Rivalry Renewed in Gainesville- Teams Desperate for a Win, Previewing Week 12 vs. Florida

11/14/2024

Photo By: Corey Perrillioux

Da Boot Sports
11/14/2024
By: Jason Watson Jr.

Gainesville, FL- #22 LSU travels to the east coast to renew their historic rivalry with the Florida Gators. Both teams are reeling from blowout conference losses last week, and will be in search of a rebound performance.

Last Week (W11):
LSU has had every opportunity this season to take a firm grasp over the SEC, but once again, fell short. After last weekend’s pitiful loss at home against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Tigers find themselves on the outside looking in. They no longer control their own destiny of reaching the SEC Championship or College Football Playoff and will need some help along the way. LSU 13- Alabama 42

Florida put on a disheartening effort versus the Texas Longhorns last Saturday after the announcement of Head Coach Billy Napier will be retaining his position into next season. Just one week after hanging tough with the Georgia Bulldogs in a hostile environment, the Gators showed regression on the road. How will they fare at home against an inconsistent LSU team desperate to win a game? Florida 17- Texas 49

Series History:
If you look solely at the overall record, you would think that LSU and Florida have gone blow for blow throughout their rivaled history. However, although LSU only has one more victory in the matchup (34-33-3), the Tigers have dominated in the last decade. The Gators have only managed two wins in the previous ten meetings, but have dropped all of the last five. The last Florida win came in 2018 when they came out on top at home, 27-19.

Injury Report:
Garrett Dellinger will miss his second consecutive game at Florida after having a surgical procedure performed during LSU’s last bye week. Although the hope was that the starting lineman would be able to return for the road trip, he will remain sidelined and look to recover. With top backup Tyree Adams still listed as questionable, it seems that Paul Mubenga will get his second start in as many weeks.

The biggest question surrounding Florida practices this week is the status of quarterback DJ Lagway. Lagway suffered a hamstring injury in Week 10 and even though initial thoughts were his season may be over, Napier said he is “trending in the
right direction” for a possible return against the Tigers. If Lagway is unable to go, the Gators will turn to Aidan Warner to lead the offense again this Saturday.

Keys to Victory:

* Get Home with Pressure
LSU has only managed two sacks over their last six quarters played. That includes no sacks versus Marcel Reed or Jalen Milroe. The Tigers have got to gameplan for collapsing the pocket as well as maintaining containment on the outside against stretch plays and scrambling quarterbacks. LSU’s got the talent and playmakers to cause havoc, they’ve just got to execute at a high-level.

* Use Your Playmakers
Against the Tide, running back Caden Durham toted the ball just a total of eight times. Even worse? He got 45 of his 63 rushing yards on his first carry of the game. Kyren Lacy was held without a reception in the first half. Zavion Thomas can only do so much on special teams. He touched the ball just three times offensively. Josh Williams had as many catches as Aaron Anderson and CJ Daniels combined. Notice an issue?

* Control What You Can
With a midseason collapse, LSU has to win out the rest of their schedule to have a chance at making any noise. The Tigers face their final road game of the season Saturday versus Florida, then return home to close out against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. All three are winnable, but it starts with just that. You’ve got to win out to salvage your season.

* Where to Watch:
Fans can watch LSU v. Florida live on ABC or stream from ESPN+ when the game kicks off from The Swamp at 2:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

* Predictions and Final Thoughts:
At this point, nothing would surprise me in this one. LSU, though chances are slim, still has a path to the SEC Championship. Pressure is rising for Brian Kelly and the coaching staff to get the Tigers back in contention for high rankings and playoff appearances. Florida and Napier, on the other hand, have little if anything to lose at this point in the season. A “don’t hold anything back” type of win at home against a Top-25 team would bode well for not just confidence, but in preparation for next season. Kelly knows his seat is hot, and I think he gets his message across this week. I think, hope, and pray that LSU comes out on top, but I expect the Gators to make it tough. I’ll go with the Tigers, 31-23.

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