LSU faces a struggling Florida team Saturday in Tiger Stadium at 2:30 p.m. But at his weekly press luncheon Monday, LSU coach Nick Saban said a program like the Gators’ must be respected, no matter what their record might be.
“There are certain teams in the country that have great traditions and that are elite teams in our league,” Saban said. “Regardless of what their record is or where they are right now, they still have that status. When you have success against those teams, that is the only way you get to their peer level or peer group. And Florida certainly has that in our league.”
Saban said Florida may just be the school held in highest esteem in the Southeastern Conference despite its 3-3 record.
“They probably are the school tradition-wise that has had the most success the last 12-to-15 years,” Saban said. “The players and people in the country, regardless of what the situation is, it’s like playing a Notre Dame. There is a certain elite status that goes with that. And I hope that everybody understands that this team [Florida] has excellent players on both sides of the ball. They are a very good football team, and they’re very capable of being as good as anybody in our league.”
Florida true freshman quarterback Chris Leak, one of the most highly sought after signal callers in the country out of high school, has impressed Saban. Leak started for the first time Sept. 27 in the Gators’ 24-21 win at Kentucky and remains the starter for Saturday’s tilt. He is 68-for-111 for 661 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season.
“He certainly hasn’t handled his situation like a freshman,” Saban said of Leak. “He has played, I think, very well for them.”
Saban said he thinks quarterback Matt Mauck has improved drastically from last season’s Florida game, when he led LSU to a 36-7 win at “The Swamp,” but also was knocked out for the season when a Gator defender rolled up on his foot late in the game.
“I think Matt has improved a lot as a passing quarterback,” Saban said. “Last year, we ran the ball and mixed it up. He ran the ball some against them. He probably had his best game throwing the football to that point in the season against good competition. This year he’s been a little bit more consistent in terms of the passing game. But I think that’s a team thing.”
Saban also said some of his offseason concerns about the defense have been alleviated, but the defense needs to continue improving.
“We had concerns on defense,” Saban said. “We have some young players back there playing. I’m not disappointed in the way we’ve played on defense at all. With the concerns that we had, things had to fall in place for us. And at this point, so far, I’m pleased with the way things have fallen in place.”
Safety Jack Hunt and running back Shyrone Carey, both who suffered sprained medial collateral ligaments in LSU’s game against Mississippi State, remain questionable for Saturday’s game against Florida.
“Both guys are making good progress,” Saban said. “But it’s probably too early to tell if they’ll be able to practice later in the week. And if they can practice later in the week, they probably can play in the game.”