Know Your Enemy: Understanding a Little About LSU Football Matchup vs No. 10 Florida

Slowing down Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts key to victory for purple and gold

LSU’s week four battle against the Gators is in serious jeopardy after a reported 19 players on the Florida roster have tested positive for COVID-19. Florida is monitoring the situation very closely, with another update expected on Wednesday.

As of now, the game is still on so we asked our friends over at AllGators to give us a breakdown of the challenges No. 10 Florida presents to LSU.

Florida is coming off it’s first loss of the season and we’re curious as to what were some of the biggest reasons for the loss in your eyes? Anything you noticed that LSU could potentially attack on either side of the ball?

The Gators' offense can contend with any defense in the nation, and we saw that as quarterback Kyle Trask completed 71.9% of his passes against A&M and set up receiver Kadarius Toney for a career day when Kyle Pitts was taken out of action. Averaging 464 yards and 44.5 points per game through three SEC contests, I'm just not sure there are many, if any, teams in the country could slow Florida's offense down.

Oh wait, I do. It's Florida's defense. Every time the Gators' offense takes a drive and turns it into points, which happened on six-of-eight drives on Saturday, the Gators' defense turns it around and gives yards and points right back up. There have been no relevant adjustments made that have improved the unit, the pass rush is maddeningly inconsistent in creating pressure, the edge is non-existent vs, the run, and the secondary is swiss cheese.

Averaging over 450 yards offensively should always bode well in the SEC, but giving 495 yards per game right back is a losing formula no matter how good you are with the ball.

Kyle Trask looks like a completely different player from even a season ago. What have been the biggest strides he’s taken as a player and what does he really excel in?

Trask is a pre-snap wizard, identifying favorable matchups before the play and hitting that quickly and efficiently to create yards after the catch. He's not a threat with his legs, but he's become noticeably more comfortable throwing on the run and evading pressure within the pocket to extend plays. As always, he's an accurate thrower in the short-to-intermediate game who anticipates throwing windows well and allows his receivers time, with great pass protection, to get through their route combinations in order to optimize each rep.

Talk about the chemistry between Trask and tight end Kyle Pitts. It seems like they’re in complete sync and will be a matchup nightmare for LSU. What are a few of the strengths in Pitts’ game?

I mean, Pitts tied UF's single-season record for touchdown receptions by a tight end in the first quarter of the third game of the year. For a lack of a better word, he's practically unstoppable (other than when he was dealing with a left foot injury, per ESPN, near the end of the game on Saturday). He's as sharp a route-runner that you'll find at the position, he'll embarrass you physically if you try to press him, and he'll beat you in just about every contested catch situation.

If you're willing to man Pitts up one-on-one, bless you.

Defensively, Florida seems to be in a somewhat similar boat to LSU, though the Tigers certainly are making a case to be in a league of their own. What are some of the deficiencies on this Gator defense that LSU might be able to have success against?

Call stretch runs and quick passes and your offense should be able to beat Florida via a thousand paper cuts, all while controlling the clock to keep UF's dangerous offense off of the field. It's a pretty simple strategy, I know, but I'm not sure Florida has answers for it if the opposing offense has any semblance of talent.

What are your early thoughts on how this game plays out? Do we expect to see another shoot out? Won’t ask for a prediction but give us a few players outside of Pitts and Trask who could have a big day on either side of the ball.

At this rate I'd predict every game Florida plays this year, sans Georgia, will be a shootout. LSU has undoubtedly gotten off to a weird start this year but Myles Brennan has put the offense in a position to score points. LSU is even edging the Gators' out in total yards per game.

Beyond Kyle-to-Kyle, Toney is someone LSU will have to dedicate attention to. He's developed immensely as a slot receiver and has been unstoppable against man coverage in the slot this season. Pitts catches your attention for ranking second in the country, with Terrance Marshall in touchdown receptions with seven, but Toney is right behind them in seventh, with four scores.