Florida prepares for a very challenging road game against an LSU team that may be 3-3, but it’s never easy to score a win as the visiting team in Death Valley. However, according to coach Dan Mullen, UF should have a boost this weekend.
Mullen said on Monday that he expects that projected first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam will return this week after missing the last three games with a knee injury he suffered against Alabama. Further, he said that he expects that left tackle Richard Gouraige will be back against the Tigers, as well.
Getting this pair of starters back is a big deal for UF, especially against an LSU team dealing with a litany of injuries of its own. Defensive end Andre Anthony was lost for the season with a knee injury last month, and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who is projected as a potential top-five pick next spring, is out indefinitely after undergoing a foot procedure.
Three more defensive starters are expected to miss the game in edge rusher Ali Gaye, defensive tackle Joseph Evans and safety Major Burns. This LSU defense is already struggling, and now it will be tasked with slowing down UF’s rushing attack, which ranks No. 3 in the nation.
However, the costliest injury for this LSU team was announced on Monday by coach Ed Orgeron, as talented receiver Kayshon Boutte will miss the remainder of the season. Boutte is a true sophomore, so he will return to Baton Rouge next season, but he was on his way to a monster second year after totaling 735 yards and five scores a year ago.
In 2021, he already had 509 receiving yards and nine touchdowns through six games, and he has accounted for 57% of LSU’s points this year. This team has a talented receiving corps and a skilled quarterback in Max Johnson, but he will be without his favorite target for the rest of the year.
Beating LSU on the road won’t be easy, but this is a shorthanded team that has lost two straight, and UF really couldn’t ask for a better time to face the Tigers, who upset Florida in Gainesville last year and ended its CFP hopes.
For everything you need to know about Louisiana State Tigers athletics check out our sister site, LSU Tigers Wire.
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