Then Florida freshman cornerback Joe Haden got a glimpse of the atmosphere he was about to experience on the bus ride to Tiger Stadium in 2007.
Louisiana State’s football fanatics stormed to the side of the Gators’ chartered bus and shook it, welcoming the team to an environment Haden still thinks is the craziest he has ever experienced.
“They were shaking our bus,” Haden said. “It was so loud there. It’s the toughest place that I’ve played at since I’ve been here.”
Before that game, Haden had only played in one road game in his college career. The Gators won 30-24 at Ole Miss in 2007, but that atmosphere was nothing compared to what he saw in college football’s Death Valley that early October night.
To make things worse for the Gators, Stanford had just beaten Southern California, which meant that LSU would be the top team in the country if it could beat Florida. When the final score from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was announced in Tiger Stadium, the roar that erupted probably even traumatized LSU’s caged Bengal tiger mascot Mike VI.
A young Gator defense crumbled. Under the pressure of taking on the eventual national champions in their stadium, the defense couldn’t stop the Tigers on five fourth-down conversions as LSU rallied from a 24-14 deficit to a 28-24 victory.
Now two years later, the Gators don’t feel like there is a team in the country who could do that to them again.
“We feel there’s no way that can happen anymore unless our whole team just lays down, honestly,” Haden said. “We feel like if everybody does their job, there’s no way that should ever happen to us again.”
The reason for their confidence is understandable. Seven of their 11 starters on defense that night are still on the team and will play when the top-ranked Gators (4-0) meet the No. 4 Tigers Saturday night at 8 EDT in the game that will be televised nationally by CBS Sports.
While their youth was apparent, the Gators’ defense showed its collective talent by holding LSU to only seven points in the first half. Haden even got his first career interception that night on the Tigers’ first drive when Matt Flynn threw a pass behind Brandon LaFell and into the hands of Haden.
The night may be remembered for its frustrations and missed opportunities now, but it played a pivotal role in Florida’s defense becoming the dominant unit it has become now.
“Coach (Charlie) Strong was telling us that it’s basically the same people who played in that game, but now we’ve got two more years of experience and a national championship under our belt,” Haden said.
Strong has tried to show the 2007 game to his defense plenty of times over the last few weeks, but they know his true motive. Strong knows how special this group can be, and he doesn’t want them to forget from where they have come.
“He showed it to us because he’s scared that we’re going to get complacent and wants to make sure that we’re always working hard and remember what we used to be like,” Haden said. “We try to look past that and are heading into this as a different game.”
The challenge for Haden on Saturday is to face two receivers with a true height advantage. Brandon LaFell is 6-3, 203 pounds and Terrance Toliver is 6-5, 206 pounds. Both receivers stand at least four inches above Haden and Janoris Jenkins, Florida’s other cornerback.
Haden believes LaFell and Toliver are the third and fourth best receivers in the SEC, behind Georgia’s AJ Green and Alabama’s Julio Jones. LaFell is the crafty veteran who returned for his senior season, and Toliver is a young player who is making his mark early this season.
“There’s nothing really you can do (differently with taller receivers) – you just try to get good coverage and make sure you stay in front of them,” Haden said. “I’ll try to box them out in a jump-ball situation.”
Even with the height disadvantage, Haden wouldn’t trade the opportunity he and the Florida defense have on Saturday night. They’re going into an environment where over 92,000 people will be screaming at them, all while trying to cover one of the better receiving units in the conference.
But Haden wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“It’s like me and Janoris versus anybody,” Haden said. “I feel like we’ve been watching a lot of film and working hard enough to where if any receiver comes at us, we’ll give them a challenge. You can make a bigger and better name for yourself when you go up against better competition.”
And that has certainly crossed Joe Haden’s mind in preparation for Saturday night’s visit to Death Valley.