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Florida Gators Football Preview: Five Keys To Defeating LSU

By Maxwell Ogden

Oct 17, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) carries the ball in front of LSU Tigers safety Rickey Jefferson (29) on his way to scoring a touchdown in the second half at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Florida 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) carries the ball in front of LSU Tigers safety Rickey Jefferson (29) on his way to scoring a touchdown in the second half at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Florida 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 12, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) runs with the ball as South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Steven Montac (22) and defensive back Jamarcus King (7) defend during the second quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Jordan Scarlett (25) runs with the ball as South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Steven Montac (22) and defensive back Jamarcus King (7) defend during the second quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Keep The Chains Moving

The Florida Gators have converted 46.3 percent of their third downs in 2016—No. 23 in the country. For all that’s been rightfully said about a rather sporadic offense, Florida has done a solid job of converting on the down that often matters most.

The key for the Gators against the LSU Tigers will be to convert on third down and keep their own defense off the field.

During its lone losses of the 2016 season, Florida went 6-of-16 on third downs against Tennessee and 1-of-11 against Arkansas. That translates to marks of 37.5 percent and 9.1 percent, which simply aren’t acceptable.

It’s no coincidence that the issue that plagued Florida in both games was an inability to establish the run against a high-quality SEC opponent.

Florida ran the ball 31 times for 106 yards against Tennessee, which translates to 3.4 yards per carry. It ran for an indescribably poor 12 yards on 14 attempts against Arkansas, which translates to 0.9 yards per carry.

In those same games, Florida gave up 223 rushing yards to Arkansas and 179 rushing yards to Tennessee—well above its average of 111.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 12 in the country.

Simply put: Florida must keep the chains moving in order to keep Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice off the field.

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