Colleges

Gators hang in the balance

The Gators have something to prove tonight, and their season may hinge on beating No. 1 LSU.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
Published October 6, 2007

Quarterback Tim Tebow's faith in his Gators hasn't been shaken by last week's loss to unranked Auburn. "We still see the hope this year," he said. "There is still something good that can come out of it."
	[Brian Cassella | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [James Borchuck | Times (2006)] The Tigers were in the running for an SEC title of their own last season before a 23-10 loss to the Gators in Gainesville. Tim Tebow threw a jump-pass touchdown to tight end Tate Casey.

GAINESVILLE

ESPN has deemed it one of the weekend's "gut-check" games, the kind where seasons are greatly diminished or quickly restored.

For No. 9 Florida, its nationally televised game tonight against No. 1 LSU will most assuredly result in one or the other.

"It is a huge game for us," UF center Drew Miller said. "It is an opportunity where a lot of good can come from it."

Following its stunning home loss to unranked Auburn last week, Florida 4-1, 2-1 SEC heads into Baton Rouge with one a major question looming: Is this the end of the Gators' championship run?

A loss to LSU almost guarantees the defending SEC and national champions will be out of the hunt for the league title. It's not likely a two-loss SEC team will play in Atlanta in December.

A win and the Gators are right back in the mix for both the SEC and national championships. So tonight's game is their most daunting challenge to date - and a great chance to prove something.

"It's a great opportunity when everybody's got you down and out, to step up to the challenge," senior receiver Andre Caldwell said. "This is a great opportunity to come out here and shock the world because I know nobody believes in us. But like I told some of my teammates, I'd hate to be the team that's got to play us this week because we're hungry, Auburn broke our hearts and we're looking for a little revenge on whoever the next one is."

So is LSU, most likely. The Tigers were in the running for an SEC title of their own last season before a 23-10 loss to the Gators in Gainesville. In many ways, this game mirrors last season. A tough loss to Auburn appeared to derail championship hopes, but Florida rallied, went on to win the national championship, and never lost another game all season.

"I think it is very similar," quarterback Tim Tebow said of this year compared to last. "After the loss last year ... we went back out there and we played for each other and we played hard for the rest of the year. We knew that there was still something positive that could come out of last year. We still see the hope this year. There is still something good that can come out of it."

LSU enters the game on a 12-game winning streak and has won 16 straight in Tiger Stadium. Coincidentally, the Tigers are using a two-quarterback system of Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux similar to what the Gators used against the Tigers last year.

LSU will stack its No. 1-ranked defense against a Florida offense that has sputtered the past two weeks, but is averaging 42.8 points and nearly 500 yards per game. It's the most highly anticipated game of the season so far in Baton Rouge. Besides being nationally televised on CBS, the ESPN GameDay crew is coming. After narrowly earning enough votes to jump ahead of USC in the AP poll this week, the Tigers also have something to prove. And they welcome the challenge.

"I always like big games and I think our guys like big games," LSU coach Les Miles said. "...There is more energy in the building. We look forward to this. I understand it is only one game, but it sure is one that we will enjoy preparing for. It will be a lot of fun. It is what college football is all about."

As a captain and team leader, Caldwell feels a strong responsibility to make sure the Gators are ready to play tonight. The oddsmakers may say Florida's the underdog, but history, Caldwell has told his younger teammates, says the Gators have a legitimate shot.

"Two years ago, we had two losses and nobody expected us to win that game against that (LSU) team, but we step up to challenges when we are backed into a corner," Caldwell said. "I don't think we're backed up in a corner now. I just think we're going through a little adversity. This is what real champions are made of. When you're going through rough times, superstars and captains step up to something like this."

Superstars, captains and teams trying to defend championships.

Antonya English can be reached at english@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 5, 2007, 22:08:29]