Gators wait in ambush for LSU to enter ‘Swamp’

    The 12-10 LSU win over Auburn was a head-scratcher.
    LSU’s offensive line, thought to be one of the strengths of a national title contender, struggled against Auburn’s defensive front.
    Quarterback Zach Mettenberger, in his first SEC road start, looked more like a game manager than game changer.
    When it was over, under the stands at Jordan-Hare Stadium, a veteran Tiger watcher said of an uneven performance, “Things like this happen.” Maybe so.
    I know this for sure. Next Saturday in the Swamp at Florida, LSU’s game better be turned up several notches.
    A good Florida defense will crowd the line of scrimmage and force the Tigers to do something they have not done efficiently, yet – that is, throw downfield.
    The LSU offense will have to control the clock and score touchdowns when arriving in the red zone. If not, LSU’s national title hopes could take a major nosedive against a Florida team that is aiming for this game.
    The Gators have two weeks to prepare. They have an open date this week.
    That is plenty of time for head coach Will Muschamp to cue up the video of last year’s 52-yard fake punt touchdown run by Brad Wing that was called back for taunting.
    Wing realized he had made a mistake. He apologized profusely. But one year later, his error will be bulletin board material in Gator land.
    Muschamp will remind his team that LSU rushed 49 times for 238 yards, that the Tigers recorded a 41-11 win, the largest margin of victory for LSU in the series in 40 years.
    This season, the Gators have made progress. Quarterback Jeff Driskell has completed 69.6 percent of his passes. Florida owns road wins at Texas A&M and Tennessee.
   And, in a tune-up for LSU, the Gators shut out Kentucky,  38-0.
    Muschamp knows how big this game is for his program. After a swoon at the end of the Urban Meyer era, the Gators are eager to return to relevance at the top of the SEC. After all, this is Florida, a school that won national titles in 2006 and 2008.
    In a way, LSU’s game at Florida has a similarity with a game LSU played at home in November 2010.
    After a 24-17 loss at Auburn, LSU had two weeks to prepare for Alabama. The Crimson Tide had won the national championship in 2009. LSU beat Alabama 24-21.
    After two seasons of a combined nine losses, LSU football was back to relevance in the SEC West. Even though the Tigers would lose the regular-season finale in Little Rock against Arkansas, that win over Alabama was big for head coach Les Miles.
    Two years later, Florida will be primed. Muschamp will throw the lack of respect card on the table, the same one that Auburn played on a Saturday night on the Plains.
    And, Florida is plenty good enough to finish what Auburn couldn’t. The Tigers had better be ready or else.
    Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].