LSU Football: Tigers Poised for Breakout Game vs. Florida

LSU's matchup against Florida on Saturday will be the first time both teams face each other unranked in the Les Miles era, but that does not mean there will be a shortage of talent.

The Tigers and Gators annually put players in the NFL and have enough talent to beat any team on any given week.

Despite the immense amount of playmakers on hand, both programs have underperformed. Miles is looking to avoid his first 0-3 conference start at LSU, while Florida head coach Will Muschamp has luckily squeaked out a 2-1 record to start SEC play.

The Tigers were defeated 14-6 in their last trip to "The Swamp" in 2012. Miles' team this season has been crushed by Mississippi State and Auburn, both of which are now ranked in the Top Five.

The Gators are a step down from the Bulldogs and Tigers from the Plains, which should give opportunities for some of the LSU players to have a breakout games.

Here are four Tigers to look out for on Saturday.

Leonard Fournette

LSU has spread the carries amongst four running backs this season. Leonard Fournette, Kenny Hilliard, Terrence Magee and Darrel Williams have all shown flashes of excellence, but the Tigers' running backs have had a tough time getting in rhythm this season against meaningful opposition due to over-rotation.

Miles needs to find one to take the bulk of the carries, and the best of the group is Fournette.

The 5-star true freshman is LSU's leading rusher and was the most effective against Auburn. Three consecutive powerful "Buga" runs that totaled 22 yards set up LSU's longest gain in the first quarter, a 52-yard play-action bomb from Brandon Harris to Malachi Dupre.

The Tigers would go on to score their only points of the game on the next play.

Miles should ride the true freshman triumvirate of Fournette, Harris and Dupre against Florida. The offense should center around Fournette, though, as his runs should open up Dupre and Travin Dural on the outside.

The LSU offensive line bludgeoned the Gators' front last season, so Miles will hopefully get a similar performance from his big uglies.

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Fournette has not performed the miracles everyone expected him to so far this season. Miles, who pumped him up more than any other player he has ever coached, should give him more opportunities to do so on Saturday.

Danielle Hunter 

LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter leads the team in tackles with 37 and tackles for loss with five. Hunter has also recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown against Mississippi State.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Hunter has only tallied one sack this season, but Saturday will be his first favorable quarterback matchup in SEC play. The previous signal-callers he has faced, Dak Prescott and Nick Marshall, are mobile playmakers who run offenses that keep defensive ends on their heels.

Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel has some mobility, but he is not nearly athlete that Prescott and Marshall are.

Driskel was sacked three times last week against Tennessee, so Hunter and his fellow defensive ends should be licking their chops against an inconsistent Florida offensive line.

Kwon Alexander

Junior Kwon Alexander has raked in 36 tackles, 10 more than any other linebacker. Alexander needs the other players in his position group to play better for LSU's defense to not be last in the conference in run defense.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Alexander moved to weak-side linebacker when Lamin Barrow moved on to the NFL last season. Barrow's best game was against Florida in 2013, when he led the team with 13 tackles.

The Gators offense is limited and predictable with Driskel under center, so expect Alexander to attack the line of scrimmage in an effort to make big plays.

Alexander started against Florida as a true freshman the last time the Tigers visited The Swamp. He suffered a broken ankle in that loss, which pushed him out of the rotation. Expect him to play with extra motivation on Saturday.

Jalen Mills

Driskel has thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes this season. If LSU can slow down running back Matt Jones, defensive coordinator John Chavis should be able to dial up some lethal defenses on passing downs that should confuse the Gators offense.

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Driskel, who is a below-average passer, will have a tough time reading what Chavis will throw at him.

Jalen Mills' is LSU's best blitzing defensive back and has amazing ball skills. Mills raked in a sack and five tackles against Florida last season.

LSU's defensive backs have had a miserable start in conference play. Mills and the rest of the secondary have a favorable matchup against Florida's receivers, which should open up opportunities for the Tigers to have a dominant performance against Driskel.

Stats, rankings and additional information provided by cfbstats.com and LSU Sports Information. Recruiting information provided by 247Sports.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow me on Twitter @CarterthePower.