Week 6: No. 12 Florida Gators vs. No. 9 LSU Tigers

Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 88,548]
Weather Forecast: 76°F, clear skies
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD
Sirius/XM: 220/199
Online Video: ESPN3.com
Online Audio: Yahoo!
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida -6.5; O/U 42

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Florida has won 14 consecutive home games. The Gators’ previous winning streaks of 24-straight regular season games and 16 regular season SEC games in a row were broken last week with a loss to Alabama.
» UF leads the all-time series 30-23-3 against LSU, holding a 14-10-3 advantage in Gainesville. The Gators have won back-to-back games in the series, defeating the Tigers 51-21 in 2008 and 13-3 in Baton Rouge last season.
» For the first time all season, Florida did not record an interception last week. The Gators still lead the nation with 12 picks.
» Florida (13.8) and LSU (15.2) are ranked second and third in the SEC in fewest points allowed per game since 2009.
» The Tigers’ defense allows an SEC-low 246.6 total yards and 79.0 rushing yards. Additionally, LSU is giving up just 12.4 points per game, good for second in the conference and fifth in the entire nation.
» The Gators have the best red zone touchdown percentage in the SEC since 2007 (156/230 – 67.8%).
» Florida had gone 14-for-14 in the red zone over the previous two games with 13 touchdowns and a field goal. Against Alabama, UF went 1-4 in the same area. As a team they are now 18-for-23 in the red zone in 2010 with 16 touchdowns and two field goals.
» Since the coaching change in 2005, the Gators lead the SEC in rushing touchdowns (166), passing touchdowns (148), total touchdowns (341), passing yards (16,610), third-down conversion percentage (46.6%), pass efficiency (155.5) and interceptions (106). The Tigers are also ranked in many of those categories including rushing touchdowns (2nd – 132), passing touchdowns (2nd – 123), total touchdowns (2nd – 275), passing yards (4th – 14,973), third-down conversion percentage (2nd – 42.1%), pass efficiency (3rd – 135.2), interceptions (3rd – 76).

KEEP AN EYE ON…

» Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley…who had thrown 156 consecutive passes without an interception dating back to 2009, now has a 6-3 TD/INT ratio this season after throwing two picks last week. He has completed 89-of-145 passes (61.4 percent) for 902 yards and has a passer rating of 123.2.
» Freshman QB Trey Burton…who set a school record and SEC freshman record by scoring six touchdowns in a single game against Kentucky. He has eight scores on the season, has played five positions and may see more time behind center with Brantley ailing from a rib injury suffered last week.
» Junior running back Jeff Demps…who has led the Gators in rushing in every game this season with totals of 98, 139, 73, 57 and 47 yards. He is averaging 6.5 yards per carry this year and is the nation’s active RB leader in yards per touch since 2008 (7.3).
» Redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson…who is averaging over 60 yards per game this season. As Brantley’s primary pass catcher, 18 of Thompson’s 21 receptions this year have been for first downs.
» Redshirt senior WR Carl Moore…who continues to be clutch for the Gators each week. Moore’s last eight catches have all been for first downs including two against Tennessee, four against Kentucky and two against Alabama.
» Florida’s secondary…which has intercepted eight balls this season but was held without a pick last week for the first game this year. Senior safety Ahmad Black (three), redshirt sophomore CB Jeremy Brown (three) and junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins (two) and are leading the way for the unit. Brown returned one for a touchdown last week, and Black is tops on the team with 37 tackles on the year while also being the conference’s active leader in interceptions (11) and interception return yards (233).
» Senior defensive end/linebacker Duke Lemmens…who has been a major part of the team’s new “heavy” package utilized to stop the run by now taking snaps at stand-up linebacker. Lemmens led Florida with eight tackles against Alabama.
» Senior punter Chas Henry…who is the end-all be-all of Florida’s kicking game now that he has taken over for junior Caleb Sturgis (back) as the team’s field goal kicker. Henry had one of the best outings of his career last week, averaging 62.3 yards on three punts (career-long of 75) and kicking two field goals, the Gators’ only points.

» LSU running back Stevan Ridley…who leads the SEC in rushing with 557 yards (111.4 per game). He has run for 100 yards or more three times this season including 123 last week against Tennessee and has a team-high four touchdowns on the year.
» The Tigers’ two quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee…who each have different specializations for LSU’s offense. Jefferson, a running threat who has taken the most snaps from center this year, has only completed 51.7 percent of his passes (46-of-89) for 449 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also run the ball 47 times for 189 yards and two scores. Lee is the more accurate passer, completing 18-of-25 attempts (72 percent) for 206 yards and one interception on the season.
» Louisiana State’s Patrick Peterson…who is a starting CB but also an electric punt returner. Peterson has returned 17 punts for 283 yards and two touchdowns this season including a long of 87. He also helps out on kickoff returns, having brought back 9 for 254 yards with a long of 47.
» LSU kicker Josh Jasper…who has hit 83.3 percent of his field goals on the season. Jasper has not missed from inside the 40 and has a long of 51 yards on the season. He is 2-of-3 from 40-49 yards and 1-of-2 from 50+ yards out.

INJURIES and INACTIVES
Injuries
Probable – Redshirt junior QB John Brantley (ribs), junior RB Jeff Demps (foot), sophomore RB Mike Gillislee (ankle)
Out – Redshirt sophomore LT Matt Patchan, senior CB Moses Jenkins (elbow), redshirt senior DT Brandon Antwine (shoulder), freshmen WRs Quinton Dunbar and Chris Dunkley (hamstrings)

Inactives
(Will update closer to game time)

FLORIDA ON ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY

The Gators are set to be heavily featured in during ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. on ESPNU (hosted by Erin Andrews) and continuing from 10 a.m. until noon on ESPN. Even though the “World Wide Leader in Sports” did not choose to host the event in Gainesville on Saturday, Florida and LSU will be given a segment during the main program. OGGOA was unable to find out more on ESPN’s plans this week due to a technical glitch but will continue featuring this section.

Read OGGOA’s Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers preview after the jump!

No. 12/14 Florida Gators at No. 9/12 LSU Tigers Preview

The No. 12/14 Florida Gators (4-1, 2-1 SEC) hope to keep their two-game winning streak against their Western division rivals alive as they host the No. 9/12 LSU Tigers (5-0, 3-0 SEC) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL, on Saturday night. Florida and LSU will clash for the 57th time as UF looks to win their 13th consecutive game in the friendly confines of The Swamp.

Winners of three of the last four BCS National Championships, these two teams each enter Saturday’s contest with a number of question marks. Can the Gators respond from a 31-6 trouncing by No. 1/1 Alabama last week? Are the Tigers as vulnerable as they appear after barely squeaking out a win against Tennessee at home seven days ago? Will either offense hit its stride and prove this match-up is more than simply two of the best defenses in the nation squaring off?

Florida’s potential rebound must include a solid performance from redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley, who threw two interceptions last week and has only six touchdowns with three picks on the season. The Gators also help that junior running back Jeff Demps is healthier and more explosive than he was last week when he rushed for a season-low 47 yards.

Brantley and Demps will be relying on a trio of playmakers to help them. Freshman QB Trey Burton may be given more responsibility behind center, and wide receivers redshicrt junior Deonte Thompson and redshirt senior Carl Moore look to continue making clutch catches. An astounding 18 of Thompson’s 21 receptions have moved the chains while Moore’s last eight catches have also been for first downs.

LSU will counter with four of its own offensive weapons including QBs Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, RB Stevan Ridley, and cornerback/punt returner Patrick Peterson. Jefferson and Lee will take turns running the offense for the Tigers with Jefferson primarily being a running threat and Lee standing in as the more accurate passer of the two. Ridley will help compliment the pair and attempt to run for 100 or more yards for the first time this season, while Peterson hopes to get his team good field position by attacking UF’s coverage unit.

Looking to stop LSU is Florida’s stout defense, which held Alabama’s Heisman Trophy-winning RB Mark Ingram to 47 yards on 12 carries last week. The Gators will be facing the SEC’s top-ranked rusher for the third straight week and hopes to plug the rushing lanes by utilizing a “heavy” package featuring senior defensive end Duke Lemmens playing some linebacker. Florida’s defense continues to lead the nation with 12 interceptions including eight by the secondary, which is highlighted by senior safety Ahmad Black (three), redshirt junior CB Janoris Jenkins (two) and redshirt sophomore CB Jeremy Brown (three).

Like the Gators’ unit, the Tigers’ defense is stingy, allowing SEC lows in total (246.6) and rushing (79.0) yards per game. LSU ranks fifth in the nation in points against, only giving up 12.4 per game on average. In fact, since allowing North Carolina to score 24 points in the season opener, the Tigers have not let another team post more than two touchdowns against them in a single game. LSU also has six interceptions on the season.

Catch Florida’s sixth game of the season live on television on ESPN, online at ESPN3.com, via the radio or through OGGOA‘s live updates on Twitter.