LSU vs. Florida 2012: Time to Get Back to Being LSU

It's time.

It's time for LSU to quit playing like Georgia always does. It's time for LSU to quit limping through shitty opponents. That's really just different ways of saying the same thing. It's time.

It seems like decades ago that LSU took the field as a menacing, take-no-prisoners, tour-de-force of football destruction hell bent on melting your face off in 10 minutes. Yet, that was just last year's team. You know, the team that made you pay... constantly. The team that ripped your heart out and then fed it to you. Yeah, that team. Where did it go? It's time.

2012 LSU football is about as impressive as having a bunny as a pet. It just sits there. It's cute enough to get everyone's attention, but boring enough to lose it quickly. It continues to pro-create wins, though. A soft, cuddly bunch. Full of sound and fury signifying nothing, right? It's time.

It's time to return to being LSU. The struggles are self-evident. LSU dropped in the polls. The offense isn't what we hoped. Mettenberger's play is up and down. The defense looks to be it's usual dominant itself... until they put together a lackluster performance against Towson. The wide receivers are dropping passes. The offensive line are missing blocks. The running backs, well I can't really complain there. Ultimately though, the cut throat mentality is missing.

What better time to reclaim that than now? For all of my 27 years (I'm such a savvy life veteran, I know), Florida has been the measuring stick. It may not have always been the most important game on the schedule. It may not have always been the battle of two great teams. It may not have always had National Championship implications for both teams. But it remained the game by which both teams took a step back and said, "Okay, just how good are we?" Saturday is no different.

Entering the game both will be undefeated. Both will be second (maybe 3rd in the case of Florida) place teams in their division. Both will be itching to prove they belong amongst the national elite. In the case of Florida, they need to prove the Muschamp hire was the right one and continue on the re-building path. In the case of LSU, they need to prove the pre-season hype was deserved.

It's like this. Every. Single. Year.

Many will point to the Alabama game as being THE game. In many ways it is. But in early October, the Alabama game is meaningless. If LSU loses to Florida tomorrow, in all likelihood, the Alabama game means nothing. Why? Because who the hell else is gonna beat Alabama if not LSU? And even if we lose to Florida and then beat Alabama, we will still face an uphill battle to get into the National Championship. In a re-building year this may be termed a success. For this LSU team, failure.

So it's time. It's time for LSU to get back to kicking ass and taking names. It's time to be less Carson Wells and more Anton Chigurh. You see, Carson Wells talked a good game. He was clever, even bright. But he was outmatched by the all-consuming destructive force that is Chigurh. When the two finally cross paths they exchange words. ells: "Do you have any idea how crazy you are?"

Chigurh: "You mean, the nature of this conversation?"
Wells: "I mean the nature of you. You can have the money, Anton."
*phone rings*
*the two sit in silence staring at one another, tension building.*
*Chigurh shoots Wells with his silenced shotgun, indifferently.

For a turn, LSU became the masters of the unexpected. They were smart, conniving and vicious. Blind-overhead flip-bounce to the kicker on a fake FG on the road? No problem. Reverse to the tight end? Pffft. Honey Badger blitz/strip/pick/return. Yep.

They didn't have any idea exactly how crazy we were. We didn't have any idea exactly how crazy we were. But now, they all do. We're predictable, bland and stagnant. Each passing week makes LSU less and less intimidating. No longer are we the soft-spoken, fearless man with the silenced shotgun destroying all laid before our path. We're the goofy, cowboy-hat wearing guy chasing that guy... ineffectively.

It's time to get back to being LSU. It's time to get back our silenced shotgun. It's time we remind everyone in the SEC, nay, all of college football, that they have no idea just how crazy we are. The Swamp is our proving grounds.

This day is about playing how we play and dominating an opponent.

This day is about being LSU.