A lot at stake for both teams

GAINESVILLE — The latest Florida-LSU rivalry game is a battle for survival for two programs amid teetering seasons.

Tigers coach Ed Orgeron’s path forward appears to be a dead end, but any chance of him keeping his job begins with a win. The Gators push to reach their bye week with momentum as an Oct. 30 matchup looms with top-ranked Georgia.

The Gators and Tigers have met every season since 1971 and delivered a string of compelling games. The stakes aren’t as high as in recent seasons, but the bad blood between the two SEC powers is sure to be palpable. dating to his days at Mississippi State. He’s 1-2 with the Gators. Florida leads the series 33-31-3, 17-17 in Baton Rouge. Coaches: Mullen, fourth season, 33-11 (102-57 overall); Ed Orgeron, sixth season, 48-17 (64-44 overall). About UF (4-2, 2-2 SEC): The Gators seek their first win in Tiger Stadium since 2016 behind a running game averaging an SECleading 273.7 yards and a defense aiming to attack LSU quarterback Max Johnson. The Tigers allow 4.2 yards per carry, ninth in the 14-team SEC, and have yielded 37 runs of at least 10 yards, 12th in the conference. LSU averages 83 rushing yards, the fewest other than pass-centric Mississippi State. With 20 sacks, the Gators hope to harass Johnson into mistakes. Florida has just four interceptions a season after managing only eight. Todd Grantham’s defense produced 30 in 2018-19 and thrived off turnovers. About LSU (3-3, 1-2): Johnson beat Florida in 2020 during his first career start and is the Tigers’ best hope of an upset. The Gators have not allowed a 300-yard passer during the past 29 meetings with LSU, but Johnson has thrown for 300 yards three times in 2021.

The Tigers pass 60% of the time and run good route combinations sure to challenge a young Florida secondary. Defensively, LSU struggles to get off the field, allowing a third-down conversion rate of 44.9%. The Tigers have given up 13 touchdowns passes, most in the SEC other than Vanderbilt — recent victims of four scoring tosses by Florida’s Emory Jones. 3 things to watch 1. Snap count. Eight false-start penalties at Kentucky has put the spotlight on the Gators’ strategy for snapping the football. LSU’s struggles are likely to make Tiger Stadium less daunting. 2. Florida pass protection. The Gators have allowed three sacks for an SEC-low 12 yards while LSU’s defense boasts 19 sacks for 126 yards in losses. 3. Gators CB Kaiir Elam. The potential first-round pick is on track to return from a three-game absence with a knee injury. With so little at stake for Florida, is it worth the risk?