As LSU sophomore defensive end Arden Key watched No. 23 Florida play on offense, he noticed a glaring weakness.
“[Their] offensive line [isn’t] that good in pass blocking,” Key said. “Run blocking, I feel like the right side is stronger than the left side. … We’re just ready for them to come out.”
To Key’s credit, the Gators’ offensive numbers rank near the bottom in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is 12th in the SEC in total offense and 11th in points per game. For the third straight season versus LSU, the Gators will trot out a backup quarterback in senior Austin Appleby.
Appleby, who played alongside LSU junior quarterback Danny Etling at Purdue, said he and Etling are on good terms.
“We’re not mortal enemies,” Appleby said about Etling.
During his freshman year at Purdue, Etling said he and Appleby roomed together during road football games. Etling transferred after his sophomore season because he lost the starting quarterback job to Appleby, but even after what happened at Purdue, there isn’t bad blood between the two — Etling and Appleby still keep in contact with each other.
“I wish him the best, obviously,” Etling said. “Whenever he does well, that’s good for where we were. Shows we had a lot of talent in that room. We’re good friends with each other.”
LSU also has six players from Florida, and Key said he’s friends with Florida defensive end CeCe Jefferson and defensive lineman Joey Ivie.
Jefferson is one of 11 players listed on Florida’s injury report. The Gators are expected to be down seven starters on offense and defense, which makes No. 16 LSU comfortable, Key said.
“Watching the South Carolina game this past weekend, it was just injury after injury,” Key said. “I know they’re scared to come up here because they don’t have all their stars and whatnot. We feel comfortable.”
“Either way [it goes], it was going to be hard for them to get the win, from when we first were supposed to play them and now.”
The last SEC East team to defeat LSU at home was, coincidentally, Florida. Led by Tim Tebow, the then-No. 1 Florida defeated LSU 13-3.
For a second time this season, LSU will prepare to play Florida, and this weekend’s game is just as important as it was seven weeks ago. With a Florida win, the Gators clinch the SEC East crown.
“This is a game they want to win,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “This is an SEC opponent they play every year. It’s a rivalry game for us.”
For LSU, a win could put them one game closer to playing in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2.
But Orgeron is blocking out that noise.
“Florida. Noon. Saturday,” he said. “That’s all I can think about, man.”
Instead of Florida playing its originally scheduled home game, the Gators will travel to Tiger Stadium Saturday. When asked if he empathizes with Florida’s Jim McElwain for having to travel to Tiger Stadium for a division-clinching game, Orgeron didn’t offer any sympathy.
“No,” he jabbed.
McElwain echoed the same sentiments: he’s not upset about the location of the game.
“I mean, you can sit and cry about it, or do whatever, or you can just move on,” McElwain told reporters in Gainesville. “That’s what we’ve got to do. You know what it is what it is. We’re going there to play, and that’s the way it is.”