Last Saturday wasn’t just another SEC game for redshirt junior Caleb Banks. Florida’s matchup vs LSU was personal for the 6’5, 325-pound defensive lineman after his struggles in Death Valley last season.
“So last year, played against LSU, and on the third play of the game Emery Jones kind of got me a little block, like blindsided me a little bit. He got me, he got me, and Will Campbell, he pancaked me twice last year. It was a little personal, you know, with those two tackles, and knowing that they’re going first round, so it’s like I can prove myself and show that I can be where they’re at too, like I can play at the same level as them, and I’m better than them,” Banks said postgame.
It seemed as if Banks was living in the LSU’s backfield all game long, getting his hands on LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier any chance he could. Banks led the Gators’ defense in pressures (7), QB hits (2) and hurries (4), grading as Florida’s 4th best defender and best pass rusher in week 12, according to Pro Football Focus. Banks also logged one sack in the contest.
“I know I’m great. I know I can do what I need to do for me on the field, so it was get-back time,” Banks said on the LSU game.
It wouldn’t be an LSU vs UF game without some trash talk. LSU’s offensive line reminded Banks of what happened last season throughout the game, but the Gator had the last laugh. Late in the third quarter with the game tied at 13, edge TJ Searcy sacked Nussmeier, who fumbled on the hit. The ball landed in the lap of LSU offensive lineman Emery Jones, who took off looking for the first down. That was until Banks clocked Jones on the side, causing a fumble in which he recovered.
“He was talking the whole game (Emery Jones), ‘Oh 88 I remember you’, don’t worry about it. After that I promise you, he didn’t even look at me and say nothing,” Banks said. “I caught him (Jones) with the ball, I seen him with the ball, I’m like ‘Is that who I think it is?’. I tried to get there first, yeah I got him. He wasn’t talking for the rest of the game either, he didn’t say nothing else.”
Florida’s defense totaled a season-high seven sacks with Banks leading the charge. However, it wouldn’t have been possible without the guys on the backend, four of which played all 93 snaps in the contest and provided ample time for the pass rush to get home.
“The people that’s back there now, they can get the job done as well and guard anybody in the country, honestly, so it’s really, it’s like, next man up, but like, we know, like everybody on our roster is pretty good,” Banks said on the secondary.
Florida’s front seven had a monster performance after a week of competitive practices in preparation for the Tigers, which clearly translated to the game.
“It was like really competitive with the offense and defense, and we were going at it. But no, defense won twice this week, actually. We just had, like, a lot of momentum. I’m pretty sure, like, we all knew that was going to lead to the game, so we just had to keep it going,” Banks said. “How we were practicing, the line, we were gonna win.”