Rosetta: LSU faced perfect storm

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Oct 15, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Funny thing, perception in sports.

A week ago today, LSU was regarded as one of the country’s best teams by media all over the country and for the most part by a rabid and loyal fan base.

People had seen the Tigers’ flaws up close and personal and dismissed them. Things would get better, especially when they got into the teeth of a tough-as-nails schedule.

Now, with a 30-point loss hung around LSU’s neck albatross-style, the bandwagon has emptied pretty substantially, especially in the 225 area code.

The bottom line is the Tigers got humbled by a much better team with a huge measure of motivation.

LSU could have played a perfect game and the final score might have looked a little better and been easier to wake up to Sunday morning. But the sense at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was that there was no way the Gators were going to lose Saturday night.

They had too many reasons not to lose again. LSU ought to approach this week’s game at South Carolina with the same frame of mind.

Ole Miss knocked Florida to the canvas two weeks earlier and left no wiggle room for error.

Besides that, the Gators were constantly reminded last week not only that they lost to the Tigers in 2007, but got their manhood bested in the fourth quarter by LSU’s fourth-down conversions and a grind-it-out drive in the closing minutes.

So when last week’s game rolled around for the Gators, they were ready to do whatever they needed to come out with a victory. That was clear from the fever-pitch emotions and nearly flawless execution in the first quarter.

It was also proven when LSU jumped back into the game and Florida had the wherewithal to take a few body blows and still remain aggressive and pull away.

Does any of that mean the Tigers were ill-prepared or not ready to play? Of course not. Those are flimsy, easy crutches to lean on when the team you follow gets jack-hammered.

Of course LSU was ready to play. Of course the Tigers were armed with a game plan that the coaches thought would work. Many of those same coaches were around to game-plan for 12 victories a year ago, including the BCS National Championship Game.