Gators Looking to Turn the Page to No. 3 LSU After Disastrous Upset

Florida cannot afford to be hung up over the USF game with a trip to LSU up next.

After a shocking loss to USF, the Florida Gators cannot afford to be hung up with No. 3 LSU on the schedule. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Turning the page on the USF debacle, the Florida Gators cannot, nor have they ever, gotten too deeply into their feelings. Now, they need to deal with LSU.

The Bayou Bengals are a mammoth headache and will not care about it. As a result, neither should the Gators. Saturday's loss is over and done. Focus on the phrase "over and done."

UF needs to line it up in Death Valley and play an LSU team that wants to start off its SEC season with a big win at home. Death Valley isn't called that because of a warm, inviting location where opponents feel at home. Florida, in the most blunt of terms, needs to get over it and deal.

"We know that going on the road in this league is challenging, and it's one that I think our players get excited about going to play in these types of venues," head coach Billy Napier said Monday. "There's something about being a competitor and going into somebody else's house, and it being you versus them. I think we're building momentum towards that. We're excited about the challenge of playing this team, so we're focused on our improvement this week. Obviously got a lot of things to clean up.”

Out of Town

The best thing about the trip to Baton Rouge is that the team gets out of town and away from the noise. People metaphorically took to the streets, wanting Napier fired 11 minutes after the game. Others fool themselves into believing that DJ Lagway doesn't have as much upside as others believe. There are no band-aids for feelings, and the best prescription for what ails the Gators is another game.

Napier on Monday remained confident the team will continue to block out the noise.

“I don’t have any doubt at all, because I know that room and what’s inside of each one of those guys. We’re all human," he said. "I do think it’s part of the leadership challenge is to get the group to stay focused on the right things. It’s about making the next right decision, and you’ve got to move on. We had a setback. We’ve got to move forward. If you don’t, then all of a sudden it lingers, and it’s Tuesday or Wednesday, and you’ve wasted time. The clock started yesterday. We’ve got to focus on the next plan.”

Back to Basics

The Gators amassed 113 yards in penalties on Saturday, none dumber than spitting on an opponent. If the defensive line talked as much as they apparently salivated on opponents, the trip to Baton Rouge would be a clash of two undefeated teams. The team needs to keep their composure now that they let talking trigger them.

Florida DL Brendan Bett was ejected after appearing to spit on another player. pic.twitter.com/VNfvjw15dF

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 7, 2025

LSU knows that the Gators can be bothered by talking and maybe a little extracurricular action. Officials rarely see the first act, but as sure as the sun rises in the East, they can find the second one.

"At the end of the day, we can't leave things up to the refs," tight end Hayden Hansen said Monday. "I mean, you see what happens when you do that. So, you got to go out there and win the game ourselves."

On top of that, maybe a refresher in finishing drives and converting on third downs. On paper, Florida's offense possesses enough firepower to hang with anyone in the SEC. Yes, anyone; that means UGA, UT, and any other acronym you want to throw out there.

Tiger Gumbo

LSU will give the Gators chances to win the game. Florida must capitalize.

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will give you the ball, or at least he will place it aloft for defensive backs to make plays and generate turnovers. Brian Kelly is a very good coach with the pressure off. With the heat on, his teams will fold like a 7th-grade love note in geometry class.

Nussmeier has thrown it 79 times in 2 weeks pic.twitter.com/iamNAciShq

— FREE milk #3 (@JBLSU07) September 7, 2025

While it's not a specific moment, the odds look in Florida's favor. Jadan Baugh has been running like a man with his hair on fire. In a hostile atmosphere, the quickest way to silence the crowd is to use the running game heavily. Baugh could end up being the most important Gator in this game.

Be A Seal

Seals have a short-term memory of about 18 seconds. Meaning, they immediately forget what happened and concentrate on the task at hand, whether it's avoiding polar bears or finding a mate. Either way, don't ask them what happened yesterday because they cannot tell you. Florida as a team needs to embrace that. If they do, they will leave Louisiana victorious.

"There’s no scenario where you’re not going to be criticized when you lose like that. We understand that. I think it’s part of it. I think the key is that we take ownership," Napier said. "We don’t make excuses. We’re solution-oriented. We stick together, and we work on our plan to improve and get better in some of those areas. We’re gonna find out. That’s what I would say.”