With Tebow Questionable, No.1 Florida Favored By 7 Over No.4 LSU

NFL News - October 9th, 2009 - Written by Scott

The college football Game of the Weekend is set for Saturday night as No. 1 the Florida Gators travels to Baton Rouge to take on No. 4 LSU. Most of the focus on this game has been on the health of Gator quarterback Tim Tebow. He suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Kentucky and still has not been cleared to play. Head coach Urban Meyer said that doctors will evaluate him after his plane ride to Louisiana. The winner of this heated SEC rival has gone on to win the BCS title the past three years. Florida had a bye last week after defeating Kentucky two weeks ago 41-17. LSU improved to 5-0 last week with their win over Georgia. The Gators rolled over the Tigers last year 51-21.

Tebow was cleared to practice on Tuesday and Meyer said he had his best practice of the week on Thursday. If Tebow can not go, quarterback John Brantley will get the start. In limited action this year, Brantley has passed for 232 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Gators have relied on their running game mostly this season. Running backs Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey have combined for 565 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns. However, their running game could be affected if Tebow is out. Tebow is the second leading rusher on the team with 271 yards and 5 touchdowns.

The Gators defense is only allowing 7 points per game, although their first to games were against Troy and Charleston Southern. They will need to improve on their pass rush as they have only 7 sacks on the year. They also will need to be able to stop the Tigers running game and force quarterback Jordan Jefferson to make plays.

LSU comes into the game ranked last in the league in total offense (321.6) per game. Jefferson has passed for 920 yards and 7 touchdowns. Their running game needs to be effective against the Gators to keep their explosive offense off of the field. Backs Charles Scott and Keiland Williams have game-breaking potential. They have combined for 461 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. Jefferson has two big play receivers in Terrance Toliver and Brandon LaFell who have combined for 624 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. They must get better protection from their offensive line. They have given up 13 sacks already this season.

Defensively for LSU, they have been solid all year. They are only giving up 14.8 points per game and have 8 interceptions. If Tebow is out, they must stop the Gators running game and apply pressure to Brantley. They have not been successful in pressuring opponents' quarterbacks and only have 5 sacks this season.

Florida will be favored on the road by 7 according to BetUS sportsbook. The over/under is set at 44. They will be playing at 8 pm on Saturday at LSU where the Tigers have won 32 straight night games.

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