GAINESVILLE — As Florida’s bus arrived at Tiger Stadium, Florida center Jake Slaughter found out LSU fans are a different breed, especially after the sun goes down in Baton Rouge.
A purple-and-gold brigade armed with empties after a long day of tailgating awaited the Gators during a November 2023 visit.
“I remember we were rolling into the stadium, my first memory of being there in Baton Rouge, there’s fans throwing beer cans at the bus,” Slaughter said this week. “They are a passionate fan base. They get after it.”
The Tigers soon got after the Gators during a 52-35 rout behind a record-setting performance by quarterback Jayden Daniels that helped supercharge his Heisman Trophy campaign.
UF (1-1) will face another sellout crowd in one of college football’s most raucous environments and another Herculean challenge in the No. 3 Tigers (2-0). Florida’s 18-16 loss to USF put coach Billy Napier and his Gators without any margin for error entering one of the toughest stretches in school history.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity,” veteran edge rusher Tyreak Sapp said. “We just want to prove it to ourselves because we know what we can do.”
Entering 2025, Florida fancied itself a College Football Playoff team, but could find itself entering a deep hole, with no end in sight.
Florida fifth-year senior Tyreak Sapp (94) and fellow edge defender George Gumbs Jr. (34) are among the dejected Gators leaving the field after an 18-16 loss to unranked USF Sept. 6 in the Swamp. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
UF has won just twice in 10 visits to Tiger Stadium since freshman quarterback Chris Leak led the Gators to a shocking 19-7 win in 2003 against Nick Saban’s eventual co-national champions.
“It’s one of the best venues in college football,” Napier said. “It never disappoints.”
Tim Tebow quarterbacked Florida to a 13-3 defensive battle in 2009, while a goal-line stand delivered Jim McElwain’s Gators a dramatic 16-10 victory and SEC East title in 2016 during a game contentiously rescheduled because of Hurricane Matthew.
Otherwise, the Tigers have prevailed, but four of those eight wins were one-possession games.
With many Gators, including quarterback DJ Lagway making their first trip to Baton Rouge, UF aims to break through with a much-need upset before heading to No. 5 Miami.
“These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” Napier said. You can go your whole life dreaming of playing in these types of games.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
UF (1-1) at No. 3 LSU (2-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge
TV: ABC
Favorite: LSU by 9.5 points
