Gators Online's Zach Abolverdi and Matthew Brune of the Bengal Tiger preview the Florida-LSU game. We break down Saturday's matchup, players to watch and keys to the game.
Gators Online Podcast
Ep. 110: Florida vs. LSU Preview | Gators Online Show
[MUSIC] What's up Gator Nation, Zach Apeverdi from Gators Online. Welcome to the Gators Online Show. In this week, we are previewing Florida vs LSU in the swamp. On Saturday, we'll be joined by Matthew Bruni from the Bengal Tiger, part of the On3 Sports Network to preview this game. Let you guys know some things about the Tigers. Players to watch the latest on what LSU's been up to this week. And preparation for their game in Gainesville. Before we jump into the show and have Matthew join us. I want to encourage all Florida fans out there to go check out Robach. For those who aren't familiar, they're completely changing the game with their incredibly comfortable active where Robach just released their new license game day collection and it's fantastic. Novel polo designs, clean hoodies, cute tip designs for your favorite schools, including the Florida Gators, definitely worth checking out. And nobody on the market place has this level of custom designs with this quality of active wear. Use the code Gators20 on Robach.com for a generous 20% off. All new customers through the end of this fall, that's R-H-O-B-A-C.com. 20% off all performance polos, shorts and more with the code Gators20. And with that, we'll be joined now by Matthew from the Van Gogh Tiger. Matt, thanks for joining us this week, Rand, how's it going? >> Yeah, I'm doing well, Zach, thanks for having me. I remember last year when we met in person in the press box and had a good time watching Jane Daniels go for like 700 yards. >> Yeah, that was an amazing performance from him. And that was not a good day for Florida's defense. Maybe it's a potential for some of that again on Saturday with some of the injuries that they have, we'll get into all that. But just to kind of start for our listeners out there to just kind of get a rundown of the Tigers so far this year, what's been your thoughts on their season to this point? Obviously, they got off to a really good start in SEC play. We're atop the league standings and then the last two games dropped to A&M and Alabama, just your thoughts on their results so far as we lead in the week 12. >> Yeah, I mean, like you said, there was a time where they were three and oh in conference and looking like they were at the top in control, really. And even through the first half of the text A&M game, they were dominant, I would say. But over the last six quarters of football, A&M put in Marcel Reed and outscored them 31 to six in the second half in college station. And then again, in Alabama, they were just completely outclassed 42 to 13 with seven of those coming late, so 42 to six for most of the game. So really you have over the last six quarters of football them just not looking anything like a top 15, top 20 team in the country, really. So yeah, this season's been definitely up and down. You have the close wins over Ole Miss in South Carolina, which at this point are the saving grace for this team, I'd say. Because you lose either one of those and obviously this is your five and four instead of six and three. You have lost the USC to start the year. So it's definitely been hit or miss. This is not a perfect team by any means. This is probably not a top 20 team in the country at this point where the way they're playing on both sides of the ball. But I still think there's enough talent here to look at the rest of their schedule. This Florida game being the most challenging one left and then they have Vanderbilt and Oklahoma at home. >> A lot of players that we can get to on this LSU roster. But I'll start with the quarterback. The last name is the familiar one for Florida fans. The son of former Gators offensive coordinator, Doug Nussmyer, Garrett. I would say makes his return to the swamp. Obviously a stadium that he's familiar with growing up in Gainesville for a period of his life. Has there ever been any talk about that from him this week? Or what do you feel like is there any emotions whatsoever going at this game frame because of that background? >> Yeah, I think a little bit. It's funny because his dad was just, his dad's so well traveled. I mean, that was the OC at Alabama in 2012. So that game brought back some memories for him and how Florida brings back. I think he's just been around football his whole life. The same movie that it's really interesting. >> A good point, yeah. Now, what are your thoughts on his play so far this year? LSU's passing attack is obviously rankings wise. It's been one of the best in the country. And they've done a good job seemingly protecting Garrett. But he has had the interceptions issues, especially in the last two games. What do you make of his play right now? >> Yeah, I mean, they've needed him to throw the ball a ton because the run game has been so abysmal really. And he is among the leaders in the countries in attempts this season. As a result, he's among the leaders in yards and touchdowns as well. But like you said, the interceptions have really started creeping up, especially in the past like three or four games. Ole Miss was, I mean, he had a couple in South Alabama, but the Ole Miss game was the real turning point to me where teams started, I think, figuring out this offense. It figured out, hey, they can't run the ball. They don't have the most explosive playmakers. They don't have Malik Narrows and behind Thomas out there anymore. So we can maybe sit on them a little bit more. And Nuss Myers had to kind of press as a result. And without the run game to really balance things out, he's had so much on his plate. And even though the interceptions are untimely and they are costly. I really don't know what else this offense could expect considering the limitations that it's had. He has so much on his plate and at a certain point, he can't be perfect. It's his first year starting. We've seen that players go through ups and downs in these first years. So overall, I think he's been good. But the lack of a run game and the lack of, I say, explosiveness of this offense is just really, really jarring right now. And Brian Kelly was asked on the SEC teleconference this week if there's been any consideration to making a change or at least giving another quarterback an opportunity in game for a series or two. And he basically shot that down and said, no way. How much has that been? A talking point in Baton Rouge, either among fans, media members. And do you think that that is something that would even be entertained? It's been talked about for about two minutes every time he throws an interception. So every time he throws a pick, it's just get Ricky Collins in there. So it's a very dis one in there. No, it's not plausible. It's not feasible at all. He is still, in my opinion, one of, if not the best quarterback in the SEC. I know Millrose been good with his legs recently. Dart's been very active. I put Nussmeyer up against any of them. I don't think any quarterback of this. I don't think any quarterback in the SEC would be thriving with the situation LSU is in right now with their run game with the offensive line struggling. I mean, he has been the only bright spot, I would say, of this offense. Him and Mason Taylor had tied in for a lot of the, for a lot of the year. I mean, for him to have had to throw the ball 40 plus times repeatedly every single game almost and to make something out of nothing. Yes, I mean, you can nitpick his inability to run him forcing some throws, him maybe not taking the easy stuff. But at the end of the day, he's the only thing that's really given them a chance to, I mean, considering the limitations of this offense. I couldn't imagine, you know, having a backup like AJ Swan or Ricky Collins in the game. So yeah, it's not really on the table, but it is something that, you know, fans get mad about when he throws those interceptions. For sure. Now, looking over on the defensive side of the ball, what have been your impressions from that side of the, from that unit and what they've shown so far? They are a really good pressure defense. They're really good at creating havoc. The problem becomes when teams take a lead or when teams can run the ball consistently and they're not physical. They're not strong enough, really, they're not experienced enough or talented enough. I'd say to stop the run, we've seen, like I said, Marcel Reed came in the game in the second half through two passes and they scored 31 points. Jalen Milra only attempted 18 passes for like 110 yards and they scored 42 points. Like if you can run the ball effectively on LSU, South Carolina, another example, arguably, you know, almost won that game with Lenoir Sellers and that run game. This defense has to be playing from ahead most of the time. And again, this is all complimentary, you know, the defense plays well and the defense gets the pass rush and so on. But yeah, the defense has, I'd say, really good athletes in terms of their pass rusher. Brian Swenson's been one of the better ones in the entire SEC. Stavion Jones is good. They have like weeks who can create some havoc as well, like he did against Arkansas. But overall, they're not fundamentally sound enough and they're just not really up to the standard that, you know, LSU wants to have. Do you think that's a concern potentially for them going against the Florida offense that even without Montreal Johnson has had success around the ball with, you know, Jaden, Bob, Jacob Jackson and maybe even Montreal plays this week? Yeah, that's, it's definitely been the biggest concern for me from, from this standpoint and like I said, if, if LSU doesn't get off to a good start, if LSU, you know, plays a tight game or even falls behind, then it becomes an even bigger issue for this defense. You know, you know better than me in terms of lagway, like what percentage he's at. But if, if lagway can run at all, I think it, it's an even bigger question for LSU in this game because like I said, running quarterbacks have given them fits, whether it's by designer, by scrambling. So, lagway is a part of this, but even the traditional run game is something I'm going to have to see LSU stop consistently in order to, to feel good about it. So that is where I think Florida has a, we'll have to have an advantage in this game. And that was a big storyline that came out with this game on Thursday night for folks that missed it. I don't think you've lived under a rock if you're listened to this podcast and haven't heard the news by now, but DJ lagway cleared for the game as well as Elijah Badget, who ranked second nationally in yards per reception. And as Florida fans know, one of DJ's strengths has been the deep ball and a lot of them have been to Elijah, how susceptible has LSU's secondary been to deep balls, to quarterbacks that like to push the ball down field. And is that a concern for them potentially with those guys back in the lineup? I think it's definitely a concern. You know, they've been kind of hit or miss at times. I think Xyle Alexander at corners has been solid this year. They don't have great athletes in the back end. Their safety position, I don't think is, is, is nearly where LSU wants it to be at corner. They have good players, but not great athletes like their, for example, against Ole Miss, Jackson Dart had Trey Harris a couple times on some deep balls and Trey Harris is incredible. But still, like they've hit him, I know Ryan Williams for Alabama dropped a walk-in touchdown from about 40 yards out, like they're, they've been able to be beat over the top. But the thing is in recent games, you know, they haven't even been tested really because teams just run the ball on them. So I do think it is going to be a balancing act here. I mentioned it to see how lagway looks with the hamstring and I'm obviously with Badget makes a huge difference because I, you know, at full strength, this offense, this foot offense should be, you know, better than what it has been in spots. And so I do think there's some ability for Flodis with the ball. Now, the injuries go back to the other side. How much do you feel like that that's going to be LSU's game plan is to attack for secondary. The injuries have been well documented, especially at the corner back position, Flodis had to move one of their starting safeties there to deal with all the injuries. I mean, should we expect another game from Nussmeyer where he's throwing 45-50 attempts? I think Brian Kelly's, first of all, has been adamant about trying to get some sort of balance. And so I think they're going to try to bang their head on the wall and get some sort of run game here. Ideally, Nussmeyer doesn't have to throw it 45 times, but in basically every situation that they've had, whether it's Ole Miss, Alabama, A&M, he's just had to. So I think it depends how the game script goes, but I do think even though I'm not as high on LSU's receivers or weapons overall this year, they still have some playmakers with Kyron Lacey and CJ Daniels and Chris Hilton's coming back and Aaron Anderson's been good this year. So I think just in general watching Florida and having seen them play, you know, Quinn Neuers and Camoar, Carson Beck, I know back through some interceptions as always. But still, I think Nussmeyer is able to have some success through the air. Whether they need him to or not, I think he's just going to rack up those yards. I could see him getting over 300 yards just because I think they have enough playmakers to challenge this. Like you said, a hampered Florida secondary. Now, before we get into players to watch and then Matt's keys to the game, I just want to get your overall thoughts on Brian Kelly to this point in his tenure. I was talking to Andy Staples this week and he said that this is a more important game for Brian Kelly and LSU than it is for Florida and Billy Napier. Do you agree with that and what type of pressure or what would the temperature rise to in Baton Rouge if he loses a third straight game Saturday? Yeah, I mean, you would know the Billy Napier side of it better than I would, but I think considering, you know, what the AD and for Florida and everything that they've done over there in terms of saying that they've supported him, I think, enough in recent weeks. I think for Brian Kelly, this is a year where things have not gone right, but I don't know what exactly his expectations were now. To get to the point about how upset LSU would be, I think it would be very valid because you very well could have lost the South Carolina game. You very well could have lost the Ole Miss games and now you go on the road to Florida, a Florida team that is extremely beat up and has not had a great year. If you lose this game, then it's like, who are we actually better than, like if LSU and Ole Miss played again, I'm not taking LSU, if LSU and South Carolina played again, I would not feel very comfortable in that game. So against all the good teams you've played, like Arkansas win is the only one that you have that's really been impressive. So you need to start stacking up some impressive results at some point. Last year, you know, was the defense was terrible offense was good, whatever. So back to back nine and three seasons in the regular season. And at the very least now, they need to reach that mark. If you in the year at eight and four, I've got for bit seven and five, I mean, then it becomes, is there enough talent on this roster and how do you fix that because Brian Kelly has not proven to this point that he's been able to elevate them past where they need to be. So I don't think it'd be like a hot seat situation. I mean, he signed like a 10 year contract, it's very much a, you know, these SEC coaches are with the contracts. He's not going anywhere till like at earliest like 27, 28. So he's not getting fired, but still it would definitely plant some seeds of doubt in there if they're not able to at least get back to nine and three. For sure. Before we get to our next segment, want to give a shout out to myperfect franchise.net. If you're ready to leave the corporate rat race for the American dream, looking for a side hustle while working your current job, wanting to diversify, build wealth and or leave a legacy. Andy can help. He's a franchise consultant as well as a franchise owner and helps people find franchises that fit their skill sets, financial requirements, time to commit more. His services are 100% free and he's here to help if you have any questions about business ownership, you can learn more and contact Andy anytime at myperfectfranchise.net or calling him and texting him at 404-973-9901. Matthew, you've already mentioned probably some of these guys, but who are some players that you feel like Florida fans need to watch for on Saturday on both sides of the ball that they could give the Gators some fits? Yeah, I'll go with going back to that point of LSU trying to run the ball. I think Caden Durham, I'm not sure how many people in the SEC know about him because he is a freshman, but he's by far LSU's best running back. When you look at his performance against South Carolina, that really started things and even throughout the season, I think he's by far been the most explosive player LSU has on the offense. I mentioned the limitations at receiver maybe in terms of explosiveness, but Caden Durham at running back is a guy who, if the LSU can get rolling on the ground, it'll be Caden Durham getting 15+ carries and really feeding him because he is an explosive player with his track speed. I'll go back to Kyron Lacey, I think he's the best receiver here and he's been inconsistent. He hasn't taken the jump that I think most people wanted him to take. I was hoping he could take that, I don't want to say like Malik Neighbors or type jump or anything like that, but that is, get into that maybe being a top 10 receiver in the country and I don't think he's really reached that level yet, but still he's a very good player and they'll target him a lot. Those are two on offense that I would say are the most likely to have big games. What about on the defense side at all? Defensively, if we assume, if lagway is limited at all to a beam in the pocket a little bit more, I think Swenson is going to be able to get some pressure here. I think Swenson's just, he kind of slowed down since the start of the year, since the first half of the year where he was like, gosh, I don't remember the stats. He had like eight sacks in the first six games or something like that. I think he slowed down a bit, but still a very capable player and then with weeks at linebacker, I think Alabama kind of overwhelmed LSU physically, which really negated their linebacker play, but I think against Florida, similar to what it was against Arkansas, what weeks should have a little bit more freedom here at linebacker, so those are the two, I'd say, the biggest playmakers on the defense. No doubt. No doubt. Then as we get to our keys to the game, what do you feel like it looks like on the LSU side? What do the Tigers have to do in this matchup and also just trying to improve on some things that have been weaknesses for them recently? Yeah, the biggest area of concern for LSU throughout this season has been in the red zone. I wrote in my keys to the game story, actually, that finishing in the red zone is number one. And it sounds cliche like, oh, yeah, score touchdowns in the red zone, but LSU has been really, really bad in that area. And 39 trips, they've scored rushing touchdowns only 11 times. That's the lowest percentage of any top 25 team, second lowest in the SEC. They cannot run the ball inside the 20, and it really makes it hard for them to score. So if Florida's going to win the game, that start there, you start withholding them three, like Alabama did early in the game, like Ole Miss did early in that game, AA&M did it actually several times that LSU should have been up more than they were at half, like LSU has to finish drives. And if not, you leave the door open for Florida at home to really, you know, stay in the game and just find some life here. So that's my number one thing. We've talked about, you know, stopping that Florida running, rushing attack. I think that's huge, whether like way runs or not. And then for Nussmeyer, it's kind of just against a Florida defense, I think has been shaken. Like you said, has been moving around pieces. I think he doesn't have to force as many throws here. I think he should be able to take some of the easier stuff and just kind of keep the chains moving. So those are kind of my keys. What I'm looking for from LSU's perspective in terms of what they need to do to win this game. For sure. And then a final thing from you, Matthew, you just, I don't know if you guys have made predictions yet at the Bengal Tiger, but what are your thoughts on this game? How do you see it playing out and in your mind, maybe, how could it go one way or the other? Yeah, it's, um, I think from LSU's perspective, I'm not confident that they are, like I said at the beginning, I'm not confident they are a, you know, top 20 team that they can just step on the field in the swamp and roll over, you know, Florida here. But I do have concerns from, you know, from Florida side, from Florida side in terms of their injuries and we'll, you know, all the things we've talked about already. But like, so this is definitely two beat up fighters just getting in a ring and just seeing who's, who's still standing at the end of it. Um, I do think Gary Nussmeyer has a strong performance. I think they're, they're able to pass the ball pretty effectively here. Uh, and if they can take a lead, I think LSU can kind of pull away or maybe at least take a little bit of control here. So I'm going to take Gary Nussmeyer and LSU, you could tell me a billion scores and I would believe it. I do think this is, it's a little lower scoring. I think the total was like 56 or 56 and a half. Yeah. I think everybody, all five of us on the staff pick the under in some capacity. So yeah, I think it's a little bit lower scoring, especially if Florida, you know, wants to control the time and, you know, keep the LSU offense off the field. But I do think LSU is able to get it, get it done with Nussmeyer and, um, we'll see how it goes. But again, this is definitely is not a confident pick. Um, it might just be a hope that LSU is able to bounce back after two straight losses. Well, last thing, what would you say is the state of this robbery right now? I know LSU is on the winning streak, but where does this one rank for LSU fans and how important you feel like it is for them to keep it going? Yeah. It's, um, it's funny because from LSU's perspective, without like a true, you know, single rivalry game, you know, like Florida has Florida State and Mississippi has Mississippi State and all that stuff, Auburn, Alabama, without having that in state rival that you, you know, really, really hate it. We always ask like, who's, who's the main rival to the fans? And you get so many different sponsors. I think there's some recency bias. People really hate Ole Miss right now on LSU side. People don't obviously don't like A&M. They never like A&M, Alabama is in there as well, but Florida is definitely in that top group. My point is saying it's like, there are so many games where else you just fans just hate the other team and the other fans that every game feels like a rivalry game almost. So, um, yeah, this will definitely be another big one. I think the state of the rivalry is in a good spot, um, especially, you know, I think there is an added element of like Billy Napier being over there from Louisiana and if Florida, you know, wins this game, then they'll just have that to, to laugh at LSU about with Brian Kelly losing another one. So, um, it's a, the rivalry is good. I think it's definitely interesting from LSU's perspective navigating a whole season where you have like four or five rivalry games. Yeah. I mean, Florida is in the same boat. They got a big lot of rivals. This one too, there's like Florida, even maybe because of Napier's background in Louisiana, they have landed more Louisiana players as of late. And of course, you know, LSU was always going to recruit the state of Florida. Do you know of the Tigers, if there is a running rivalry that they've played longer than Florida, LSU? Mississippi State, have they played like, I'd have to, I'd have to double check that. Um, but I want to say it played like, that's a lot. I think I remember looking that up. Uh, they've met 117 times LSU and Mississippi State. Yeah. Yeah. That's Florida. Florida. Florida, LSU, man, they've, they've kept their series going pretty regularly the last few decades. And, uh, I hope it gets to continue. Uh, I love making the trip out to, to Death Valley. Uh, it's always an excuse to go stay in New Orleans. Okay. Right. It's, um, it was the old Miss game was about as peak Tiger Stadium as you could get. And then you got the opposite end of that when the Alabama game where Alabama took the absolute life out of the stadium in the first two quarters. Um, so yeah, we get both ends of the spectrum. Pretty fun. Yeah. And that usually does not happen, uh, in Tiger Stadium. So first, uh, first night loss under Brian Kelly and, you know, obviously at night, they're usually winning those games and now they got ran off the building. Hmm. Well, they ran Florida out of the building last year in Death Valley. Uh, we'll see what happens on Saturday with this Robert renewed 3 30 PM, uh, in the swamp on ABC. Uh, Matthew, let folks know where they can follow you and, uh, read your work. Yeah. The bangle tire on three. If you're subscribed to, you know, Florida on three site, you can go over, click on, uh, you can't post on our message board, but you can go check out all our content for LSU versus Florida. Um, and look at things from our perspective, our predictions are up on the side, everything like that. So yeah, bangle tiger on three. Uh, go check us out. Yeah. And, and Matthew, uh, he covers hoops as well. So if you guys are, uh, looking to see what the Tigers got on the court, he's got you guys covered there as well. So, um, yeah, big win, big win over Kansas state. So I always use getting back to being a respectable basketball program that we'll see what, uh, Florida, Florida state as in the store on, uh, on Friday night. I'll ask you, Matthew, appreciate the time and always great being joined by you. Um, good luck with your coverage this weekend and we'll see you soon down the road. Yeah. Thanks for having me, Zach. All right. For, uh, Matthew Bruni, I'm Zach Elba Verde. We'll see you guys with our rapid reaction on Saturday from the swamp.
Gators Online's Zach Abolverdi and Matthew Brune of the Bengal Tiger preview the Florida-LSU game.