GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida head coach Dan Mullen wanted a sellout and he got one.
The Gators announced Friday morning that Saturday's game against LSU is sold out, the first in three years at the Swamp.
Think about it.
Two teams ranked in the AP Top 25. National TV on CBS. Two proud Southeastern Conference rivals with storied histories. Tim Tebow and the 2008 national champion Gators back on campus for a 10-year anniversary celebration.
If you like college football -- and apparently you do -- these are the games that make your legs bounce when you wake up on Saturday morning.
The Gators (4-1, 2-1) are coming off an impressive road win at Mississippi State that got fans excited about the possibilities with No. 5-ranked LSU (5-0, 2-0) in town for a visit. The Gators have climbed back into the national rankings with three consecutive wins.
If they can make it four in a row, they open the imagination to bigger and better possibilities.
In this week's edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-LSU matchup:
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS DB CHAUNCEY GARDNER-JOHNSON
Q:Does the Donovan Stiner blitz we saw at Mississippi State open up like that at practice? Gardner-Johnson A: All the time. I mean, you can't block that play. We're going to call it plenty more times. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but this time Coach Grantham called it and we had to go execute it and make a play.
Q:What's a Florida-LSU game like?
A: It always hurt. Always hurt, if you're on the winning side or losing side. You know, physically you're worn down and grinded all game. Losing side, it's hard. You fought so hard to fall short. A lot of guys out there are ready to get after it.
Q:Thoughts on Tim Tebow and 2008 Gators being honored Saturday?
A: I mean, congratulations. No disrespect. He's done a lot for the program, done a lot for this school. But it's our time ow, so we got to set our own legacy. He's watching like everyone else, you know. We gotta go out there and produce and have our own legacy and just continue to add to the greats like those we were here before.
THREE STORYLINES
Florida can take another big step with a victory over the fifth-ranked Tigers. The Gators have won three in a row since their home loss to Kentucky and have an opportunity to remain in the thick of the SEC race with a victory.
The Gators' 14 takeaways are tied for the national lead with Kansas despite not forcing a turnover in last week's win at Mississippi State. Meanwhile, LSU is one of four teams nationally that has not thrown an interception. UF's pass defense against Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow is a matchup to watch considering the Tigers are averaging 26.4 pass attempts per game.
The Gators announced Friday that the game is sold out, their first sellout since the 2015 game at the Swamp against Florida State. For a program trying to engage the fan base, Saturday should be an electric atmosphere. Yes, it's a big game, but Tim Tebow is going into the Ring of Honor. That guarantees it.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
While Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow is the first LSU quarterback to lead his team to a pair of wins over top-10 teams in his first three games, Gators sophomore Feleipe Franks continues to show signs of improvement. Franks' streak of six consecutive games with one or more touchdown passes ended at Mississippi State, but he executed the game plan and finished 22 of 31 for 219 yards, the second-most of his career.
LSU linebacker Devin White (6-1, 240) anchors the middle of defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's unit. White's name has surfaced more than any other LSU player this week and he figures to be a dominant force on the field Saturday. White has a team-leading 44 tackles, including five tackles for loss and one sack.
Gators sophomore receiver Kadarius Toney threw a 20-yard touchdown pass on a lateral from Franks in the win at Mississippi State. Toney's scoring strike to tight end Moral Stephens put the Gators up for good in the second half. Toney has 12 offensive touches through five games – six runs, five receptions, one pass – for 146 yards, an average of 12.2 yards.
THREE DIGITS
44 –Points off turnovers scored by the Gators in 12 games a season ago. 43 – Points off turnovers scored by the Gators five games into the 2018 season. 14-0 –LSU's record in 26 games under head coach Ed Orgeron when the team has a 100-yard rusher.
"He was a real leader that demanded a lot out of his teammates. I seen it in practice and on the field. He was a guy that you would want to have on your team because he would never let anything slide. He was a legend here. That's a guy we respect much." – Gators receiver Josh Hammond on Tim Tebow
"All we need is seven points. The defense is going to come out and do our thing. We're going to come out and we're going to ball. We're going to play hard, run to the ball and be physical. All we need is seven points and our offense to manage the game and get good field position. The defense, we should do the rest." – Gators defensive back Brad Stewart
"I think our guys are starting to see the value of when you rotate guys, you can keep guys fresh. Our guys are buying into it." – Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on rotating players in and out of the lineup
The Gators and LSU have met every season since 1971, a streak that continues with each serving as the permanent cross-division opponent on the SEC schedule. A glance at some of most memorable games in the rivalry:
Danny Wuerffel directs Gators to 645 yards of offense
1997
Baton Rouge
LSU 28, UF 21
No. 1 Gators lose 5 turnovers, 25-game SEC W streak
2006
Gainesville
UF 23, LSU 10
Tim Tebow to Tate Casey on jump-pass touchdown
2007
Baton Rouge
LSU 28, UF 24
Tebow's phone-call celebration was busy at end
2016
Baton Rouge
UF 16, LSU 10
Gators clinch SEC East title with goal-line stand
NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS
The Gators lead the all-time series against LSU 33-29-3, including a 15-13-3 record in Gainesville. However, LSU has won six of eight and the last four games between the rivals have been decided by seven points or less.
Gators safety Shawn Davis made his season debut against Mississippi State after missing the first four game due to a knee injury. Davis finished with two tackles and a pass break-up. According to Pro Football Focus, he graded out as one of the top five safeties in the SEC.
An interesting note from the Baton Rouge Advocate: in the 30 games Dave Aranda has been LSU's defensive coordinator, the Tigers are 19-0 when they score following the defense forcing a three-and-out. In games they haven't, the Tigers are 3-8.
Former Gators coach Steve Spurrier and former LSU coach Les Miles, who both have gigs as pitchmen for Dos Equis beer, have a friendly wager on the game. Spurrier responded to Miles' offer of a wager with this response on Twitter: "Shoot, we're going to win on Saturday. If we don't, I'll eat some of that grass of yours. When we do win, you're wearing my visor!"
Tigers running back Nick Brossette is ranked fourth in the SEC in rushing at 96.2 yards per game. Brossette has 481 yards on 103 attempts. Brossette opened the season with back-to-back 100-yard games against Miami and Southeastern Louisiana.
Florida's road win at then-No. 23-ranked Mississippi State was only its fourth victory on the road against a ranked opponent since 2010. The Gators entered 3-13 in their past 16 matchups against ranked teams away from home.
Gators defensive ends Jachai Polite (4 sacks) and Jabari Zuniga (3.5 sacks) are one of two duos in the SEC with at least three sacks this season, joining Alabama's Isaiah Buggs and Christian Miller.
Defensive backs Grady Williams and Grant Delpit are big playmakers for LSU. A cornerback, Williams has two interceptions and is considered one of the top covermen in the country. A safety, Delpit has a pair of picks, a team-high three sacks and leads LSU with 6.5 tackles for loss.
LSU has used five different starting lineups on the offensive line in its first five games and that is expected to stretch to six games. However, the Tigers do have starting left tackle Saahdiq Charles back after missing two games for undisclosed reasons.
The Gators and Tigers are both ranked for the 13th time in the last 15 meetings. Overall, either Florida or LSU has been ranked in 27 of the last 28 meetings. The only game neither was ranked over that span was in 2014, a 30-27 LSU win at the Swamp.
THE OTHER SIDE
Joe Burrow, a graduate transfer from Ohio State, is 5-0 as LSU's starting quarterback.
Burrow is coming off a 388-yard game of total offense in last week's win over Ole Miss, the fourth-best outing in school history. Burrow finished 18 of 25 for 292 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 96 yards on nine carries and one touchdown.
Burrow is a former teammate of Gators receiver Trevon Grimes at Ohio State. Grimes considers him a friend but expects the UF defense to manage better against Burrow than Ole Miss.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do against our defense and if he can make those plays," Grimes said. "But I'm sure he won't be able to. I'm excited to see what they can go out there and do and come out victorious once again."
For a deeper look at LSU's offense with Burrow, GatorCountry.com writer David Wunderlich provides the scouting report below:
BOTTOM LINE
This is a difficult game to pick, so I went in search of help, the local newspaper on the Mississippi called the Baton Rouge Advocate. The hard-working crew of LSU writers Sheldon Mickles, Scott Rabalais and Brooks Kubena do a tremendous job covering the Tigers and each offered up picks, and not a single one selected the Gators to win. However, they all have the game close. A couple of weeks ago in Knoxville, I happened upon a local TV sports show previewing the Gators-Vols game, and all three panelists picked the Vols. Last week at Mississippi State … well, you get the idea. So, as I was saying, this is a difficult game to pick. Still, the Gators are hot, they are home and No. 15 will be in the house. No disrespect to Gators freshman receiver Jacob Copeland, but I'm talking about that No. 15. The Swamp is going to be alive to give the Gators the home-field advantage they want. Those LSU writers are right. It's going to be close. But the Gators win.
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