The fifth ranked Florida Gators and ninth ranked LSU Tigers meet Saturday, Oct 7 at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) in Gainesville. Florida holds a 27-22-3 lead in the all-time series and is 12-10-3 at home against the Tigers. In Urban Meyers second season the Gators are 5-0 overall with a 3-0 SEC mark after defeating Alabama last Saturday in Gainesville 28-13. LSU owns a 4-1 record and is 1-1 in league play after the Tigers defeated Mississippi State, 48-17, last weekend in Baton Rouge.
For a few years now the LSU Tigers have been a thorn in the sides of the Florida Gators. The once mighty Gators would like to regain that moniker but they must go through the Tigers to get it. Under Steve Spurrier, Florida was the measuring stick for all the wannabes in the SEC and the nation. Now the shoe is on the other ….Paw. Tiger paw that is, winners of three of the last four meetings and the last two played in Florida’s swamp. To a Gator supporter that is an atrocity. Maybe that is why the Zooker is now coaching at Illinois and Urban Meyer is in his second year after moving over from Utah.
Gator’s senior quarterback Chris Leak has thrown 14 touchdown passes this season a total tied for second highest nationally. His 14 touchdown passes through five games are already over half of the 20 he threw for last season. Leak has given way to true freshman quarterback Tim Tebow especially in third down situations. Tebow carried the ball nine times for 28 yards against Kentucky and has run the ball 32 times for 193 yards this season.
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When throwing the ball, Leak will be looking for senior wide-out Dallas Baker who caught a 21-yard touchdown against Alabama to raise his total for the season to five. He has caught a touchdown in six of the last seven games. Baker had five touchdowns his entire sophomore and junior seasons.
With his start for the Gators against Alabama, running back DeShawn Wynn became the first Florida running back under head coach Urban Meyer to start five consecutive games. Wynn rushed for 104 yards on 14 carries against Kentucky, giving him back-to-back games with 100-yards rushing for the first time in his career. Prior to the game, Wynn averaged just 56 yards following his previous 100-yard performances during his career.
LSU junior quarterback JaMarcus Russell is the current SEC player of the week after throwing for a career-best 330 yards and tied a career-high with three touchdown passes in LSU’s 48-17 win over Mississippi State.
LSU, which leads the SEC in scoring at 38 points per game and is third in total offense at 412 yards a contest, also boasts the nation’s best defense. The Tigers lead the country in total defense at 193.4 yards per game, have yielded just 7.4 points a contest and conceded just four touchdowns in their five games.
“We can’t have early turnovers or miscues in this game, “ Gator’s quarterback Leak said. “Obviously great teams like LSU will capitalize on them and put points on the board. We have to make sure we stay on schedule and make plays that need to be made. LSU is a great team defensively. They have a lot of veterans. They are a disciplined defense and do a great job running the ball. We will have to play our best football to be successful.”
Florida is currently a 1.5-point favorite in what is expected to be a close game. In spite of both schools high-powered offenses, expect this game to be a defensive battle.
Prediction: Defense prevails and LSU wins SU.
