College Football Game of the Week: No. 7 Florida vs. No. 5 LSU

Story posted October 10, 2019 in CommRadio, Sports by John Murphy

The Week 7 game of the week features the seventh-ranked Florida Gators taking on the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. Florida is coming off an impressive 24-13 win against the 12th-ranked Auburn Tigers while LSU is coming off a blowout 42-6 win against the Utah State Aggies.

This game is an important midseason game for both teams as each team is looking to finish first in their division to compete in the SEC championship for a chance to be in the College Football Playoffs. Florida currently leads the SEC East with a 3-0 conference record while LSU is currently second in the SEC West with a 1-0 conference record, just behind Alabama's 2-0 conference record.

The Gators did an outstanding job on both sides of the ball in last week's win against Auburn. The Florida defense was able to produce four turnovers and only allow one touchdown. Meanwhile, the offense was able to put up nearly 400 total yards and got 19 first downs. Quarterback Kyle Trask had a great game throwing for two touchdowns and passing for 234 yards, bringing his season passing yards total to 881.

The Tigers game against the Utah State Aggies was a blowout 42-6 win. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 344 yards, making this the fourth game in a row Burrow passed for 300 or more yards. Burrow also threw five touchdown passes which brings his season total to 22, half of which came in the last two games.

Wide receiver Justin Jefferson also played an impressive game, getting 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers offense has been one of the best in the nation through five games but will now face a schedule that will include Florida, first-ranked Alabama, and 24th-ranked Texas A&M.

This game will be both the Tigers and Gators second game against a ranked team this season, the Tigers first one being a 45-38 win against eleventh-ranked Texas and the Gators in a 24-13 win against Auburn last week. Now the Tigers high production offense will meet the Gators high production defense.

The Gators currently have two players with three or more sacks this season: linebacker Jonathan Greenard with four and defensive lineman Jabari Zuniga with three. Greenard also has 26 total tackles, second to David Reese II team-leading 49 total tackles.

The Tigers are currently averaging 54.6 points per game and 571 yards per game. Joe Burrow has been lights out for the Tigers with 1864 passing yards and a quarterback rating of 91, putting him at fourth among all college quarterbacks this year.

LSU is currently favored to win this matchup against Florida and is expected for their offense to be too much for the Gators defense to handle. The Tigers offense hasn’t fallen yet, meeting expectations in each game so far this season and dominating the passing game. Florida was the underdog last week against Auburn, so it’s not out of the question if they are able to get an upset win. Florida could get their second upset win in a row here, which would prove a lot about this Florida team and put them closer to the playoff picture.

Prediction: LSU 45, Florida 30

 

 

John Murphy is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at jbm5928@psu.edu.