FOUR BITS: LSU ready for UF, Brantley ready for LSU, SEC run, Problems vs. the West

By Adam Silverstein
October 4, 2009

1 » Just moments after a come-from-behind 20-13 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, the LSU Tigers already had the No. 1 Florida Gators on their mind. “We’ll feel great for another hour or so and then we’ll start thinking about Florida,” running back Charles Scott said. (Scott won the game for LSU on a 33-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left on the clock.) “We’re right where we wanted to be, undefeated and going back to our house,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “Florida’s coming to town, and nobody is going to want to miss this game.” Stomping the Tigers 51-21 last year in Gainesville, the Gators are squarely in the LSU players’ sights. “Florida put it on us last year, and we’re holding a grudge,” quarterback Jordan Jefferson said. “They were disrespecting us, doing stuff like punting the ball in the stands. We’ve been looking forward to this.” For what its worth, LSU players fully expect quarterback Tim Tebow to play next Saturday.

2 » Heaps of praise has been thrown the way of Gators back-up quarterback John Brantley since he had to take over for Tebow last Saturday in Lexington against the Kentucky Wildcats. While he may not have expected to play this season, the old mantra that a back-up is just “one play away” from entering the game rang true this season. Despite his lack of experience, Brantley’s teammates have shown confidence the young quarterback can keep Florida on the right track. “I trust him for the future now,” guard Mike Pouncey said. “I told him, ‘You do this all the time. You’re a Florida quarterback. You don’t got nothing to worry about.””

3 » Gainesville Sun staff writer Robbie Andreu looks at five keys to a Florida Gators run at the SEC Championship. Among them: protecting Tebow, getting and staying healthy, re-discovering the passing game, putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and keeping the mental and physical edge in each game. After a lackluster (and under-the-weather) showing against the Tennessee Volunteers, Andreu believes the Gators got the edge back against Kentucky. Now the question is: Can they sustain it the rest of the way?

4 » Undefeated and maintaining their No. 1 ranking in the country, the Florida Gators‘ bye week could not have come at a more perfect time. While the team waits to find out if quarterback Tim Tebow will be able to play next Saturday in Baton Rouge against the LSU Tigers, David Jones of Florida Today believes it is not just the Bayou Bengals that UF needs to worry about. Instead, it is the entire SEC West. In fact, over the last decade, Florida has lost to at least one SEC West team every single season.

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