BATON ROUGE, La. — Gators head coach Dan Mullen called the Florida-LSU rivalry "must-see TV" this week while peppered by questions about the unusual events that typically unfold when the Gators and Tigers play.
When the teams met a season ago in "The Swamp," those watching on TV had a better view than the COVID reduced-capacity crowd. LSU upset the Gators on a foggy night that included a game-winning 57-yard field goal and a shoe toss by former UF defensive back Marco Wilson that is now part of the rivalry's lore.
Gators senior defensive lineman Zachary Carter grew up knowing all about the Gators-Tigers series. His mom is from Baton Rouge and his grandfather attended LSU.
"I don't know how other people and Gator Nation would rank our rivalries," Carter said. "But LSU is towards the top."
No argument here.
The rivalry will be renewed Saturday morning (11 a.m. CT kickoff) at Tiger Stadium when the 20th-ranked Gators (4-2, 2-2) visit the Tigers (3-3, 1-2) in search of their first win at LSU since clinching the SEC East title with a goal-line stand in 2016. These games are rarely boring.
To add some spice to Saturday's matchup, the Gators are wearing their all-orange uniforms they wore five years ago in that memorable win.
There's no secret in Mullen's eyes what makes the Florida-LSU game must-see TV.
"Great players, great teams that are championship level teams that go in and play a game that comes right down to the wire, it makes it a great rivalry,'' he said. "Tiger Stadium is always a tough place to play."
For more on the Florida-LSU game, here is The Opening Kickoff:
GATORS WR JA'QUAVION FRAZIARS, 5 QUESTIONS
Gators receiver Ja'Quavion Fraziars after his first career TD catch two weeks ago at Kentucky. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
Q: Prior to your emergence in the rotation, how did you stay focused and not get frustrated?
A: It's really just longterm. I know where I want to be in life. I know what I have to do. How patient I have to be with the coaches, the people ahead of me in my position and just learning as time goes on. I had Trevon Grimes, Justin Shorter, all the older guys, Jacob Copeland, to look up to while I'm still young.
Q: What do you expect this year in the LSU rivalry after getting a taste of it last year?
A: The expectation is to win, always. Coach Mullen has a great game plan for them this year. Last year it was kind of weird: COVID, not a lot of fans, the microphone like crowds, not really a real crowd. It'll be exciting this year to actually get to experience the rivalry.
Q: What do you think you have done this season to earn more playing time?
A: You know, stuff like getting into the film room early. Maybe like 30 minutes early, not a lot of time. Just buying in, like I said, buying into, you know, what Coach Mullen and Coach Gonzales has each week, studying the game plan over and over again. Whether it be at receiver, special teams, you know, just doing my job each week.
Q: Growing up in a FSU household, has your family switched over to the Gators?
A: I mean, they'll come to the games, but you won't catch them with a Gator shirt on or nothing. They might be in the stands with like, a bright yellow Lakers shirt or something, that's about it.
Q: Do you think you can convert them while playing for the Gators?
A: Oh, nah. They're proud of me of course, but probably not the shirt or clothes. Nah, I can't get them in orange and blue.
THREE STORYLINES
The Gators are reigning SEC East champions and LSU won the national title in 2019, but both programs are currently out of the division races as they meet for the 68th time. The Gators bounced back from a loss at Kentucky with a home win over Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, LSU has dropped two consecutive games and has been ravaged by injuries similar to the 2013 Gators. This is a game both need to win in a bad way and considering the rivalry's history, you can always expect something unexpected.
Gators quarterback Emory Jones is coming off a career-high 273 yards and four-touchdown game against overmatched Vanderbilt. Jones will make his seventh career start on Saturday and could have some opportunities down the field with LSU defensive backs Eli Ricks and Derek Stingley Jr. out with injuries.
An 11 a.m. start in Baton Rouge offers a stark contrast to Florida's last visit to Tiger Stadium, a night game in 2019 when both teams were ranked in the top 10 and the quarterback matchup was Joe Burrow vs. up-and-coming Kyle Trask. LSU won 42-28 but the Gators never let up and finished 11-2 in Mullen's second season. Florida has visions of another double-digit-win season and must win on the road at LSU to move in that direction.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gators receiver Justin Shorter is tied with teammates Trent Whittemore and Rick Wells at second on the team with 13 receptions this season, but unlike the latter duo, Shorter does not have a touchdown reception. In fact, sophomore Ja'Quavion Fraziars has two more than Shorter this season, which few expected. Shorter is due to find the end zone and maybe this will be the game.
LSU quarterback Max Johnson has thrown at least one touchdown in all eight of his starts and introduced himself to Gators fans last season when the Tigers upset the Gators on a foggy night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The left-handed Johnson has thrown for 1,730 yards and 17 touchdowns and figures to test the Gators with his play-making ability every chance he gets despite LSU's depleted roster.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Richardson was down after a shaky performance against Vanderbilt last week, prompting starter Emory Jones to offer encouragement after the game. Richardson has not been the dynamic playmaker he was early in the season since returning from a hamstring injury, but with each passing day, his next big play gets closer and with several LSU defensive standouts sidelined because of injury, Richardson could be a factor Saturday.
SIX DIGITS
8 – Yards Gators QB Emory Jones needs to reach 1,000 career yards rushing. Jones (478) ranks second among FBS quarterbacks behind Liberty's Malik Willis (498) in rushing yards this season. 9 – Touchdown receptions for LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte, who will not play Saturday and is out for the remainder of the season with an injury. 20 — Sacks for Florida and LSU, tied for second in the SEC and 11th among FBS teams. 5 – Receptions of 25 or more yards for Gators WR Jacob Copeland (75t, 41t, 36, 47, 25t), which leads the team. 16 –Consecutive field goals made by LSU kicker Cade York, a streak that includes his 57-yard game-winner at 'The Swamp' last season. 567 – Fewer yards allowed by Florida's defense through six games in 2021 than a season ago.
THEY SAID IT
"He has that moxie. He makes plays, he scrambles around, he extends plays. He kind of has a great feel." — Gators head coach Dan Mullen on LSU quarterback Max Johnson, who has 17 touchdown passes
"It was even foggy the next day. That was a crazy environment." — Gators linebacker Jeremiah Moon on last season's fog-drenched loss to the Tigers at "The Swamp"
"I used to read that stuff; my family had to read it. After I got fired from Ole Miss, I said, 'I'm not going to read that stuff again.' " — LSU coach Ed Orgeron on reports that his job is in jeopardy
"It's a big man's rivalry in the sense of they're going to be really physical." -- Gators defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on facing LSU
"I come from averaging about 25 carries a game in high school to coming here and being more of an open-field back, running routes out the backfield, running real routes, going one-on-one with linebackers outside. So it was definitely an adjustment." — Gators senior running back Dameon Pierce on his development
Does LSU's rash of injuries make a case for Ed Orgeron to keep his job? Probably not writesScott Rabalais of the Baton Rouge Advocate.
NOTABLES
The Gators are 33-31-3 all-time against LSU and 17-17 in Baton Rouge.
Gators head coach Dan Mullen is 3-9 against LSU in his career, 2-7 while at Mississippi State and 1-2 at UF. The Gators beat LSU at home in 2018, Mullen's first season.
The Gators are third among FBS teams in rushing at 273.7 yards per game and have rushed for 100 or more yards against LSU in nine of the last 10 meetings between the schools.
UF safety Rashad Torrence II's career-high 15 tackles against Vanderbilt upped his season total to 33, third on the team.
Running back Dameon Pierce has a team-high eight touchdowns this season and 20 for his career (17 rushing, three receiving).
LSU backup quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is the son of former UF offensive coordinator and current Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier.
Florida ranks second in the SEC and 15th nationally in scoring defense (16.5 points per game).
LSU assistant coach Brad Davis, who was Florida's offensive line coach in 2017, is at his fourth SEC school. He was at Missouri in 2018-19 and Arkansas in 2020.
LSU is one of five FBS teams perfect in the red zone this season. The Tigers are 16 of 16 when in the red zone, scoring 11 touchdowns and kicking five field goals.
The Tigers are 26-2 under Ed Orgeron when they have a 100-yard rusher, one of those losses coming against Kentucky last week despite tailback Ty Davis-Price's career-high 147-yard game.
INJURY REPORT
FLORIDA — OUT: CB Jaydon Hill (knee, out for season), S Kamar Wilcoxson (knee, out for season); LB Ventrell Miller (arm surgery, out for season); QUESTIONABLE: CB Kaiir Elam (knee). LSU —OUT: CB Eli Ricks (shoulder); DE Ali Gaye (foot), WR Kayshon Boutte (foot), CB Derek Stingley Jr. (ankle), S Major Burns (undisclosed), DE Andre Anthony (undisclosed), NT Joseph Evans (undisclosed).
THE OTHER SIDE
The heat is on LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who two years ago guided the Tigers to a national championship.
In the second season of Orgeron's extension, LSU is 3-3, decimated by injuries, and has lost back-to-back games. LSU is 8-8 since winning the 2019 national title with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow the star of the show. Orgeron is 48-17 in five-plus seasons as LSU's coach.
"I've known Ed for a long time. I like Ed," Gators head coach Dan Mullen said. "A great coach. Won a national championship just a couple of years ago there and he hasn't forgotten to how to coach in that timeframe. I just think in today's world with coaching a lot of time, your rating as a coach is week to week, if not play by play on Saturdays."
BOTTOM LINE
This matchup is much different than the last time the Gators visited Tiger Stadium in 2019. In that one, both teams were ranked in the top 10 and the Bayou was rocking on a Saturday night. They meet again Saturday in Baton Rouge in an 11 a.m. kickoff, both teams on the outside looking in the division races. Still, it's Florida-LSU and as we all know, anything can happen in one of the league's best rivalries. Get this: Florida is a 10.5-point favorite, which doesn't happen often when a visiting team invades the Tigers' den. LSU's season is in shambles and while the Gators are not exactly where they envisioned a few weeks ago, they are deeper and will have more starpower on the field Saturday. The Gators get their first win in Baton Rouge since that memorable victory five years ago that clinched the SEC East title.
