BATON ROUGE, La. — The hierarchy of this 2019 college football season will be a little clearer late Saturday night. And just like they did last week, the seventh-ranked Florida Gators (6-0, 3-0) will have a considerable hand in clearing out the clutter at the top of the elite heap when they face No. 5 Louisiana State (5-0, 1-0) at sold-out and lit Tiger Stadium in a Southeastern Conference clash with national implications.
In beating Auburn at the "Swamp," the Gators didn't eliminate those Tigers from bigger things down the line, but did make it tougher on them. The same scenario awaits the loser at "Death Valley" tonight.
As for the winner … oh boy.
The UF-LSU winner will remain among the nation's Power Five unbeaten — there were 11 heading into the weekend — and thus allow imaginations to flow wildly with possibilities. The Gators, in fact, can assume the driver's seat in the SEC East Division after No. 3 Georgia's shocking home overtime loss to South Carolina earlier in the day.
[Read senior writer Scott Carter's comprehensive "Opening Kickoff setup here]
UF's 24-13 defeat of Auburn last week marked the first game between two undefeated and top-10 teams played at the "Swamp" since 2012. LSU hosted such a game last year, but got dismantled 29-0 by top-ranked Alabama. The Tigers, however, were No. 13 when they welcomed second-ranked Georgia earlier in the season and beat up on the Bulldogs 36-16. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing other than pregame fodder. That's because very little about LSU is the same as last year.
Most notably, the offense.
LSU Offense: Then vs Now
| Category |
2018 (SEC rank / FBS rank) |
2019 (SEC / FBS) |
| Scoring |
32.4 points per game (32nd / 7th) |
54.6 (1st / 1st) |
| Passing offense |
228.5 yards per game (7th / 60th) |
416.0 (1st / 2nd) |
| Total offense |
402.1 yards per game (9th / 58th) |
571.0 (1st / 2nd) |
The Tigers' quarterback is the same in name only. Joe Burrow, a transfer from Ohio State, came to Gainesville last season and threw a late pick-six that ultimately proved the difference in the Gators' 27-19 victory. Burrow went on to complete 57.8 percent of his passes for 16 touchdowns and five interceptions, as LSU finished 10-3 (same as UF). Not bad, right?
In the offseason, the Tigers hired Joe Brady, by way of the New Orleans Saints, to become their passing game coordinator. The transition has been staggering. Five games into '19, Burrow has completed 78.4 percent of his throws for 1,864 yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions. The Tigers lead the SEC in total offense and passing, and top the nation in scoring at 54.6 points per game.
On the other side, it's a matchup that sets up beautifully as a barometer for the Florida defense, which ranks second in the SEC and 10th in the nation based on allowing just 276.3 yards per game. The UF pass defense is also second in the league in yards per game surrendered (183.3) and efficiency (103.77), both pretty solid numbers to take into the latest battle for "DBU" bragging rights.
Explosive passing offense that has been unstoppable to date versus an elite defense that has given up just 17 points in the second half (only seven in fourth quarter; none over the last five games).
Something has to give. And will.
The Gators lead the all-time series 33-29-3, with a 17-16 edge in Baton Rouge. For Florida, the outcomes over the years here have run the gamut; Arden Czyzewski's field goal as time expired the night before UF coach Galen Hall was fired amid NCAA turmoil in 1989; a 58-3 obliteration of the Tigers in 1993 that stands as LSU's worst loss in history, a 28-21 upset loss in 1997 when the Gators came in No. 1 and riding a 25-game conference win streak, as fans stormed the field and tore the goalposts down; a 19-7 upset in 2003 over a Tigers team that went on to claim the national title; LSU going 5-for-5 on fourth down in fourth-quarter comeback to beat Tim Tebow and the defending national champs in 2007; the goal-line stone-walling of LSU tailback Derrius Guice as time expired in 2016 to clinch the SEC East.
Now what?
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN, with network's A-team crew of Chris Fowler on play-by-play, Kirk Herbstreit providing analysis, and Maria Taylor and Tom Rinaldi working the sidelines. The game will be rebroadcast Sunday at 4:30 a.m. on ESPN and 8 p.m. on SEC Network, then Tuesday at 2:30 a.m. on SEC Network and 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
Follow senior staff writers
Scott Carter and
Chris Harry on Twitter (@GatorsScott and @GatorsChris) for commentary and analysis throughout the game.
FloridaGators.com will have complete coverage content from the game Saturday night and fresh content Sunday, as well.
