Gladiators in Death Valley: Gators Embrace Challenge at LSU
Often referred to as “Death Valley,” few places in the world can match the level of intensity that Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., brings on a Saturday night in the fall. Former public announcer Dan Borné said it best: “When the sun finds its home in the western sky, you know it’s Saturday night in Death Valley.”
Those words seem to come to life when 102,000 screaming Tigers fans find their way into this cathedral, making it one of the most hostile and hardest places to play.
“It’s one of the better venues in college football,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “You know, having played there with a couple of different teams, it never disappoints.”
Like many, Death Valley often poses as a house of horrors, and Florida is no exception. The Gators (1-1) have not won in Baton Rouge since 2016. Going even further, they have not beaten the Tigers in a night game there since 2009, when Tim Tebow led the Gators to a 13-3 win.
Despite the challenge at hand, Florida is coming off a big win against LSU (2-0) last year, granted at home, but it did snap a five-game losing streak. Last time, Florida made the trip in 2023, it was overwhelmed by Jayden Daniels and that high-octane offense.
Even with history not being on its side, Florida is more than ready for the challenge.
“It’s a big challenge, an incredible environment. I think playing in The Swamp all the time, we’re pretty much used to it, you know? On the road, the environment just switches,” tight end Hayden Hansen said. “Now it is loud when we have the ball on the field and the defense is able to hear each other. Each side is going to make big plays, and you have to respond.”
Florida gets another crack at snapping that long streak of defeat again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Coming off the stunning loss to USF, this game presents the opportunity to right the wrongs and change the course of the season with a win. UF would love nothing more than to get the bad taste of defeat out of its mouth with a win over the No. 3 team in the country.
The Gators look to lean on the veterans in the locker room to guide them into battle this week. After the USF game, senior EDGE Tyreak Sapp held a player-only meeting, where he expressed his thoughts and challenged teammates to learn and respond from this. Sapp joins the long list of Gators itching to get back on the field with the opportunity of taking down a top-five opponent.
“It fires me up a lot and gets me going. I’m like a gladiator getting ready to go into the arena,” Sapp said. “I’m ready for it. Like, bring it on. That’s what I do. I love my job, I love to go do my job, and I love to do it with violent intent.”
Many Gators will get their first taste of SEC road football; key players like quarterback DJ Lagway, who has played on the road before, but not as the starter. Napier has full confidence that his sophomore quarterback will overcome the hostile crowd and perform at a high level.
“I love the arena. I love going on the road, and I think as a competitor, it brings a different edge to your game a little bit. Obviously, [Lagway] had to play in the Tennessee game, played quite a bit at Mississippi State and Florida State, is a road venue as well,” Napier said. “So I think he knows what he’s getting into, but I think it’s his first time in Death Valley as a Florida Gator, and those opportunities are special, right? Like those are once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
“You can go your whole life dreaming of playing in these types of games. So that’s what makes it exciting to prepare throughout the week as a competitor.”
Napier wants his veterans like Sapp to set the tone to help younger talent like freshman receiver Vernell Brown III maintain composure Saturday and, not allow the moment to get too big for him or his teammates.
Napier believes that instead of letting the environment take over, you can embrace it and let it take your game to another level.
“Look, these guys nowadays, they’re well traveled, they went and watched games all of over the country, they’ve sat in every one of these venues, and some are more prepared, they’re more mature, they’ve got more composure, it’s not too big for them, Vernell [Brown III] I think fits in that category,” Napier said. “We’ve been fortunate here lately to have some young guys that even go to another level. I try to flip the script with the team. I think you can use the venue to take your game to a different level.”
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
