Whaddya know? A big ass storm is coming for Gainesville the same weekend as the Florida/LSU game. This is isn’t just ironic; it is down right eerie. Hopefully since Hurricane Nate isn’t supposed to make landfall until Sunday, this game is played and these two very flawed teams can settle this thing. Make no mistake about it, this game is personal to all involved. From the athletic directors on down to the student aides; there is bad blood between LSU and Florida. You can of course include the fact that the two schools are constantly taking jabs at each other on social media about every competition they have with each other; but when it comes to football, LSU vs. Florida is the best rivalry going in the SEC right now.
Last year these two team oozed with machismo. The confidence on the Florida defensive side of the ball was clear from the moment Teez Tabor went on a publicity tour last off season bragging and boasting as he proclaimed UF the real “DBU.” LSU had that “DBU” confidence as well, but they also had the swag of a team that was filled with veterans all over the place. Even with a hurt Leonard Fournette going into that game, LSU fans believed even a 69% healthy Fournette was beastly enough to manhandle the Gators. Last year was a knock down, drag out, heavyweight fight that was decided by just a couple mental errors leaving the Tigers stunned at home. This season the game will be as close and the stakes are as high for everyone involved, the swag and the extracurricular things are just not there, and for good reason.
Jim McElwain knows his team is a work in progress. Feleipe Franks is developing into the outright starting quarterback and the Gators are still solidifying their new “go-to” playmakers after Jordan Scarlett and Antonio Callaway tried to pull off a Bernie Madoff caper. McElwain was asked about potentially over looking LSU since the Tigers are coming off of a terrible loss to Troy. He laughed knowing his team is way too green to overlook anybody, let alone the LSU Tigers.
Ed Orgeron has had to do a lot of talking about last weekend instead of this week’s opponent and with good reason. Any time you lose to Troy you are going to have to hear it from the media and the fans. It looks like Coach O will even be on College Gameday on Saturday morning giving what can only be called a “damage control” sit down interview with Rece Davis. Ed Orgeron needs to keep the LSU lore in tact and focus on Florida this week. The players are likely not to be distracted in Gainesville, but if there ever was a week where Bebe could be, it is this week.
With the swagger and the machismo gone from this year’s LSU versus Florida contest, all that is left is anger, jealousy, and rage; which I think makes for a pretty exciting tackle football game don’t you? Both teams come into this game wrinkles and all. The winner probably won’t come out of this game looking so great either, but being the winner of this game is so important nonetheless. Winning or losing won’t change the fact that both Florida and LSU will leave this game knowing that there is so much work to do. Florida has to keep their players from getting arrested and keep Georgia at bay in the east while trying to break the proverbial SEC glass ceiling. LSU has get over their existential crisis and get their program back on track before the entire train flies off of a cliff and it is left needing a complete structural rebuild. Winning this game will mean that you beat the team wanting you to fail more than anyone else. With bragging rights, self respect, and self confidence on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher Saturday in the Swamp. No excuses.
– Alan Michael