We've still got weeks to go in the 2019 college football regular season which of course means it's already time to turn attention to the 2020 NFL Draft as well. Each year, those that are eligible for the league play knowing it's their "draft season" and that each play goes on tape. The Florida Gators have a bevy of playmakers in such a position this season. As the 2019 NFL season stands, the Gators have 44 former players on rosters in the league. That number stands to increase next April when a load of seniors and upperclassmen evaluate their NFL stock. The offense in particular is senior heavy and stands to see a majority of its skill players suiting up on Sunday's next season. In the interest of the looming draft, GatorBait TV's Kassidy Hill sat down with Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus. Renner is the lead draft analyst for the analytics site (which is owned by former Gator Cris Collinsworth) and as such has an eye on those across the country who stand to be the biggest names called by commissioner Roger Goodell next spring. Touching on several of those who could be heading for the next NFL Draft, Renner broke down what they've done well so far, what NFL scouts see in each guy and what they can continue to do this season to improve their stock. Click through to watch the entire conversation here or watch below. And if you haven't already, check out and sign up for PFF to receive breakdown's of every play and every player from every game. *As a disclaimer, this conversation was originally filmed prior to the Gators game against Kentucky.

The Big Surprise Is No Surprises Perhaps the biggest surprise of Kyle Trask's four starts as the quarterback at the University of Florida is that we're about to run out of things that surprise us. He doesn't seem the least bit fazed by big game pressure, loud crowds like the one he quieted so many times Saturday night in Baton Rouge or by opposing defensive coordinators doing their dead level best to daze and confuse him. Wide receiver Josh Hammond, who arrived in the same recruiting class with Trask, doesn't see a whole lot of difference in the Kyle Trask who has handled the Auburn and LSU defenses than the one who arrived in Gainesville in 2016, an unheralded recruit who never started a varsity game in high school. Since he barely played his first three years at Florida, we're just now learning how calm and collected Trask can be when a game is on the line or when the bulk of a Tiger Stadium crowd that has been drinking since Wednesday elects to shred a few vocal cords. Hammond says that's the Trask he's seen “from day one.” We're also learning that Trask is a pinpoint passer capable of making every throw in the book accurately and on time. He threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns against LSU while leading the Gators down the field on four sustained drives. He is able to do that because he never saw himself as a second class citizen on the Florida football team even when he kept getting passed over as the starter. Trask simply waited his turn, calm, cool, collected and ready when opportunity finally knocked. Noted quarterback whisperer and Florida head coach Dan Mullen said Monday, “He's prepared himself to be the starting quarterback since the day that we got here and that shows in, 'Now, we need you to go be the starter.' 'OK, I've been preparing for that moment since the day you got here, I'm ready and give me the ball, I'll go do it.'" What he has done is impressive, but if you think we've seen everything from Kyle Trask, think again. In addition to the kid who is proving he's very definitely a Southeastern Conference caliber quarterback, there is a Jekyll and Hyde kind of guy that Hammond and teammates see even if fans watching in person or on TV don't. Just when teammates least expect it, the wild and crazy Kyle Trask makes his presence known. “Probably the first time he did that it did surprise me just because I did not expect it to come out of him,” Hammond said. “You know it’s football, guys get excited for football, so like when it happened, it was like oh it’s Kyle, but like after that I expected it out of him. He brings that switch when it’s time to go.” Like Saturday night when Trask drove the Gators to the tying touchdown before the end of the first half, then the go-ahead TD for a 28-21 lead on UF's first second half possession. “He handles adversity really well, whether we are high or low, he tries to stay medium and just keep everybody’s head above float and keep everybody on the same page,” Hammond said. “Now if we go down and score and go up 28-21 then that Kyle, the excited Kyle comes out and is ready to go. But by the time we get back on the field, he will be back calm and poised again.” Trask has an explanation for it. “I'm just a laid back kind of person but once it's time for business, it's time for business,” he said. It's that guy who knows how to handle Florida's business on the field that we are growing accustomed to seeing. There doesn't seem to be any situation or circumstance that will overwhelm Trask. The tougher the situation, the more likely he is ready to handle it both emotionally and physically. We were surprised at first, probably because we had no idea how hard Trask had worked to be ready when it was his moment to shine or how capable he was of performing at the highest levels. Now that he's won a game coming off the bench and is 3-1 as a starter with impressive performances against Auburn (win) and LSU (road loss), maybe it's time to stop being surprised by Trask and expect bigger and better things every single game. SEC FOOTBALL STUFF #1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC): Despite four touchdown passes, Tua Tagovailoa's performance against Texas A&M is his most inconsistent of the season against a Power Five opponent. Tua completed 21-34 passes (61.8%) for a season-low 293 yards and also threw his first interception of the season. For the season, Tua has completed 73.6% of his passes for 2,011 yards and 27 touchdowns. Saturday: vs. Tennessee (2-4, 1-2 SEC) Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC): The news keeps getting worse for the Hogs, who lost to Kentucky 24-20 after blowing a 13-0 lead. Monday it was announced that linebacker D'Vone McClure is leaving the program and corner Devin Bush, the highest rated defensive signee in the 2019 recruiting class for Chad Morris, has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal. McClure was running second unit. Bush was a 4-star recruit out of Louisiana. Saturday: vs. #11 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC) #11 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC): With Boobee Whitlow out, Auburn might turn to freshman DJ Williams to take the bulk of the running back snaps. At 5-10, 216 he's a more between the tackles runner than senior Kam Martin who is 5-10, 189. Martin has run for 174 yards and two touchdowns while Williams has seven carries for 32 yards. Saturday: at Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC) #10 Georgia (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Running back De'Andre Swift, who had 113 yards on 23 carries against South Carolina, says Georgia needs to open up the offense more. In a video that was posted by 960 The Ref, Swift said, “I think we need to take more shots down field, try to get the ball to our playmakers in space.” Saturday: vs. Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC) Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC): Lynn Bowden Jr. could actually finish the season as Kentucky's leading passer, rusher and receiver. Currently, he's the leading receiver with 30 catches for 348 yards and a touchdown but after Saturday's performance as the quarterback (196 yards rushing) he's third in rushing with 295 yards. He is only 10-15 for 117 passing yards but he might end up being the starting quarterback even after Sawyer Smith is healthy again. Saturday: at #11 Georgia (5-1, 2-1 SEC) #2 LSU (6-0, 3-0 SEC): After his 21-24 passing performance against Florida, which was good for 293 yards and three touchdowns, Joe Burrow is now very much in Heisman Trophy contention. This season Burrow is completing 79.6% of his passes for 2,157 yards (11.6 per attempt) and 25 touchdowns. Saturday: at Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC) Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC): At his Monday press conference, while trying to explain how Mississippi State was dominated by Tennessee, HBC Joe Moorhead said, “Coaching in the SEC for about a year-and-a-half now in a lot of ways has been a humbling experience. I don’t think you get to this point where I am without a certain level of success, and of confidence, but this game and the SEC, it has a way of keeping you honest.” Saturday: vs. #2 LSU (6-0, 3-0 SEC) #22 Missouri (5-1, 2-0 SEC): The Tigers have scored at least 31 points in all six games so far (averaging 38.8 per game). Saturday they'll be going up against a Vanderbilt team that ranks 124th nationally in total defense (480 yards per game) and 120th in scoring defense (36.8 points per game). Saturday: at Vanderbilt (1-5, 0-3 SEC) Ole Miss (3-4, 2-3 SEC): Ole Miss plans to use both Matt Corrall and John Rhys Plumlee at quarterback against Texas A&M. Corrall has the big arm and will be used mostly in passing situations while Plumlee is an outstanding runner who has three consecutive games with more than 100 yards on the ground. Saturday: at Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC) South Carolina (3-3, 2-2 SEC): Sophomore corner Israel Mukuamu (6-4, 205) was selected Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week after intercepting Jake Fromm three times in South Carolina's 20-17 double overtime win over Georgia. Prior to facing South Carolina, Fromm had not thrown an interception this season. Saturday: vs. #9 FLORIDA (6-1, 3-1 SEC) Tennessee (2-4, 1-2 SEC): Quarterback Brian Maurer is under concussion protocol so his status for Saturday's game with #1 Alabama is up in the air. In the win over Mississippi State, Jarrett Guarantano came off the bench to complete 6-7 of his passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Saturday: at #1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC): Among his comments on the state of the Aggie program midway through year two of his tenure as HBC, Jimbo Fisher said, “I still feel very good on where we are at and what’s going on and in the direction we are going.” Saturday: vs. Ole Miss (3-4, 2-3 SEC) Vanderbilt (1-5, 0-3 SEC): After the Commodores blowout loss to Mountain West bottom feeder UNLV, Tommy Deas of The Tennesseean wrote, “It’s time to drop anchor at Vanderbilt ... The ship was afloat but adrift. Now it’s sinking .. But is it time to abandon ship on Derek Mason?” Saturday: vs. #22 Missouri (5-1, 2-0 SEC) GOOD QUOTES FOR TUESDAY From Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports on what Southern Cal could do to solve its vacant AD problem and then get the football coach it wants after Clay Helton is pink slipped: “To bring in Foley, 66, would provide exactly what USC’s beleaguered athletic department so desperately needs – an accomplished outsider who can rebuild credibility and accountability within the department. And, yes, by hiring Foley, USC would have the best chance to hire Urban Meyer or another established and accomplished coach. Foley hired Meyer at Florida from Utah in 2004 and traveled lockstep with him to the highest levels of college football. That included two national titles together in Gainesville.” Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network on WJOX in Birmingham, speaking out about CBS coverage of SEC football: “I have to say the CBS approach to the game is getting tiresome. There’s no comparison to that primetime game on Saturday night, then you flip over and watch the Alabama-Texas A&M game. I still forget that Verne Lundquist is not doing the games. Brad Nessler is a very professional broadcaster, but he doesn’t distinguish himself like Verne did, or Keith Jackson did. Gary (Danielson), what can you say about Gary that hasn’t already been said by 1,000 of your callers. (ESPN’s Chris) Fowler has grown into the preeminent voice in college football and Kirk Herbstreit’s been that way for a long time.” John Talty of Al.com on Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead, who just lost to Tennessee and is 11-8 since replacing Dan Mullen as the Bulldogs' head coach: “Moorhead walked into a particularly difficult situation in Starkville having to replace a coach who raised the bar on fan expectations. Mullen guided the Bulldogs to their first-ever No. 1 ranking in 2014, eight bowl games in nine seasons and a reputation for always being ready to compete even against good opponents. Mullen wasn’t perfect at MSU and could never completely get the Bulldogs over the hump but he let fans dream bigger. They could let their imaginations wander about all the great things they could achieve with the right coach and right players.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: If you catch any of the National League Championship Series between the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals, play close attention to Juan Soto, who plays left field for the Nationals. He's 20 years old and has 56 homers and 180 RBI in 266 career Major League Baseball games … Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack made a donation to pay the electricity and water bills for 31 elderly customers of Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) who couldn't afford to pay their bills … Responding to claims of sexual discrimination by a former associate athletic director at the University of Saint Joseph in Connecticut, Hall of Fame basketball coach Jim Calhoun issued a statement claiming he has never mistreated any woman or knowingly treated a woman unfairly due to her gender … The Washington Nationals are within a game of the World Series after knocking off the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-1, Monday night.

NO WIGGLE ROOM, BUT THE PATH TO ATLANTA IS CLEAR A four-game playoff for the SEC East Division championship is essentially what the Florida Gators (6-1, 3-1 SEC) face following the loss to LSU Saturday night in Baton Rouge. Florida's path to Atlanta is assured if the Gators beat (in order) South Carolina (3-3, 2-2 SEC) on the road, Georgia (5-1, 2-1 SEC) in Jacksonville, Vanderbilt (1-5, 0-3 SEC) at The Swamp and Missouri (5-1, 2-0) on the road. A 4-0 record will win the SEC East. There is no real wiggle room because losing would require a whole lot of help to get to Atlanta, so the goal from here on out is just win, baby. Before Saturday the national consensus was that Georgia was better than Florida and Florida would get taken to the cleaners by LSU. That all changed when Georgia was kneecapped by South Carolina in Athens. Georgia can make every excuse in the world why it lost but the fact is this Georgia team was overhyped from the beginning. Now, even the win over Notre Dame is being looked at differently. The way Florida played at LSU – a loss, yes, but a game the Gators could have won – has most of the national media believing the Gators not only should beat the Poodles but probably will. Among Georgia's five remaining SEC games are Florida (Jacksonville), Missouri, (at) Auburn and Texas A&M. No one would expect Georgia to lose all four of those although all four games are losable, but after the loss to South Carolina it's not difficult to picture a couple of losses. The wildcard in the SEC East Division race is Missouri, which is ineligible to play in the postseason (SEC Championship Game is considered postseason) due to NCAA sanctions. Although the Tigers could go unbeaten in league play, they can't go to Atlanta or to a bowl game unless there is a last second appeal granted by the NCAA (highly unlikely). Even though the Tigers can't win the division, their games count in the standings, win or lose, Both Florida (at Missouri, November 16) and Georgia (Missouri in Athens on November 9) have to play Missouri in the two weeks following the game in Jacksonville. GATORS REMAIN IN TOP TEN IN BOTH POLLS The fact the Gators weren't overwhelmed by LSU Saturday night in Baton Rouge wasn't lost on the people who vote in both the Associated Press and Coaches top 25 polls. The Gators dropped only two places in both polls to #9. The big move in the AP poll was made by LSU, which moved up to #2, shoving Clemson down to #3. The Tigers moved up to #3 in the Coaches poll. The big loser, as expected, was Georgia, which not only dropped to #10 in both polls but was made to look quite ordinary by unranked South Carolina. The Associated Press Top 25 Poll (1) Alabama 6-0; (2) LSU 6-0; (3) Clemson 6-0; (4) Ohio State 6-0; (5) Oklahoma 6-0; (6) Wisconsin 6-0; (7) Penn State 6-0; (8) Notre Dame 5-1; (9) FLORIDA 5-1; (10) Georgia 5-1; (11) Auburn 5-1; (12) Oregon 5-1; (13) Utah 5-1; (14) Boise State 6-0; (15) Texas 4-2; (16) Michigan 5-1; (17) Arizona State 5-1; (18) Baylor 6-0; (19) SMU 6-0; (20) Minnesota 6-0; (21) Cincinnati 5-1; (22) Missouri 5-1; (23) Iowa 4-2; (24) Appalachian State 5-0; (25) Washington 5-2 The Coaches Top 25 Poll (1) Alabama 6-0; (2) Clemson 6-0; (3) LSU 6-0; (4) Ohio State 6-0; (5) Oklahoma 6-0; (6) Wisconsin 6-0; (7) Penn State 6-0; (8) Notre Dame 5-1; (9) FLORIDA 6-1; (10) Georgia 5-1; (11) Auburn 5-1; (12) Oregon 5-1; (13) Boise State 6-0; (14) Utah 5-1; (15) Texas 4-2; (16) Michigan 5-1; (17) Arizona State 5-1; (18) Baylor 6-0; (19) SMU 6-0; (20) Minnesota 6-0; (21) Cincinnati 5-1; (22) Iowa 4-2; (23) Washington 5-2; (24) Appalachian State 5-0; (25) Temple 5-1 RANKING THE SEC TOP TO BOTTOM (1) Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC): There is absolutely nothing wrong with Alabama's offense. The Crimson Tide is going to score plenty of points. The defense, however, was exposed at Texas A&M. If they have this much problem stopping Kellen Mond, imagine what's going to happen when Joe Burrow comes to Tuscaloosa. Next Saturday: vs. Tennessee (2-4, 1-2 SEC) (2) LSU (6-0, 3-0 SEC): With his performance against Florida, Joe Burrow has elevated himself into the thick of the Heisman Trophy conversation. If he lights up Alabama and outplays Tua in the process on November 9, he might emerge as a frontrunner. He's thrown for 2,157 yards (11.6 per attempt) and 25 touchdowns in only six games. Next Saturday: at Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC) (3) FLORIDA (6-1, 3-1 SEC): The Gators have opened the week as 7-1/2 point favorites to knock off South Carolina in Columbia on Saturday. Next Saturday: at South Carolina (3-3, 2-2 SEC) (4) Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Auburn has the defense to be a legitimate contender for the SEC West title but the offense better figure some things out. Bo Nix has to play better than he did against Florida and someone has to step up in the running game to replace Boobee Whitlow, who won't be back until November. Next Saturday: at Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC) (5) Georgia (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Not only was Georgia physically beaten up by South Carolina, but Kirby Smart was thoroughly outcoached by Will Muschamp. If Ryan Hilinski hadn't hurt his knee on a late hit, Georgia would have lost by at least two touchdowns. At HOME! Next Saturday: vs. Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC) (6) Missouri (5-1, 2-0 SEC): Without Gerrit Cole in the middle, the Mizzou defense looked like a shell of its former self against Ole Miss, giving up 236 passing yards, an alarming 204 yards on the ground and 27 points. Next Saturday: at Vanderbilt (1-5, 0-3 SEC) (7) Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC): What's going on in Aggieland is all about the future and it is very, very bright. Jimbo Fisher has this team pointed to 2020, which should be a year in which the Aggies contend to win the SEC West. Next Saturday: vs. Ole Miss (3-4, 2-3 SEC): (8) South Carolina (3-3, 2-2 SEC): Ryan Hilinski's knee is sprained but HBC Will Muschamp says it's not serious enough to keep him out of Saturday's matchup with 9th-ranked Florida. At the point when he went down after a late hit against Georgia, Hilinski had completed 15-20 passes for Next Saturday: vs. #9 Florida (6-1, 3-1 SEC) (9) Ole Miss (3-4, 2-3 SEC): For the Rebels to get the three more wins they will need to become bowl eligible, they'll have to win shootouts. The offense is actually quite good, but the defense struggles mightily with any team that has a decent passing game. Ole Miss has allowed five of its seven opponents to throw for more than 300 yards. Next Saturday: at Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC) (10) Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC): Sawyer Smith couldn't answer the bell, so converted wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. played QB for the first time since high school and delivered a critical win that may be the beginning of the Wildcats salvaging their season. In the win over Arkansas, Bowden was 24-196 rushing for two touchdowns and 7-11 for 78 yards and a TD passing. Next Saturday: at #10 Georgia (5-1, 2-1 SEC) (11) Mississippi State (3-3, 1-2 SEC): The honeymoon is officially over for Joe Moorhead. He went 8-5 last year with a loaded roster left behind by Dan Mullen. There's still lots of Mullen talent left behind but now the Bulldogs are 3-3 and they've lost to Tennessee. Next Saturday: vs. #2 LSU (12) Tennessee (2-4, 1-2 SEC): The Vols won't oh-fer the SEC schedule, not after their defense rose to the occasion and held Mississippi State to 267 total yards and only 10 points. Reality for the Vol defense will set in next Saturday in Tuscaloosa. That one will get ugly early. Next Saturday: at #1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) (13) Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC): Arkansas knew Kentucky wasn't going to throw the ball but even playing eight in the box, the Hogs couldn't stop the Wildcats from running for 330 yards. There is every good chance Arkansas does another oh-fer the SEC for a second straight year. Other than Mississippi State, there isn't another SEC game that's even remotely winnable. Next Saturday: vs. #11 Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC) (14) Vanderbilt (1-5, 0-3 SEC): When Countdown to Firing Day, Edition Eight comes out next Friday, Derek Mason will occupy a prominent spot On Life Support. Vandy folks can tolerate a loss to an SEC team but not to a Mountain Wes bottom feeder like UNLV. Buzzards are circling the Vanderbilt football complex. Next Saturday: vs. #22 Missouri (5-1, 2-0 SEC) ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL Jalen Hurts is an extraordinary college quarterback but he showed in Oklahoma's 34-27 win over Texas exactly why Tua is the QB at Alabama. Alabama is running an offense that requires precision throws which Tua can make in his sleep. Hurts needs receivers running wide open because he doesn't have the arm to hit people on the break. That being said, Hurts had a great game – 16-28 for 235 yards and three touchdowns passing, 17-131 rushing for another TD – but it's one thing to be a great college QB, something altogether different to be good enough play the position in the NFL. The ACC solidified its position as the worst of the Power Five conferences over the weekend. Wake Forest, which was unbeaten and the highest ranked (19th) ACC team not named Clemson, lost to Louisville, 62-59. Friday night, Virginia, which came into the game ranked 20th and the only team in the Coastal Division without a league loss, dropped an ugly 17-9 decision to Miami, which came into the game as the only Power Five team without a win over another Power Five team. Tied for the Coastal lead are Virginia, Duke and North Carolina, all at 2-1. Wisconsin, which leads the nation in scoring defense (4.8 per game) and has four shutouts in six games. The 6th-ranked Badgers will sleepwalk through next Saturday's game at Illinois in anticipation of the showdown with #4 Ohio State on October 26. Penn State, which is ranked 7th, can put 16th-ranked Michigan out of its misery this weekend in Happy Valley. Memphis saw its unbeaten season come to an end against Temple, in part because the American Athletic Conference replay officials bizarrely overturned a catch by tight end Joey Magnifico on a fourth-and-9 at the Temple 30 with 1:50 to go. On the field officials ruled a catch but the replay booth overturned the call. If you watch the replay it was a catch all the way and the ball didn't come close to touching the ground. GOOD QUOTES FOR MONDAY From Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports on why LSU should be the #1 team in the country after beating the Gators: “In beating Florida 42-28 in Tiger Stadium, LSU staked its claim to being ranked No. 1. It won’t happen, because pollsters are incapable of the flexible thinking necessary to jump a team from No. 5 to the top of the polls. But what other undefeated team has two victories as good as the Tigers, who paired this defeat of the Gators with their road win over Texas on Sept. 7?” Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the end of then 3rd-ranked Georgia's 20-17 double overtime loss to unranked South Carolina, which was a 21-point underdog: “The Bulldogs ran the ball once and threw it twice. They gained nothing. They summoned Rodrigo Blankenship – who’d made every kick this season until having a field-goal try blocked at the shank of the first half – and the folk hero pulled it left. South Carolina players started running toward the far end zone, and your first thought was, 'Why are they running?' And then the incredible truth hit: Because they’d won. They upset the nation’s No. 3 team behind their No. 3 quarterback.” From Wayne McGahee III of the Tallahassee Democrat on Florida State's 45-14 poleaxing at the hands of Clemson: “FSU is nowhere close to Clemson as a program right now. From the talent level to the coaching to the recruiting. It's been a steep drop and the climb is going to take a long time with no end in sight. The gap doesn't seem to be getting any small either.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: The Atlanta Falcons are off to a 1-5 start, their latest loss to Arizona, 34-33, when the game-tying extra point was missed. Arizona's Kyler Murray threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns in the win … Somebody named Lanto Griffin won the Houston Open. Were you watching? Didn't think so … A Los Angeles Angels employee says he provided pitcher Tyler Skaggs with oxycodone for several years. Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room on July 1 on an overdose of what a toxicology report says was a combination of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone.

It was a 14-point loss on the road in Baton Rouge, which is exactly what the Vegas oddsmakers pegged it, but the 42-28 final margin doesn't tell you how close the Florida Gators came to either beating LSU outright or at least sending the game into overtime. It wasn't a two-touchdown deficit. It was a two-play deficit. The first game-deciding play happened on the first play of Florida's second possession of the third quarter. On the first possession, the Gators marched 76 yards downfield in eight plays, taking a 28-21 lead on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Trask to Van Jefferson. After LSU answered to tie the game with its own 8-play scoring drive, this one covering 75 yards, the Gators got the ball on their own 25. On the first play, Trask swung the ball out to Lamical Perine who found an alley down the sideline and crossed midfield before he was brought down. Instead of first-and-10 at the LSU 48, however, the play was called back because Stone Forsythe was flagged for holding, moving the ball back to the UF 15. A couple of plays later, Trask was sacked for an 8-yard loss, then there was a delay of game penalty on fourth down. Tommy Townsend had to punt from the end zone and while he launched a 48-yarder, LSU had exceptional field position at its own 48, where the Gators would have been if not for the holding call. Four plays later, LSU scored to take the lead for good, 35-28. There is no certainty the Gators would have scored on that drive if not for the holding penalty, but at the time, the LSU defense was reeling and had no answers for Trask and the passing game. I'm of the opinion the Gators would have come up with at least three points on that drive to silence the Death Valley maniacs. The way Trask was throwing and the way the UF wide receivers were beating the LSU secondary, a touchdown wasn't out of the question but bad things happen when you lose 37 yards on the road and you have first-and-20 at your own 15. The penalty changed Florida's entire offensive dynamic and tilted momentum back to LSU. The second game-deciding play was the Trask interception in the end zone with 7:06 left in the game. This is a drive that began on Florida eight, trailing, 35-28. Highlighted by two third down conversions – a 21-yard completion from Trask to Freddie Swain on a third-and-10 and a Trask pass to Trevon Grimes for 19 yards on a third-and-12 – the Gators drove to the LSU 16 in 11 plays. On third-and-one and with the Tigers putting nine in the box, the Gators elected to throw the ball. The right side of the O-line did its job but Brett Heggie barely got a piece of Rashard Lawrence, forcing Trask to step up and to his right. His throw on the move was wide left of Freddie Swain in the end zone where Derek Stingley made a diving interception. The timing of the play was totally blown up when Lawrence broke through. If Trask hadn't been forced to step up and hurry the throw he would have had two open options – Van Jefferson across the middle and Swain at about the five. Instead of a first down or a touchdown, the Gators gave the ball up and LSU scored on its ensuing possession. Once again, there is no certainty that even if the Gators had tied the game or even come away with a field goal that they would have Kept LSU out of the end zone one more time. What we do know, however, is that the chance to win the game was eliminated on those two plays. The fact that the Gators had so many things go wrong and yet two plays could have changed the entire outcome tells you this is indeed a very good football team. Post game Coach O gave plenty of credit to the Tiger Stadium crowd and said that had a lot to do with getting the win. He's right. Had this game been played in Gainesville with The Swamp loud and intense like it was against Auburn, the outcome could have been much, much different. THIS IS STILL AN EXCEPTIONAL DEFENSE If all you do is go by the box score, then Florida's defense was exposed and judged a fraud Saturday night. That's hardly the case. It's still a very good defense, in fact, one of the best in the country but this was a night when the injury bug bit the Gators very, very hard and there was no way to compensate. When Jonathan Greenard came up lame, tweaking that high ankle sprain, the Gators lost the glue that holds this defense together. He's kind of the dial-a-play guy for the Gators – the situation is tight, the Gators need to make a play and somehow, someway Jonathan Greenard gets involved and makes something good happen for the Gators. Through the first six games of the season, Greenard was the SEC's most valuable defensive player. Even now, after this injury that could keep him out another game or more, he's still the runaway choice as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. What Greenard gives defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is a Swiss Army Knife, versatile enough to be used in just about every imaginable circumstance. When Greenard departed, Grantham lost that flexibility he has with an elite pass rusher who can also play the run, drift out into pass protection and move up and down the line to create havoc with the offensive line calls. Without Greenard in the lineup, LSU's offensive line didn't have that one guy that has to be accounted for on every single play and it showed in the pass protection. For the most part, Burrow stood like a statue in the pocket and gave his receivers all the time they needed to find the soft spots in the Florida zone. In addition to losing Greenard, the Gators lost Jabari Zuniga who also reinjured his ankle. Alone, Zuniga is a load although not as much an impact player as Zuniga. With the two of them, Florida could have had a dynamic effect on LSU's passing game. If the Gators just had one of them healthy, they certainly could have put more pressure on the Tigers. Without Greenard and Zuniga, Grantham was forced to blitz a lot more than he's accustomed and he had to play a soft zone most of the game. Without pressure off the edge, Grantham had to back the corners off the line of scrimmage which gave the LSU receivers running starts before they came in contact with Florida DBs. The combination of four and five receiver sets and the soft zone opened up the running game, which the Gators struggled to stop without the corners and safeties closer to the line of scrimamge. LSU ran for 218 yards and produced touchdown runs of 57 and 33 yards. This is a beaten up Florida defense that doesn't have the advantage of an off week to heal up nor the depth to replace one stud with another. Looking ahead to Saturday, the Gators may be forced to tough it out without Greenard and Zuniga against a grind it out South Carolina team that can get the job done in the passing game when true freshman Ryan Hilinski is healthy and upright. Before he went down with a sprained knee on a blatantly late hit against Georgia, Hilinski had completed 15-20 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. The Gamecocks have a balanced attack that averaged 409.8 yards per game, 193.5 on the ground (5.69 per carry) and 216.3 through the air (6.0 per attempt). TRASK IS A KEEPER When GameDay was scanning the crowd for signs in Baton Rouge Saturday morning one that stood out read, “I started more games in high school that Kyle Trask.” While it's possible that the sign is true, the sign creator couldn't have done what Trask did Saturday night in one of college football's most hostile environments. With the exception of the interception and the freeze option that failed down at the goal line late in the fourth quarter, Trask was steady as a rock. He hit 23-39 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns on a really good LSU defense. When the Tigers brought the heat Trask didn't flinch at all and he showed some mobility in the pocket that tells you he listens to his coaches. A week ago against Auburn he stood in one place and held the ball too long. Against LSU he moved his feet, found good passing lanes and made some nice throws after taking three or four steps toward the line of scrimmage. He's now 93-136 passing for 1,212 yards (8.9 per attempt) with 10 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. We're seeing him grow week-to-week and while still not the polished product that Dan Mullen wants, he's getting there and at a faster rate than any of us could have envisioned. So while that yokel with the sign might have started in high school, Kyle Trask is starting at QB in the Southeastern Conference and doing it well enough that eventually, he will get his chance to make an NFL roster in the future.

The No. 9 Florida Gators fell 42-28 to the No. 2 LSU Tigers on a Louisiana Saturday night in Death Valley…and strangely, Gator fans should feel encouraged? Yes encouraged. You read that right. As you head back to work on Monday morning, here are you topics of discussion as you brag—and offer some earned criticism—for your Gators. Related: Gators Fall in Death Valley but Emerge from Baca Kyle Trask was on fire Redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Trask played arguably his best game to date. In his fourth start, Trask stepped into a stadium with 102K+ fans, at night in the toughest environment in college football. And he never flinched. He lit a flame that had been simmering, giving him the fire to lower his shoulder on multiple runs—10 for a gained 38 yards. His pocket awareness showed marked improvement, encapsulated in a 4th quarter play that moved Florida down the field. On a 3rd and 12 from their own 27-yard line, the Gators sent five wide with an empty backfield, leaving no help as an extra blocker for Trask. With pressure coming, the passer felt it off his back and stepped up in the pocket, delivering a shot over the middle as he did so to Tre Grimes for a 19-yard reception that moved the chains. Trask also dealt with high snaps much of the night and was able to take care of the ball on each one. Overall Trask went 23-29 for 310 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, the latter of which proved backbreaking when it was picked off in the endzone. The Tigers were able to turn the possession into a touchdown. Yet it was the poise Trask showed under the most intense of circumstances that give the Gators confidence moving forward. “I thought he did a really good job,” Mullen said of Trask. "I thought Emory [Trask] did a really good job, came in and gave a really good mix-up for us. Both those guys. I don't have a whole lot to complain with their performances tonight. I thought they handled the environment. It was an amazing environment. That's what makes the SEC so special. Everyone was worried: was the environment going to get to our young offensive line and get to our quarterbacks without much experience? It didn't. They handled it in every situation. But, you know, I mean, we didn't do the things we needed to do at the end to win.” Mullen was in his bag The Gators ran 84 offensive plays on Saturday night with 17 of them coming in as chunk plays (rushing plays of 10+ yards and passing plays of 15+ yards). Florida went 9-17 on 3rd downs and had 28 first downs in total. Six different guys rushed the ball and eight receivers had at least one catch or more with Van Jefferson leading the way with eight for 73 yards and two touchdowns. We don’t have the time to go through every single play Mullen dialed up but the offensive guru was mixing in slants, screens and deep sideline passes. Van Jefferson threw off a defender with a slant that he “sold off” as a fade for a score. Tre Grimes was moved into the slot, using his big body to win easy matchups. Kyle Pitts was everywhere and we’ll discuss him more soon. Josh Hammond was mixed in on reverse pitches. And so on and so forth. Let’s just say it’s a shame one of his best called games during his time at Florida had to come on a loss. Gators desperately missed Greenard and Zuniga Florida’s top defensive ends, Jon Greenard and Jabari Zuniga, both saw limited snaps during the loss. Greenard suffered an injury during last week’s win over Auburn and played through it but did not practice any this week. He did try to go versus LSU, playing for the first series, coming out for the second, going back in for the third and then had to come out for the rest of the game. Zuniga played for the first time in three games (injury suffered against Kentucky) and stayed in for the entire first half. He re-angered the ankle sprain though after stopping Ty Davis-Price for no gain on a rush. That was midway through the 3rd quarter and Zuniga didn’t return. With Greenard and Zuniga out, the defensive line turned to freshman like Khris Bogle and moved Luke Ancrum to end at times. This put the Gators out of position on several running plays, a worry of Mullen’s coming into the game. The Tigers averaged 9.1 yards on the ground per play. “I thought the fact that I was concerned with run and then once we had all those injuries on the D-line, I thought that was a big factor. So it really wasn't surprising. I knew they could score points. You look at what you want to accomplish, which is create some pressure, don't give up explosive plays, stop the run. No, no, no. You're doing that with some freshmen D-linemen in there at times. Missed some fits. So, all stuff we've got to get fixed up.” Marco Wilson admits that not having Greenard and Zuniga threw them off but that’s no longer an excuse: “It takes the air out of us, really, but the next guy has to step up. We need to put it in our mind that guys are going to go down in a game. Guys are not going to be able to go. The next guy needs to be ready to play just as well as the starter.” Marco at STAR In the second half, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham elected to sit STAR Trey Dean who got beat on a touchdown, and move corner Marco Wilson to the nickel spot on passing downs. Freshman Kaiir Elam came in for Wilson at corner during those plays. Dean was entrusted with the spot left vacant by Chauncey Gardener-Johnson and was expected to be the perfect fit with his safety background, splitting time with linebacker Amari Burney on more running downs. He has admittedly struggled though near the line of scrimmage. Wilson, in his place, filled in well enough to be considered for a more permanent look moving forward. Holy Kyle Pitts Batman Sophomore tight end Kyle Pitts was everywhere and once again became a favorite target for Trask. In all, Pitts was targeted 10 times, catching five for a team leading 108 yards. He pulled in quick passes on slants and impressed with one handed catches deep down the sideline. All of Pitt’s five receptions were for 15+ yards. He is one of three FBS tight ends with 300+ receiving yards and three touchdowns. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron called Pitts “a tremendous football player and one of the best players we have seen all year.” Running game improved? The 146 yards on the ground was the Gators third best rushing game of the season and best overall against an FBS opponent. Lamical Perine led the way with 65 yards on 17 rushes. Of course UF’s 3.7 average rushing play still needs attention and isn’t conducive to breaking off big runs. But it does help open up the passing game, which is the job it was meant to serve and did serve on Saturday night when Kyle Trask passed for 310 yards. The lanes created by the offensive line have formed quicker and, for that matter, have actually formed. The Gators have now faced arguably the two best defensive lines they’ll see all season and can move forward with a line that’s gelling and a running game that’s finding its footing. Florida will now travel to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks and former coach Will Muschamp. The Gamecocks are coming off a huge upset, defeating (then) No. 3 Georgia 20-17 in double overtime. The game will kick off at noon eastern on ESPN.

They call this place Death Valley. It’s where opponents dreams come to die, so the legend goes. On Saturday night, the No. 7 Florida Gators walked through that valley. It should’ve been a valley of death, something that could be assumed it was in light of the 42-28 loss to No. 5 LSU. But these Gators feared no evil and instead of Death Valley, found their valley of Baca. The two touchdown win won’t give indication for just how tight this game was for 52 minutes. The Gators took a 21-all tie into halftime and were down by one touchdown until just under six minutes remained in the fourth quarter. LSU came into the game boasting the nation’s most prolific scoring offense, daring the Gators to match their production. On the Tigers first drive, a CJ Henderson pass break up (3 PBU, 3 tackles) helped stall a LSU drive. A Jeremiah Moon tackle forced a stop on 3rd down and then Moon got a hand on the ball during the Tigers 44-yard field goal attempt, helping knock it wide. On the Tigers second offensive drive of the night, two plays covered 66-yards and put LSU in the endzone for the 7-0 lead. But then, Dan Mullen’s squad went round for round in the first half. On 3rd and goal from the 5-yard line, Tre Grimes (3 receptions, 30 yards, 1TD)—who was wide right—scooted across the back of the endzone and hauled in Kyle Trask’s 5-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at seven. The teams traded punts, LSU scored again after a bad miss by the Gators and Florida took the ball back for their first possession of the second quarter. It was methodical, moving downfield at a pace that 6:56 off the clock in all. It saw a consistent rotation between Trask and Emory Jones (1-2, 1 yard, 1TD; 9 rushes, 36 yards), featured Trask becoming a “willing runner” and ended with Jones lobbing one up to Lamical Perine in double coverage. The pass was bobbled and Perine’s sure hands brought down the pass for the score to tie at 14. “He’s a big game back,” said Buchanan of Perine (17 rushes, 65 yards; 2 receptions, 12 yards, 1TD). “When he first got here he started off going crazy against teams like LSU and Georgia and all the teams that we had to beat. When the spotlight’s on him and his name is called it’s no surprise that he gets it rolling.” LSU got the ball back and took all of three plays to send Clyde Edwards-Helaire scampering past the Gators defense for a 39-yard touchdown. For an offense that has put the ball in the air for so much of the season, it was the rushing game which admittedly knocked Florida’s defense—10th in the country before Saturday—back on their heels. LSU had 511 total offensive yards and put 218 on the ground. “This is unacceptable for us. We definitely need to put our head down and grind and make sure this doesn’t happen again,” exclaimed corner Marco Wilson. “I think for one we weren’t good with stopping the run, and that really killed us. Big run plays set them up for touchdowns they should have never been set up for.” Just one week after the defense had arguably their best performance of the season, Burrow and the Tigers found soft spots and flourished with both Jon Greenard and Jabari Zuniga suffering from nagging injuries and unable to play most of the game. “Not having Jon killed our vibe,” admitted Wilson before continuing, “but we need to learn how to play without some guys sometimes somebody is going to be down and we have to learn to play without them. “It takes the air out of us, really, [with Greenard and Zuniga out] but the next guy has to step up. We need to put it in our mind that guys are going to go down in a game. Guys are not going to be able to go. The next guy needs to be ready to play just as well as the starter.” But on a night that the defense was off, the offense and Kyle Trask found ways to step up and deliver. With the clock winding down on the first half, Trask took a shot to Van Jefferson (8 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TDs) for a 6-yard touchdown pass that sent everyone to the locker room tied at 21. “I thought [Trask] did a really good job,” said Mullen. “I thought Emory did a really good job, came in and gave a really good mix-up for us. Both those guys. I don't have a whole lot to complain with their performances tonight. I thought they handled the environment. It was an amazing environment.” The 102,321 in attendance that helped create that environment were silenced at halftime and didn’t have much to scream about to start the third quarter as well. The Gators came out slinging, with Trask finding Jefferson for two plays in a row—the exact same play call according to Van—to move the ball 37-yards in all. Then, since it was working, they did it again. At the 2-yard line, Jefferson came across the middle of the endzone and hauled in his second touchdown pass of the night. “I sold it off. It was a slant originally but I sold it off the fade. I looked back and I just cut right in and Kyle placed it there and I just caught it. But I had some drops during the game so that was inexcusable but I’ll get back right though.” Rolling into the fourth quarter, the Gators were clinging to a seven point deficit, ready to manufacture one of their now standard 4th quarter come back wins. Then with just over seven minutes remaining in the game, Trask (23-39, 310 yards, 3 TDs, 1INT; 10 rushes, 21 yards), who played rather remarkable all night, made his first big mistake. Taking the snap from under center, he dropped back and waited, waited, waited, then took a shot to Freddie Swain. It was picked off by freshman corner Derek Stingley Jr. in the endzone for the touchback. The Tigers took the drive from there slowly out their own 46-yard line before Joe Burrow (21-24, 293 yards, 3TDs) found Ja’Marr Chase for a 54-yard score that put the Gators down by two touchdowns. Florida tried to convert in the last two minutes, shooting for a one score game and possible onside kick. The drive stalled in the redzone though and the Gators sang the alma mater after a loss for the first time this season. Now, they look ahead to a four game stretch of SEC East opponents, coming off a loss but still in full control of their destiny in relation to winning the division and making it to the SEC Championship game and possibly still the College Football Playoffs, something Marco Wilson made clear. “It’s really important because we’re trying to win the East, trying to get to Atlanta and that’s still possible with this loss. So we’re going to put this behind us, watched the film and get better.” “If this would have been a win we would have enjoyed it tonight and then get over it tomorrow and start focusing on the next team. In a loss you feel the pain tonight then wake up and tomorrow is a new day. Focus in on a new team,” explained Buchanan. Added Trask, “It was tough. I think there’s two ways you can go. You can either lose and start pointing fingers or you can lose and come together. I think we have a great group of guys and at the end of the day it’s just going to make this team better.” The chance of it making them better is actually high. This was a game in which the defense faltered, giving up 293 passing yards to Joe Burrow—the most the UF defense has given up in the air to a QB since Josh Dobbs of Tennessee threw for 319 in 2916—and giving up a 4th quarter touchdown for the first time since the Miami win to start the season. But they faltered in areas they can pinpoint. The offense went toe-to-toe with one of the nation’s best and did so in a stadium that is oft considered the toughest place to play in college football. Kyle Trask became the first quarterback Tim Tebow (Oct. 20, 2007 at No. 8 Kentucky) to throw for three touchdowns on the road against an AP top-10 team and did so with 310 yards passing. Trask became a runner at times, showed marked improvement with pocket awareness and pressure, and made smart decisions within a genius game plan from Dan Mullen. The running game found room, got better push up front and worked its way to 146 yards. Emory Jones played more meaningful snaps than he has in his entire Gators career. There is much, much to learn for this Gators team off this loss. “I think everybody sees it,” said Van Jefferson. “I think we just came in, you know we did a great job, Coach Mullen called some great plays for us. I think we just executed them right and you know we did some things well and it resulted in some touchdowns.” Wilson agreed, “I know we could play with anybody, we just got to play to our standard and just focus in on our assignment.” “We did a lot of good things in this game,” added Trask. “We showed a lot of toughness to come into an environment like this. We communicated well. We didn’t let the environment impact us negatively at all. We really came together and just really gelled together and put some great drives together.” The Valley of Baca is a merciless place. Literally translated as the Valley of Weeping, it's a dry, arid environment. One might even say, the chance of rain is never. Unlike walking through Death Valley, where one might escape unscathed if lucky, the Valley of Baca is much more cruel. But while there, those on pilgrimages to Jerusalem are instructed to dig a well. To find the spot where you were most troubled and mark it with a hole. The well will be there the next time you have to pass through the valley. The path will continue to be relentless for these Gators, unforgiving and filled with hazards. They’ve come through the place called Death Valley, hurt but not broken. But they’ve also now walked through the Valley of Baca. They’ve seen where they can dig a well and draw from it next time. . But these Gators feared no evil and instead of Death Valley, found their Valley of Baca.

Check out Gator Bait TV's Kassidy Hill post game report from the No. 7 Florida Gators 42-28 to No. 5 LSU in Baton Rouge.

No. 7 Florida Gators vs. No. 5 LSU Tigers Pregame Updates

Buddy Martin Blog To quote Lee Corso: Not so fast my friend! By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBait Editior This Florida Gator football team is about to be exposed by LSU as a fraud. I know this because I’ve been hearing that for weeks now on all the talk shows. Including from my friend Paul Finebaum, who often wears a smirk of disrespect on his face when talking about the Gators and saying “I don’t believe in Florida.” As if somehow Dan Mullen has been doing all this with smoke and mirrors. “Kyle Trask isn’t a starting quarterback.” You’ll hear that one on some shows. “Their defense isn’t that good.” I actually heard that one on another shows. That’s what they’re telling us. Yada, yada, yada. It’s entirely possible that Dan Mullen’s 7th ranked team may not win over No. 5 LSU tonight, but I’m calling B.S. on those people who contend that Florida will falter under the Saturday night bright lights of Tiger Stadium and wither under the heat of Joe Burrow’s missiles. Burrow is looking good, but how was he somehow been transformed into a combination of Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield and Tim Tebow? “Right now LSU looks like the No. 1 team in the country.” There’s another one. Really? Because last week’s favorite new “best team” was Auburn, a 3-point favorite against the Gators IN The Swamp. How’d that come out? How are Florida’s opponents elevated and then when they lose, suddenly demoted? I’m impressed with Burrow’s progress under new co-offensive coordinator Joe Brady. But how Brady’s offense was converted into this alleged steamroller/juggernaut which vaulted The Tigers to the level of Alabama and Georgia is mysterious. And a huge stretch. I’m wondering if Brady and Burrow and Ed Oregon have met Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga and Adam Shuler and David Reese and C.J. Henderson and Marco Wilson. Together they have No. 11 overall total defense, the most interceptions (12, tied with Oregon) fifth most sacks (26), No. 5 ranked scoring defense and the No. 1 ranked goal line defense. You might move the ball between the 1-yard lines but Florida feels like it owns “every blade of grass in the end zone. It turns out Trask is a little more than a backup quarterback and is, in fact, one of the most accurate passers in college football. By the way, out of all the teams LSU has beaten in the six, the best ranked defense was Georgia Southern’s No. 61. So who’s the fraud here? I’m beginning to like Florida’s chances of pulling off win tonight’s game. Even if this, too, is a stretch. I'm going Gators 24, LSU 21.

It’s bad blood colliding. That’s how LSU linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson described the Florida-LSU rivalry this week. That may be putting it mildly. The cross divisional SEC rivals have historically met in season defining games. The 2006-2008 stretch all had national title implications with the two schools going on to win the trophy in those three years. But of course, the intensity peaked in 2016 when the game had to be moved from Gainesville to Baton Rouge due to Hurricane Michael hitting the state of Florida. Then LSU athletic director Joe Alleva and then Gators A.D. Jeremy Foley had an openly contentious debate about whether or not the game should be played in Gainesville or Baton Rouge and what it would mean for future scheduling. In the end a compromise was made to move the game to Louisiana that year and have the Tigers visit Gainesville for the next two years. Jim McElwain’s team went to the bayou, wide receiver Josh Hammond revealed this week that they had food and drinks thrown at their bus upon arrival, the two teams got into a fight before kickoff, the Gators stopped the Tigers on a goal line stand, won the East in doing so, held up a cat skeleton after the game and trolled the Tigers in the locker room by posting videos of them dancing to a LSU favorite song, the title of which we won’t put here because our moms read this. But trust us, it was a perfect troll. The next year when the Tigers travelled to Gainesville, the were the Gators homecoming game. Florida lost 17-16. And then last season, again homecoming weekend, a pick-6 by New Orleans native Brad Stewart—the first interception Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow threw all year—gave the Gators arguably their biggest win of the season. Now No. 7 Florida travels to Baton Rouge on their homecoming weekend to face No. 5 LSU in a night game in Tiger Stadium. College Gameday will be broadcasting from their second Gators game in as many weeks. A cool fall breeze will be flitting through Death Valley and as the sun finds it’s home in the western sky, a quasi playoff game will kick off between two schools who have become the biggest rivals for each other in the past decade. So yea, it’s bad blood colliding. And it’s everything college football should be, including two schools that are both finding ways to play the underdog role. LSU, by recalling last years loss. But it’s the Gators who have a bit more ammunition to play the role. Despite knocking off then No. 7 Auburn last week, and sitting at 6-0, Florida is a two touchdown underdog on Saturday night. The line has shifted half a point this way or the other, but has continued to float around the 14 point spread. And just like last week, when the Gators were a 3-point underdog at home against Auburn, this time is perfectly fine with the label. “I think the biggest thing for us is to just focus on the things we can focus on,” says receiver Josh Hammond. “We don’t pick the spreads or anything of that nature. We know how hard we can play. We know how we can perform come Saturday…I think we probably gotten a little more respect now that we’ve beaten Auburn. So I think the message for us, our mentality kind of moving forward is just, you know, we’ll just go out and kind of earn the respect we deserve.” Safety Donovan Stiner agrees. “I mean, it's nothing new. People haven't respected us, we weren't supposed to beat Auburn, so. I mean we just go out there and accept the challenge and prove people wrong.” And linebacker Jeremiah Moon. “They’re playing with us right now. But after the game we’re going to see.” And defensive lineman Kyree Campbell. “I mean they picked against us this game too. So I mean, we’ll keep being the underdog, doesn’t faze us. We just gonna come out and play on Saturday…it’s great motivation but at the end of the day, they wanna label us underdogs then we cool with that. We’ll play as underdogs.” And defensive lineman Adam Shuler. "As long as we keep winning, there's no question who we are. So I try to stay away from it. It helps us, though. It helps us because it motivates a lot of the guys. We got that chip on our shoulder and we're going to keep proving people wrong.” And wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland, who saw comments from LSU players in particular. "Just wait till Saturday. He's got to get on the field Saturday night and we're going to get on the field. At the end of the game we're going to see who's talking last." And you get the point. While Tigers players have done a bit more actual small talking this week, Florida is content to let everyone know they hear what’s being said, and they’ll let Saturday do their talking. These Gators are very aware they’re counted out in this game. But are they? Let’s take a look at some of the key matchups. LSU OFFENSE VERSUS GATORS DEFENSE Head coach Dan Mullen said of Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow, "He'll be the best quarterback, obviously, we've seen so far this year.” LSU is second in the country in passing offense, total offense and individually for Joe Burrow in passing yards per game at 372.8 on average. Burrow leads the country in passing percentage as he’s currently completing 78.4% of his passes. The Tigers are averaging 571 yards of total offense per game. The Gators have given up an average of only 276.3 per game. Burrow has a bevy of wide receiver, two of who are in the Top 10 in the country: Ja’Marr Chase averaging a 112.8 per game and Justin Jefferson, averaging 109.4 a game. However of the Tigers five opponents thus far, the best defense they have faced—statistically speaking—is Georgia Southern, who ranks 60th in the nation, giving up 380 yards per game. This will, undoubtedly, be the best defense Burrow and the Tigers have faced yet. One particular note of interest is that the matchup will feature the nation’s No. 1 redzone offense (LSU) against the nation’s No. 1 redzone defense (Florida). The Tigers—who are the nations top scoring offense overall—won’t change the Gators preparation though as safety Donovan Stiner explains. “It doesn't change our planning, I mean we're gonna prepare how we always do. We see it as another challenge that we have to face this week and I feel like we're all looking forward and we're all excited about it. As Campbell and Moon explain, the LSU offense isn’t confusing in the way Auburn tried to be with motions and stacks. The Tigers show you what they’re going to do and just dare you to beat them. Campbell knows what it’ll take to do just that. “We gotta press [Burrow], we gotta contain him. He’s a hell of a thrower but he hasn’t ran that much. But like I said, we just gotta keep him in the pocket and we gotta press him, we gotta make him do things he’s not used to doing.” “We're just gonna have to play our ball,” adds linebacker David Reese. “We're not too much worried about what they have to offer. We know they're gonna be an unbelievable team, unbelievable talent and that's obvious, they're a top-five team in the country. It's basically based upon what we do, how we execute and [defensive coordinator Todd] Grantham is an aggressive coach so we're not gonna wait on the offense to make decisions." The Gators ability to rush four and keep pressure on the quarterback has paid off dividends so far this season. It allows the secondary time to adjust and get in place. With two of the best receivers in the country lining up on Saturday night, it’s going to take one of the best corner duo’s in the country to lock them down. So what about the other side of the ball? GATORS OFFENSE VERSUS LSU DEFENSE “They're going to play man-to-man, so it's just you against him. Who's going to be a dog, that's how I take it.” That’s how wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland summarized the matchup for this Saturday. The Tigers have always debated with Florida as to who can claim the title DBU. If the numbers so far this year are any indication, the Gators have the edge. And that means the Gators offense can take the edge. LSU’s passing defense is giving up 206.8 yards per game and 284 total on average, while the Gators offense is averaging that just in passing offense (284.5 per game). Florida is averaging 424 per game total. Derek Stingley Jr., a freshman Tigers corner, is 4th in the country in passes defended (8) and will get a lot of the Gators attention when it comes to one on one matchups. “He’s a great corner. He’s only a freshman but he looks like he’s been playing for a long time,” says receiver Van Jefferson. “We just have to be sound on our assignments, play our game. The environment is going to be crazy but just focus in on our assignment and I think we’ll be fine. They have a good secondary. We’re going to have to come to play.” One thing that has benefited the Gators offense this season is that any given game can feature a different wide receiver. As Jefferson explains, it’s a game planning advantage for Mullen and a mindset installed by receivers coach Billy Gonzales. "You’ve gotta stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. Every guy is ready to step up when his number is called. Just like Coach G said, competitive excellence. When your number is called just make the play. “I mean, we’re going to have to make plays [to help Trask], we’re going to have to win, win our one-on-one matchups. Like you said, they have a talented secondary in Grant Delpit and Kristian Fulton and those guys and their freshmen. So, I think we just got to make plays. It’s the SEC, so you got to make plays and you got to help your quarterback out.” There is one more matchup that will possibly get attention on Saturday. As mentioned, the Tigers have the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense. So are the Gators prepared if this thing turns into a shootout? Josh Hammond feels they are, not only because of how this offense is built because of how the entire Florida Gators team is built. “We haven’t had to [get in a shootout] so far. I think our offense is capable of scoring as many points as we need to do to win. I think our defense is capable of shutting out how many times we need to shut out to win. Whatever we’re thrown at, whatever adversity we have to deal with, I think we’ll be prepared for it. We just have to prepare the proper way and be prepared for whatever gets thrown at us.”

By FRANZ BEARD GatorBait Senior Columnist It was third-and-eight at the Florida 36, Auburn trailing the Gators, 17-13, a situation not all that dissimilar to the one the Tigers faced in the season opener against Oregon. In that one, Bo Nix went into a rally coma in the fourth quarter and transformed himself into a living legend. All the missed throws and blown opportunities of the first three quarters when he looked every bit the true freshman that he was were exiled to a black hole in his brain, never to be remembered again, as he led Auburn from down, 21-6, to a 21-7 win. Five games later, there was Nix with another opportunity to cement his living legend status, this time in the same place his dad Patrick Nix became an Auburn legend in 1994 when he led the Tigers to a 38-35 win over Steve Spurrier and the #1-ranked Gators. Through three quarters and with few exceptions against Florida last Saturday, Nix looked the part of the dazed and confused freshman just like he did for three quarters against Oregon. But there he was in the fourth quarter, just 36 yards away from glory and a chance to make the Auburn nation forget about all the incompletions and interceptions. All he needed was a simple eight-yard completion to extend the drive. As he looked over the Florida defense he must have been feeling as if this was exactly what he was born to do. His dad, after all, threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Frank Sanders with 30 seconds left in this same stadium in 1994 to win that game. Was lightning of the family variety about to strike twice in the same place 25 years apart? Oh, how sweet this would be. There was just this one teensy problem, however, and that was the guy on the other sideline who, with the exception of a couple of blown plays, spent the afternoon a couple of steps ahead of the Auburn offense. In this cat-and-mouse game between Auburn coach/playcaller Gus Malzahn and Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, it seemed Grantham had the big-play antidote and knew exactly what he had to do to frustrate a legend in waiting. When Nix surveyed the Florida defense on third-and-eight, he saw a look not all that different than the one he saw in the second quarter when he threw a 32-yard touchdown pass, Auburn's only TD of the game. When Nix got the snap he immediately looked where he thought the open receiver would be, but Florida had it sniffed out. Panic! And by this time, the pass rush was caving in the pocket. Nix went into his escape mode with a spin move but before he could do a full 360 another Gator was closing in. He should have gone down and protected the football but he made another freshman mistake. Another spin move produced yet another Gator closing in. No matter how willing Nix's mind was to escape the pressure, his feet wouldn't cooperate. He went down in a heap without any contact. Third-and-eight was now fourth and 30. Instead of the Florida 36, the ball was at the Auburn 42. On the Auburn sideline, Gus Malzahn looked as if Dracula had drained all the blood in his body. Over on the other sideline, Florida's defensive genius in residence was celebrating. One punt later, the same Lamical Perine that Auburn didn't recruit because they thought he was too slow, put the finishing touches on a signature Florida win with an 88-yard touchdown run in which a bunch of very fast Tigers chased but couldn't make up any ground. The touchdown was the direct result of Todd Grantham showing once again why he's one of the highest paid defensive coordinators in the country. “That was really a coverage sack” Grantham explained on Monday. “If you go back and look it was really the coverage and the look. He kind of locked on a certain side and we kind of took that away and there was nowhere to throw the ball and guys kept coming.” The Auburn game was textbook Grantham. When the Tigers expected blitz, Grantham rushed three. When they expected three, he rushed four. Out of the same look, Grantham went totally vanilla on one snap, exotic on the next. Five times when Auburn needed short yardage for a first down to extend a drive the defense swarmed and stopped the Tigers cold in their tracks. Auburn came into the game averaging 38 points and 454.4 yards per game, 251 on the ground. The Gators held them to 269 and only 124 in the run game. Florida picked off three Nix passes and held the Tigers to a single second quarter touchdown. This was the fifth straight team the Gators have held a team without a touchdown in the 4th quarter. The Grantham football pedigree stretches back to Virginia Tech where he played and coached for the legendary Frank Beamer. He spent three years working for Nick Saban at Michigan State, serving as assistant head coach in year three. Then came three years when he worked for Jim Mora Sr. as the defensive line coach of the Indianapolis Colts. The seeds of a well-disguised defense took root during that time as he watched Peyton Manning struggle with three-man defensive fronts that brought a fourth rusher – not always the same one – from different places. “I was with Peyton Manning for three years and he couldn't beat the [New England] Patriots for a long time,” Grantham said. “I would sit there in practice and watch and he could never figure where the fourth rusher was coming from. It really bothered him. We played four-down teams he'd start dialing it up and could tell the scout team you're wrong, you should be here and you should be there. He knew pre-snap where to go to the ball. Once I saw that I pretty much knew what to do.” The base defense Grantham uses with the Gators has evolved from those days with the Colts. He prefers a three-man front but will go four-down depending on the situation, the personnel package he has to work with and who he's trying to defend. He prefers pressuring with three or four but isn't afraid to bring the house when it's to his advantage. He likes playing games with the collective minds of opposing quarterbacks and defensive coordinators by manipulating his personnel and the look they're showing. “Any time you can you get pressure with four guys but you try to mix it up,” he said. “I don't think you can be one-dimensional in anything because that allows guys to understand what you are doing. Any time you can just make it uneasy on those guys throwing the ball I think that's good.” If he were a car salesman, you'd have to say Todd Grantham has mastered bait-and-switch – show one thing and then deliver something else. With a roster like the one he has this year at Florida, Grantham can play the role of the master manipulator and the stats bear that out. The Gators are third nationally in sacks (26) and they lead the nation in interceptions (12). With stud edge rushers like Jonathan Greenard, Jeremiah Moon and Jabari Zuniga bringing the heat it helps the secondary and when the guys in the secondary like CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson lock down receivers, it makes the job of the pass rushers easier. “We've got some good guys in the back end that are creating tight coverage,” Grantham said. “A lot of times guys won't throw the ball when there's tight coverage. They'll hold it.” Of course, when they hold it, they become more susceptible to the pass rush. Even against good offensive lines like the one the Gators faced against Auburn, there is only so much time before breakdowns occur. Just ask Bo Nix. Until the Perine touchdown, the Gators had very little breathing room against Auburn, largely because turnovers kept the game close. Take away the four Florida fumbles and the Gators turn white knuckles into a yawner that would have sent half the 94,584 at The Swamp to the exits early. Two of the three first half fumbles cost the Gators field goals. A botched punt led to a blown assignment in the secondary and a second quarter Auburn touchdown. In Grantham's way of thinking, the field goals were a plus for his defense. “How many points can you take off the field?” Grantham asked. “If you can hold them a minimum of a field goal, if our offense goes down twice and scores touchdowns they get 14 and we hold them to field goals that's six, it's 14-6.” On two of the turnovers – a second quarter fumble and one in the fourth quarter – the Gators did better than holding to a field goal. Shawn Davis came away with a one-handed pick on the sidelines to not only erase seven potential Auburn points but set up Florida's second touchdown of the game for a 14-6 lead. After the fourth quarter fumble, Donovan Stiner picked off Nix in the end zone to erase seven more potential points by the Tigers. On both those interceptions, Grantham baited Nix with a coverage look that showed one thing but disguised the real intent. But whether it was holding the Tigers to field goals or coming up with the big turnover at an opportune moment, it was simply a matter of the Gators doing what they're trained to do and getting the job done. “We always say go put the fire out,” Grantham said. “That's part of our don't flinch [philosophy]. Whatever situation comes up, don't flinch. Whatever situation you're dealt with go make a play and go handle the situation. We talk about go put the fire out. Guys have embraced that and have accepted the challenge on that.” The challenge for Grantham and the defensive staff this week is to stifle LSU's high scoring offense, led by quarterback Joe Burrow, who has thrown for 22 touchdowns. The Tigers are the best offensive team the Gators have faced all season, but the flip side of that is the Gators have the best defense LSU has seen. Grantham will do his usual smoke and mirrors to try to daze and confuse Burrow but the Gators will take the field understanding they have to abide by the following tenets: (1) Whatever you give up, make sure the other guys have to earn it; (2) don't miss tackles; and (3) keep things in front of you so you don't give up explosive plays. “I always talk about making them earn it and make them go the long hard way,” Grantham said. “If you do that and don't give up explosive plays you're going to be hard to score on and that's kind of what's happened this year.”

If you’ve traveled to Baton Rouge for the No. 7 Florida Gators monster matchup with the No. 5 LSU Tigers, we’re going to assume your mind has already been drowned in gumbo and libations so we’ll try to keep this short and sweet. If you haven’t traveled to Baton Rouge for said game, we’ll assume you’re planning out a last minute road trip to get to Tigers Stadium—Death Valley in time for the 8pm ET kickoff and find tickets for the sold out game, and therefore will need time to pull off this foolproof plan…so we’ll try to keep this short and sweet. Before the Gators second Top 10 matchup in as many weeks, here are the last things you need to know. One Thing to Remember These teams match up so well in so many ways. Where one has a weakness, the other has a strength to exploit said weakness. Where one has a strength, the other has a strength which to go toe to toe. LSU has the nation’s No. 1 redzone offense, scoring 100% of the time there. The Gators have the nation’s No. 1 redzone defense, holding opponents to only a 35.7% success rate in the area. The next closest is Temple with 52.6%. The Gators defense in fact has only given up six touchdowns all year and pitched three shutouts. The Gators offense has found incredible success over the middle on slants & quick crossing routes. That is the area where the Tigers defense is giving up the most yards. LSU’s offense hasn’t faced a defense this year statistically better than Georgia Southern (60th in FBS) and there’s a 233 yard differential in what the LSU passing attack has accounted for and what the Gators secondary is giving up on average. So all of those number to say, these two teams match up extremely well. It will be the first true test LSU has faced all season and while the Gators have already faced and overcome tons of adversity, the toll could take effect here. But that’s why we play the game, to see what happens on the field, not on paper. One Florida Player to Remember Josh Hammond: As mentioned above, the LSU defense has had trouble over the middle of the field, which is where the Gators offense thrives. One of the best things about the Florida wide receiving corps is that any given night, any given guy can be the standout player of the game. Already this season, we’ve seen Van Jefferson (Kentucky), Tre Grimes (UT Martin), Hammond (Miami), Freddie Swain (Auburn) and Kyle Pitts (Tennessee & Auburn) all have individual standout games. It really is a “pick your poison” corps so whoever LSU negates from the game plan, someone else can stand up. But again, due to the weak spots in the middle of the field and given Hammond’s success between the hashes, this could be another big game for the senior. One LSU Player to Remember Derek Stingley Jr. is a freshman corner but as Gators receiver Van Jefferson pointed out this week, he’s not playing like a freshman. Stingley Jr. leads his team with interceptions (2) and has eight pass break ups. He’s stingy and playing within that secondary, has the freedom to do so. He’s also averaging 11.8 yards on punt returns One Big Question Can the Gators protect the ball? At this point, we know what the O-line is and where the areas of weakness are going to be each game. They do better in pass protection but quarterback Kyle Trask has to help them where he can, feeling pressure coming and moving the pocket accordingly. A lot of this comes with experience and given his limited game time thus far, experience is one thing he doesn’t have. But that doesn’t stand as much of an excuse during the game. Sometimes he needs to take the sack, sometimes he needs to throw it away. I feel confident Dan Mullen will continue to help him grow in those aspects. But the one thing he and the running backs really have to be more cognizant of is ball protection. Florida has fumbled nine times (third worst in FBS) and five have come directly from Trask when sacked. In a game like this against LSU, one mistake can mean the game. Trask is mostly likely going to be sacked at some point. But if he can take care of the ball, the Gators can at least have a chance to make up for the lost yards. One Last Prediction I honestly believe one of the biggest reasons Florida defeated Auburn last weekend was because of the atmosphere in The Swamp. The crowd was truly a major factor in the game, rattling Bo Nix and and the Tigers offense. It was an amazing thing to experience in person. Unfortunately for the Gators, I think that’s going to be the same case this weekend, but again in favor of the home team. Death Valley is going to work its magic. It is without a doubt one of the hardest, if not the hardest place to play in college football. As someone who has been on the field for night games in Death Valley, I can assure you this is not hyperbolic. The Swamp, when rocking like it was last Saturday, is a close second if not right there with Tiger Stadium. But the consistent intimidation Death Valley—especially at night—can cast on opponent is a palpable factor. And so many on this Gators team haven’t played there, due to the scheduling change that came after 2016. The seniors have, which will help. At the end of the day though, as we went over above, these two teams match up so well across the board. Florida’s defense is going to make this very tough for Joe Burrow and the Tigers, but the most prolific offense in college football right now is going to be able to move the ball enough to score at least a couple of touchdowns. The LSU defense has enough weak spots for the Florida offense to find advantageous matchups. In a situation like that, the crowd and atmosphere can be the deciding factor. Florida can technically afford to lose this one and still beat No. 3 Georgia to win the East. There are plenty of scenarios that play out with Florida winning this game and if the Gators pull it off, I won’t be surprised. This an emotionally motivated team and I think they can ride the Auburn win to a win here. But in good faith, I can’t say it’s going to happen. LSU 21-17 *Feel free to curse me in the comments