The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. LSU (Tom Petty Day)

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — To upstage a Florida-LSU matchup under the lights, you know it has to be something special.

Tom Petty Day at The Swamp fits the bill. The Gators are honoring the Gainesville native and late rocker with various events and merchandise on Saturday night in a sold-out game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. And of course, the "I Won't Back Down" tradition at the end of the third quarter will be rocking.

Bruce Petty, Tom's younger brother, stopped by the Gators' headquarters with his family on Friday for a tour of the facility and to meet Coach Billy Napier.

"I'm a diehard Gator fan,'' Bruce said this week. "I feel like I play every Saturday."

Meanwhile, Napier is no stranger to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

"Absolutely, I'm a fan,'' he said.

While Petty's music lives on and his place as Gainesville's favorite son is secure, the Gators would like nothing more than to honor his memory with a victory over the Tigers.

Florida (4-2, 1-2) has lost three in a row to LSU (4-2, 2-1), including the last meeting between the schools at The Swamp, a 37-34 LSU victory in the fog during the COVID-19 season of 2020.

For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Tigers, here is The Opening Kickoff:

THREE STORYLINES

Both Florida and LSU enter the game attempting to set the tone for the second half of the regular season. Florida has won two in a row after losing on the road at Tennessee. LSU lost at home to the Vols last week and looks to rebound. The game carries additional weight for the Gators considering they have a bye next week, so heading into the matchup against Georgia at 5-2 sounds much better than 4-3.
For the first time since 2005 when Urban Meyer and Les Miles were in charge on the sideline — and only second time ever — the annual Florida-LSU game features a pair of first-year head coaches in Florida's Billy Napier and LSU's Brian Kelly. Napier and Kelly were hired to return the two Southeastern Conference powers to the top of the standings and the winner in this one gets an early leg up.
The quarterback matchup between UF's Anthony Richardson and LSU's Jayden Daniels is one to watch. Both players are dual-threat talents who can change the game with their arms or legs. Richardson has a size advantage, and Daniels has an edge in experience. The key for Richardson is to limit turnovers, which he has struggled with in his first year as the starter.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Let's start where we usually start: Gators starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, who came off the bench in last season's 49-42 loss in Baton Rouge to pass for three touchdowns and 167 yards. Richardson's performance against the Tigers a season ago announced his presence in the passing game. However, Richardson has been up and down throwing the ball in his first season as Florida's starter. He passed for only 66 yards in last week's win over Missouri after throwing for 693 yards the previous two games. The Gators likely will need more from Richardson on Saturday night than what he produced last week.
On the flip side, Florida's rushing game took over in the second half of the Missouri win and produced 212 yards. Richardson's 32-yard run was arguably the biggest offensive play of the game and starting tailback Montrell Johnson Jr., a New Orleans native, rushed for 86 yards and a score on eight carries. Johnson is due for another 100-yard game — he had 103 in the win over USF — and should get some early touches in an attempt to establish the run game.
Keep an eye on a pair of linebackers in this one: Florida's Ventrell Miller and LSU's Micah Baskerville. Miller had 11 tackles against Missouri and Baskerville posted a career-high 15 tackles in the loss to Tennessee.

FIVE DIGITS

518.0 – Average yards per game for Gators in the last three meetings against LSU.
6.4 – Yards per rush for the Gators, which ranks third among FBS teams.
27 – Number of points that have separated Florida and LSU in their last six meetings at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
9 – Consecutive trips to Florida that LSU has started a different quarterback since JaMarcus Russell (2004 and '06).
11 – Runs of 10 or more yards for Gators running backs Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne.

INJURY REPORT

GATORS — OUT: LB Diwun Black (lower body), CB Devin Moore (upper body), LS Marco Ortiz (upper body), TE Nick Elksnis (upper body); QUESTIONABLE — TE Arlis Boardingham (upper body), OL O'Cyrus Torrence (lower body); PROBABLE: OL Michael Tarquin (lower body). LSU — OUT: S Major Burns (neck), RB Armoni Goodwin (hamstring), CB Sevyn Banks (spine), OL Garrett Dellinger (knee), WR Chris Hinton Jr. (shoulder, out for season), CB Raydarious Jones (suspension, out for season), DL Maason Smith (knee, out for season); QUESTIONABLE: OL Will Campbell (illness); S Matthew Langlois (leg).

NOTES FILE

This is the 69th all-time meeting between the schools; Florida holds a 33-32-3 advantage, including 16-14-3 at Florida Field.
LSU owns a plus-seven advantage in turnover margin in the last two games against the Gators.
Tigers cornerback Mekhi Garner and receiver Kyren Lacy played at Louisiana for UF coach Billy Napier before transferring to LSU.
Former UF offensive line coach Brad Davis, who was with the Gators in 2017, is LSU's O-Line coach.
The Gators have allowed only four sacks in six games; meanwhile, LSU has surrendered 21 sacks through six games.
Gators kicker Adam Mihalek is 5-for-9 on field goals after missing a pair last week; UF opponents have made 9 of 11.
UF safeties Rashad Torrence II (49) and Trey Dean III (43) have combined for 92 tackles at midseason.
The 32 completions for LSU's Jayden Daniels last week against Tennessee were the third-most in program history.
LSU coach Brian Kelly, in his 32nd season as a collegiate coach, has never faced Florida. He left Cincinnati for Notre Dame prior to the 2010 Sugar Bowl in which Florida defeated Cincinnati 51-24.
Gators offensive lineman O'Cyrus Torrance's 42-game streak in the starting lineup is in jeopardy; Torrence is listed as questionable with a lower-body injury.

BOTTOM LINE

Florida-LSU is best under the lights and when both teams are ranked, in the hunt for a national championship. This one is a night game at The Swamp between a pair of programs building for the future. Still, it's Florida-LSU, one of the SEC's most entertaining rivalries. Florida is a slight favorite at home and can win three in a row for the first time this season. The Tigers are snarling after a 27-point home loss to Tennessee last week. Expect this one to be close, a costly mistake here and there for both sides, but a Gators win in the end. The homefield advantage on Tom Petty Day at The Swamp will help the Gators' cause.

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