Florida’s Five Keys to Beating Long Island

Florida finally gets its season underway Saturday against Long Island University, and while the No. 15 Gators enter The Swamp as 45.5-point favorites, they still need to go out and play their best brand of football. 

The worst thing Florida could do this weekend is win, but not in the dominant fashion most expect against an inferior FCS opponent.

Redshirt senior EDGE George Gumbs Jr. believes that regardless of the opponent, whether it be LIU or LSU, the team’s preparation and readiness do not change.

“I feel like it really doesn’t change anything. We’ll get ready and our routine will be the same thing,” Gumbs said Monday. “We’re going to go out there and play our brand of football, like every other game.”

 Here are five keys to beating LIU on Saturday (7 p.m. SEC Network+, 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF) for the Gators.

Setting the Tone Early

The last thing Florida wants to do is to keep LIU in it. Most Gators fans remember the 2021 season when a certain Samford Bulldogs team came to town and nearly pulled off a stunner, before falling, 70-52.

A fast start is imperative for Florida. An old saying, “Stop playing with your food,” applies here for Florida; a team like LIU should never have a chance in this one if Florida plays its best brand of football. The longer LIU stays in this game, the worse it is for the Gators.

Figure Out the Depth Pieces

One of the biggest question marks this offseason for Florida was figuring out its depth. While Gators coach Billy Napier will not announce a depth chart ahead of the season opener or any game this season, he did say Wednesday that he will inform the team Thursday where they stand.

If Florida’s starters put the game out of reach by halftime, the reserves can go to work. The Gators coaching staff should treat the matchup like an NFL preseason game — let the starters do their job, build a big lead and then rest for the day. 

Stop LIU Run Game

LIU loves to run the football, so the Gators’ run defense will need to be ready to go from the jump. The Sharks rushed for 2,258 yards last season, averaging 188 yards a game (5.1 yards per carry). They also scored 18 rushing touchdowns, which was three more than passing touchdowns (15).

Sharks quarterback Ethan Greenwood led the team in rushing last season with 913 yards on the ground, along with five rushing scores. Behind the redshirt sophomore is running back Ludovick Choquette, who rushed for 533 yards last year, averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored twice.

While the rush defense improved at the end of the year, the Gators still ranked 66th. With senior defensive tackle Caleb Banks and sophomore EDGE LJ McCray unlikely to play, and senior nose tackle Jamari Lyons playing his first game since 2023, some of those depth pieces will need to step up.

One of the downsides to not having a preseason in college is that tackling can be an issue for some of the first few weeks, and Napier emphasized the importance of making plays against a run-heavy team like LIU.

“Wrapping up, typically, is a huge issue in the opener and the first couple of weeks,” Napier said. “I think the tackling at every level in football is typically poor the first few weeks of the year, so, yeah, it’s a huge point of emphasis for us.”

Control the Two-Quarterback System

In addition to Greenwood, LIU trots out redshirt sophomore Luca Stanzani at quarterback. Both men appeared in all 12 games last season, with Stanzani recognized more as a thrower, while Greenwood emerged as the dual-threat option. Stanzani also has the ability to scramble when needed (174 yards) and was second on the team with four rushing touchdowns.

“That’s at the top of the list in terms of challenges this week, is the quarterback-run element,” Napier said. “We’re going to need to try to keep [LIU QBs] in the pocket and rush as a unit.”

Don’t Get Hurt

Obviously, this cannot be predicted or stopped from happening, as injuries are part of the sport. But knowing arguably the toughest schedule ahead among all teams, expect Florida to hold some players out of this game and pull some key starters too, primarily starting quarterback DJ Lagway.

Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC