"We have a handful of Louisiana kids on our team, they're going to be excited about playing in front of their home team. When you talk about per capita, when you talk about player production, the state of Louisiana is as good as their is in the country."
Florida head coach Billy Napier mentioned how this is a big week for several Louisiana Gators.
But I think it's a big week for him too.
Napier of course spent 4 seasons with UL, leading the Cajuns to their most successful run in program history. And now he faces an LSU team that had the chance to hire him.
When asked about his connection to the LSU job at his Monday presser, Napier deflected by saying he's happy with his decision to go to Gainesville. But that element definitely adds fire to an already spicy rivalry.
Depending on the year, Florida has been enemy number 1 for LSU. And the feeling is mutual. 9 of the last 10 matchups between the Tigers and Gators have been separated by 1 possession, while all 10 were decided in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, Florida only leads the all-time series by 1 game, 33-32.
In conversation in front of the team, I think that it's important you educate the players a little bit about that," Napier said about the rivalry. "I think we're fortunate that there's some Gators in the building that have a pulse (on it). We got a lot of Louisiana ties in the building as well, so I think there's some awareness here."
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