Billy Napier looks back at Florida-LSU rivalry

Florida and LSU have had some wild matchups over the last two decades and though he hasn’t directly been a part of the game that has grown into a rivalry for both programs, Gators coach Billy Napier is well aware of the history.

It’s a heated annual cross-over game, one that has seen everything from (multiple) fake field goal flips, to last-second goal-line stands, to brutally costly missed extra points, to shoes thrown.

“Nothing that’s happened in the past will affect the game Saturday night, but I do think there is an awareness of this being a cross-over game, annual event,” Napier said Wednesday evening. “I think there is an awareness there.”

Florida has been on the losing end of the past three meetings.

Last year’s contest was a coming out party of sorts for Florida backup quarterback Anthony Richardson, the team’s starter now in 2022. He worked the Gators back into a duel with the Tigers late, leading four straight touchdown drives in the second half before ultimately falling short of the come-from-behind win in a 49-42 defeat.

Both sides will remember that back-and-forth affair going into the weekend.

“I think that over history there’s been some unbelievable teams and unbelievable players that have competed in this game,” Napier said. “Just tremendous talent and it’s always been a competitive game.”

Florida-LSU has turned into must-see TV of late

While both Florida and LSU have hit some rocky points in the season already, with each suffering a pair of losses prior to Saturday’s showdown in the Swamp, there’s still plenty on the line for both programs.

Both are in Year 1 with a new head coach and momentum is vital.

A win allows an easy narrative pitch that one program is a quicker path to competing for SEC titles again than the other. But there are also just plenty of talented players suiting up on both sides, even if many of them are young and probably a year or two away from breakout status.

That’s what Napier highlighted as a truly special aspect of the matchup.

“I think the excitement is about the matchups in the game, playing against really good players, playing against a really good coaching staff and certainly an awareness of this being, in the past, it’s been a game that affects kind of the direction on both sides there relative to the conference,” he said.

Florida and LSU are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 7 p.m. ET in the Swamp, with a national broadcast on ESPN.