Florida football: 5 LSU Tigers to watch Saturday

It will be perhaps the best matchup of the week as No. 7 Florida football takes on No. 5 LSU in a good old fashion SEC throw down.

There’s no love lost when Florida football takes on LSU. No matter if the game is in Baton Rouge or in Gainesville.

Saturday’s top-10 match-up is certainly no different.

Florida comes in ranked No. 7 in the country while LSU is No. 5.

Last year’s loss in Gainesville is fresh on the minds of the Tigers. For the Gators, it’s about earning national and conference respect.

LSU comes in with a highly prolific offense and a defense that isn’t half bad.

But, here are five LSU Tigers you need to watch Saturday as they host Florida football.

Joe Burrow, quarterback

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow has already thrown down the gauntlet by going on the record to state he really doesn’t like Florida that much.

Looking at the social media backlash, the feeling is pretty mutual Joe.

Nonetheless, Burrow has the most passing yards of any quarterback in the Southeastern Conference with 1,864 to go along with 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

That ranks him as one of the top five passers in the country.

But, he hasn’t faced a defense like Florida.

The big thing to watch here is how Burrow reacts to the various schemes and pressures Florida football defensive coordinator Todd Grantham throws at him.

Let’s not forget the edge blitz packages and linebacker blitzes either.

If the Florida defense can get to Burrow and fluster him, it could make for a very long day for one of the most hated men in Gainesville right now.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, running back

The least prolific part of the LSU offense is its running game.

Junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire leads LSU with 360 yards on the season. His best game was against Vanderbilt where he racked up 106 yards on 14 carries.

Other than Vanderbilt, Edwards-Helaire has struggled.

He averages 5.5 yards per carry, but that actually goes down to 4.6 yards per carry at home. I would say he does well against conference opponents, but Vanderbilt is the only SEC team LSU has played so far, and I don’t think that’s a very good barometer.

But, if the Gators are able to apply pressure and shut down Burrow and the passing game, it will be up to Edwards-Helaire to garner some form of offense.

Justin Jefferson, wide receiver

While Burrow has been able to spread the football around all season, wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the target with the most yards.

This season, he has 30 catches for 547 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s already eclipsed his touchdown total from a year ago and is beating is yards-per-catch average (this season, it’s 18.2).

But, don’t be mistaken.

LSU has several targets they’ve used this season.

In fact, three receivers have more receiving yards than any Florida football receiver. In addition, those three receivers have more touchdowns than any one Florida football receiver.

The bottom line is their receivers are dangerous and Jefferson is perhaps the most.

He stands at 6-foot-3 and carries solid speed.

Definitely one to watch on Saturday.

Jacob Phillips, linebacker

Junior linebacker Jacob Phillips leads the Tigers with 40 tackles on the season — which currently ranks him No. 4 in the Southeastern Conference in the category.

But, Phillips is a lone wolf in terms of making tackles. The next Tiger on the SEC list is safety JaCoby Stevens with 23 tackles.

While the Tigers do have 13 sacks on the season, only two players are listed in the SEC’s top 50. Unfortunately, Phillips isn’t one of them.

However, Phillips is one to watch as he will lead the Tigers against a Florida football offense that has already succeeded with the pass and could show more flair with the run as LSU is 24th in the country against the run — albeit, they’ve only faced Georgia Southern, Northwestern State, Utah State, Texas and Vanderbilt.

But, if LSU is going to disrupt the Florida football offense, Phillips is going to have to be a key component of that disruption.

Derek Stingley Jr., cornerback

Freshman cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. has a pair of interceptions to his credit this season and leads the Tigers in that category — despite the fact LSU is ninth in the conference in interceptions.

But, just as Phillips will be key to disrupting the Florida offense, so will Stingley.

Florida football quarterback Kyle Trask has made a good habit of not making too many poor decisions when he throws the football.

Plus, the Gator receivers have done a nice job creating space and getting open.

So, that’s where Stingley is going to have to make some noise.

If he and the rest of the LSU secondary can’t, this game could turn into a shootout quickly.

No. 5 LSU will host No. 7 Florida at 8 p.m. Saturday at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.