Five LSU Tigers to watch against the Florida Gators

This Saturday, the Florida Gators travel to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers. Florida-LSU is a game that is normally hyped up, but this year the matchup has lost some of its luster. With a depleted LSU roster down a handful of starters on either side of the ball and a Florida team that looks to be playing for third in the East, you don’t get that big game vibe. But every time these two teams meet, it is an exciting matchup. Gators Territory takes a look at five LSU players that will try to help the Tigers play spoiler on their home turf where they are double-digit underdogs.

Johnson, a true sophomore that got his first career start in the Swamp last year, is having a pretty impressive season individually though the team record is not what Tiger fans expect. Max has thrown for 1,729 yards for 17 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 61.6 percent of his passes. He won’t wow you with his intangibles, but he is someone that gets rid of the ball on time and protects the football. However, his favorite receiver and security blanket, Kayshon Boutte, is out for the rest of the year, so he will have to look elsewhere for production this week.

Davis-Price is the Tigers leading rusher this year with 576 yards on 134 carries, adding four touchdowns and an average of 4.3 yards per rush. While not much of a threat in the passing game with just six catches for 70 yards on the year, he is a big bruiser of a running back at 6-foot-1, 232 pounds and will look to run through you, not around you. The Gators have struggled to tackle in recent weeks against smaller backs than Tyrion. If they don’t clean that up this week, the talented running back for the Tigers could have his best game so far this year.

Clark is LSU’s leading tackler on the year, by a wide margin. On the season, Damone has 68 tackles, including four for loss. He diagnoses plays well and attacks the ball carrier with speed and aggression. He has good range and shows good burst when he makes up his mind on where the ball is going. The Gators' offensive line has struggled a bit in recent weeks, and if they continue to do so this week, Clark could be in for a big performance.

BJ is the younger brother of current Giants outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari and looks to be the next in line to make it to the NFL. Ojulari leads the Tigers in sacks with five on the year to go with five and a half tackles for loss and 19 total tackles. With starters Ali Gaye and Andre Anthony out for this game, Ojulari should get plenty of time to try and add to that sack total. Florida has been good at getting the ball out of Emory’s hands quickly or having him take off and run to avoid negative plays. If LSU is going to pull off the upset at home, Ojulari could be a big reason for that.

As I mentioned before, the Tigers' leading receiver Kayshon Boutte is out for the remainder of the season, so quarterback Max Johnson will have to find someone else to get the ball to. Enter Jack Bech. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound pass-catcher is the second leading receiver on the team with 22 catches for 272 yards and one touchdown this year. Bech is a tight end/wide receiver hybrid that will line up all over the field for the Tigers. The freshman is not extremely explosive, but he has great hands and finds ways to get open. If the Tigers offense gets going, look for Bech to be a big reason why.