Tigers turn attention to South Carolina

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Oct 14, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 8 a.m.

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The sun came up Monday, perhaps a little earlier than the LSU players might have liked and certainly not as bright as normal for the Tigers.

When the players got to the LSU football operations complex bright and early, the LSU coaches addressed the elephant (or maybe the Gator) in the room when the tape of the Tigers’ 51-21 loss to Florida rolled.

Then the focus was shifted to the task ahead for No. 13-ranked LSU.

The Tigers play South Carolina at 7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Before the Gamecocks moved into the Tigers’ focus, LSU coach Les Miles said the review of the 30-point loss — his worst in 45 games here — was revealing about a team not used to losing.

“It was a little bit less enjoyable to show up at 6:45 in the morning to review a game where you were unsuccessful,” Miles said. “Our team has the same feel and edge to it (Monday) morning with the idea that this is not something we intend to do or want to do for that matter. Our team’s resolve and want to prepare is pretty strong. I liked what I saw (Monday) morning.”

Resolve might be the key element.

When players met with the media later Monday, it was clear that they have shifted from the sting of a loss nobody on the roster — except Kirtson Pittman — has ever felt at this level to anticipation for South Carolina.

“I think everybody has a spirit of ‘What can I do?,’” Miles said. “One thing about it is, we don’t intend to lose in that room very often, but when that room comes together and understands that there was something that they could have done to play better and allow our team to have success on last Saturday, it really gives a spirit of ‘Let’s get it fixed, let’s practice, let’s prepare.’ I think that’s what we’re seeing. I think our team will respond very favorably to what was a showing that we could have played better.”

Miles said Sunday he had no problem with the Tigers’ effort against Florida, which climbed to No. 5 with the dominating romp.

So that leaves performance and execution as two glaring shortcomings for a team with as much talent on paper as just about anybody in the country.

With message boards and sports radio shows providing chances for fans to dissect every area of the LSU roster throughout the day — and likely the rest of the week to follow — Miles said things might not have been as bas they seemed.

Instead, the perfect storm — LSU’s offensive fizzling on its first three series while the Gators came out torrid — had as much to do with how the game played out as much as the Tigers performed individually or on a unit-by-unit basis.