Todd Golden talks following blowout win over Grambling State

Check out what Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden said following the team’s victory over Grambling State

The Florida Gators cruised their way to a triumphant victory over the Grambling State Tigers on Friday night, extending its win streak to five games while the team with a game remaining before the SEC schedule begins.

It’s the largest victory of the season so far in terms of the score margin, steamrolling the Tigers by 39 points. Beforehand, the biggest scoring difference between Florida and its opponents was 20 points, beating Loyola Maryland and Merrimack College by the same score margin.

Head coach Todd Golden addressed the media in the post-game press conference and had plenty of positivity to share as his team heads into the holidays.

Five takeaways from Florida’s blowout win over Grambling State

Florida beat Grambling State by nearly 40 points on Friday night. The Gators are now 10-3 and look ready for SEC play.

It’s always a good night when Alex Klatksy takes the court for the Florida Gators.

For the more casual Gators hoops fan, Klatsky is the most beloved walk-on on the roster. If fans are chanting his name, it can only mean one thing: Florida is up BIG.

A 39-point victory isn’t quite as sweet as a 40-point one, but it does qualify as a big win. Florida took care of Grambling State, 96-57, on Friday, in a game that was never close.

What makes the outcome even more satisfying for Florida is that star player Riley Kugel spent the entirety of the game on the bench, recovering from a bruised foot. Kugel should be fine with some rest, and the team clearly didn’t need him to get the job done.

Here’s what the win means for Florida.

Basketball Power Index prediction for Florida vs. Grambling State

ESPN’s BPI expects a blowout on Friday afternoon between the Gators and Tigers.

Florida basketball is set to face the Grambling State Tigers back in the comfortable confines of the O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, Friday afternoon as the Gators look to keep their perfect Dember intact with two non-conference games remaining.

Using the Basketball Power Index, ESPN is giving Florida 98.7% odds to come out on top by a projected 28 points. The game’s matchup quality rating of 45.1 is in the lower middle of the pack among Friday’s games.

“BPI is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward,” the site reads. “BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is… Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day’s rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections.”

The Tigers are currently mired in an eight-game losing streak, with its latest defeat coming from the hands of the Southeastern Lousiana Lions by one point, 47-48.

Grambling State has eclipsed the 80-point mark just twice this season — against the North Texas Mean Green on the road and Champion Christian College at home. Otherwise, the Tigers have taken a beating from the likes of Colorado and Iowa State.

Tipoff between the Gators and Tigers is set for 4 p.m. ET inside the O’Dome and the game can be watched on the SEC Network+.

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Game Preview: Gators return home to host Grambling State

Florida Gators basketball tip off a three-game home stance with a contest against Grambling State. Here’s how the teams will lineup Friday afternoon.

After winning an intense double overtime shootout with the Michigan Wolverines during the Jumpman Invitational, the Florida Gators are back in Gainesville and ready to host the visiting Grambling State Tigers.

The matchup begins a three-game home stand in Exactech Arena and acts as a bridge to the SEC portion of the 2023-24 season, when the Gators challenge Kentucky on Jan. 6.

Florida has Grambling State right where they want them, with the Tigers suffering through an eight-game losing streak, with its latest defeat coming from the hands of Southeastern Lousiana University by one point, 47-48.

Grambling State eclipsed the 80-point mark twice this season, against the University of North Texas at Dallas and Champion Christian College. Otherwise, the Tigers have been annihilated by teams who are likely to punch a ticket to March Madness.

The Gators will look to add another dominant win to its resume if all things go right in front of a raucous crowd in the O’Dome.

Let’s take a look at how the teams will line up on Friday afternoon.

CBS Sports grades LSU’s win over Grambling in Week 2

LSU got the highest grade possible for a win over an FCS opponent.

LSU was not expected to have a competitive game against an FCS HBCU opponent in Grambling for Saturday’s Week 2 home opener. If you could find a betting point spread on the game, it was generally at around 55 or 56 points.

There’s only so much that can be gleaned from games like that, but LSU’s dominating 72-10 victory was certainly what you want to see. The offense was clicking as [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] threw a career-best five touchdowns (all of which came in the second half) and running back [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag] paced Tigers backs in his debut in Baton Rouge.

The defense left something to be desired early in the game but ultimately tightened up as well.

There were still things to clean up, but LSU’s performance ultimately earned it a B+ grade from CBS Sports.

LSU’s offense went over, around and through Grambling in a 72-10 win, its first of the season. However, per my made-up rules for this story, teams can’t get an ‘A’ against FCS opponents

Fair enough.

LSU will face tougher tests than Grambling as the season goes on, starting with its SEC opener in Week 3. The Tigers will open league play on the road against Mississippi State on Saturday in what will be a morning kickoff.

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LSU drops in CBS Sports post-Week 2 top 25 despite Grambling win

The Tigers fell from No. 14 to No. 15 despite Saturday’s win.

LSU bounced back about as well as it could on Saturday when it hosted an FCS opponent for the home opener. The Tigers took down Grambling at Death Valley 72-10, but that wasn’t enough to get the national media back in its corner after the opening loss to Florida State.

With several upsets this week, headlined by Alabama’s home loss to Texas, there was quite a bit of movement in CBS Sports’ top 25 this week, and that included a one-spot drop for the Tigers from No. 14 to No. 15.

It will take a lot more than a win over an FCS opponent to get coach Brian Kelly’s squad back in the top 10, but with SEC play set to start this Saturday as the Tigers travel to play a West division rival in Mississippi State, we could see a rise next week if LSU can come away with a win.

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Where LSU stands in USA TODAY Sports re-rank after Week 2

The Tigers fell one spot this week despite the big win over Grambling.

LSU did its job on Saturday against an inferior opponent in Grambling, breezing to a 72-10 win in the home opener.

However, with several other teams in the country earning key wins this weekend, that victory isn’t exactly going to move the needle.

In the weekly re-rank of all 133 FBS teams from USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg, LSU fell one spot to No. 16. Despite the big win, the Tigers, were leapfrogged by a pair of surging teams in Miami and Oregon, which both earned Power Five wins over the weekend.

LSU still has a lot to prove after a 21-point loss to Florida State in the season opener, and the Tigers will get the chance to make a bigger statement this Saturday when they hit the road for the SEC opener against Mississippi State.

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LSU holds position in AP Top 25 following Week 2

The Tigers remain at No. 14 in both polls entering Week 3.

LSU’s 72-10 win over Grambling may have been a good opportunity to work on some of the issues that plagued the team in the season-opening loss to Florida State, but it didn’t really present coach Brian Kelly’s squad with a chance to boost its resume.

The Tigers’ positioning in the latest US LMB Coaches Poll didn’t change, nor did it in the post-Week 2 update of the AP Top 25. LSU remains at No. 14 in both polls as it wasn’t able to benefit from the chaos in the top five that followed Alabama’s loss to Texas.

Oregon and Utah, the two teams that rank directly above the Tigers, narrowly avoided road losses against 0-1 unranked opponents.

LSU will have the chance to make a much bigger statement when it opens SEC play against Mississippi State on the road Saturday morning.

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Checking in on the Week 2 US LBM Coaches Poll after LSU’s monster win over Grambling

There was some shakeup at the top of the poll this week following Alabama’s upset loss at home against Texas.

LSU did its job on Saturday night against an FCS opponent in Grambling.

Despite a sloppy start, the Tigers dominated in the second half, pouring on what matched the third-most points in program history during a 72-10 blowout win.

Still, if LSU wants to move back into the top 10 of the US LBM Coaches Poll after dropping out following the loss in Week 1, it’s going to take a bit more.

Not much changed for LSU despite the huge win, but at the top it was a different story. Alabama nearly dropped out of the top 10 after falling to Texas at home as the Longhorns moved up to No. 6.

Three teams also dropped out of the poll this week in No. 19 Wisconsin, No. 22 Tulane and No. 23 Texas A&M.

Here’s how the full top 25 looks after Week 2.

Brian Kelly offers update, support for injured Grambling player Jaquavis Richmond

Jaquavis Richmond was taken to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for surgery on Saturday night after a scary situation on the field.

LSU’s 72-10 win on Saturday night over Grambling in Tiger Stadium was overshadowed by something far more serious.

Sophomore Grambling linebacker Jaquavis Richmond was injured while trying to make a tackle on a punt return after seemingly colliding with his own teammate. He spent quite a bit of time down on the field before he was ultimately carted off.

After the game, LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] confirmed that Richmond was heading for surgery at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. The specifics of the injury aren’t clear, but Kelly offered his support to Richmond, his family and the Grambling team.

“So we’re hoping for the very best, and our thoughts and prayers are out to he and his family and certainly the Grambling State family,” Kelly said. “I wanted to make sure we talked about that and paid its proper respects. The game is pale in comparison to that.”

We will hope for more positive updates regarding Richmond’s situation on Sunday.

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