Florida and LSU renew their rivalry in Baton Rouge Saturday. Florida enters the contest seeking a win to reach bowl eligibility.
The following are our staff’s predictions for Florida vs LSU:
Carson Euverard – After a disappointing win last week the road will only get tougher for Billy Napier and the Gators. Shamar James’ absence was clear against Arkansas, as first time play-caller Kenny Guiton led the Razorbacks to 481 yards on offense. The defense will have their hands full in Death Valley whether Jayden Daniels or Garrett Nussmeier plays. The defense still has growing pains to work through.
The offense has run well with Graham Mertz but I don’t see them winning a shootout. Tigers win at home 38-23.
Alyssa Britton-Harr – Florida looks to make a comeback this week after their tough loss to Arkansas in overtime last week. The Gators are known to struggle on the road and with the teams previous two losses both sides of the ball have not been played as expected. LSU fans will for sure bring the heat Saturday in Death Valley. UF has a tough schedule the next three weeks and it’s crucial for the Gators to run the ball more effectively. On the defensive side, Florida needs to focus on protecting Mertz and find ways to adapt with either man or zone coverage for what works best against the Tigers. A matchup against a highly ranked team is always exciting, but I believe LSU will take the win Saturday. LSU 40-24.
Hugh Green – Coming off a disappointing loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks last week, the Gators will now get into what is probably their toughest three-week stretch of the season that starts with a trip to Death Valley to face LSU. The Tigers come into this week’s game at No. 19 in the College Football Playoff rankings with a 6-3 record. LSU fell at Alabama last week, so both teams will be looking for a bounce back in Baton Rouge.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is listed as probable this week after sustaining a head injury in the second half against the Crimson Tide. If he is able to go, Florida will have to look out for Daniels becoming a dual threat. He currently leads the Tigers in rushing yards with 684 and has six rushing touchdowns to go along with his 27 passing touchdowns. After giving up just under 100 rushing yards to KJ Jefferson last week, this will be something that Billy Napier’s defense will have to clean up against Daniels.
This will be a tough matchup for the Gators in all facets of the game, and a night game in Death Valley is something opposing teams never look forward to. LSU 37-27.
Regan Roberts – The 5-4 Gators are in need of 1 more win to become bowl eligible, but in their way are 3 opponents that will give the Gators a tough time. Both Florida and LSU are coming off of losses, Florida in a tough overtime to Arkansas and LSU to Alabama in a game that many thought would be closer than the final score showed.
Mertz didn’t perform his best last game, but it wasn’t awful, going 26 for 42 on passes, throwing for 282 yards. The Gators run and pass game will need to be complete for any chance at LSU. As well as their special teams who cost them last week’s game, although they will have learned their lesson from last week and won’t be a problem this week.
The Gators will put up a decent fight, but LSU will just be too much to handle for the Gators who just can’t seem to look like a complete team recently. LSU 42-10.
Brian Fox – Florida’s defense has struggled mightily in SEC play. Saturday, they face one of the top offenses in the nation. Regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Tigers, Florida will have to score, score, and score some more. This game has shootout written all over it. Can the Gators keep up? I don’t think so, LSU, 44-24.
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Florida and LSU are scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 PM with the game being broadcast on SEC Netwoek.