Florida’s Four Keys to Beating No. 3 LSU
All week, Florida (1-1) had to hear about how bad a loss it was to USF. Now, with uncertainty swirling around the program, the Gators hit the road for the first time this season to open SEC play against the No. 3 LSU Tigers (2-0).
While the rest of the fanbase sounds the alarms, Florida believes the correct approach is to remain calm and collective and not destroy the foundation and goals that were laid in place all offseason.
“Everything that’s been built here didn’t all of a sudden just disappear, OK? We didn’t perform to the best of our ability, the ball didn’t bounce our way on a few things,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “But there’s been a ton of investment put into the people on our team, within the organization, and those things still exist. So, we’re going to double down on who we are and go try to play a brand of football that we all can be proud of.”
The good news for Florida is that there’s time to get its season back on the right path with a win Saturday night. However, Florida’s biennial trip to the bayou has not been a smooth ride, as the Gators have not won in Death Valley since 2016. Going even further, Florida has not won a road night game in Tiger Stadium since 2009.
Here are the biggest keys to defeating LSU:
Pressure Garrett Nussmeier
Considered the best group of the defense, Florida’s front seven is off to a disappointing start. Through two games, Florida has recorded one sack. Senior defensive tackle Caleb Banks makes his season debut Saturday, and the hope is that he can bring some added juice for a unit in desperate need.
Florida sacked LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier seven times last season, and if they want to beat the Tigers for the second year in a row, they need to replicate a similar performance. Nussmeier is too good at quarterback to be left in a clean pocket, with all of those weapons at his disposal, and he can make Florida’s night in Death Valley a long and painful one.
“[Nussmeier] has arm talent, he’s accurate and anticipates well. He is an athlete who can extend the play and has a unique group of skilled players around him,” Napier said. “So, he does a nice job. I think he’s got good football intelligence, and it’s one of the better quarterbacks in the country for a reason.”
Establish run game
Slowing down the pace of play could be in Florida’s best interest. LSU likely wants to drag the Gators into a shootout, so tempo set by the ground game is the best way to counter. Florida has done a decent job of running the football this season, but in losing to USF, the offense got away from the initial game plan too quickly despite having success.
Running back Jadan Baugh needs to be a focal point of this offense Saturday. Last week, he finished with 18 carries for 93 yards, but 10 of the 18 rushes came in the first half. Call it bad play-calling or the flow of the game, but Baugh likely had more in the tank.
Now, Baugh and the rest of the Gators’ rushing attack will go up against an LSU run defense that has been stout so far. Through two games, LSU ranks fourth in the country in rushing yards allowed (44.5 per game) and 11th in yards per carry (1.9).
But this will be the Tigers’ first big test against a team with a difference-maker at running back. Baugh ran wild against LSU a season ago — on six carries, Baugh rushed for 65 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown.
“I think that Jadan is one of our best players, and I think more importantly, he’s one of our best people and our best leaders,” Napier said. “So he’s had a good week of practice and he’s going to get another opportunity this weekend.”
Get Lagway Comfortable
Since arriving on campus last season, quarterback DJ Lagway has played plenty of football. But surprisingly, Lagway will make his first career SEC road start Saturday night.
“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,” Napier said. “You can go your whole life dreaming of playing in these types of games, right? So that’s what makes it exciting to prepare throughout the week as a competitor.”
Lagway has had experience playing on the road before, even starting the Florida State game. But this will be his first real test to see if he can handle the pressure of 102,000 fans trying to bring him down.
It has not been the start Lagway anticipated having to open his sophomore campaign. The rust built from dealing with injuries all offseason is still around, and he is still working his way back to game speed.
Right now, one of Lagway’s biggest strengths, throwing the ball down the field is not there. There are a number of reasons that stem from poor mechanics and overthrows, dropped passes or making poor decisions and trying to force a throw. But the best way to help get a quarterback out of a funk is to find the easy stuff.
Getting Lagway going early with some easy throws should open up shots down the field. The short-game strategy can also help boost his confidence and settle down any nerves about starting on the road for the first time.
Limit explosive plays
Questions remain about Florida’s secondary and whether it is capable of limiting big chunk plays in the passing game. Florida, untested in Week 1, broke down too many times in critical moments against USF, giving up plays like a 66-yard touchdown pass.
Now, the secondary faces a Heisman trophy candidate quarterback and one of the best pass-catching groups in the nation. Florida cannot afford to give up big plays down the field and expect to win.
Missed tackles were a big issue a week ago too, which led to chunk plays happening. Florida had 11 missed tackles against USF, including a 29-yard screen pass in the game’s final two minutes.
The defense overall needs to be better, but creating pressure and wrapping up will help reduce the number of big-play opportunities for LSU.
“Oftentimes, those can make or break you and there were two big ones in the game on Saturday. I think you’re spot on – those two were big. The screen in a two-minute drive and then the run that broke third-and-I m-not-quite-sure,” Napier said. “Once the ball broke uncontained, and we got the guy in position to get him down. Look, every scoring possession they had in the game, we had a chance to get off the field on third or fourth down, every time they scored points in the game.”
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
