Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — So less than 48 hours earlier, the Florida Gators put together their best start-to-finish offensive showing of the season, though not without some calamity, in putting away Vanderbilt late for a 38-24 victory. And, maybe about 40 hours earlier, LSU was gashed at home by three-touchdown underdog Troy, which handed the then-No. 25 Tigers a 24-21 loss that marked their first home defeat to a non-league opponent in 17 years and, frankly, was not as close as the score might indicate.

So a question was put to UF coach Jim McElwain during his weekly Monday gathering with the press; a question about the possibility the Gators (3-1, 3-0), winners of three straight and alone atop the Southeastern Conference East Division, might overlook the Tigers when they visit Spurrier/Florida Field on Saturday.

"Us? Overlook somebody?" McElwain asked incredulously. "Wow."

No further explanation was necessary.

Despite losing quarterback Luke Del Rio to a broken collarbone in his first start of the season, the Florida offense had some encouraging moments under the direction of backup Feleipe Franks. The most encouraging was a running game that totaled 218 yards, with more than half coming from true freshman Malik Davis, who carried 17 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including a 39-yard scoring run with 1:32 left to seal the game. That's two straight weeks the offense gained at least 186 yards on the ground.

Franks, the redshirt freshman, responded nicely after being benched the week before in favor of Del Rio at Kentucky. He hit 10 of his 14 throws for 185 yards.

With a season-high 467 yards of total offense, the Gators moved to 10th in the SEC in that category and ninth in rushing. They were last in both in 2016.



"Feleipe has been growing ever since the first game. I feel like he's going to get even better and better each week as games go by," right tackle Jawaan Taylor said. "It's been very encouraging the way the offense has been gelling lately. It's paying off on Saturdays."

Added McElwain: "[We] played with a little more consistency on offense and that was good to see. The energy of our offensive line was really good."

The latter needs to continue as the offense looks to trend upward against an LSU defense that ranks fifth in the conference, allowing 310.2 yards a game. The UF offensive line, remember, was billed as the strength of the team from way back during spring practice. Since the season-opening struggles against Michigan the unit has seemingly improved with each week — and now has something of an identity when it comes to running the ball.

"It definitely was a wake-up call," offensive guard Brett Heggie said, looking back to the Michigan game and the performance since. "What we're capable of doing, we haven't even shown that yet. We haven't even lived up to our potential yet."

As they search for that potential, the Gators apparently will have to do so this week without their best wide receiver, sophomore Tyrie Cleveland, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the second half against Vandy and is not expected to play against the Tigers and their very good secondary.

Cleveland has caught 15 passes this season for 326 yards — that's an average of 21.6 — and two touchdowns, among them the "Hail Mary" bomb that beat Tennessee as time expired. Cleveland has six catches of at least 20 yards. Only one other UF receiver has as many as two.

So someone will have to assert themselves in in the passing game against that other program that claims the moniker "DBU."    

"It definitely hurts a lot," sophomore wide receiver Josh Hammond, who's gone two straight games without a catch, said of Cleveland's injury. "He was a big problem for defenses. Definitely a big, vertical, deep threat and definitely helped takes things off a lot of other guys. It'll be a next-man-up mentality and I think other guys in our room will be ready to play."

The Gators will be getting a wounded version of the Tigers. Both mentally and emotionally after losing to a Sun Belt Conference team at home, plus banged up, to boot.

LSU gained 428 yards of offense against the Trojans, but torpedoed itself with four turnovers that helped dig deficits of 17-0 and 24-7 before the Tigers scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the game look close.

Tailback Derrius Guice, a preseason All-SEC pick after rushing for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, did not play against Troy and was deemed "questionable" Monday for this week's by Tigers coach Ed Orgeron. Guice was one of four injured starters who missed the game, along with offensive right tackle Toby Weathersby, tight end J.D. Moore and defensive end Rashard Lawrence.

That LSU was not at full strength against Troy surely will be emphasized to the Gators this week.

Much more so than the upset loss.

"I know the last game they were without a whole bunch of guys and I'm sure they'll be all hands-on deck when they come in here and play us," McElwain said. "That's the way it should be. This is a good rivalry."

That it is. Florida leads the all-time series 32-28-3, with the two teams playing annually since 1971.

Their 2016 meeting was extra spicy, what with the game, scheduled for Oct. 8 in Gainesville, being postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Matthew and — after some bitter back-and-forth — being moved to Baton Rouge five weeks later. The Gators went there as near double-digit underdogs and upset LSU 16-10 when they stuffed Guise on the goal line as time expired, an outcome that clinched a second straight SEC East Division crown for Florida.

Exactly everyone, from both sides, will remember that outcome and its aftermath.

"It meant a lot to win that game," sophomore linebacker David Reese said. "And it would mean a lot to win this game in the 'Swamp' this year."