Florida and Louisiana State both lay claim to the title of ‘DBU’ because of the professional products that each program consistently churns out of their secondaries.
Each side enters Saturday’s SEC showdown with defensive backs worth noting. The No. 22 Gators (4-1, 1-1 SEC) have sophomore C.J. Henderson, freshman Trey Dean III and junior Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and the Tigers (5-0, 2-0 SEC) boast preseason All-SEC talents in corner Greedy Williams and safety Grant Delpit.
However, the question heading into Saturday will be how each team’s defensive lines can impact the game.
Two composed quarterbacks will take the field in front of a committee of experienced running backs that can pound the rock. Whichever defensive line can consistently win the battle upfront should help its team escape with a win.
The starting quarterbacks — UF’s Feleipe Franks and LSU’s Joe Burrow — have shown their efficiency this season by passing for a combined 18 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Senior Jordan Scarlett and junior Lamical Perine will lead the UF backfield, while senior Nick Brossette has carried a considerable load of the rushes for the Tigers, complemented by the speedy sophomore in Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Making the opponent’s quarterback uncomfortable on obvious passing downs and breaking through the opposite side’s blocks to shut down running lanes will prove critical, especially because those factors determined the victor in this matchup each of the last two seasons.
The Gators allowed five sacks when LSU visited Gainesville in 2017. As a redshirt-freshman, Franks was never able to settle in, while the defense gave up 216 yards rushing.
But UF won on a defensive stand the year prior when it stuffed the Tigers’ Derrius Guice on the final four plays to steal a 16-10 win at Tiger Stadium.
Florida punishes offensive lines in passing situations. The Gators rank second in the nation in pass defense, mostly because they can rotate 11 different players on their defensive line and stay fresh for all four quarters. LSU ranks 80th against the pass, giving up 230.4 yards per game through the air.
UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham showed the value of being able to maintain energy in the fourth quarter at Mississippi State by highlighting the rotation of defensive ends Jachai Polite and CeCe Jefferson.
“We start that two-minute drive, (Polite) gets a sack. And then CeCe actually comes in and get another one,” Grantham said. “I think our guys are starting to see the value of when you rotate guys you can keep guys fresh.”
If the Gators can expose the Tigers’ injury-riddled offensive line, which has started a different group in each game this season, then it’ll be another sack-filled contest for Grantham’s defense to enjoy.
However, Florida will need to focus on stopping the LSU ground game, as it ranks 85th against the run nationally. And it’ll be a challenge this week for UF as the Tigers like to stack the line with tight ends and play power football.
“They’ve got tight ends and fullbacks that block and try to knock you off, and I think they’re playing to the temperament of their head coach (Ed Orgeron),” Grantham said.
Conversely, LSU ranks 16th against the run (103 yards allowed per game), anchored by defensive end Rashard Lawrence and nose tackle Breiden Fehoko.
If the Gators can run the ball effectively against this defensive front, it’ll open a lot in the passing game, especially on play-action. Franks and his deep committee of wide receivers, despite the talent the Tigers have in the secondary, could thrive.
“I think we have the best receiving corps in the country,” Franks said. “They are getting the work in and that’s a testament to coach (Billy) Gonzales, and the receivers just buying in.”
Follow Mark Stine on Twitter @mstinejr or contact him at mstine@alligator.org.
Defensive end Jachai Polite (99) harassed Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and recorded a pair of sacks. He finished the game with three solo tackles.
