After being humbled by Tennessee at home, LSU’s schedule doesn’t get much easier, now facing Florida on the road.
This is an evenly matched game on paper, but LSU enters the matchup having won its last three games against Florida. Florida enters this game as a slight favorite, but many are still expecting an even game.
Leading up to the game, I got the chance to talk to Joseph Henry of The Alligator, who serves as Sports Editor and covers Florida football. Here is the conversation I had with Joseph and what he had to say about this Florida team.
Rauterkus: What’s the feeling around Gainesville with how the season has started and what’s fan reception been like for Billy Napier so far?
Henry: While Florida fans do have a reputation for being generally volatile, their reception of Napier has been favorable. From my perspective, a 4-2 record to this point and a big-time home win to start the season should be celebrated. This is a team that Napier inherited from a coach who stopped caring months before his firing. It was never going to be an amazing first season, and most Gators fans knew this. However, the win over Utah changed things… expectations started being made.
UF fans jumped the gun on a lot of things and so did everyone else. Florida’s crazy rise in the AP Poll looks pretty silly more than a month removed. Napier is still doing the right things, though. He handles the media well, consistently demonstrates that he cares immensely about the program and has forged some great relationships with his players.
This season’s results aside, Florida supporters would be unreasonable to have anything but optimistic thoughts about Napier and his staff.
Rauterkus: Looking at how Florida has played so far, many could describe it as up and down or even erratic. What’s been the cause of some on the inconsistencies?
Henry: Florida has shown basically all season its tendency to play up or down to its opponent. The one exception to this being last week’s thumping of Eastern Washington. Excluding that game and Kentucky, which was a 10-point loss, the Gators have played single- possession games consistently this season.
UF showed up in week one against the Utes and again in Knoxville versus Tennessee. The Gators have also come out flat against teams like South Florida and Missouri. Napier harps on consistency, but he rarely gets it. Some weeks his quarterback, Anthony Richardson, looks like the best player on the field. Other weeks, he’s stifled on the ground, making poor decisions and racking up turnovers.
The word you used, erratic, is the perfect way to describe this team. Even from the perspective of someone who watches the Gators every week, I don’t know which version of the squad has shown up until the game is already happening.
Rauterkus: What impact has Anthony Richardson had on the offense both positive and negative? How would you assess his season so far relative to expectations?
Henry: AR is a great football player. I don’t think there are any questions about that. However, he’s still inexperienced and will make some mistakes here and there. More often than not, he relies on his top-level athletic ability to make plays. I’d say on any given week he’s probably one of, if not the best athlete on the field.
His fundamentals are still developing. Despite being in the spotlight so heavily, he’s still started less than 10 games in college. The expectations weren’t through the roof entering this season, but his performance against Utah changed everything. I mean shoot, even us at the Alligator ran a column calling Richardson “Him.”
The offense trends up and down as his play does, even with an electric crop of running backs to take off some of the load. Richardson’s performance also varies depending if he’s playing on the road or at home — and sometimes he arguably looks better away from the Swamp. Most people jumped the gun on AR this season. We jumped the gun on AR. This doesn’t make him a bad player at all, I think with more time he’s going to be a Heisman contender type of player. It’s just not this season.
Rauterkus: Florida has been very successful running the ball so far. What’s been the cause of that success?
Henry: The formula for the Gators success on the ground is a simple one: better than expected play from the offensive line plus a stable of three starting caliber running backs. Redshirt sophomore Nay’Quan Wright has topped the depth chart every week this season, until this week. While Wright hasn’t played poorly, his two backfield teammates have looked just a touch more dynamic on the field. Sophomore Montrell Johnson Jr. — who followed Napier to Florida from Louisiana — and freshman Trevor Etienne now sit atop the depth chart. Johnson is averaging 8 yards per carry this season, while Etienne is averaging 6.8. All three get equal work, with each back totaling more than 40 attempts this season.
Napier usually keeps them in a pretty standard rotation, but he can ride the hot hand every now and then. As the season progresses, I’m interested to see how their usage continues to change.
Rauterkus: What are the strengths and weaknesses of Florida’s defense?
Henry: When talking about the Florida defense and its strengths it’s easiest to highlight specific players. From the defensive line to the secondary each unit has highs and lows. Some specific names, however, stand out on a weekly basis.
Redshirt senior linebacker Ventrell Miller is a monster. When he’s on the field he gets involved in nearly every play. Last week against Missouri, he racked up 10 solo tackles, a tackle assist and two tackles for loss. I don’t know if the Gators escape with that win if it weren’t for his excellent performance. Miller currently leads all power-5 linebackers with 87.9 Pro Football Focus grade through the first six weeks.
In the secondary, it’s a mixed bag. In his second game back from an ACL injury that caused him to miss all of last season and the first four games this year, redshirt sophomore Jaydon Hill played his best game at Florida. Two interceptions, one of which was a pick six, earned him SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He will look to build off that outing against the Tigers.
Other names to watch out for [including] safety Rashad Torrence II, cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., linebacker Amari Burney and defensive end Brenton Cox Jr.
Rauterkus: What does the LSU game (rivalry) mean to Florida and Florida fans? What feelings/memories do Florida fans associate with the LSU game?
Henry: The structure of the SEC is so special. The divisions breathe life into some of the greatest rivalries in college football. Each team’s yearly cross-divisional opponent is seated close to the top of the list. While LSU doesn’t rank among the hatred for Georgia or Florida State, Gators fans do not like the Tigers.
The past decade alone has gifted us some iconic games. Of the most recent games I feel like three will stick out to Florida fans.
2016 – the game is moved to Baton Rouge and Florida beats LSU 16-10. The hit from linebacker Vosean Joseph on LSU quarterback Danny Etling gets brought up every single year now. So does the four-play goal line stand for the Gators to seal the win.
2018 – Florida upsets No. 5 LSU at home 27-19. The interception of Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow by Brad Stewart Jr. is easily one of the most iconic moments from the Dan Mullen era.
2020 – This one is a bad memory for the Gators. Florida had clinched the SEC east and overlooked the Tigers. An off night from quarterback Kyle Trask, tight end Kyle Pitts missing the game and one thrown shoe later… UF was upset at home under a cloud of fog. The darkest night of what could’ve been a special season in Gainesville.
Rauterkus: Lastly, how do you see this game playing out and what’s your score prediction?
Henry: This game has the potential to become a loaded highlight reel. Both offenses boast explosive playmakers, while the defenses have been susceptible to big plays. Heading into the bye week, I think Napier gets the Gators locked in for this home game similar to how they started the season against Utah.
Richardson will finally be given free rein to use his legs again, and he will hit some passes downfield to deep threats Florida’s scarcely used. LSU is going to rack up yardage and score frequently, but I believe the Gators defense bends but doesn’t break down the stretch. It’ll be a one score game, and the Swamp will be a factor.
Prediction: Florida 31-24 LSU
