#5 LSU @ #11 FloridaSaturday, October 11 - 8:00 (EST) - CBS
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - The Swamp
Gainesville, Florida
Florida -4.5
Summary
Last year's game was a classic...Les Miles had no fear of fourth down as he made grapefruit call after another...Jacob Hester (photo, right) was a beast in that game as LSU won 28-24...
This year's game is just as big...this will be the 10th time ever that the last two national champions will meet the year after they both won it...the last time was in 1990 when Notre Dame beat Miami 29-20 in South Bend...
Another loss by Florida will kill any hope of trying for another national title...LSU still has a strong chance to defend their BCS title as they roll in with a perfect record...this will be the 55th meeting between the schools with the Gators holding a 28-23-3 edge...LSU has won three of the last four meetings...
LSU found a hammer of a running back in Charles Scott who has rushed for 540 yards and eight TDs...the Tigers have also settled on freshman Jarrett Lee to quarterback the team...Lee had an impressive second half at Auburn a few weeks back...he has thrown six TDs and three INTs...his two favorite targets are Brandon LaFell and Demetrius Byrd...the defense is anchored by D-linemen Tyson Jackson and Ricky Jean-Francois... the Tigers have outscored their opponents 37-3 in the first quarter this season...however, in the fouth quarter, the Tigers have been outscored in SEC play 27-23...
Florida is all about Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow...despite the image of this high powered offense, the Gators are ranked 47th nationally in total offense with 390 yards/game...however, when they do get in the redzone, they have scored 17 of their 18 trips...speedster Percy Harvin has not been 100% all year...the Gators are tied for fourth win the best scoring defense (11.4/game)...Florida has socred on 17 of 18 trips inside the redzone...
An interesting sidenote, Florida is 3-11-2 when playing against a defending national title winner...their last win against a champ came in 1999 over Tennessee...
What the "experts" say...
Gold Sheet - Florida 30-16
Pointwise - Florida 22-20
LSU Tigers (4-0) - Head Coach Les Miles
Here is the LSU Game Notes for the Florida game...
For more information about LSU, check out the And the Valley Shook Blog...
James Varney of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes how the Gators have no seniors on defense - which might favor LSU... "The Florida depth chart shows not one senior am
ong the starting 11 defenders. Could that be an area LSU might exploit?" ... Varney writes how Ricky Jean-Francois has cooled his comments about taking out Tim Tebow even though most other SEC teams want to do the same... "Opponents stenciled a target on Tebow's No. 15 jersey even before last year when he became the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy. The big, dual-threat quarterback who almost single-handedly beat LSU last year at Tiger Stadium (LSU won 28-24) has, perhaps even more than most quarterbacks, been a topic of conversation among defenders throughout the Southeastern Conference." ...
James Kleinpeter of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes how LSU freshman QB Jarrett is ready to handle the noise of The Swamp... "But it was outside the practice field where Lee may have done his best conditioning. His performance in relief of injured starter Andrew Hatch at Auburn was the best preparation for what Lee will face at The Swamp." ...
Randy Rosetta of the Baton Rouge Advocate writes how LSU head coach Les Miles does not have a problem with a QB getting hit... "“The idea that he would hit him and hit him hard is something every quarterback in this league — our quarterback — will have to deal with." ...
George Morris of the Baton Rouge Advocate writes how LSU is going to defend the hard running QB of Florida... "But Alem recognizes they’ll have to do it even better this week at Florida, where Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow is the centerpiece of an offense that leads the SEC in scoring (36.0 points per game)." ...
Florida Gators (4-1) - Head Coach Urban Meyer
Here are the Florida Game Notes for the LSU game...
For more information about Florida, check out the Alligator Army blog...
Mick Elliott of the Tampa Tribune writes how Florida may have the home field, but LSU may have the horses... "The undefeated LSU Tigers - 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference - are defending national champions, ranked No. 4 in the nation and, coming off an open date, are at full strength for Saturday night's game against the Florida Gators." ...
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes how Gator fans have been spoiled of late... "The reason I bring this up is because of all the conversation and consternation about Florida's offense and quarterback Tim Tebow in the aftermath of Saturday's embarrassing, humiliating 31-point, um, victory over Arkansas." ...
Robbie Andreau of the Gainesville Sun writes how the Gators may have to make a play on special teams if it wants to win over LSU... "Two years ago in The Swamp, the Gators conducted a special-teams clinic that was the difference in UF's 23-10 win on the way to winning the national championship." ...
Andreau writes about the LSU-Florida game, is it a rivalry or just another good game?... "Florida and LSU have a long history, dating all the way back to 1937. The two schools have played every season since 1971 and LSU is UF’s permanent partner from the Western Division. The series has featured many memorable games and moments, but is Florida-LSU a rivalry or just a big game?"...
Antonya English of the St. Petersburg Times writes how the Gators run defense could have a problem... "In his weekly preparation for the Gators' upcoming opponent, coach Urban Meyer always includes playing great defense as an integral part of the plan. In a 38-7 win over Arkansas last weekend, Meyer said it was simply "good, but not great." This week, the Gators will need as close to great as possible." ...
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