BATON ROUGE — After a week of intense preparation, numerous media obligations and being asked routinely about its new position atop the college football Associated Press Poll, LSU will finally get back to action on Saturday, hosting ninth-ranked Florida in Tiger Stadium.
Members of the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net can watch LIVE pregame video (ends at kickoff per SEC regulations) and listen to the entire game audio broadcast starting at 5:15 p.m. CT. Not a member? Join now.
Kickoff for the LSU-Florida contest is set for 7:28 p.m. in a sold out Tiger Stadium. The game will be televised to a national prime time audience by CBS, a first during the regular season for the Tigers since the 1981 season.
In addition, LSU will play a game as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team for the first time since 1959 on Saturday against Florida. LSU, which claimed the 2003 BCS national title, hasn’t been No.1 in any national poll during the regular season since the first week of November in 1959. LSU is 12-1 all-time in games played while they are ranked No. 1 in the nation, all of which came during the 1958 and 1959 seasons.
GameDay Info
LSU vs. Florida
Saturday, Oct. 6
7:28 p.m. CT
GameTime Temp: 77?
Rain: 30% chance
Humidity: 82%
Wind: ESE 5 mph
Forecast
Kickoff: 7:28 p.m. CDT
Sunset: 6:44 p.m. CDT
Times of Interest
9 a.m.
ESPN Gameday broadcast begins on Parade Ground
Noon
LSU Ticket Office opens
Noon
LSU Baseball Practice/ 8-inning scrimmage (open to public) at Alex Box Stadium
3 p.m.
Cowboy Mouth concert at Tiger One Village (front of Maravich Center)
5 p.m.
Gates of Tiger Stadium open
5:15 p.m.
LSU Game Day presented by CST radio show at Tiger One Village | Watch Live Pregame Video
5:20 p.m.
LSU football team walks down Victory Hill
5:40 p.m.
Tiger Band and Mike VI march down Victory Hill
6:55 p.m.
LSU Cheerleaders and Mike VI circle field in Tiger Stadium
7:14 p.m.
Tiger Band plays “Pre-Game”
7:28 p.m.
Kickoff: LSU vs. Florida
Pre-Game Presentations
Forever LSU recognition
1st Quarter Presentation
2007 LSU Softball SEC Tournament Champions
Halftime
LSU Golden Band from Tigerland performs
LSU track and field 2007 national runner-up recognition
3rd Quarter Presentation
2007 LSU Women’s Basketball Final Four recognition
Guest Captains
Charles Alexander
Max Fuglar
Jerry Stovall
Mauriece “Moe” LeBlanc
“We had a good week of preparation and I like what we’ve accomplished this week on the practice field,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “The players have had focus during practice and in meetings. They understand the challenges that Florida presents.
“I have always liked big games and I think our guys like to play in big games. This is why you come to a place like LSU, to play in games like this. There will be national audience in prime time featuring two highly-respected programs. It’s what college football is all about. I can’t wait for Saturday night.”
Since moving to the top spot in the AP Poll last Sunday, Miles and the rest of the Tigers have insisted that things haven’t changed with the team in terms of focus and preparation. LSU remained No. 2 behind Southern Cal in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
“We have said all week that we take it as a compliment to be ranked No. 1, but we are not at all satisfied,” LSU senior safety Craig Steltz said. “We have a long way to go and a lot of improving to do. We’ve had a good week of work on the practice field, now we have to bring that effort, focus and intensity to the field on Saturday night.”
Miles echoed what Steltz said.
“It changes nothing,” Miles said of the No. 1 ranking. “We are appreciative of the people that voted for us. It is a compliment to the program and our players. Right now we are just holding a place. We are looking forward to playing and playing well. There will be no difference in how we approach the game. It is a game where we want to play our very best and prepare well. It doesn’t make a difference that our ranking has changed.”
LSU brings a 5-0 overall mark and a 2-0 league record into the game after last week’s lackluster 34-9 win over Tulane in New Orleans. The Tigers go after their first 6-0 start to open a season since the 1973 squad won its first nine games. LSU also brings a 12-game overall winning streak into the contest, the second-longest streak nationally, as well as a 16-game winning streak in games played in Tiger Stadium.
Florida is 4-1 overall and 2-1 in conference action after dropping a last-second 20-17 decision to Auburn a week ago. The Gators, who beat LSU a year ago, 23-10, haven’t lost back-to-back games under Urban Meyer.
One of LSU’s main areas of focus this week has been how to contain, or at least slow down, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow, who has accounted for 19 touchdowns this year ? 11 passing, 8 rushing ? is perhaps college football’s top dual threat at quarterback. In five games this year, Tebow has rushed for 433 yards, while adding another 1,297 through the air.
“(Defending) him is going to take a mixture of things,” Miles said. “If you load the box on a guy that can throw and has talented receivers, then you are just looking to give up big plays in the passing game. If you just sit back and apply coverage, and cover the field with everybody out of the box, then they start running the football which is a problem. There is going to be a mixture of both. We will have the ?come get ya’ load the box and play some coverage.”
Tebow will face perhaps his toughest challenge of the year with the Tiger defense, one that leads the nation in three categories ? total defense, rushing defense, and pass efficiency defense. In five games, the Tigers have allowed only 32 points, produced 18 quarterback sacks and registered 10 interceptions. LSU has only been scored on in four of the 20 quarters of football they have played this year.
When the Tigers have the ball, LSU will continue to rely on the play of fifth-year senior quarterback Matt Flynn along with its running back-by-committee approach. Flynn, who is 5-0 as LSU’s starting quarterback, appears to be at full strength after suffering an ankle sprain against Virginia Tech during the second week of the season.
Last week against Tulane, Flynn threw for a career-best 258 yards in the win over the Green Wave. The Tigers also expect to mix backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux into the game on Saturday, using both his running and passing ability. In five games this year, Perrilloux has accounted for seven touchdowns ? 6 passing, 1 rushing. He’s thrown for 402 yards and added another 143 on the ground.
Senior Jacob Hester and sophomore speedster Trindon Holliday have been LSU’s most productive backs thus far with Hester rushing for 327 yards and four scores and Holliday going for 147 yards and a touchdown.
When the Tigers go to the air, sophomore Brandon LaFell leads the team with 17 catches for 279 yards and a score. The Tigers are again expected to be without senior Early Doucet, who has missed the last three games with an injury.