Sometime late in the third quarter of Saturday’s game – shortly after the Tigers had stalled on yet another offensive drive – a foul stench graced the section of the student section I was sitting in. It was a scent so powerful I almost passed out – like someone passed gas but only worse.
“What just died in the stadium?” some guy behind me shouted out.
I then turned to my girlfriend and said, “LSU’s offense.”
But it really was more than that. LSU’s national championship dreams – the Tigers’ best chance at one in years – may have died as well.
Pee-yew!
It doesn’t make sense. I am pretty sure the Tigers are a better team than they were last season. And I think it is obvious Florida is not as good as they were last year with Rex Grossman at quarterback. And LSU swamped Florida last year 36-7 in Gainesville. So if LSU is better and Florida is worse, something doesn’t add up to what happended yesterday.
Maybe the Tigers offense bought into all the talk before the game that they would run through the Gators’ defense with little or no resistance, which might have led to the sloppy practices LSU had last week that had Nick Saban frustrated.
Maybe Skyler Green’s electrifying punt return for a touchdown got the Tigers complacent early on and they couldn’t match that energy the rest of the game.
Or maybe it was because Florida rallied the troops, raised the draw bridge, played their hearts out Saturday and saved Ron Zook from further criticism for a week, just like Grossman and the Gators, who were then 5-3, did last year when they spoiled then-No. 5 Georgia’s undefeated season with a 20-13 win in the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”
Whatever the reason, the Tigers’ offense got thoroughly whipped Saturday and did not bring their “A” game. The defense did make some mistakes, particularly the two big plays for touchdown passes from Chris Leak, but overall they played well enough for LSU to win. In fact, the defense kept them within striking distance.
The Tigers still have an outside shot for a BCS national championship and the SEC championship and Western Division crown are still well within reach, so the season’s not over by any means. But if the Tigers give another Florida-like offensive performance against South Carolina this weekend or any other team remaining on the schedule, you can forget about any of those postseason goals.