits, or unnecessary roughness penalties as we have seen on a few occasions this year already.
Key Players to Watch
1. Jeff Driskel. The junior quarterback once again finds himself entrenched as the starter after the indefinite suspension of Treon Harris. Harris was expected to see significant playing time in this game after Driskel has struggled greatly through four games (5 touchdowns, 6 interceptions). Driskel will need to elevate his game quickly since his detractors have never been louder or had more ammunition to call for a change. Will Grier was cleared for practice this week after missing two weeks due to back spasms. The freshman was expected to redshirt this season but could now see the field if Driskel struggles at home with LSU or Missouri. He’s been on the campus since the spring and is familiar with the offense.
2. Jalen Tabor. This freshman played extremely well against Tennessee and he may have won the second corner job opposite of Vernon Hargreaves III. Tabor came in as the highest-ranked cornerback in the Gator freshmen class but hadn’t seen the field consistently the first three games. He took a big leap last week and will need to continue to progress as the season continues. Once he is comfortable, him and Hargreaves could be one of the top duos in the country.
3. Duke Dawson. Much like Tabor, true freshman Duke Dawson has elevated his play over the last two weeks now that he is seeing increased playing time at one of the safety positions, and at times, the slot corner. The Gators have struggled with guarding the deep ball and have been looking for an answer at the safety position opposite Keanu Neal. They may have found it with Dawson, but he will need to prove it again this week or Brian Poole will keep his job.
4. Dante Fowler Jr./Bryan Cox Jr. The Gator defensive line is very strong and will be key in stopping a talented LSU running game. Dante Fowler Jr. is one of the best prospects in the country and he needs to be watched in every game. Bryan Cox Jr. is coming off a three sack game against Tennessee and has emerged as a very talented playmaker opposite Fowler. The duo could cause havoc in the backfield all day.
5. Demarcus Robinson/Ahmad Fulwood/C.J. Worton. The wide receiving corps has been a huge letdown so far this season. Robinson had a huge 15 catch, 200+ yard receiving game against Kentucky, but he has fallen off over the last two games, including piling up a number of drops. Kurt Roper said that both Fulwood and Worton will see increased playing time this week. Roper said we could see Worton line up in the slot for a large number of plays and he has the talent to be a big-play threat down field. Both guys will be worth keeping an eye on when the Gators have the ball and could be two targets that help Jeff Driskel come out of his recent struggles.
This is the 61st meeting between the two schools who play a yearly cross-divisional match-up. Florida leads the series 31-26-3. The longest winning streak in series history is the nine victories in a row by the Gators from 1988 to 1996. The longest winning streak by LSU is four games from 1977 to 1980.
Last 5 Meetings:
2013: LSU def. Florida 17-6
2012: Florida def. LSU 14-6
2011: LSU def. Florida 41-11
2010: LSU def. Florida 33-29
2009: Florida def. LSU 13-3
LSU is 2-3 in their last 5 trips to the Swamp in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators are 15-11-3 all-time at home against the Tigers. Will Muschamp is 1-3 against Les Miles and LSU as the head coach of the Gators. Les Miles is 5-4 in his nine years as LSU head coach against the Gators.
The game will be played Saturday, October 11th at 7:30 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.
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