LSU-Florida

October 15, 2015

#8 FLORIDA (6-0) at #6 LSU (5-0); 7 PM ET; Saturday; ESPN

One of the enduring questions in college football each season is can anyone in the SEC East challenge the dominant teams in the West for the conference title. And if anyone is going to do it this year it’s going to be Florida. Indeed, the Gators have bounced back nicely from last year’s embarrassing 7-5 record under new head coach Jim McElwain. However, the 8th ranked Florida will be tested this weekend when the travel to LSU take on the 6th rated Tigers in one of several potentially classic college games across the country this weekend. Unfortunately for Florida, though, the Gators’ job this week got a whole lot tougher when starting QB Will Grier was suspended for the rest of the year when he tested positive for PEDS, while the level of distraction got even louder when nickel CB Deiondre Poter was arrested on an aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon charge.

Fortunately for draft watchers, though, the star prospects for each team will all be on board on Saturday evening. In fact, in many the teams prospects tend to mirror each other. Both teams, for example, have a first-round quality junior CB in Vernon Hargreaves of the Gators and Tre’Davious White of the Tigers. Hargreaves, in fact, is a potential top 5-10 prospect this year, despite battling a series of nagging injuries to date this fall, while White, who doubles on one of the most electric punt returners in the country, is one of the fastest rising players in this year’s draft field. And both should be tested in this game as each team also features a junior WR with at least second-day prospects for the upcoming draft in Demarcus Robinson of Florida and LSU’s Travin Dural.

Of course, the guy in this one every NFL team would love to get their mitts on is LSU sophomore RB Len Fournette, the current runaway leader in the Heisman Trophy race. Indeed, Fournette, who runs with speed and power, is on pace to rush for close to 2,500 yards this season as he is averaging 8.6 yards per carry while scoring 12 TDs through just 5 games. Alas, as a true sophomore Fournette won’t be draft eligible until 2017. However, the devastating injury fellow star soph Nick Chubb of Georgia suffered last weekend has set off a new round of speculation whether Fournette should sit out next fall to avoid injury.

Fournette runs behind a solid offensive line anchored by one of the best sets of bookends tackles in the country in junior LT Jerald Hawkins and senior RT Vadal Alexander who many teams have rated as the top OG prospect for the upcoming draft; wherever he is ultimately graded Alexander looks to be a late-first round prospect for the upcoming draft, while Hawkins is a second-day candidate. Same for junior MLB Kendell Beckwith, along with veteran FS Jalen Mills who LSU’s hope to have in uniform against Florida after he missed the first 5 games with a leg injury incurred in fall practice. Meanwhile, Florida has a pretty good second-day candidate of their own in 5-tech DT Jon Bullard, while MLB Antonio Morrison, nickel back Brian Poole and TE Jake McGee are later round or free agent possibilities.

FLORIDA                                                                 LSU

#3 Treon Harris; QB, 5-11, 195, SOPH                    #6 Brandon Harris; QB, 6-2, 190, SOPH

#21 Kelvin Taylor; RB, 5-10, 210, JR                       #7 Len Fournette; RB, 6-1, 230, SOPH

#11 Demarcus Robinson; WR, 6-1, 210                    #83 Travin Dural; WR, 6-2, 205, JR

#83 Jake McGee; TE, 6-5, 245                                   #85 Dillon Gordon; TE, 6-5, 305

#63 Trip Thurmond; C, 6-4, 310                                #65 Jerald Hawkins; OT, 6-5, 305, JR

#90 Jon Bullard; DE, 6-3, 280                                   #74 Vadal Alexander; G/T, 6-5, 325

#3 Antonio Morrison; MLB, 6-0, 235                       #52 Kendell Beckwith; MLB, 6-1, 255, JR

#1 Vernon Hargreaves; CB, 5-10, 200, JR                #18 Tre’Davious White; CB, 5-10, 195

#24 Brian Poole; 5-11, 205                                           #28 Jalen Mills; FS, 6-0, 200