Kirk Herbstreit reveals biggest keys for Florida defense against Joe Burrow
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The biggest game of the week on Saturday is taking place in Baton Rouge, where the No. 5 LSU Tigers will host the No. 7 Florida Gators.
LSU QB Joe Burrow has been playing like a Heisman contender so far this year, so Florida’s defense faces a tough task.
On SportsCenter on Saturday morning, analyst Kirk Herbstreit broke down that matchup, saying it’ll be interesting to see the LSU receivers vs. man coverage:
“Well, right now, Joe Burrow is executing as well as any quarterback in college football with this new offense,” he said. “So, Todd Grantham is going to have to come up with a way to pressure him without blitzing. And he’s got some defensive ends that can get after the quarterback. We’ve seen that all year. To me, if you blitz him, you’re at the risk of playing some man-to-man. These wide receivers right now are really executing at a high level. I talked to a couple of them yesterday. Justin Jefferson says, ‘We welcome man-to-man. We welcome getting pressure on the blitz.’
“To me, on a great weekend in college football, the greatest matchup is going to be Joe Burrow and his wide receivers against this Florida Gators defense. The biggest challenge that they’ve had all year, not just rushing the quarterback, but the cornerback play as well. They have great corners. It’ll be a great matchup. Good versus good — may the best man win.”
Who will win this key matchup? Tune in to ESPN at 8 p.m. Eastern time to find out.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
