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Florida Hosts LSU and a Litany of Recruits on Senior Day

Senior day in Gainesville is always a special occasion. Each and every senior on the roster is honored before kickoff, for their time and efforts at the University of Florida. For the seniors and, in many cases, the fans it is a bittersweet moment that is equally proud and sorrowful. After all, when you play for Dan Mullen’s Gators, there are bound to be many memorable moments from your career, to celebrate.

This Saturday night, Florida will celebrate its senior class with a hero’s send off. Among those being honored are Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes, and college football’s Cinderella story… Kyle Trask. For the seniors, it will be their final time playing in a Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that has looked much different this season. But more than this, it will be their final regular season game before traveling to Atlanta.

This weekend’s matchup against LSU features a program on the rise and one that is a shell of its former glory. LSU (3-5) faces the very real possibility that they could end the season with a losing record for the first time in over a century. What’s worse, if they lose out, they will have tied the all-time worst season for a defending champion. With consecutive losses, they would finish the season 3-7, matching the 1967 Michigan State Spartans post championship season.

Meanwhile, Florida has the opportunity to improve to 9-1 and work out as many kinks as they can before facing the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. A win in each of their next two contests means a trip to the College Football Playoff and likely, a Heisman Trophy for Kyle Trask.

When these two teams take the field on Saturday night, the Gators have everything to play for. All of their season goals are still well within reach, and some of their top recruiting targets will be in attendance. Among the list of recruits that have said they would be in Gainesville are a trio of targets that Dan Mullen and Co. would absolutely love to add to their 2021 class roster. Terrion Arnold, Xavian Sorey Jr., and Tunmise Adeleye have all teased on Twitter that they would be at The Swamp on Saturday night. All three would be major gets for the Gators’ staff.

On the field, there are several things to expect. First and foremost, Kyle Trask should have a field day with an LSU secondary that has been woeful at best. The Tigers are the SEC’s worst pass defense this season. They rank 124th nationally in yards per attempt and 118th in explosive plays allowed. Although they still have the extremely talented Derek Stingley Jr., he is only one man and can’t be in all places at all times. With Kyle Pitts, Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland, and a host of younger receivers, the LSU secondary will have to pick their poison.

Beyond the obvious lethality of the Florida passing attack, I expect Dan Mullen to try to breathe some life into the running game. After several weeks of futility, they need to reestablish themselves as a unit that is capable of creating some balance. Because of this, there is a chance that we see another “low scoring” performance from the offense. However, if Florida is able to find some success in the running game–a possibility considering that LSU is allowing over four yards per carry this season–then the opposite could be true, and we might just see another 6-touchdown performance from Trask.

On the defensive side of the ball, Florida will need to establish themselves as a presence in the backfield early and often. Max Johnson has gotten the starting nod and has shown himself to be capable in limited action. However, if the Gators are able to make the Tigers one dimensional and create havoc in the backfield, it will be a long day for Ed Orgeron and LSU. This scenario could mean that we see a career day from Kaiir Elam who is a top five defensive back in the SEC.

Florida enters the game as a -22 point favorite. Despite several slow starts in the past few weeks, I expect the Gators to cover this spread. They will be looking to send the seniors out with a memorable performance against the defending national champions. It is for this reason that I pick Florida to win, 49-21.

Florida hosts LSU on Senior Day, live from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night. The game will be televised, with the broadcast beginning on ESPN at 7:00 PM EST.