Postgame Analysis: Florida Gators (5-5, 3-4) v. LSU Tigers (6-4, 3-3)

DJ Lagway returns along with the Gator pass rush to takeout rival LSU on a night of complementary football.

By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com, Football Analyst

Florida edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. (Chris Spears photo)

“This was complementary football at its best”-Coach Billy Napier

"The Curse of the Shoeless Fog" has been broken. After three games since the infamous third down stop the Florida Gators emerged from the fog victorious against one of their most hated foes. The Florida-LSU rivalry has always had a different vibe to it and on Saturday night the vibe was electric as the return of DJ Lagway and a rejuvenated pass rush ignited the Gators to arguably their best win under Napier. Florida would get explosive plays from their offense, dynamic stops from the defense, and special teams plays that all came together to give the Gators a program defining 27-16 win and set the tone for a program that may be on the verge of merging off the field excellence with on the field success. Florida would hold the nation’s 7th ranked passing offense 60 yards off of their season average with ferocious pressure and use efficient offense to maximize possessions. The physicality that has been absent in most losses was in play on both sides of the ball and allowed the Gators to keep LSU off balance and dominate both lines of scrimmage.

What We Thought: Florida came into the game a wounded bunch on defense. The absence of three starters in the secondary would pose a challenge for a Florida defense facing Garrett Nussmeier and the SEC’s second best passing offense. While LSU had struggled to run the football the vertical passing game would pose a challenge as LSU would bring a group of talented receivers to The Swamp. Could the Gators pass rush find a way to get Nussmeier off his spots and force him into errant throws that lead to turnovers or third down stops? Would the collection of perimeter players be too much for a banged up Gator secondary to handle for four quarters? LSU had only given up six sacks the entire season, tops in the SEC.

The return of DJ Lagway to the lineup would give the Gators a renewed sense of purpose and allow the offense to take advantage of Lagway’s ability to push the ball downfield. If Lagway could stay upright, the Gators would be able to create a balanced attack with their collection of running backs and underrated group of receivers. Keeping Lagway clean would be the order of the day. If the Gators could limit turnovers, and Lagway, despite his injury could be mobile enough Florida would be in this game to the bitter end. 

What We Got: The Gators partied like it was 2018. In a scene that had been absent for quite some time The Swamp had an electricity that resembled some of its most memorable games. This was your traditional throwdown between the Gators and the LSU Tigers and the Gators would come out on top playing the way it’s embattled coach has envisioned from his team for three seasons. DJ Lagway was tremendous, and while his return will be hyped as the reason for a Gator win it was the trench warfare that proved to be the difference in the 2024 edition of this rivalry. The Gators ran just 43 plays to 92 for LSU and converted just 3 of 9 third down conversions. Nonetheless the Gators were able to manage almost eight yards per play with no turnovers. The Gator offensive line was stellar, keeping the LSU defensive line and linebackers at bay and Lagway clean. For the first time this season the Gator offensive line failed to yield a sack, giving Lagway time to distribute the ball to seven different receivers for 226 passing yards. The Gators would find success against a vulnerable LSU rush defense running for 113 yards on 17 carries for a 6.6 yard per carry average. When speaking on the play of the running backs Lagway noted, “Those guys are great. I've seen what they had since spring. So I feel like those guys have been playing their butts off. They helped me tremendously to be able to push the ball down the field, knowing the run game is going hard”.

Defensively the Gators were spectacular, making a mends for their less than stellar performance the previous week. Challenged by their own failures the Gators played inspired football to grab seven sacks from a unit that had only given up six sacks in its first nine games. The Gators employed a number of varied pressures to confuse Nussmeier and the LSU offensive line and even when the rush did not get home the Gators harassed Nussmeier into throwing the ball away. When asked about the success of the pass rush, linebacker Shemar James stated, “Just staying in your rush lanes and crushing the pocket for the quarterback”. Making them step outside of the pocket. That's what we did. We came up with big-time plays and big-time sacks”. James would have two of the Gators seven sacks with six different Gators putting Nussmeier to the ground.

The Skinny: After the lopsided loss in Austin, many questioned the timing of the “vote of confidence” that Napier received from Scott Stricklen earlier that week. While it seems that recruiting may have been a major reason for the status of Napier to be clarified it was also built on this premise. This is a team that has bought into the “organization” that the Gators are building and the future, led by a generational talent at quarterback is promising. In talking to several players there is no doubt that the player experience in Gainesville has improved over the last three seasons and the investment in the athletes as people has allowed them to branch off into many facets of life outside and after football. The main thing is however the main thing and if not for winning, this football team has shown for ten weeks that they ae capable of picking themselves off of the canvas, regrouping, and showing up at the gate for another fight. Going forward there will certainly be changes to the staff. Players will leave, and others will arrive. The one thing that is undeniable is the message in the locker room resonates and Napier’s willingness to adjust the practice habits of his team has led to a more physical brand of football. This was an effort worthy to be applauded simply based on the numbers but if you listen to both the players and the crowd last night. Complements like the football is warranted. 

Final Score: Florida 27 LSU 16 (Prediction LSU 27 Florida 20)