Welcome everyone to another edition of #4Downs!
1st Down: Return of the Mad Hatter
There was no better time than the LSU vs Florida game that Les Miles brought back the Mad Hatter of old. There was an early glimpse of what was to come with a 50-yard flea-flicker from Brandon Harris to Malachi Dupre that led to the Tigers take the lead in the second quarter. But what will live in the memories of LSU and Florida fans alike is the fake field goal early in the fourth quarter that gave LSU the win. Look back at the past matchups with Florida and it seems like Miles likes to be more crafty and call high-risk plays. But the Domingue run for the score was a scary play with him bobbling the ball to start, but once he got a hold on the ball, he took it to the house. It’s always nice to see a coach willing to take risks in a huge matchup.
2nd Down: Special Teams seem snakebit
The Florida Gators got 14 of their 28 points thanks in part to a pair of special teams miscues. Early on a fumbled punt return by Tre’Davious White led to Florida getting on the board first. Then bad special teams coverage led to Antonio Callaway taking to the house to knot things up in the third quarter. If not for the Tigers righting the ship on offense, Florida could have capitalized and walked away with the win. But we should be thankful that the Tigers didn’t have a situation like in the Michigan-Michigan State matchup earlier in the day.
3rd Down: Passing Game still solid
After a career game for Harris last week against South Carolina, he kept it consistent this week, going 13-19 for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. After weeks of wondering if Harris is the right QB, it seems that the decision to have Harris as the starter was the right decision. With a pair of games where he was both efficient and effective through the air could give the sophomore quarterback the confidence needed to get those perfect passes off. The way he pulled off that 50-yard pass at the end of the first half for a score was a thing of beauty. If you can turn what would be a sack for most players into six points, you’ve got a bright future.
4th Down: Alone on top
Before this week’s college football matchups, the Tigers were tied for 1st in the conference with Texas A&M being the other undefeated team in the SEC West. After the Aggies lost earlier in the day, the Tiger are now alone on top in the SÉC West. Now a big question needs to posed: Can LSU run the table? After next week’s game against Western Kentucky, they have to go through a gauntlet of SEC teams looking to dethrone the top dog. Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Texas A&M are the final four games on the schedule. There’s little room for error in this slate to end the season. Especially considering that Alabama is the first one up on that slate. Thankfully for LSU, after the Western Kentucky game the Tigers have their bye week. Time will tell if the Tigers will be headed to Atlanta for the SEC Championship undefeated or with one loss on their record.
-Clint Domingue