Florida football: 5 Gators to watch Saturday against LSU

The stage is set. No. 7 Florida football is in Baton Rouge for Saturday night’s match-up with No. 5 LSU.

Crews have arrived. Fans are on their way. Florida football is ready for its second top-10 showdown in as many weeks.

Saturday, the latest test will be No. 5 LSU and its offense, led by quarterback Joe Burrow.

You remember him, don’t you Gator Nation?

He’s the one who said he really didn’t like Florida very much.

In case you forgot:

But, this isn’t about him (I did want to stir the pot a bit though).

Today, I want to examine five Florida football players you need to watch Saturday as the No. 7 Gators enter Tiger Stadium to face No. 5 LSU:

Lamical Perine

Florida football running back Lamical Perine stands on the verge of really breaking out.

In the first six games of the season, Perine may have four touchdowns, but he has just 338 yards of total rushing — averaging just 54.5 yards per game.

Last week, against Auburn, Perine sealed the game for Florida with an 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter — earning his first 100-yard game of the season.

But, the first five games were a big struggle. Whether it be the offensive line, a new quarterback in Kyle Trask or Perine just not getting his legs under him, Florida football has struggled with the run this season.

Against LSU’s defense, Perine, Josh Hammond, Malik Davis and even Dameon Pierce (if he plays) can make a pretty big mark on this season’s future for Florida football.

They just have to find the holes and make the most of them.

Jon Greenard

Defensive lineman Jonathan Greenard and the Florida football defense will be called upon, again, to handle a potentially lethal offense in LSU.

The Tigers have the best passing offense in the Southeastern Conference — thanks in no small part ot the patsies they’ve played this season — giving Burrow and the receiving corps a lot of confidence.

Where Greenard and the defensive line comes into the picture is getting a good rush on Burrow.

I think Burrow is bound for mistakes if he hears footsteps or sees a lumbering lineman coming at him. The Florida football defense is capable of providing that kind of pressure — with Greenard at the helm.

Shawn Davis

Florida football safety Shawn Davis leads the team in interceptions with three.

That means it’s a safe bet Burrow will be staying away from his left side — where Davis likely lines up.

However, Davis has the potential to be a game-changer in continuing to throw the timing off receivers like Justin Jefferson and Terrance Marshall.

He may be a bit shorter (5-foot-11) than the receivers he will cover, he is likely a step faster. That means he can keep up and even read the ball sooner than the LSU receivers.

Doing that, effectively, funneling passes to the right will help the right side of Florida’s defense potentially come up with big plays all night long.

David Reese

Middle linebacker David Reese has been an animal this season.

He leads Florida football in tackles with 49 — the next closest is Greenard with 28, so put that in perspective — with 17 of those unassisted (also leading the team).

Where Reece comes in Saturday is two-fold.

He will need to provide additional pass rush support upfront — something he has done well in the past. That allows players like Greenard, Jabari Zuniga and Kyree Campbell the ability to come in and make a play on the quarterback.

Basically, Reese acts like an additional body the LSU front line has to be concerned about.

The second part is, under certain situations, Reese will need to bounce off the line and provide support in the secondary.

In the event a wide receiver breaks away and gets space, Reese will need to have his head on a swivel to make sure the corners and safeties have some coverage.

Kyle Pitts

Florida football tight end Kyle Pitts has become a legitimate threat with Trask under center.

This season, Pitts is the Gators’ third-leading receiver with 254 yards on 25 catches and three touchdowns. He is behind just Freddie Swain and Van Jefferson in receiving yards but is tied with Swain with three receiving touchdowns.

Coming into the season, Pitts had less than 200 yards for his career.

The biggest thing about Pitts is the mismatch he creates with opposing secondaries. His 6-6 height will tower over everyone on the LSU defense, including corners and safeties — their corners are 6-1 and 6-0 while their safeties are no taller than 6-3.

He even has a height advantage over LSU’s linebackers, which is valuable in short-pass situations.

The bottom line is Pitts can certainly be an offensive weapon against a struggling LSU defense, or he can be a nice decoy to draw coverage away from other Gator receivers.

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