GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They have played every season since 1971. As 2020 marched past summer and toward fall, that streak appeared in jeopardy.
But here we are in mid-December and the sixth-ranked Gators (8-1) host unranked LSU (3-5) on Saturday night in the regular-season finale at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The last time the longtime Southeastern Conference rivals met this late in a season was 1964, the year Hurricane Hilda caused havoc and forced the game to be postponed.
In 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak on the Gators forced the game to be pushed back from Oct. 17 to Saturday. Unlike a year ago in Baton Rouge when both teams had College Football Playoff aspirations at the time of their annual showdown, Florida is the only side talking postseason this season. The Gators clinched a berth in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 2016 with a victory at Tennessee last week. Meanwhile, LSU lost by 41 to No. 1 Alabama.
For the Gators to keep the talk alive, they need to beat the Tigers and then turn their attention to the matchup in Atlanta next week against the Crimson Tide.
For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Tigers, here is The Opening Kickoff:
FOUR QUESTIONS WITH GATORS O-LINEMAN STONE FORSYTHE
Fifth-year senior offensive lineman Stone Forsythe has 25 career starts, including 22 consecutive entering Saturday's game against LSU. (Photo: Isabella Marley/UAA Communications)
Have you reflected much on Senior Day?
"I really haven't had time to think about that, honestly. I mean, I've just got a lot of stuff going on, you know, as a senior everything is coming to an end. I'm sure it won't hit me until when the clock hits zero-zero on Saturday after the game. But I mean, it's been a good run here at UF, and a long one."
What's it been like coming in and waiting behind a veteran offensive line, and now being an anchor for a line in playoff contention?
"This is definitely different. I kind of tell the guys all the time, 'We're just enthused out here, just doing what we do.' So, it really hasn't hit me that ... they look up to me as a leader. I know I have to step up and just take that role as a leader. But it still hasn't hit me. I'm just out there having fun with all the guys."
Despite not running the ball much, are you confident this team can if it needs to?
"We know what we're doing. I mean, we can go out there and pick up the craziest blitz on third downs and stuff like that. So, it's basic stuff on first and second down from the defense here and there. We had a couple of missed blocks at Tennessee, just with different blitzes and stuff we should have picked up. But we know we can run the ball when we need to, so, maybe that game is coming down the road or what. But we can do it."
Can you believe you have been part of a 4-7 team and now one headed to the SEC Championship Game in your time here?
"We were talking about that the other day actually. I mean, that's where we started at. When Mullen came in here, that first offseason we were coming off 4-7, so we had that whole December off. He kind of just broke us down and rebuilt us."
THREE STORYLINES
Florida closes the regular season against SEC West rival LSU, a game originally scheduled Oct. 17. However, the game was postponed and moved to Saturday following the Gators' COVID-19 outbreak after their loss at Texas A&M. For the Gators, they can head to Atlanta for next week's SEC Championship Game on a seven-game win streak if they take care of LSU.
UF quarterback Kyle Trask has an opportunity to further his case for the Heisman Trophy against LSU's poor pass defense. The Tigers rank 124th nationally and last in the SEC, surrendering 313.1 yards per game through the air.
The Gators will honor more than 20 players on Senior Day at The Swamp, including Trask. This group has experienced a 4-7 season in 2017, the hire of Dan Mullen as head coach after the season, and the program's rebirth the past three seasons. The Gators are 29-6 under Mullen and clinched at least a share of the SEC East title with last week's win at Tennessee.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Florida tight end Kyle Pitts caught seven passes for 128 yards at Tennessee, his second 100-yard game of the season and third of his career. His first came last season at LSU when Pitts hauled in five receptions for 108 yards. That performance was against the 2019 national champions. This LSU team is not nearly as good and Pitts could have another big day.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron was noncommittal this week on which freshman quarterback -- T.J. Finley or Max Johnson -- would start against the Gators. Finely has started five consecutive games and has thrown for 941 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions over that span. Johnson, son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson, is 40-for-63 for 385 yards and two scores this season.
Fourth-year junior cornerback Marco Wilson is one of the players Florida will honor on Senior Day. Wilson's career has been up and down, a starter as a true freshman in 2017 who has battled injuries and inconsistency. Wilson has been a target of fans this season and could quiet some critics with a strong outing in what for now appears to be his final home game.
FIVE DIGITS
38 – Touchdown passes for Kyle Trask this season. Trask needs one to tie the single-season school record (39) set by Danny Wuerffel in 1996 and two to claim the record his own. 168 – Consecutive passes by Trask without an interception, dating to the first half of the Georgia game. 203 – School record for consecutive passes without an interception, set by Tim Tebow spanning the 2007 and '08 seasons. 27 – Consecutive games in which LSU has thrown at least one touchdown pass. 92 – Percent of receptions by UF tight end Kyle Pitts that have resulted in either a first down or touchdown this season, best among FBS receivers according to Pro Football Focus.
INJURY REPORT
QUESTIONABLE: DB Shawn Davis (undisclosed), DB Rashad Torrence II (shoulder), WR Trent Whittemore (ribs), LB David Reese (shoulder); OUT: LB Jeremiah Moon (foot), DB Ethan Pouncey (hip, out for season); UNAVAILABLE: During the unprecedented 2020 season, Florida releases a list of players not available on game days prior to kickoff.
THEY SAID IT
"We can go spend a lot of time and we can go run the ball. Probably slow the game down, ball control, grind it out. But that doesn't really fit the strength of our team right now when we have success throwing it and can get matchups all over the field that cause problems for people. So I think it's a lot about what we want to do." -- Florida head coach Dan Mullen on pass-run balance in offense
"If they play a tough SEC Championship Game against Alabama, maybe take them into overtime, and let's just say Clemson loses again to Notre Dame, I think you're going to see some people clamoring for Florida to get into the College Football Playoff final four. So don't count the Gators out even if they lose." -- ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard
"We got to know where that tight end is for sure. He gave us fits last year. Great player." -- LSU coach Ed Orgeron on defending Kyle Pitts
"No one wants to lose in their house. That's what Coach Mullen preaches. He wants us to stay undefeated in The Swamp." -- Gators running back Nay'Quan Wright on team's bid to go undefeated at home
"Did you see the punt in the Tennessee game? I feel like that was a Heisman moment right there." -- Gators senior safety Donovan Stiner on whether teammate Kyle Trask should win the Heisman
Gators quarterback Kyle Trask ranks second nationally in passing yards per game (360.3), on pace to eclipse the school record set by Rex Grossman (354.2) in 2001.
Florida is the only team in the country with three players who have caught eight or more touchdowns: Kyle Pitts (11), Trevon Grimes (8) and Kadarius Toney (8).
This is the 50th consecutive year that Florida and LSU have played. The Gators own a 26-21-2 advantage over that span.
Prior to Pitts and Trask this season, running back Mike Gillislee was the last UF semifinalist for the Maxwell Award in 2012.
This is only the second time Florida and LSU have played in the month of December. The last time, a 20-6 LSU win at Tiger Stadium on Dec. 5, 1964, was a result of a rescheduled game from October that year postponed because of Hurricane Hilda.
Of the 55 LSU players who participated in the 55-14 loss to No. 1 Alabama last week, 33 were freshmen or sophomores.
Safety Jacoby Stevens and linebacker Damone Clark lead the Tigers in tackles with 50 apiece.
Freshman tight end Arik Gilbert opted out this week for LSU, the 18th scholarship player to depart this season.
THE OTHER SIDE
Everyone knew it was going to be a rebuilding year for LSU. You just don't replace a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in the like of Joe Burrow and not skip a beat.
But c'mon, man. The Tigers are 3-5 heading into Saturday's showdown with the Gators, far removed from the 2019 national title they won 11 months ago.
Of course, signs of trouble surfaced in the postgame locker room when Cleveland Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr., a former star at LSU, celebrated his alma mater's win by handing out cash. That's a no-no. And then the coronavirus pandemic struck, LSU's roster took major hits, and finally, the results on the field began to turn ugly.
It's been a long year for everybody, but definitely for those in Baton Rouge. This week, the Tigers announced they had self-imposed a one-year bowl ban.
If you make it to this part of The Opening Kickoff each week, you know I've expected wider margins of victory than what the Gators have produced the past couple of games. The Gators have won the past three games by 21, 24 and 12 points. Believe me, they are not complaining. I guess like many of the fans who Tweet at me during games, I figured the offense had at least one more 50-point, 600-yard game in it. Maybe the Gators do, maybe they don't. If they keep winning, no one will really care. They're going to beat LSU on Saturday at The Swamp and if nothing else, I like to be consistent. I think Florida wins big because of an explosive performance by the offense.
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