Five things to know about the Florida Gators heading into Saturday’s matchup
LSU is set to travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators in The Swamp. As is usually the case when these teams meet, there’s no shortage of storylines.
It’s a meeting of first-year head coaches. Prior to taking over at Florida, Billy Napier spent the last four years at Louisiana enjoying a good run with the Rajun Cajuns. Some thought that LSU should have given him a look, but he was never seriously considered, and the Tigers opted for Brian Kelly.
I don’t believe Saturday night is any sort of referendum, but there will be one somewhere along the line, and if Napier’s tenure at Florida outdoes Kelly’s, then LSU is going to have a hard time living that down.
With that in mind, here are five things you should know about the Gators prior to kickoff on Saturday night.
Anthony Richardson
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Much like [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson has been up and down at Florida. Richardson remains one of the most dynamic players in the conference, and prior to the season, he was touted as one of the top QB prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, he’s a force to deal with in the run game. He’s averaging 5.7 yards per carry and added five touchdowns.
Through the air, it’s a little more complicated. Richardson can sling it, but some of the other traits lack consistency. He struggles to put touch on the ball and is completing just 55% of his passes. He’s thrown seven interceptions, too.
However, when he has completed passes, he’s averaging 14.6 yards per toss. He’ll hold the ball an average of 3.10 seconds per dropback, which is the longest in the SEC.
LSU is facing a player much different than it did with Tennessee and Hendon Hooker. Richardson is going to give LSU some chances to make some plays, but LSU can’t get beat on the ground.
Evaluating Billy Napier
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We discussed this a little in the intro, but given the circumstances, it deserves a deeper dive.
Napier was tossed around as a name that could end up at LSU, but there was never momentum there. LSU wanted to lure a sitting Power Five head coach and did just that in Kelly.
Napier kicked off his tenure with a big week one win over Utah but fell to a good Kentucky team in Week 2. Florida squeaked by USF before playing a competitive game at Tennessee. It is coming off a 24-17 win over Missouri.
There are some mixed results there, but nothing concerning. It’s Napier’s first year, and this is a rebuild. Napier did a good job setting expectations as he gets his infrastructure in place.
Defense is a liability
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Florida ranks 98th in the country in yards per play allowed. A struggling LSU offense is going to have some chances this week. Florida ranks 125th in opponent third down conversion rate and 91st in opponent success rate.
However, Florida is coming off a game where it allowed just 17 points but Missouri still gained 370 yards of total offense. The Gators have been able to create turnovers this year and picked off two passes last week.
LSU needs to get out there and test Florida’s passing defense. LSU found a little bit through the air against Tennessee and now has a chance to build on it against a unit that’s not as good. Florida will get a boost from the home crowd, but there’s no reason LSU shouldn’t have one of its better days on offense.
Players to know
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RBs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne
Florida’s rushing attack ranks sixth in the country in yards per carry and fourth in EPA/play. This will be the best run game LSU has faced all year.
Along with Richardson, Johnson and Etienne form a three-headed monster in the backfield. Johnson is averaging a whopping 8.0 yards per attempt and Etienne ranks fifth in the SEC in yards after contact per attempt.
LSU is going to have its hands full on Saturday night.
WR Justin Shorter
Shorter has been Florida’s top target in the passing game with 15 catches for 334 yards. His 22.3 yards per catch is one of the best numbers in the SEC.
LB Ventrell Miller
The veteran linebacker has been one of the best in the SEC. He’s racked up 24 stops to go along with seven pressures.
CB Jaydon Hill
Hill recently returned from an injury, but could be the best player in UF’s secondary. Hill’s return was good news for a struggling secondary and Florida hopes Hill continues to boost that unit over the second-half of the season.
UF's injury report
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At this point in the season, everyone is dealing with their fair share of injury issues.
Offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence is questionable with a lower-body injury. He’s graded out as the best run blocker in the SEC according to PFF and would be a noticeable absence.
Florida will be without CB Devin Moore, as well, who will miss his second straight game.
