Week 7: LSU at Florida

This battle of the last two national champions should be one of Saturday’s marquee match-ups. Florida’s national title hopes could be the on the line Saturday night. After an early season defeat to Ole Miss, the Gators can’t afford another loss, particularly in a tight SEC East race. LSU comes into this game ranked as one of the top five teams in the country and a win by the Tigers would show this team is more than capable of repeating as national champions.

The Gators have struggled to move the ball at times this year, but they still have plenty of firepower. Quarterback Tim Tebow is completing 61.7 percent of his passes this season and eight touchdowns to only one interception. The junior quarterback is not posting the monster offensive numbers from last year, but the Gators are a better overall team. One of the blueprints established for beating the Gators is to blitz Tebow and keep him inside of the pocket. The Tigers have a solid defensive front and they’ll be facing a Florida offensive line that has struggled this year. If the Gators can protect Tebow, receivers Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy will have opportunities downfield. Harvin needs to see at least 20 touches, but establishing Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey on the ground will also be crucial.

Redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee has emerged as the LSU starting quarterback, but this will be his biggest test. Saturday night in the Swamp is never an easy task for a veteran quarterback, much less a freshman. With a young quarterback taking snaps, expect the Tigers to lean on running back Charles Scott. The junior has rushed for 535 yards and six touchdowns this season, including a 100-yard effort in all four contests. Considering the Gators rank 20th in the NCAA in rushing defense, rushing lanes could be hard to come by for the Tigers. The Gators will look to stuff Scott on early downs and force Lee to beat them through the air.

Notes:

Florida holds a 28-23-3 series edge over LSU. The Gators have a slight 13-10-3 lead over the Tigers in games played in Gainesville.

Florida running back Emmanuel Moody continues to battle a high ankle sprain and is not expected to play against LSU.

Both teams have been solid in the turnover department this year. The Gators are tied for second in turnovers lost with four and the Tigers are tied for sixth with five.

Defensive tackles Ricky Jean-Francois, Charles Alexander and linebacker Darry Beckwith are all nursing injuries for LSU, but could play in Saturday’s game.

Key Player (Tigers) – Jarrett Lee, QB

Lee has played relatively well in two starts, but there’s no question this will be the biggest game he’s played in this year. The redshirt freshman is completing 58.4 percent of his passes, along with tossing six touchdowns to three interceptions. With a solid defense and rushing game, the Tigers don’t need a huge passing effort, but they cannot afford a sloppy performance by Lee.

Key Player (Gators) – Jeff Demps/Chris Rainey, RB

Demps and Rainey are coming off 100-yard efforts against Arkansas, but they have a much tougher test against LSU. Quarterback Tim Tebow and receiver Percy Harvin are the go-to guys, but Demps and Rainey’s emergence would help defenses from keying too much on the passing game.

Gators by 3