It’s not often you find a matchup between two SEC powers carry so little muster with it. That’s where we find ourselves in Week 7, when struggling and unranked LSU and Florida squads square off in Gainesville.
How to watch LSU vs. Florida: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
Can the Gators find some offense against the Tigers?
The season has been a bigger disappointment for the Tigers, who entered the year ranked in the top 15 and only emboldened their expectations after a come-from-behind 28-24 victory over Wisconsin in their opener. Easy, shutout victories over Sam Houston State and Louisiana-Monroe in the weeks that followed did nothing to dispel perception about LSU, but the Tigers were brought back down to earth the next week when they lost 34-29 at home to Mississippi State. In their next SEC game, LSU lost 41-7 on the road to Auburn.
With their only loss coming against Alabama, Florida’s 3-1 record might not look disappointing, especially considering its 4-8 mark last season. But the Gators beat Kentucky and Tennessee (not exactly the SEC’s finest) by a combined seven points, taking the Wildcats to triple overtime before coming away with the victory. Florida’s defense has been rock solid, but the Gators scored just 10 points against the Volunteers and need to find more efficiency in the passing game.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network. Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor on the call.
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Our sites on these teams
The numbers
Rankings and records: Neither team is ranked. The Tigers are 4-2 with an 0-2 record in SEC play, and the Gators are 3-1 with a 2-1 SEC record. Florida holds a 31-26-3 lead in the all-time series, but LSU has won three of the last four games between the two schools.
Vegas: LSU is a 1-point favorite. The over/under is 47 points.
Weather forecast: 89 degrees and partly cloudy.
Two things at stake
A loss here for LSU would put even a bowl berth into question.
A win for Florida would go a long way toward repairing Will Muschamp’s job security.
One big matchup
Jeff Driskel vs. LSU secondary. The junior has his starting job back, whether Florida fans like it or not. Driskel has averaged a paltry 5.0 yards per pass attempt this season, throwing for five touchdowns against six interceptions. His worst performance yet came against Tennessee, when he completed just 11 of 23 attempts for 59 yards and three interceptions. The Gators will need a much better performance from him Saturday against an LSU passing defense that has struggled in SEC play.
LSU did well in stopping the passing attacks of Wisconsin, Sam Houston State, Louisiana-Monroe and New Mexico State, but Mississippi State and Auburn were different tests entirely. Dak Prescott completed 15 of 24 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers, and Nick Marshall went 14-of-22 for 207 yards and two scores.
Further reading
For more on LSU, check out And the Valley Shook. For full coverage of Florida, head over to Alligator Army.
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