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* Rivals100 defensive end interested in Florida
* Recruiting Wire: Miller ready to announce
* McElwain Notebook: Cleveland ruled out
* Running backs learning to be themselves
* McElwain and Orgeron preview Florida-LSU
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The Florida Gator players haven’t done much talking this week.
While players in the past haven’t been afraid to throw down gauntlets in quotes—ducks don’t pull trucks anyone—the program has mastered the art of the quintessential coach speak for necessary times. So it wouldn’t seem too odd to see the team trying to downplay what could easily become a testy match-up. What’s odd about the situation this week is that this is already guaranteed to be a testy match-up.
From Tim Tebow jump passes, to Les Miles’ fake field goals, to Telvin Westbrook dropping perfectly thrown passes in the corner of the endzone; they’ve all been kindling on the field to spark a heated contest. Off the field, the fire raged even hotter. Whenever defense came up on Twitter, players from both schools took jabs. When Miles spent off-season’s trying to get LSU’s permanent cross-division SEC opponent changed from Florida, the program was called scared. Last year the sentiment was returned…and it all blew up before anyone could hinder the raging path.
Unless you lived under a rock—or outside the southeastern United States—for the past year, you are most likely familiar with the contentious week that led up to the 2016 Florida versus LSU game (a hurricane almost cancelling the game, before moving it to Baton Rouge). The trash talk went all the way from Joe Schmo at the gas station to the school’s respective administrators. When the players finally took the field for warm-ups on that following Saturday, there was much pushing and shoving and gnashing of teeth with coaches getting involved. After the Gators defense held one of the most important and impressive goal line stands in program history, everything went up a notch. There was more talk on the field. There was talk on message boards and even shots on social media from the athletic departments official accounts. There was talk on Twitter between players.
When Florida announced LSU as the homecoming game, the Tigers saw it as a sign of disrespect, talking about it at SEC Media Days. There’s been talk and talk and talk fueling this rivalry for the past decade, and now…radio silence.
Any rivalry besides an in-state one has some moment in history that sets the tone. Florida and Tennessee hate each other because of the Danny Wuerffel, Peyton Manning and Steve Spurrier years. Alabama and Tennessee hate each other because of Bear Bryant. The hatred that will fuel the Florida and LSU rivalry is currently being stewed. This is the time you’d think coals get added to what has already become a blazing fire and yet, nothing. But maybe, just maybe, there’s a bit of something to that nothing.
As most of our parents are fond of telling us, at some point you have to put up or shut up. For a rivalry that’s been built largely on talking, the Gators, at least for 2017, have decided to take a different approach.
Sophomore linebacker David Reese said, “It’s just another week, another big week. The past is in the past; it was a great game in the past. We’re looking forward to another great game, another outcome in the Swamp.”
Wide receiver Freddie Swain admitted that there was animosity—“Always, anytime we play [LSU], they come in with a chip on their shoulder”—but wouldn’t take the bait to admit Florida feels the same.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks, who was once committed to LSU and would be allowed to have more to say than anyone—only responded following the Vanderbilt game that this upcoming Saturday match-up is important because “it’s the next game.” But he said it with a smirk on his face that said he and everyone in the room knew how he really felt. And that is the crux of this whole week.
Everyone down to the Gainesville resident who doesn’t care about football knows what this weekend means. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind what’s a stake; a spot atop the SEC standings and bragging rights. But after years and years of talking, maybe it’s time to just say nothing. Talk is cheap, but action is worth something. LSU did a lot of talking about how scared Florida was last year concerning the events surrounding Hurricane Matthew. That bit them the moment Marcell Harris brought down Derrius Guice at the goal line. It would be really easy to spout off at the mouth leading into the game (and you can bet that whoever wins will let it be heard afterwards just as Jim McElwain did following that win by saying “they got what they deserved.”) There’s been an off-season discussing if Florida disrespected LSU with the scheduling. That won’t matter once the ball kicks off on Saturday. Social media is littered with barbs between the two programs and players but a well-timed GIF isn’t going to score any touchdowns.
As this team matures, it’s learned to hold on to their trash talking; it’s a policy being put to the test this week but one they seemed determined to stick with. This is a rivalry built on talking. The Florida Gators are changing that game plan though. They plan to do their talking on the field. They’ve said a whole lot of nothing this week, and that’s says a lot.
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