GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida and LSU are set to resume the SEC’s best crossover rivalry Saturday night in the Swamp.
The two schools have met every season since 1971 and developed the most heated annual meeting between East and West since the league’s 1992 split into divisions.
One possession decided seven of the past eight meetings. Since 2006, each program has won two national titles, often beating the other one in an unforgettable game.
Tim Tebow’s rocker step and jump pass in 2006, LSU’s 5 fourth-down conversions under Les Miles in 2007 and Joe Burrow’s 2019 passing duel with Kyle Trask in Tiger Stadium were pivotal moments during championship runs.
The upcoming matchup of 4-2 unranked teams might not go down in the history books but could serve as a building block for first-year coaches — Billy Napier and Brian Kelly.
“Excited about the challenges that come with playing a really good LSU team,” Napier said. “Certainly when you play LSU, you know they’re going to be unique [mismatches] on the field — and they’ve got lots of them. We’ve got a ton of respect for Coach Kelly and the staff that he’s put together.”
The Gators are 2.5-point favorites with many questions to answer entering the matchup:
Do style points matter?
At Florida, a resounding ‘Yes!’ — and it’s a no-brainer.
Steve Spurrier’s Fun N’ Gun and the Tebow-Percy Harvin combination under Urban Meyer and even Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Co. under Dan Mullen in 2020 set a high bar for offensive football.
Florida led the SEC in scoring nine times from 1991-2008 and averaged 39.5 two seasons ago.
Napier’s current Gators strive to be efficient more than entertaining.
Last Saturday against Missouri, Florida managed 293 yards, it’s second sub-300 yard game, joining a 10-point loss to Kentucky. Toss out a rout of FCS foe Eastern Washington and the Gators average 392 yards and 26.6 points.
“You do what you think to do for the team to win,” said Napier, who is the Gators’ play-caller.
Knowing his team had to score points at Tennessee, Napier’s “Scared Money Don’t Make Money” trademark was on full display during a shootout loss in Knoxville featuring 594 yards of offense — 515 by quarterback Anthony Richardson — and 5 fourth-down conversions.
Bold offensive performances might be infrequent for a squad lacking explosive playmakers on the perimeter and a dual-threat quarterback without an experienced backup able to step in if Richardson is injured.
Florida averages 11 plays of 10 yards or longer, seventh in the SEC and 51st nationally. Napier’s 2019 team at Louisiana ranked seventh nationally and averaged more than 18.
Napier will clearly be aggressive when possible.
Yet unlike Spurrier or Mullen, who also called plays for Meyer, Napier won’t prioritize generating offensive fireworks. Too many duds like Missouri or Kentucky, though, are a sure way to turn off Florida’s fan base.
What’s up with special teams?
A 48-yard punt return by Xzavier Henderson set up a field goal against Missouri, an all-too-rare example of the third phase of the game pitching in.
The Gators’ return game has been either non existent or inept. Florida averaged 4.8 yards on 6 punt returns prior to Henderson’s run back. Among SEC teams, only hapless Auburn averages fewer yards on kickoffs than Florida (16.9). The Gators also have committed 3 penalties on kickoff returns.
Missed field goals of 50 and 47 yards by Adam Mihalek against Missouri dropped Florida to last in efficiency (5 of 9, 55.6%) among SEC teams.
Napier’s staff does not include a special teams coach. He has analyst Chris Couch (official title: GameChanger Coordinator) even though he is restricted from working with players on the field. Graduate assistant Brandon Taylor assists Couch after spending the past two seasons at LSU in a similar role.
Whoever is in charge has yet to find the right combination in the kicking or return games.
Punter Jeremy Crawshaw has been a bright spot, averaging 44.5 yards on 12 punts — 7 finishing inside the 20.
Isn’t it time to tighten RB rotation?
Outside of Richardson, the Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne 1-2 punch is the best thing Florida’s offense has going for it.
No better time than the LSU game to unleash two Louisiana natives.
Johnson and Etienne combined for 169 yards on just 16 carries (9.4 average) against Missouri and combined for 3 runs of 30 yards or longer as Florida built a second-half lead.
Meanwhile, Nay’Quan Wright managed 22 yards on 5 carries, with a long of 10 yards — the senior’s second run of at least 10 yards in 2022. Johnson and Etienne have 11 each.
Wright is a solid player who knows the offense as well as anyone.
But Johnson is a more powerful runner with the explosiveness to get to the second level. Etienne is a playmaker in the mold of his brother Travis, a record-setter at Clemson and first-round pick by Jacksonville.
“No surprise to me,” Napier said of the first-year freshman. “He was well prepared upon arrival.”
The time has arrived for Napier to give more carries to Johnson (46) and Etienne (44) while using Wright (45) more sparingly.
Can we see more NFL throws from Richardson?
A 9-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Pearsall in the back corner of the end zone against Missouri showcased Richardson’s arm strength and ability to throw on the run. The play was akin to his spectacular 2-point conversation against Utah.
Richardson is special on the move and attack with his talent and instincts. Consider his performance at unbeaten Tennessee, where Richardson completed 8 passes of 20 yards or longer operating with an aggressive mindset and game plan.
Richardson had a 20-yard completion against Missouri and one memorable throw, the scoring toss to Pearsall. Coaches need to get more from a quarterback who is a highlight-reel play waiting to happen.
What is Florida’s midseason grade?
Six games into the 12-game regular season, the Gators have an impressive win (Utah), a close-call against a top-10 team (Tennessee), a collapse (Kentucky), a no-show (USF) and a snoozer (Missouri). Eastern Washington does not qualify for course credit.
The defense is barely passing, if it is. Same with special teams. The offense is average. But the Gators are winning more than losing.
Napier will not award a grade.
“I’m not into grades,” he said. “I’m into winning.”
Here the grade is B-minus.
