The Morning
When one makes the long trek down I-10 to the foreign country called “Baton Rouge” they generally accept the fact that they will wake up on game day with a hangover and bad heartburn caused by the spicy crawfish etouffee red beans and rice side. That was me on Saturday morning. It just didn’t feel right waking up in Baton Rouge this late in the year. I usually would wake up sometime in early October; watching the Gators take on their SEC West rival LSU Tigers.
When the game was moved to Baton Rouge I was probably in the minority that was excited. All jokes aside, it’s my favorite road trip and possibly my favorite game of the year. There’s generally a lot of trash talk involved surrounding the game, as we’ve seen since October, but there is also a sense of respect that surrounds these two teams as they usually put on a nice show for college football fans of all teams. From the infamous Les Miles’ fakes on special teams to Tim Tebow playing just two weeks after a concussion in one of the loudest games ever at Death Valley. This game has a little bit of everything that everyone can appreciate.
The Tailgate
Another quiet noon game tailgate? Not quite in these parts. The Tiger faithful was up early and excited to watch their team play. The drinks were flowing rather generously for as early in the morning as it was. The smell of Bayou food swept through the purple and gold tents and added a nice touch to the clear and chilly day in Louisiana. The talk outside the game was modest from both sides. The folks from Florida weren’t all that confident that their team could go into Baton Rouge and secure the SEC East and the Louisiana natives were quietly confident but not willing to inherit the full Tiger swag that usually comes with an LSU team. Could Ed Oregron win and promptly put his name atop of the LSU head-coaching search? Could Jim McElwain lead his team to their second SEC East championship by beating the Tigers and help the Gators win their first SEC West road game in four years? All of those questions were to be answered on the banks of the Mississippi River at high noon.
The Game
There’s really no way to describe being at games like this. The electricity, the grueling hard hits, and the passion are all things that are only displayed in this fashion during rivalry games. Let me start by saying, the Florida offense looked more fluid than it has in a long, long time. Lengthy, meaningful drives at critical points were definitely a step in the right direction for a team that has been in an offensive drought seemingly for years. The defense bent, but never really broke. For a lot of players, you could just tell this game meant more. From Teez Tabor being on the field before everyone else for warmups to Jordan Scarlett smashing through the holes opened by the Gator offensive line, you just got the feeling the entire game that the Gators wanted this one badly.
As a fan that has been following this team for as long as I can remember, I cannot go back into my memory and find a game that was as riveting as this one. The team came together and fought harder than I’ve ever seen them fight. There were so many moments where it felt like the game was going to slip away, or possibly start moving into LSU’s favor, but the Gators channeled a relentlessness that they were questioned to have coming into this match up.
Defensively, the talk surrounding the game was all about how freshman linebackers Kylan Johnson and David Reese would matchup with the fierce running game of LSU. Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice are thunder and lightening when it comes to running the football. Two guys that can score anytime the ball is in their hands, and while they ripped off a few runs, the backers did a nice job of containing the dynamic duo.
The last series of the game took around five to seven years off of my life. From the fourth and ten conversions to the goal line stand, emotionally I was a wreck. But at the same time, I’ve never felt pure bliss like when the Gator bench exploded and charged on the field after stopping LSU on the last play of the game. It was truly something I will never forget and this one will be sweet for a long, long time.
The Aftermath
Upon exiting the once seemingly unconquerable Tiger Stadium, the LSU fans were just as shocked as we were. They didn’t know how to feel. The feeling after that win is likely to never be recreated. On the walk back to the car, the Tiger fans were quiet for the most part. Some congratulated us on the win, and some pointed out that the Gators were going to get beat by Alabama in two weeks. And while that may be true, they cannot take away what happened in Tiger Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Honestly, it is almost impossible to put this experience into words. When you see your team win in the fashion that the Gators did, all you can do is smile and latch on to the moment. I’ve got to believe that Gator fans everywhere had a big – much needed – smile on their face on Saturday evening.