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LSU-Florida preview
10/10/08 - 05:02 PM
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Everywhere Brandon Hicks and his
Florida Gators teammates turned this week, they saw replays of last
year’s demoralizing loss at LSU.
In the weight room. In the training room. In the hallways.
Everywhere.
Coach Urban Meyer wanted the 11th-ranked Gators to relive every
missed tackle, every blown coverage, every one of those fourth-down
conversions by LSU that turned out to be the difference.
“It really did challenge our manhood,” Hicks said. “It’s one
of those games you get frustrated because everything is going their
way (and) nothing feels like it’s going your way. They had the
momentum.”
The Tigers converted five times on fourth down, with two going
for touchdowns and three more keeping alive drives that ended with
touchdowns.
Meyer showed the 28-24 loss on a continuous loop in the football
facility, hoping it would motivate his team heading into Saturday
night’s rematch in The Swamp - the first meeting between the two
previous national champions since Miami and Notre Dame in 1990.
The Gators (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) are looking for
every advantage they can get, knowing they can’t really afford to
lose to No. 4 LSU (4-0, 2-0) again.
“It’s huge,” Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said. “Just for
momentum, just for confidence, just for defending The Swamp again,
I think it’s huge. Probably other games might be more important as
far as losing in the SEC East or something, but this game is huge
just based on everything else, on us losing last time we were in
The Swamp, on us losing to LSU last time we played them, on so many
things like that.”
Florida lost 31-30 to Mississippi at home two weeks ago, a
humbling, error-filled collapse that left players, coaches and fans
searching for answers. The Gators rallied around the fact that the
outcome didn’t affect their chances of winning the SEC East.
A second loss could change that drastically.
“We’re expecting their best, and we’re going to respect that by
playing our best,” LSU running back Charles Scott said. “We’re
preparing for a knockdown, drag-out, fist-fight.”
That’s a metaphorical fist-fight, not a real one. Though LSU
defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois made himself Public Enemy No.
1 in Gainesville this week when he told The Orlando Sentinel, “If
we get a good shot on (Tebow), we’re going to try our best to take
him out of the game.”
Meyer didn’t appreciate the comment. Tebow blew it off.
Jean-Francois said he was misunderstood and sort of apologized.
Oh, the drama.
There’s was plenty of that on the field last year in Baton
Rouge, when the Gators visited.
Florida led most of the way, despite giving up 247 yards rushing
and 25 first downs. The real problem was those fourth-down
conversions.
Backup quarterback Ryan Perrilloux scored on a short fourth-down
run in the second quarter. Quarterback Matt Flynn ran for 8 yards
on fourth-and-5 from the Florida 25 in the third, and the Tigers
scored a few plays later. And they converted three fourth downs in
the fourth: Flynn hit Demetrius Byrd for a 4-yard TD pass on
fourth-and-3 and Jacob Hester ran for the other two.
Hester ran eight times on LSU’s game-winning drive, including
twice on fourth-and-1. The second one gave the Tigers
first-and-goal at the 5, and Hester scored three plays later to put
his team ahead for good with 1:09 remaining.
“That game is constantly running,” Florida defensive
coordinator Charlie Strong said. “I watch it. They watch it. ...
It’s over with, but we know we can’t play that way Saturday
night.”
It could help that Hester has moved on to the NFL. But his
replacement, Scott, leads the SEC in rushing (133.8 ypg).
“We’ve got to do all we can to slow them down,” Gators
defensive line coach Dan McCarney said. “We’re not going to stop
them. Who are we kidding? That stuff sounds good, but we’re not
going to stop them. Hopefully slow them and be good on third down
and get some turnovers.”
Maybe fourth down, too.
If not, the Gators might have to endure more replays.
“We’re going to be up for this game,” Tebow said. “There’s no
question about that. We’re playing one of the best teams, if not
the best team, in the country. They’re an extremely good team and
they beat us last year in a game we felt we should have won.
“It was really hard to take because we thought we played
extremely well that game and weren’t able to make a few plays to
win it at the end. We’re going to be excited and ready to go. This
place will have a lot of juice.”

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