Florida’s most recent trip to Tiger Stadium could have taken place in the Colosseum — yeah, the Roman one.
Top-ranked LSU, backed by a frenzied crowd of 93,022, tore apart the hapless and overmatched Gators in a 41-11 victory on Oct. 8, 2011, in Baton Rouge, La.
Florida will defeat LSU on Saturday because of what happened two years ago.
Instead of simply burning clock when the fourth quarter rolled around, LSU threw haymakers. The Tigers mocked the Gators.
With the Tigers leading 27-11 early in the fourth quarter, Billy Gonzales, the LSU receivers coach and passing game coordinator who left the UF’s staff on bad terms following the 2009 season, dialed up a late jump pass play from the 2-yard line for a touchdown.
After padding the lead with the same play Florida debuted during a 23-10 win against LSU in 2006, the Tigers’ sideline erupted in cheers and laughter.
Embarrassed, humiliated and distraught, those Gators were broken.
Knee-deep in the wreckage, Muschamp got to work. That began by embracing the moment.
“I told the guys all along in the offseason and while it was going on, ‘Don’t ever forget the feeling you have right now,’” Muschamp said on Oct. 1, 2012. “If you’re truly a competitive guy, it ought to really motivate you not to be in that situation again.”
Two more October defeats and the infamous “We are soft” speech followed, but the Gators as you know them now were born following that bloody Saturday in Death Valley. What made UF great all of last season and so far this year was absent that day.
LSU dominated the run game, racking up 238 yards on 49 carries. Defensively, the Tigers forced two fumbles and limited the Gators to only 113 yards on 32 rush attempts.
Things were not much better through the air.
LSU torched the Florida secondary with 215 passing yards on only 14 attempts.
Meanwhile, Jacoby Brissett, tasked with doing the improbable in his first career start, didn’t do much else before or after hitting Andre Debose for a 65-yard touchdown pass. Brissett, who threw two interceptions and was understandably rattled, could not be the game manager Florida expects Tyler Murphy to be on Saturday.
Even the defense bottomed out, forcing no turnovers and giving up 453 yards at a clip of 7.2 per play — three more than the 4.2 yards UF has allowed per play since 2012 began.
The Gators have obviously improved in each area since then, but that alone will not guarantee a win. Neither does LSU’s defense being weaker than usual due mostly to the inexperience of an otherwise talented unit.
Florida is a much tougher football team, even more so than last year’s squad. The Gators haven’t blinked since losing Dominique Easley and Jeff Driskel for the season.
The defense, which lost seven starters from 2012, has helped continue the Gators’ streak of surrendering 20 points or fewer in 12 straight Southeastern Conference games.
The offense is defying preseason expectations under the direction of the cool-headed Murphy, whose resolve under pressure and adversity has been admirable.
Hell, Jon Halapio, who was already playing at risk of re-tearing his left pectoral muscle, came back into the Tennessee game after briefly leaving due to a bleeding eye.
The “man down, man up” mantra may sound corny and contrived, but damn it if it isn’t pertinent to this team. The Gators are tough, and the memories of Baton Rouge sting.
At the risk of sounding awfully cliché, tough guys don’t get mad. They get even.
Follow Joe Morgan on Twitter @joe_morgan.
Dominique Easley lies on the ground following a play during Florida’s 41-11 loss against LSU on Oct. 8, 2011 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. The Gators defeated the Tigers at home in 2012.
