Walking out of Tiger Stadium with a 10-point victory — at night, no less — is a glorious thing. This fact cannot be understated. This was a fine victory and one of the more satisfying I’ve been witness to in the past few years of championship-level Gator football. No. 1 vs. No. 4… hot damn.

Statistically, the Gators were dominant; the kind of dominance that directly translates into Ws if not, in this case, tons of points. Florida’s 327 yards nearly doubled LSU’s 162; the Gators were 5-12 on 3rd down versus the Tigers’ 1-9; time of possession dramatically favored the Gators, at 36:30 to 23:30. LSU was also held to a total of 44 yards in the second half. As we have come to expect from Charlie Strong’s defense, Florida’s half-time adjustments and defensive intensity led to 3rd and 4th quarter clampdowns that kept the Tigers from even contemplating attempting another field goal.

I believe it’s safe to assume several facts in evidence:

1) Florida fields the best defense in the nation, hands down. Holding LSU to 3 points? In Death Valley? At night? YGTBFKM. The best, yes. Not only is this true in a statistical sense, but man, this is a nasty stop squad. LSU’s biggest play, a 26 yard pass from QB Jordan Jefferson to WR Brandon LaFell (the LSU stadium announcer called him ‘Jojo’, by the way) only occurred thanks to a mismatch with sub Markihe Anderson. No way that pass is completed against Joe Haden, who had an awesome outing along with the rest of the defensive starters. The DBs were hitting hard and drawing accurate beads on their targets. It was clear that LSU receivers were hearing footsteps in the second half. It had to be frustrating for Jordan Jefferson to face such a stingy defense.
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It wasn’t unexpected, and losing the way we did wasn’t a surprise.

(Especially when the Gators appeared in their black jerseys. Burn them!)

The boys played hard and never quit, and played (mostly) to the full extent of their ability, taking the game down to the last 5 minutes or so. LSU was simply too athletic, and Thornton was just too deadly from 3-point land. The better team won.

I’m not upset about this loss. Had Florida come out flat, or been wholly uncompetitive, I’d be raging mad. But they didn’t, and weren’t. The hoops Gators played their most complete half of the year to take a 4-point road lead into the locker room midway through the game, and then wore down in the final minutes of the second half. Nick Calathes was running around 2-3 screens per play to get a shot off and was still playing well nearly to the end. With little bench depth to work with, Donovan had little choice but to go with the gameplan he had, which almost worked. And the players gave everything they had to make it work.

But it didn’t.
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Gator fans are still basking in the glory of Florida’s 51-21 victory over LSU two weekends ago.  While the Gators tripped up earlier this season against Mississippi at home, one cannot underestimate the benefit of playing a home game in a big time college football matchup.  LSU players definitely felt the effects of having to play a big night game against UF in the Swamp.

“It exploded,” LSU linebacker Kelvin Sheppard said. “That’s as loud as I’ve heard any stadium since my time here, basically ever in my life. We had stuffed them (on the first two plays of the opening drive), and they were back on their heels a little. That (Harvin’s touchdown) gave them a lot of momentum.”

It also helped loosen the vocal cords of the 90,000-plus in attendance, and it never abated. The LSU defense wasn’t the only victim. Quarterback Jarrett Lee struggled to hear and be heard, and though he had respectable numbers (23-of-38, 209 yards, two touchdowns), he struggled throughout, throwing two interceptions and taking two sacks.

Jarrett Lee, the young but talented LSU quarterback, who has already been exposed to some of the loudest environments in the country also credited the Florida crowd.

“The environment at Auburn was great, but coming into The Swamp it was so much louder, the environment, the crowd being so close,” Lee said. “It really affected the communication, and that’s one thing quarterbacks really need to work on. I felt just fine. I had a lot of confidence. It was just a little louder than I expected.”

It wasn’t just the crowd that fed the team, Florida was a team looking for redemption when facing the Tigers.

LSU players said Florida was more jacked up than most opponents, partly because of last year’s 28-24 loss to LSU at Tiger Stadium. The early big play just made it more difficult for the Tigers.

When you combine a team that plays at an emotionally high level, brings it’s “A” game to the stadium and has the advantage of a raucous home crowd it usually spells one thing . . . blowout.

Florida trounced LSU. so some of the minor officiating issues in this game are going to be forgotten, being that they are now moot. Nonetheless I find myself troubled and dissatisfied about the out-of-bounds kickoff late in the second quarter. As a result of the ruling, LSU started at their own 40-yard line and managed to drive down the field for a TD in under one minute.

As you will recall, Florida’s Jonathan Phillips kicked off after the Gators’ final score of the half. The ball was fielded inbounds by LSU’s Keiland Williams, who immediately took a step out. Great, another LSU miscue! That’ll pin them pretty deep. Might as well make a beer run — wait, what? They’re ruling the kick went out of bounds?

Yes, according to Rocky Goode (sp?), CBS’ “expert official”, there’s some kind of rule that states when the runner catches the ball in the “act” of going out of bounds, the ball is assumed to be out of bounds. Which basically makes no sense, since the runner could intentionally straddle the sideline and catch a ball that would have landed inbounds and force a penalty.

Problem is, I can’t find any sort of reference to this rule via Googling. And I’m distrustful of the “expert” because they always, always back up the field refs. The SEC’s head official backed up that terrible call on Chris Leak’s “fumble” in the Auburn game of 2006, and I think it was the same guy.

But maybe I’m not finding it.

On the Sun Sports version of the telecast, Nat Moore goes bonkers when the officials first require a challenge to the ruling to force the official review, which then confirms the call on the field. “Bad call. Horrendous call,” said Moore. Meanwhile, CBS’ Gary Danielson said “That booing you hear is the sound of 90,000 people who don’t know the rules.”

Really? Is this the rule? Seriously? The guy catches it inbounds, and steps out, and somehow that’s an out-of-bounds free kick? Florida is penalized? I don’t understand. Does anyone out there have any insight? Please help us all figure this out. I’m willing to admit I’m not sure I know what the rule is here, but it sure doesn’t seem right.

Domination. Utter domination. That is what Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators served to the Bayou Bengals of LSU. 51-21… I can hardly believe it.

Unlike Arkansas, Florida won this one in every way it is possible to win. They won it with offense. They won it with defense. And they won it with special teams. All units played with total intensity from the first tick of the game to the last. It was the first “complete” game we’ve seen from the Gators this season.

If Florida could play that way every time, our boys would never be defeated.

We’ll do a postmortem, to be sure, but for now, a few key points:

The excitement is back: somebody got the “Free Tebow” message to the coaching staff. It showed, and it worked. Tim Tebow looked and played like, well, Tim Tebow. The Heisman Trophy winner. The best quarterback in college football. Tebow made faster and better reads, threw great looking deep and short passes, and was in total command of the offense. When Tebow plays the way God intended him to play, the excite-o-meter pegs 11. Good to have you back, Superman.
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LSU rolls in to the Swamp tonight at 8:00PM ET. You are invited to share your comments during and after the game. Florida is currently a 7-point favorite.

Greetings, Denizens of Gator Nation.

I am LSU coach Les Miles, using a combination of Cajun voodoo, sophisticated psychology, and hackneyed theatrics to channel my persona through Vince Gaglianeaux, my hapless slave…err, willing emissary.

It’s too bad that Dan Mullen used only six plays all year, isn’t it? All the better, since you know me as one of the most unpredictable coaches in the game. Unless he’s trying to save his better stuff for me, which, in the wake of that embarrassing loss to the Ole Miss Nutt Jobs, he isn’t, be prepared to cede the element of surprise to yours truly.

Unlike you, I’m just plain lucky. Unlike you, I can get away with 5-5 on fourth downs and being the only two-loss BCS champion because it’s like magic. And due to my remarkable ability to coach my teams to the level of their opponents, we’re going to be in top form come Saturday.

Jamarcus Russell and LaRon Landry leave? No problem. Craig Steltz? Who’s he? Early Doucet? He was O.K. Glenn Dorsey? Doing well without him. Jacob Hester? Replaced. Ryan Perilloux? Puh-leese. Unlike you, we’re actually undefeated.

You guys? You run your entire offense through two of eleven offense players. I thought you had an entire army of those guys, but I guess the lack of coaching talent levels the field. Sigh, you could become a dynasty.

In case you haven’t noticed, neither Tebow nor Harvin are your two leading rushers this season. After the Rebels, those spots go to Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps. It’s gonna take a whole lot more than a Heisman Trophy winner and a speedy sidekick to topple us - kinda like last year.

Besides, last time I checked, you Gator fans were SEC fans, and SEC fans were supposed to be this fraternity of sorts. So if you’re an SEC fan, you technically aren’t even obligated to support your team this week.

So go ahead and file in the Swamp with your orange and blue shirts, your season tickets, and your overoptimistic pride. Because even though all of you know how to stop me, none of your coaches will be open-minded enough to listen.

By the way, my star defensive tackle fired a barb at your star southpaw this week.

Enjoy! Yours truly, Les Miles as expressed through Vince Gaglianeaux*

*The opinions expressed above do not reflect those of O&B Hue.

There was a time — a time not long ago, in fact — when Georgia was penciled in as a ‘W’, Tennessee was a nailbiting early-season test of our team’s toughness, and Florida State was the November crucible which either opened or closed the doors to Florida’s national title hopes.

How times have changed.

Urban Meyer is 9-1 against Florida’s “Big 3″ rivals, and 11-2 if you count Spurrier’s Gamecocks. The Gators have dominated FSU and the Vols, and beaten the Bulldogs two out of three tries. That’s a hell of a record for a Florida head coach. That’s one for the books.

Today, in 2008, Georgia is the biggest threat to Florida’s success, Tennessee is a relatively minor concern, and Florida State is a complete afterthought. The fires of an intense rivalry never fully go out, but Gator Nation is down to glowing coals on these two former bonfires. FSU’s fall from grace never seems to stop; the ‘Noles have yet to hit rock bottom, staring into the yawning gape of a sub-.500 season with the threat of NCAA sanctions from Tutor-Gate still looming large. Meanwhile, Tennessee is a rudderless ship, short on leadership and bereft of talent at the QB position, counting the days until Fulmer falls on his sword — assuming he ever does.

Not a bad time to be enjoying the fruits of Urban Meyer’s renaissance of Florida football. Not a bad time at all.

But the question begs to be asked: who are Florida’s most important rivals today?

I posit that Georgia always occupies the Public Enemy #1 slot, and I hope few would argue with that. There’s no question that the Dawgs have what it takes to win lots of SEC games. And in terms of rivals, I suggest that LSU should now move to #2 on the list.

Georgia and LSU. Two consistently good teams, programs with great recent success, programs that have adapted to the modern climes of college football, and recruit lights-out year in and out.

In 2008, those are the teams we have to structure our program to beat.

LSU tends to focus on a power running game with a unique combination of power and speed (Charles Scott, Jacob Hester, etc.) and “game manager” style play from their quarterback. And their defense is arguably among the best in the nation, year after year.

Georgia tries to bring balance to the table by running more of a traditional pro-style offense which works by setting up the run and passing on play-action, but they also have big play ability from the shotgun.
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As much as KG saw with Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier, I think this UF squad has even more in common with USC from several years ago.

Think about it:

1. The offense returns a Heisman winner at QB (Matt Leinart - Trojans, Tim Tebow - Gators)
2. There’s a speedy playmaker by his side (Reggie Bush, Percy Harvin)
3. The squad was recently in championship contention (USC in 2003 and 2004, UF in 2006)
4. The coach has national recognition (Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer)
5. The offensive coordinators have lengthy resumes (Norm Chow, Dan Mullen)
6. The squad is one of the “hotter” teams in college football, with rapidly rising credentials.
7. The national title game is held in the state where the school is located (Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Miami this year)
8. The school is the media favorite to win its conference.

History is not on Florida’s side. The Trojans lost the BCS Championship Game that year.

And the last time the Gators went undefeated, William Howard Taft was President, the Ford Model T was several years into production, and the South Pole was just being discovered. Even then, the 1911 Alligators did not go untied, winning five games before a stalemate with Tampa. Otherwise, our previous undefeated season was in 1905 - because the football team was nonexistent. In other words, if this squad somehow goes 14-0, it would set the school record for victories and winning percentage in a season.

But going back to USC, the Notre Dame and Texas games must be mentioned from that season. As I have previously stated, note that both squads were the only two to give the Trojans a one-possession game. Actually, I take that back, as Fresno State also kept close before losing by 8, 50-42.

It’s very important to note that those three schools were also the only ones to score 30 points on the Trojan defense that season. And Texas was the only other school that scored 40. In other words, the close teams were close not necessarily because their defenses shut down USC, but because their offenses were powerful enough to fight back.

Thus, if we were to take the counterattack mantra to this year’s Gator squad, the four toughest opponents for the Gators would likely be Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, and South Carolina. The Vols have Arian Foster, the Tigers are reloading, the Dawgs have Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, and the Gamecocks have the Fun-n-Gun.

However, LSU and South Carolina are at the Swamp this year, and Georgia is a neutral site. Thus, the two toughest games in terms of talent and environment are the aforementioned Georgia and Tennessee. If the Gators get past those two, and beat the SEC West champion (I hope it’s not Auburn again.), we should be A O.K. heading into bowl time.

With one loss, it may very well be a toss up, depending on circumstance and if the Gators are SEC champions. It hurts our campaign, but not excessively so.

But if there is a loss on the schedule, we’ll be like the contestants in the final round of “Catch 21″ while Alphonzo tells Mickie to deal the card, and we only hope it’ll be just the right value so that we can get 21 on the deck, go to the final round, and earn a Burger King Power Chip to help the chances of getting $25,000.

In case you don’t know what I just said, it’s one of the game shows on GSN.

A sign that Hollywood has too many of those things: the host played Carlton on “Fresh Prince”.

With two years like these, it’s bound to happen.

After Florida fans (and LSU, Georgia et al.) watched the pastings that the Gators and Tigers gave Ohio State, they saw the reputation of the Southeastern Conference validated on the BCS stage.

However, I want to look at some basic assumptions that fans of SEC schools have as a whole. Mark my words, this probably isn’t going to be the last post that I do on the subject.

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