Gators Wire’s staff predictions: Can Florida beat a hobbled LSU on the road?

After an easy — yet somehow, also uneasy — shutout win over the Vanderbilt Commodores last weekend for homecoming, the Florida Gators hit the road for one of its biggest remaining tests on their schedule. The Orange and Blue get set to face the LSU Tigers in Death Valley this Saturday as UF looks to earn a victory heading into the following bye week.

The staff here at Gators Wire weighed in with their takes and predictions ahead of Saturday’s early matchup in the Baton Rouge bayous. Here is a look at how we think things will shake out in Florida’s key road game against the Tigers.

Adam Dubbin - Managing Editor

Since the departure of Steve Spurrier from Florida’s sidelines, the LSU game has been one that always causes concern. We saw it played out in full last season when the Tigers brought their voodoo magic to the Swamp and initiated a three-game losing streak to end the year for the Gators. To say the least, it is SEC football at its fullest.

At the beginning of the week, a familiar feeling of trepidation hung over my head as I looked forward to Saturday’s matchup. At first, I felt like this weekend was a ripe opportunity for a letdown in one of the most hostile college football environments and the Gators were going to lose. After looking at some numbers, it appeared that the Orange and Blue had a significant upper hand — especially on the ground — and switched my opinion to a Florida win, but without covering the spread.

Then the injury dominoes began to fall, decimating LSU’s starting corps. At this point, Dan Mullen‘s squad poses a major mismatch on paper against Ed Orgeron’s guys and it would be a tremendous upset if somehow the bayou boys pull this one off. However, the final score will still be closer than you might think.

Florida 31, LSU 17

Tyler Nettuno - Assistant Editor/Writer

This is one of the two toughest remaining games for Florida, but even on the road, it’s hard for this game to match up with the challenge the impending Georgia game brings. LSU has lost its last two games, and coach Ed Orgeron could be leading his final campaign in Baton Rouge.

The Tigers absolutely need a win in this game to avoid a spiral, and I expect them to come out playing hard (or at least, as hard as you can be for an 11 a.m. local kickoff). We know that LSU has a good quarterback in Max Johnson, who led it to a 37-34 upset victory in Gainesville last year, but he lost his top target, Kayshon Boutte, for the season this week.

The Tigers put up 418 yards in this game last year, but with one of the nation’s worst run games, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to replicate that this time around. A good game from Johnson could force a shootout, but Florida has to like its odds if that happens. LSU’s defense isn’t very good against the run or the pass, and it is heavily injured at present. The Gators should have a lot of success offensively.

On paper, this is a good matchup for UF. A road environment could complicate things, but LSU just isn’t a physical enough team to beat it in the same way Kentucky did. Florida gets a big road win before having a bye to prepare for the Georgia game in Jacksonville.

Florida 34, LSU 21

Pat Dooley - Staff Writer

LSU is a desperate team, but so is Florida. The Tigers’ inability to run the ball should play into Florida’s hands, but the Gators have to avoid the turnovers that have been a problem. Injuries are a factor as well with two of LSU’s best players — Derek Stingley and Kayshon Boutte now out for the season.

Florida 31, LSU 23

David Rosenberg - Staff Writer

Florida hasn’t played its best football over the last two weeks, but LSU may be too banged up for that to matter on Saturday. The Tigers lost one of the top receivers in all of college football to injury last week, and the running game hasn’t looked particularly strong this season. Florida should be getting back Kaiir Elam this week, and the Gators have missed his leadership on defense.

The one thing working in favor of LSU is the noise level at Death Valley. Kentucky’s crowd forced several false starts a few weeks back, and Dan Mullen has to prepare his team to go back into a hostile environment.

I’m not sure that Florida will look as good it should on Saturday, but anything other than a win would be shocking. Ed Orgeron’s seat is only going to get hotter from here.

Florida 35, LSU 20

[vertical-gallery id=46396]

[listicle id=57575]

[listicle id=57780]

[listicle id=57573]

[listicle id=57801]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

1

1