GAINESVILLE, Fla. — If the size of the mountain ahead was not in focus as the Gators walked off Florida Field following last week's 39-36 overtime loss to Arkansas, it certainly was by Sunday afternoon when they reconvened to prepare for Saturday night's visit to No. 19 LSU.
The Gators (5-4, 3-3) could have become bowl-eligible with a victory over the Razorbacks but instead committed too many untimely miscues to help Arkansas win its first Southeastern Conference game of the season. As they gathered to see what was around the next corner, the Gators saw No. 18 LSU, No. 16 Missouri and No. 4 Florida State.
The combined record of those four teams: 22-5.
Florida takes its first swing against the formidable trio Saturday night at LSU (6-3, 4-2), where the Gators have not won since that memorable goal-line stand in 2016 that clinched their last SEC East title.
UF coach Billy Napier has spent the week in the center of "noise in the system," as Ron Zook famously called fan dissension during his stint as head Gator. The team's inconsistent play on special teams served as the primary match to light the fire.
Napier answered some pointed questions at his Monday press conference to preview the LSU game. He vowed that despite the optics of back-to-back losses and the road ahead, the Gators are not about to fold.
"I do think that this group is in a good place,'' he said. "I know that may be hard for other people to understand. But we have a group that I respect, and I think they respect each other.
"We can do things better. There's no question. There's a dozen plays in this game that we just played. If we just get six of them right, we probably would come out on the other side of that thing."
Will the Gators make the winning plays they didn't against LSU? Stranger things have happened, but it won't be easy against the nation's No. 1-rated offense. LSU is coming off a road loss at Alabama and has won the last four meetings over the Gators.
Napier and his team know there's not much they can say. They need to go out and play well and win a game. That is always the best way to quiet the noise.
UF running back and Louisiana native Montrell Johnson Jr. was a huge LSU fan growing up in New Orleans. However, while the Tigers recruited him under former head coach Ed Orgeron, they never made an offer.
Johnson signed with Louisiana when Napier was the coach there and followed Napier to Florida last season. He packed an extra dose of motivation with him to Baton Rouge, which, considering the past week's events, is also a good suggestion for his teammates.
"I just want to show those coaches, you know, that atmosphere what I can do," Johnson said. "What they kind of missed out on."
In this week's edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-LSU matchup:
THREE STORYLINES
There is a lack of optimism from outsiders that Florida can win one of its final three games to become bowl-eligible and possibly avoid a third consecutive losing season. A perfect place for the Gators to rewrite that narrative is at Tiger Stadium. An upset win at LSU would do wonders for team morale and alter the perception heading into the final two regular-season games.
LSU QB Jayden Daniels was placed in concussion protocol following a hit late in the loss at Alabama. Daniels is considered a Heisman Trophy candidate and was 23 of 32 for 349 yards and three TDs in last season's 45-35 win at The Swamp. He is listed as probable against the Gators. If Daniels is not at 100 percent or suffers a setback, Garrett Nussmeier will run the Tigers' high-powered offense.
LSU's top-ranked offense leads the nation with 544.6 yards per game and ranks third nationally at 45.2 points per game. Those numbers are undoubtedly impressive. However, the Tigers are not exactly taking a bite out of opposing offenses. LSU is ranked 97th nationally and 12th in the SEC in total defense (407.4 ypg). The opportunity is there for QB Graham Mertz and his teammates to move the chains and keep LSU's offense sidelined.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gators RBs Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr. are returning home to face the state's flagship program. Etienne turned in his best performance since the Tennessee game by rushing for 80 yards and adding 43 receiving, 83 on kickoff returns against Arkansas. Johnson leads the team with 555 yards and spoke of his motivation to play against his home-state rivals. One of them needs to have a strong game to improve the Gators' chances of an upset.
UF CBs Jason Marshall Jr. and Devin Moore are going to be tested in this one if Daniels is healthy. LSU receivers Malik Nabors and Brian Thomas Jr. have combined for 21 TD catches, as dangerous a combo on the outside as there is in college football.
Since returning from a shoulder injury early in the season, Gators freshman WR Eugene Wilson III has looked better each week. Wilson caught a pair of scores in the Arkansas loss and had 11 catches against Georgia. Wilson leads all freshman FBS receivers with 6.4 catches per game. Wilson's ability to make game-changing plays is imperative in a game like this where points and yards are expected to add up throughout the night.
Freshman Eugene Wilson III ranks third in receiving yards among FBS freshmen. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
THREE DIGITS
188 —Consecutive passes without an interception for Gators QB Graham Mertz, the second-longest streak in school history. 203— School-record consecutive passes without an interception for QB Tim Tebow over the 2007-08 seasons. 2 —Receivers in LSU history with two 1,000-yard seasons: Malik Nabors (2022-23) and Josh Reed (2000-01). THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS OL AUSTIN BARBER
A third-year sophomore, Barber is eager to play in his first game at Tiger Stadium.
Q:What would you say you guys are playing for in these final three games? Austin Barber is a big fan of Gators fans who turn out for games. (Photo: Mallory Peak/UAA Communications) A: I think we're playing for everybody in this building. People come in here every day and spend time. Players do it, but other staff members do it, too. I think just playing for them and playing for this team. I love this team. I love how we've gelled, we've meshed. You can't throw the season away. There's a lot of ball left. I'm excited.
Q:Are you confident in the offense's ability to win a shootout in needed in this final stretch against some really good teams?
A: I trust this offense 100 percent. I trust people that are behind it. I trust the players that are behind it. I trust all of our skill guys. I trust Graham, I trust Montrell, Trevor, I trust the O-line. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll be fine.
Q:You seem to be one of the guys always singing the alma mater after games, win or lose, home or away. Why is it so important to you?
A: There's so much history behind it and there's so [many] people come and watch our games. Home or away, you see all the fans. And I think it's a really good thing. Regardless of the outcome of the game, you go out there and show that you're grateful for the fans that came and watched and grateful for all the people that traveled to the game. And I really put an emphasis on trying to go out there and sing it because history behind it and all the people that show up, day in, day out for us, come, spend their money, spend their time watch us play. I think that us doing that after the game, kind of gives them a good feeling that we're still thinking about them even though the outcome of the game wasn't what we were looking for or was what we were looking for.
NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS
Florida has not defeated LSU since a 27-19 win at The Swamp in 2018. The Tigers' recent dominance has pulled them even in the all-time series.
LSU has won the past four meetings by a combined 34 points.
Florida's defense should receive a boost with the return of DL Cam Jackson and DL Tyreak Sapp up front. Both missed the Arkansas game due to injury.
Gators freshman WR Eugene Wilson III has 19 receptions for 165 yards and three TDs in the last three games. Wilson's 416 receiving yards ranks third in the nation among FBS freshmen.
The Gators are allowing 40.3 points per game over their last three games, a win at South Carolina and losses to Georgia and Arkansas.
Florida QB Graham Mertz is averaging 297.3 yards passing per game over the last three, with 11 TDs and 0 interceptions.
LSU coach Brian Kelly announced on his radio show Thursday night that RB Logan Diggs is doubtful with an upper-body injury. Diggs ranks seventh in the SEC in rushing at 79.3 yards per game.
The Tigers are wearing No. 3 decals on their helmets to honor S Greg Brooks Jr., who remains at St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis receiving treatment for a brain tumor discovered earlier this season.
LSU QB Jayden Daniels is one of only two players (Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan) in FBS history with 11,000 career passing yards and 2,000 career rushing yards. In 52 career games, Daniels has thrown for 11,729 yards and rushed for 2,857.
Gators offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Rob Sale and assistant head coach/secondary coach Corey Raymond return home as rivals. Sale played at LSU from 1998-2002 and Raymond was a three-year starter for the Tigers from 1989-91.
INJURY REPORT
GATORS — OUT: LB/DL Jack Pyburn (knee, out for season), TE Jonathan Odom (upper body), WR Caleb Douglas (lower body), LB Shemar James (knee, out for season), DL Justus Boone (knee, out for season), RB Cam Carroll (knee, out for season), TE Keon Zipperer (knee), OL Caden Jones (foot). PROBABLE — DL Tyreak Sapp (upper body), DL Cam Jackson (upper body). LSU —OUT: CB Zy Alexander (undisclosed), CB Darian Chestnut (personal), RB Armani Goodwin (undisclosed), S Greg Brooks Jr. (head), CB J.K. Johnson (undisclosed). DOUBTFUL: RB Logan Diggs (upper body). PROBABLE — QB Jayden Daniels (head). THEY SAID IT
"It means a lot to me, being from Louisiana, being able to go play in Death Valley. It's my first time playing there and just being able to go perform in front of my family." — Gators DT Cam Jackson, a Louisiana native, on returning home to face LSU
"Our goal points to score each game is 42. If we don't reach that goal, coach is mad about it." — Gators RB Montrell Johnson Jr. on offensive output
"It's really muddying what a foul is and what is not a foul. I think we're just going to have to do a good job of clarifying what is because I don't know what a foul is anymore and what is, clearly." — LSU coach Brian Kelly on the SEC's ruling that Alabama LB Dallas Turner's hit on QB Jayden Daniels last week was not targeting
"My wife is actually not going to go to the game. She's going to go visit friends in Lafayette, kids' friends and that type of stuff – watch the game over there. It's four years, man. The place was good to me. Acadiana is unique culture and people there. It's one of the reasons we stayed there a while. Good place." — Gators coach Billy Napier on returning to Louisiana, where he spent four years before taking the Florida job after the 2021 season
The Florida-LSU rivalry is a special one, but since Urban Meyer's great 2009 team romped through the regular season undefeated, the Gators are 3-10 against the Tigers. Not many are giving the Gators a chance in the 70th all-time meeting between the schools. The series stands as even as possible, 33-33-3. Florida is a 14.5-point underdog for a reason on Saturday night, and look for LSU to win a fifth consecutive game over the Gators.
