Death Valley Looms for the Gators
After Florida’s disheartening 39-36 overtime loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in The Swamp last Saturday, the Gators must bounce back quickly, as they travel to Death Valley to take on the LSU Tigers at 7:30 PM EST on SEC Network.
“Our team has turned the page,” Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier said in his press conference Monday.
“We play LSU in Baton Rouge. Death Valley is obviously one of the better venues in all of college sports having played there a couple of different times and as a competitor. I think for our players, it’s a challenge you look forward to….”
This will be the most hostile road environment that the Gators play in front of this season and LSU will be looking to avenge a loss of their own, as they fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide 42-28 in Tuscaloosa last Saturday.
Florida hasn’t beaten LSU since 2018 and hasn’t beaten LSU in Baton Rouge since 2016. Since 2012, this game has been decided by 14 points or less. In more recent history, this matchup has had some memorable moments, both positive and negative for the Gators.
For instance, in 2020, LSU went into The Swamp, in a dense and eery fog, and won on a game-winning field goal that was even possible due to a cleat toss from Florida CB Marco Wilson. In 2016, when the Gators last won in Death Valley, it took a goal-line stand in the final seconds of the game for the Gators to come out on top.
This matchup certainly doesn’t lack drama and it’s almost guaranteed that something wild or strange is going to happen on Saturday.
Will LSU QB Jayden Daniels Play Against Florida?
LSU Tigers QB Jayden Daniels (5) – Gary Cosby Jr./USA TODAY Sports
LSU lost to Alabama, but they also lost their starting QB Jayden Daniels, who put on an excellent performance against the Crimson Tide before getting concussed on a hit delivered by Alabama LB Dallas Turner.
Whether Daniels will play or not against Florida is uncertain as of right now, as he was placed into concussion protocol after suffering the injury.
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly said of Daniels’ status on Wednesday, “Yeah, he worked out this morning, and it appears as though that workout went well, which is the last stage before he’s cleared for non-contact practice, so we’re expecting him to practice today.”
Kelly added that if Daniels went through practice without any issue, he would be cleared for contact Thursday.
Daniels’ backup is Garrett Nussmeier, who came in for him against Alabama once he went out with a concussion.
Napier commented on preparing for both quarterbacks in his press conference Monday.
“We’ll prepare for both. They’re definitely different players, but they’re both very capable and think ultimately, they do a nice job distributing the ball to the skill they have.”
If Daniels does play, the Gators defense has a difficult task ahead of them.
Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson ran for 92 yards on 17 carries in the Razorbacks win over the Gators. Before Daniels got knocked out of the game against Alabama, he had 163 yards rushing on just 11 carries. The Gators must be able to defend both the designed QB runs and scramble plays significantly better than they did against the Razorbacks.
If they don’t, it’s going to be a long night for the Gators defense.
Prevent LSU LB Harold Perkins From Wrecking the Game
LSU Tigers LB Harold Perkins (4) – Vasha Hunt/Associated Press
On offense, the Gators have to keep game-wrecking LSU LB Harold Perkins from, well, wrecking the game. The Gators coaching staff is very familiar with Perkins, as they heavily recruited him during the 2022 recruiting cycle and were one of the finalists in his recruitment.
Perkins is incredibly versatile, as he rushes the passer off the edge and drops back into coverage, so the Gators offensive line must account for Perkins on every snap.
The Gators Need to Get the Running Game Going and Not Abandon It
Florida Gators RB Trevor Etienne (7) – Ashley Ray/Florida Athletics
Something the Gators have gone away from far to early the past few games is the running game on offense. RBs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne need to touch the ball more in the running game and the Gators need to not abandon it as early as they have been.
There is extra motivation behind relying on Johnson and Etienne more often on offense against LSU due to both of them being from the state of Louisiana. Johnson is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and Etienne is from Jennings, Louisiana.
Johnson spoke about the LSU matchup in a press conference earlier this week, saying that LSU recruited him but never offered him, despite calling him “the best [running]back in the state.”
“There’s a lot of motivation. I just wanna show those coaches, you know, that atmosphere what I can do, what they kind of missed out on.”
The running game can be utilized to neutralize a hostile environment like Death Valley. If the Gators can run the ball efficiently early and then keep going to it, the offense will be able to score points on the Tigers.
Don’t Allow LSU WR Malik Nabers to Get Behind the Defense
The Gators cornerbacks are going to have their hands full defending LSU WR Malik Nabers, who is one of the best receivers in the SEC and the entire country.
Nabers is coming off a great performance against Alabama, catching 10 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. Nabers is LSU’s best playmaker on offense and preventing him from going over the top is going to be quite a challenge for the Gators secondary, no matter who is throwing him the football for the Tigers.
Battle on the Interior: Maason Smith vs. Kingsley Eguakun/Jake Slaughter
LSU Tigers DL Maason Smith (0) – Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
An individual battle that will have a big impact on the game is LSU DT Maason Smith vs. Gators center Kingsley Eguakun.
Eguakun left the Arkansas game and then returned after re-aggravating his foot injury that has plagued him the entire season. That said, Eguakun was not listed on the injury report so it appears Eguakun will start.
Eguakun is going to have his hands full blocking against Smith, especially whilst dealing with an injury.
Gators DL Jack Pyburn Out for the Season
Florida Gators DL Jack Pyburn (44) – Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
After losing LB Shemar James to a season-ending injury last week, Florida is losing another defensive player for the season due to injury. Defensive end Jack Pyburn, who started in place of the injured Tyreak Sapp against Arkansas, tore his ACL against Arkansas and is out for the remainder of the season. The Gators will have to rely upon true freshmen defensive linemen Kelby Collins, T.J. Searcy, and Kamran James even more now with Pyburn being out.
Final Thoughts
The Gators are still one win way from bowl eligibility and going into Baton Rouge is no easy task. If Florida can control time of possession through the run game and avoid any self-inflicted mistakes, they have a chance to get the upset over the Tigers.
