LSU 2020 Game Notes: Tigers trek to Gainesville to face No. 6 Florida

• G9 LSU NOTES: AT FLORIDA (PDF)
• G9 OPP. NOTES: FLORIDA (PDF)

• LSU (3-5) plays its sixth and final road game of the season on Saturday when the Tigers travel to Gainesville to face No. 6 Florida (8-1).
• Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.
• LSU and Florida were scheduled to play on Oct. 17 when the SEC announced the new 10-game SEC-only format in August. That was postponed due to Covid related issues and rescheduled for Dec. 12.
• Saturday’s game will mark only the second time LSU and Florida have met during the month of December. The two teams played in Tiger Stadium on Dec. 5, 1964 with the Gators posting a 20-6 victory. The game in 1964 was originally scheduled for Oct. 3 that year, however was moved to December after Hurricane Hilda postponed the original contest.
• LSU is 30-33-3 all-time against Florida, however the Tigers have won seven of the last 10 against the Gators including a 42-28 win a year ago in Tiger Stadium.
• The teams have split the last 10 meetings in Gainesville. The average margin of victory in the last five games between the teams in Gainesville is 5.
• LSU is coming off a 55-17 setback to No. 1 Alabama last week in Tiger Stadium. LSU plays its final home game on Dec. 19 against Ole Miss.
• Against Alabama, the Tigers started four true freshmen (QB TJ Finley, WR Kayshon Boutte, WR/TE Arik Gilbert and CB Eli Ricks).
• Orgeron is 43-14 as head coach of the Tigers, which includes a 2-2 record against Florida.
• Of Orgeron’s 43 wins with the Tigers, 33 have come by double-figures, 18 have come against teams ranked in the Top 25 with 12 of those coming against Top 10 opponents. Orgeron is 12-4 against Top 10 teams at LSU.
• LSU is 26-1 overall under Orgeron and 3-0 in 2020 when having a 100-yard rusher.
• LSU has had either a 100-yard rusher or receiver in 7 games this year.
• In 8 games, LSU has used 19 first-time starters (10 vs. Mississippi State, 3 vs. Vanderbilt, 1 vs. Missouri, 3 vs. South Carolina, 1 vs. Auburn, 1 vs. Texas A&M).
• LSU has played 19 true freshmen this year, which ties with South Carolina and Tennessee for most in the SEC in 2020.
• LSU is 2-3 since true freshman TJ Finley took over at quarterback for an injured Myles Brennan. Finley led LSU to wins over South Carolina and Arkansas.
• Offensively, LSU ranks No. 5 in the SEC in passing offense (306.0), and No. 6 in both total offense (416.0) and scoring (28.8).
• Against Alabama, freshmen or sophomores accounted for all of LSU’s rushing yards (98), all passing yards (254) and 191 of our 254 receiving yards
• LSU’s two true freshmen quarterbacks TJ Finley and Max Johnson have combined to complete 120-of-203 passes for 1,336 yards and 7 TDs. Finley has started five straight games and has connected on 80-of-140 passes for 941 yards, 5 TDs and 5 interceptions, while Johnson is 40-of-63 for 385 yards and 2 scores.
• RB Ty Davis-Price leads the Tigers in rushing with 391 yards and 3 TDs. He has a pair of 100-yard games (104 vs. Arkansas, 135 vs. South Carolina) and LSU is 2-0 in those games.
• RB John Emery led the Tigers in rushing against Alabama with 79 yards and 1 TD on seven carries. His 54-yard TD run against the Crimson Tide was a career long. For the season, Emery has rushed for 371 yards and 3 TDs on 71 carries.
• LSU’s top active receiver is true freshman WR/TE Arik Gilbert with 35 receptions for 368 yards and 2 TDs. He’s followed by Kayshon Boutte (26-319, 1 TD) and Jaray Jenkins (18-321, 1 TD).
• Boutte, also a true freshman, is coming off his best performance as a Tiger with 8 receptions for 111 yards against Alabama.
• 15 different players have caught passes for LSU this year and six players have caught at least one TD pass.
• Defensively, LSU ranks No. 3 in the SEC in third-down conversions, holding opponents to 37-of-101 opportunities for 36.6 percent.
• S Jacoby Stevens and LB Damone Clark lead the Tigers in tackles with 50 each. Clark had a career-best 13 tackles against Alabama.
• Other defensive leaders for LSU include LB Jabril Cox (45 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 interceptions) and LB Micah Baskerville (44 tackles, 2.5 TFL)
• DE Ali Gaye ranks No. 2 in the SEC in tackles for loss with 9.5. Gaye had a sack and 2 tackles for loss against Alabama.
• DEs BJ Ojulari and Andre Anthony rank No. 10 in the SEC in total sacks with 4.0 each.
• CB Eli Ricks leads the Tigers and ranks No. 2 in the SEC in interceptions with 3.
• PK Cade York is 11-of-14 on field goals and with seven of his field goals coming from 40-yards or longer. York is 7-of-9 on field goals of 40+ yards this year (3-of-4 on 40-49 and 4-of-5 on 50+)
• P Zach Von Rosenberg ranks No. 7 in the SEC in punting average (44.0) and he leads the league in punts downed inside the 20 with 20. He’s twice been named the Ray Guy Punter of the Week (vs. Mississippi State and Arkansas).
• As a team, LSU ranks No. 2 in the SEC in net punting with a 42.2 average.

By the Numbers
33 – Of the 55 players that saw action against Alabama, 33 were either freshmen or sophomores.

5 – Number of true freshmen (WR/TE Gilbert 8 starts, CB Ricks 5, QB Finley 5, WR Boutte 3, and DE Ojulari 1) that have started at least 1 game for LSU this year.

19 – Number of true freshmen that have seen action for LSU through the first 8 games of the season.
27 – Straight games LSU has had at least one passing touchdown.

LSU at Florida
*Saturday’s contest will be the 67th meeting between the two teams with Florida holding a 33-30-3 advantage in the series.
*The first meeting came in 1937 in Baton Rouge as LSU came out victorious 19-0.
*LSU dominated the Gators last season, coming out on top 42-28 after holding Florida scoreless in the final 25 minutes.
*In last year’s meeting in Baton Rouge, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow tossed three touchdowns and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for two more
*Ed Orgeron is 2-3 against Florida in his career.
*Florida leads 16-13-3 in contests in Gainesville but LSU has won the last three of five contests inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
*The last trip to Gainesville, the Tigers fell 27-19.

LSU vs. SEC Eastern Division
*LSU has won 14 of its last 16 games against SEC Eastern Division foes after defeating South Carolina on October 24.
*Florida and Missouri are the only teams from the eastern division to defeat the Tigers during that stretch as Florida did it in the first week of October in 2018 as well as in November 2016.
*Prior to the Florida loss in 2016, LSU hadn’t dropped a game to a SEC East team since a 44-41 setback at No. 9 Georgia in 2013.
*Last season, the Tigers defeated Florida in the regular season, 42-26 inside Tiger Stadium, before facing No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship. The Tigers took down the Bulldogs, 37-10.

LSU Under Louisiana’s Own Ed Orgeron
*In his fourth full season as head coach of the Tigers, Orgeron continues to gain momentum on the field and on the recruiting trail.
*Orgeron has guided the Tigers to a 43-14 overall mark and is 12-4 against Top 10 teams at LSU.
*He has led the Tigers to five postseason victories – one in the SEC Championship Game, two bowl games and two in the College Football Playoffs.
*Of LSU’s 43 wins under Orgeron, 33 have come by double-figures and 12 have been over Top 10 teams. The 12 Top 10 wins rank as the second-most for a coach in LSU history, trailing only Les Miles who won 16 games over Top 10 opponents in 12 years.
*Under Orgeron, the Tigers have played 46-of-57 games ranked in the Top 25, including every game in 2018 and 2019.

LSU is 13-1 Following A Loss Under Orgeron
*LSU goes into the Alabama game with a 13-1 mark under Ed Orgeron in games following a loss.
*Prior to the Alabama loss, the Tigers had never lost back-to-back games under Orgeron.
*The Tigers are 3-1 in 2020 in games following a loss, beating Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Arkansas in the next game after defeats.

Von Rosenberg Making the Most of His Punts
*Von Rosenberg has earned Ray Guy Punter of the Week twice this season, coming after the Mississippi State game and the Arkansas game.
*Von Rosenberg is making the most of his opportunities. Against Alabama, he punted six times for 206 yards with an average of 34.3 yards per punt. He had one inside the 20 and a long of 45.
*At Texas A&M, he punted a career-high 11 times for a career-high 442 yards. He averaged 40.2 yards per punt, had a long of 48 and dropped one inside the 20.
*On 46 punts, Von Rosenberg is averaging 44.0 yards a punt, which ranks seventh in the SEC.
*Of his 46 punts, 20 have been downed inside the 20-yard line and 13 50+ yarders. He has had 17 fair catches and two for touchbacks.
*He has a long of 61 this season, coming at Arkansas.
*Zach Von Rosenberg, the second oldest college football player in the country at the age of 30.
*Von Rosenberg currently ranks third in program history in career average (44.0 yards per punt), third in total career yards (7,916) and is tied for fourth in total career punts (180).

York on Field Goals & PATs
*York kicked a 52 yard field goal against Alabama last Saturday and is now 4-of-5 from 50+ yards this season and is 8-of-10 in his career.
*York added two more field goals to his resume at Arkansas – a 49 yard field goal that opened the scoring for the Tigers, taking a 3-0 lead and a 24 yard field goal in the second quarter to end the half and give the Tigers a 20-14.
*After Texas A&M, he is now 10-of-13 on field goals for the year and is 25-of-25 on PATs which ranks first in the SEC.
*With 212 career points, York moves in to the Top 10 in LSU ranks in total points by a kicker at No. 7.
*He has made 70 consecutive PATs which ranks him fifth in LSU history in consecutive PAT kicks made. Last PAT missed was at Alabama in 2019. He is one away from tying Andre LeFluer in fifth with 69.
*He is the only player in school history to make multiple 50+ yard field goals in the same game (11/30/19 vs. TAMU, 51 and 50.)
*His three misses in 2020 were the blocked FG at Missouri, a 54-yard miss at Auburn and a 34-yard miss at Texas A&M, his first miss under 40-yards in his career.

Consecutive Starts
*S JaCoby Stevens leads the way in consecutive starts with 27 after the loss at Texas A&M.
*There are only other players for the Tigers that have made 10 or more consecutive starts is OL Austin Deculus (12).

Tigers See First Time Action, First Career Starts
*A total of 25 players have seen first time action this season with a total of 19 as first-time starters for LSU,
*14 Tigers made their first appearance on the field in the season opener against Mississippi State and 10 Tigers made their first career start.
*Kayshon Boutte, Myles Brennan, Jabril Cox, Darren Evans, Joseph Evans, Ali Gaye, Arik Gilbert, Racy McMath, Eli Ricks and Liam Shanahan all made their first career starts in a LSU uniform in the season opener.
*At Vanderbilt, four more Tigers saw their first action as Tigers – LG Marlon Martinez, DT Jaquelin Ron, TE Kole Taylo and WR Alex Adams.
*Five more Tigers also made their first career starts at Vanderbilt in a Tiger uniform – WR Jontre Kirklin, LT Cameron Wire, RB Tyrion Davis-Price and DT Siaki Ika.
*At Missouri, LB Antoine Sampah and CB Dwight McGlothern (true freshmen) saw his first action as a Tiger.
*Against South Carolina, true freshmen QB TJ Finley, WR Jaray Jenkins and RB John Emery Jr. all made their first starts as a Tiger. QB Max Johnson, LT Xavier Hill, RT Marcus Dumervil and LG Kardell Thomas all made their first appearances.
*At Auburn, freshman BJ Ojulari made his first start as a Tiger.
*At Arkansas, RBs Trey Bradford and Corren Norman saw their first action as a Tiger.
*At Texas A&M, CB Jay Ward made his first career start and TE Jack Mashburn saw his first action.
*Against Alabama, PK Preston Stafford saw his first action, coming in for an onside kick. DL Jacobian Guillory, at true freshman, also made his first appearance.

TE Gilbert LSU’s Go-To Receiver When In Need Of A First Down
*True freshman TE Arik Gilbert has become LSU’s go-to receiver when the Tigers need a play to keep the chains moving.
*Of his 35 receptions this year, 24 have resulted in either a first down or touchdown.
*Of the 24 receptions that resulted in a first down, 11 came on third or fourth down (9 on third down, 2 on fourth down).
*Against Alabama, Gilbert had five receptions for a total of 29 yards. Two of those receptions resulted in a first down.
*At Texas A&M, Gilbert caught three passes for 25 yards and two of those resulted in a first down (one coming on third down).
*The two first down catches came in the final drive for the Tigers which resulted in a touchdown. Johnson hit Gilbert for 15 yards to take the Tigers to the 3-yard.
*Against Arkansas, Gilbert caught five passes and four of those resulted in a first down (three of the four came on either third or fourth down).
*The four receptions he had against Arkansas that resulted in first downs kept drives alive that eventually led to two touchdowns and a field goal.
*On LSU’s game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, Gilbert hauled in a 16-yard reception on third-and-nine at the Arkansas 24-yard line that gave the Tigers a fresh set of downs.
*LSU scored the game-winning TD three plays later when TJ Finley connected with Jaray Jenkins for a 13-yard touchdown.
*For the year, Gilbert has caught 35 passes for 368 yards and 2 TDs. He has the most yards of any active receiver on the team.

Finley/Johnson Combo
*Freshmen QBs TJ Finley and Max Johnson have had over 100 yards each three times this season, including the last two games against Texas A&M and Alabama.
*It is the most games in a single season that that the Tigers have had two quarterbacks throw for 100 or more yards in program history.
*Against Alabama, Finley finished with 144 yards, completing 14-of-28 with a TD, while Johnson finished with 110 yards, completing 11-of-17.
*At Texas A&M, Finley had 118 yards, while Johnson finished with 113. Finley was 9-of-25 and Johnson was 14-of-22.
*The other game that both finished with 100 or more yards in passing was against Auburn where Finley completed 13-of-24 for 143 yards and Johnson completed 15-of-24 for 172 yards.
*Prior to the Auburn game, the Tigers hadn’t seen two quarterbacks throw for over 100 yards each in a game since Joe Burrow and Myles Brennan both threw for over 100 yards against Northwestern St. in 2019.
*Since 1993, the Tigers have had 18 games where two quarterbacks have thrown for 100 or more yards and four since 2010.
*In 2014, Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris both had over 100 yards, Jennings with 157 and Harris with 140. This also happened in 2010 with Jerrett Lee (124 yards) and Jordan Jefferson (100).
*On the season, Finley has a total of 941 yards, averaging 188.2 per game. He is 80-of-140 for the year with five touchdowns and have a 118.25 efficiency.
*In Johnson’s four appearances, he has 395 yards, completing 40-of-63 with an average of 98.8 yards per game. He has two touchdowns on the year and a 126.63 efficiency.

Emery Records Career-Long Rushing TD
*Against Alabama, John Emery Jr. picked up a career-long rushing touchdown, a 54-yard run.
*The touchdown was his third on the year.
*He is second on the team in rushing with 389 yards on 71 carries.
*Emery is averaging 46.4 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry.

Damone Clark Records Career-High in Tackles Against Alabama
*LB Damone Clark led the Tigers on defense against Alabama, recording a career-high 13 tackles.
*He is second on the team with 50 total tackles, including one sack and 2.5 tackles for a loss of 12 total yards.
Kirklin Picks Up A Fumble Return TD
*WR Jontre Kirklin picked up his first career fumble return TD against Alabama.
*Kayshon Boutte caught a 44 yard pass from TJ Finley, but he dropped it in the endzone. Kirklin picked up the ball in the endzone to score for the Tigers.
*Kirklin now has three touchdowns on the season. This was his first since he had two receiving touchdowns at Vanderbilt earlier this season.

Baskerville Steps Up On Defense
*Micah Baskerville has started the last four games at linebacker and has stepped up for the Tigers.
*He has tallied 33 tackles in the last four games, including seven against Alabama.
*He had a career-high of 12 tackles at Texas A&M, including 7 solos. He had one for a loss of a yard and recorded his first forced fumble in his career.
*At Arkansas, he finished second on the team with four tackles, including three solos.
*He led the Tigers in tackles at Auburn, recording a total of 10 tackles, including six solo and one for loss.
*He has a total of 44 tackles on the year (fourth on the team) with 2.5 for a loss of three yards total and one quarterback hurry.

Flott Picks Up Career-High in Tackles at Texas A&M.
*CB Cordale Flott picked up a career-high eight tackles at Texas A&M, including seven solo and one for a loss of four yards.
*He recorded a career-high two pass deflections and has four on the year.
*On the season, Flott is fifth on the team in tackles with 35, including 27 solo. He has 4.5 tackles for a total loss of 18 yards.

Marshall Gets 23rd Career Touchdown at Texas A&M
*Marshall recorded his 10th touchdown of the season at Texas A&M, a 3-yard reception to give the Tigers their only score of the game in the final 40 seconds of the game.
*He finished the game with 134 on 10 receptions with a long of 54. He averaged 13.4 yards per catch.
*He has 23 career touchdowns and is three touchdowns away from tying the career touchdown catch record – Dwayne Bowe (26, 2003-06). He currently is tied with Ja’Marr Chase (23) in fifth.
*On the year, Marshall the receivers with 731 yards and 10 touchdowns.
*Marshall has opted out of the 2020 season, announcing the opt-out after the Texas A&M game.
*He has caught at least one TD pass in 13 of 20 games that he’s started during his career and had seven straight games with a TD pass, dating back to lthe final three games of last season and the first four games of 2020.
*He has eight games in his career with multiple touchdowns, including four this season.
*He had two reception TDs in four straight games (Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Missouri, South Carolina) which is the longest streak by an SEC player since Keenan Burton in 2006 for Kentucky. Marshall and Burton are the only two SEC players with two reception TDs in four straight games over the last 25 seasons.
*He tied the LSU record for touchdown receptions in consecutive games (7). Marshall’s record spanned two seasons; the final three games of 2019 and the first four games of 2020.
*His 235 yards at Missouri was the first 200+ yard receiving game for an LSU receiver since Ja’Marr Chase against Clemson in the Nation Championship last year and the fourth most a Tiger receiver has ever had in a game.
*He picked up a longest touchdown reception in his career at Missouri – a 75 yard pass from Brennan that gave the Tigers a 37-31 lead. That was the longest passing TD since Burrow-to-Chase vs. TAMU in 2019.
*He was third in total yards with 731, fourth in the league in receiving yards with 104.4 per game and fifth in scoring with 9.0 points per game.

Ty Davis-Price Picks Up Second 100-yard Game of Season
*Davis-Price picked up his second 100-yard game of the season at Arkansas, finishing with 104 yards. It is his second 100-yard game in his career.
*His first 100+ game came against South Carolina when he rushed for 135 yards.
*At Arkansas, he rushed for his third touchdown of the season and his ninth in his career – a one yard rush TD to give the Tigers a 17-7 lead in the second quarter.
*On the year, Davis-Price has a total of 391 rushing yards on 96 carries with three touchdowns.

Jaray Jenkins Scores First TD of His Career at Arkansas
*TJ Finley connected with Jaray Jenkins for a 13-yard touchdown with less than four minutes to play, his first touchdown of his career, to give the Tigers a 27-24 lead the rest of the game.
*Jenkins finished the game with 43 yards on three receptions.
*This season Jenkins is third on the team in yards per game with 40.1. On 18 receptions, he has a total of 321 yards, averaging 17.8 per play.

Jay Ward Blocks FG To Help Secure Victory
*Jay Ward blocked a potential game-tying field goal with 84 seconds to play to give the Tigers a 27-24 victory over Arkansas on a rainy Saturday in Fayetteville.
*Ward recorded LSU’s first blocked field goal since Austin Deculus against Miami in 2018.

Cox Records Second Interception of the Season
*LB Jabril Cox picked up his second interception of the season at Arkansas – a 36-yard interception return in the second quarter that set up the one yard rush TD for Davis-Price. It was his eighth in his career.
*He picked up his first interception as a Tiger and seventh in his career – a 14-yard interception that resulted in a touchdown to give the Tigers their first score of the game and a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.
*It was his third TD of his career – he returned two interceptions for touchdowns at North Dakota State (both coming in 2018).
*The last time an LSU player returned an interception for a touchdown, prior to Cox’s was Jacob Phillips vs. Miami (Sept. 2, 2018) for 45 yards.
Finley Gets Second Win as a Tiger at Arkansas
*True freshman QB TJ Finley won his second game as the starting quarterback for the Tigers.
*He finished with finished a career-high 27-of-42 passing for 271 yards with two touchdowns and no interception.

Andre Anthony Named SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week (Nov. 23)
*Senior OLB Andre Anthony picked up a career-high two sacks for a loss of 12 yards at Arkansas on Saturday, earning SEC Defensive Line Player of the Week.
*This is his first SEC Weekly honor of his career.
*On the season, Anthony has 16 total tackles including four for a loss of 24 yards. He has two pass break ups and two quarterback hurries.