Trent Domingue didn’t bother faking a step forward. As soon as the ball was snapped, he dashed toward the sideline.
Meanwhile, Vernon Hargreaves, Marcus Maye and Antonio Morrison broke through LSU’s front immediately. But instead of containing Domingue, LSU’s kicker, they were focused on holder Brad Kragthorpe. And there was nothing they could do when they realized their mistake.
Kragthorpe lofted the ball to Domingue, who out-sprinted Hargreaves on his way to a game-winning LSU touchdown to defeat UF 35-28 last season.
“You know they call him the Mad Hatter for a reason,” Domingue said of then-LSU coach Les Miles. “He has confidence in everybody and everything that we practice.”
But Miles is no more.
He was fired on Sept. 25, with Ed Orgeron named the interim coach.
And while Orgeron may not be as risky with his play calling as Miles, his offense was prolific in its first game. It amassed a season-best 634 yards and 42 points against SEC-opponent Missouri. And that was without All-American running back Leonard Fournette, who should be back to face Florida on Saturday.
“They were built to road grade you,” UF coach Jim McElwain said, “and we’ve been road graded the last couple weeks, plain and simple.”
Despite the challenge, Florida’s defense isn’t lacking confidence. It enters Saturday’s contest ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing defense, passing defense, scoring defense and total defense, and it’s not afraid of Fournette.
“I mean, he’s Leonard Fournette,” Florida linebacker Kylan Johnson said. “He’s a good player. But we face a lot of good players.”
The best comparison to Fournette among backs Florida has faced was Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd, who also plays with a bruising running style. Hurd stands at 6-foot-4, 240-pounds.
The Gators contained him, holding the junior to 95 yards and no scores.
They weren’t as fortunate, though, when they faced Fournette a season ago.
The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder gashed the Gators for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
But, this season, the defense has played better overall than it did a year ago, which its players are hoping translates to slowing down the Heisman hopeful.
“Just gotta wrap him up, don’t throw any shoulders or what not,” cornerback Quincy Wilson said. “We gotta hit him in the backfield because once he gets going, he’s harder to get down.”
Linebacker Alex Anzalone agreed with Wilson and, having faced Hurd and Vanderbilt standout Ralph Webb, said Fournette is special.
“You watch the film and his play speaks for itself,” he said. “He’s one of the best, or arguably the best, running back in college football. It’s a big challenge for the defense.”
However, it’s not just Fournette UF has to worry about.
Florida will also face his emerging backfield counterparts, Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams, who each rushed for three touchdowns and over 100 yards a week ago against Missouri.
But the Gators will have added motivation to take down the trio because of the name across their jersey. Florida hasn’t beaten LSU since 2012.
“I don’t want to say it’s a different mindset,” cornerback Jalen Tabor said, “but it is.”
As for what that mindset should be, an O’Connell Center construction worker offered his advice as players walked away from practice on Tuesday.
“Stay focused,” he told offensive linemen David Sharpe, Fred Johnson and others. “I need y’all to whoop that a--.
Contact Ethan Bauer at ebauer@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ebaueri.
Leonard Fournette (7) chats on the field before an NCAA college football game against Missouri in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Oct. 1, 2016.
