Nov 143 min read

Gators Look to Bounce Back Against the Tigers in The Swamp

The Florida Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) host the No. 22 LSU Tigers (6-3, 3-2) at 3:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 16 in Gainesville, Fla. Both teams are coming off blowout losses to conference opponents. The Gators visited the No. 5 Texas Longhorns (8-1, 4-1) for the first time since 1940. The Longhorns won 49-17 in Austin, Texas. For the Tigers, they hosted the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2) in Baton Rouge, La. The Tigers home field advantage didn't exist against the perennial powerhouses. The Tide won 42-13, putting even more pressure on SEC as they try to sift through the chaos of the conference.

The Game's Ramifications

For the Gators, they will need to get wins in two of the next three games to appear in a bowl game. With games against the Tigers, the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels (8-2, 4-2) on Nov. 23 and in-state rivals Florida State (1-9, 1-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Nov. 30. While it is expected that the Gators will beat the Seminoles, the other two teams are ranked. They will have to upset one or both to open a path to a bowl game.

For the Tigers, with the chaos of the SEC, they still can sneak into the College Football Playoff. However, it will be a long shot. As it is, they are pretty much out of SEC Championship contention which grants the winner automatic CFP berth. With a series of easier opponents in their last stretch of games, the Tigers are in a prime position to take one of the last few CFP spots. They face Florida, then move on to a matchup with Vanderbilt (6-4, 3-3) on the Nov. 23 and lastly on Nov. 30, they face Oklahoma (5-5, 1-4). All of these are very winnable games.

Key Players: Florida Gators

Depending on the injury, the Gators will be starting true freshman and star DJ Lagway or third-string quarterback Aidan Warner who has played in his absence. The Gators have already lost Graham Mertz for the year, effectively ending his career. Lagway is expected to make a return sometime this year, but they aren't sure if the LSU game will be the one. Against Texas, the Gators had 12 players out on just offense. They will need to continue to get healthy to have any chance to win. They also have running backs Jaden Baugh and Montrell Johnson who will need to contribute if they are able to play. Johnson was on the injury list against Texas.

On defense, the Gators are also quite injured. Five players on the injury report are defensive including defensive back Jason Marshall III who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Three other defensive backs join him on the list (Devin Moore, Asa Turner and Ja'Keem Jackson) and are all questionable, per the latest.

Key Players: LSU Tigers

The Tigers are led by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier has 2,866 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns (3 rushing touchdowns) and 11 interceptions. The Tigers leading rusher is Caden Durham with 460 yards and 6 touchdowns. Receivers Kyren Lacy and Aaron Anderson have paired nicely to give Nussmeier two great targets in the passing game. Lacy has 697 yards and Anderson has 641 yards. They have combined for 11 touchdowns this season already.

On defense, the Tigers are led by linebackers Whit Weeks and Greg Penn III. Weeks and Penn are the top two leading tacklers for the Tigers with Weeks leading with 89 and Penn with 66. Weeks also has an interception to his name this season. The two also have combined for 3 forced fumbles. The Gators will have to be weary of these two on game day.