We Must Protect This Valley!

Week 6: October 6, 2007
(1) LSU vs. (9) Florida
Death Valley, Baton Rouge

Welcome to a special edition of The Samson Report. This week, LSU takes on the Florida Gators in a primetime network CBS game. I was only 1 years old the last time LSU played a primetime network game. Also, LSU will be playing their first game as the #1 ranked team in the nation since 1959.

LSU controls their own destiny as the #1 team in the nation but Florida is still in the hunt as well despite a loss last week to Tuberville’s Auburn Tigers. Gameday will be on campus and the entire nation will be watching this game. It is guaranteed to be a classic SEC showdown that Tiger fans will never forget.

Point Spread:
LSU (-9)

Know Thy Foe:
Head Coach: Urban Meyer

The defending National Champion Florida Gators are without question the toughest team LSU will play in the regular season. They have tremendous athletes like LSU and great coaching like LSU. They are very young, especially on defense. Quarterback Tim Tebow is already a superstar in Gainesville. He is a big, strong QB that loves to dip his shoulder and run like a fullback. This year, he’s added a new song to his repertoire. He is a great passer. The most explosive weapon on the Florida offense is RB/WR Percy Harvin. Harvin has great speed and big play potential. Another offensive weapon is WR Andre “Bubba” Caldwell who is returning from injury. Speaking of injuries, Florida has had a lot.

The latest news from Gator country is the arrest of safety Tony Joiner. Joiner, who is arguably the best defensive player on the team, was arrested Tuesday for breaking into an impound yard and attempting to steal his girlfriend’s car. He was a captain of the team before the incident. Will he play??? Probably. Urban Meyer does not run a very disciplined program. They are already calling the incident a “misunderstanding.” On the contrary Urban Meyer, we understand perfectly, especially after the Marcus Thomas situation last year. For those of you that don’t know, Marcus Thomas was arrested for drug possession and suspended from the team. He was magically reinstated for the LSU game and then suspended again after the LSU game. Classy move Urban!!

Week 1: Defeated Western Kentucky, 49-3
Week 2: Defeated Troy, 59-31
Week 3: Defeated Tennessee, 59-20
Week 4: Defeated Ole Miss, 30-24
Week 5: Lost to Auburn 20-17

LSU Offense vs. Florida Defense:
Defensively, Florida is vulnerable. They lost a lot of great players and they are very young. Statistically, they rank 5th nationally in rushing defense and 80th in passing defense. I think they will stack the box with 8 and hope that our young receivers and hobbled QB don’t take advantage. That is good news for LSU fans because that means they will go a lot of man-to-man on LSU’s receivers. You should see a healthy dosage of Terrance Tolliver who has proven to be much more effective when covered one on one. This is because he doesn’t know the entire playbook and relies on his height and tremendous speed. The 10 yard slant pattern should be wide open this game. If my prediction is correct, Florida will try to defend the run first. LSU should have an average game running the ball. Our offensive tackles will be challenged this game.

Florida Offense vs. LSU Defense:
Florida’s offense has been very predictable and one sided, or should I say two sided. Tebow and Harvin have assumed the lion’s share of touches. Tebow is the only rushing threat on the team, but he is very effective. Conversely, LSU is allowing only 1.3 yards per rush and 39 yards per game. Something’s got to give. Let’s hope its Tebow’s knees. (Just Kidding)(Not Really)

Special Teams:
Is this the week that “Punt Ugly” finally catches up to the Tigers? I hope not because a blocked punt almost always leads to points and is usually a catastrophic momentum changer. The punt return game hasn’t been much better. Hopefully, freshman Chad Jones will take over for Jared Mitchell. Jones looked very impressive catching the ball first and missing the gunners. We still don’t have a kicker that can get the ball anywhere close to the end zone.

Keys to the Game:
The LSU defensive line must get a push into the backfield. That may not be easy to do since the Florida offensive line has only allowed 2 sacks all season, but that probably has more to do with the strength of Tebow. We may see someone like Danny McCray shadowing Tebow and I think that’s a great idea. Stop Tebow, you win. Do you hear me Glenn Dorsey? STOP TEBOW!!!!

Game Prediction:
Florida lost to Auburn in a thrilling game last weekend. If you’re Florida, you gotta love the fact that you have a chance at immediate redemption. Florida will be pumped up and ready to play. I think this will be a really close game. The team with the least turnovers wins. It’s going to be one for the ages.
I’ll take LSU-27, Florida-17


Injury Report:
It does not appear as though LSU will have the services of Early Doucet. This is certainly a big blow to the LSU offense. Doucet is a leader and a field general. To make it worse, inside reports say that Doucet may not be back until the Alabama game. It is time for the young guys to step up.

Will Arnold is also not going to play due to the nagging virus that has affected his joints.

Week 6 Games of the Week: (Predicted winners in CAPS)
(20) Cincinnati @ (21) RUTGERS
(5) WISCONSIN @ Illinois
(15) Virginia Tech @ (22) CLEMSON
(19) Texas vs. (10) OKLAHOMA (Dallas)
(12) Georgia @ TENNESSEE
(4) OHIO ST. @ (23) Purdue

Lock of the Week: (1-2)
Alabama (-11)

Upset Special: (3-0)
Oklahoma St. over Texas A&M

Tiger Nation :
I want to take this opportunity to send a message to Tiger Nation. Listen to me now and heed these words. You have to step up this week. The team needs you to do what you do best….party hard, cheer loud, and defend the valley. We as fans don’t get the chance to strap on a helmet and pads. We don’t get to run through the tunnel and through the band. But we as fans can have a huge impact on the game. Florida’s offense audibles at the line of scrimmage a lot. That’s a perfect opportunity to become part of the game, not just a spectator. I know that I’ll be screaming my ace off. You must uphold the reputation as the most feared football venue in the nation. Florida will be ready. Florida will be hungry. Florida will hit you in the mouth and throw in a few kidney shots for good measure. It’s going to be a fight. Don’t let up, don’t ever let up. You all know what’s at stake. WE MUST PROTECT THIS VALLEY!!!

Need a ticket? Arm and leg please!
This could be the biggest game in Tiger Stadium history. If you judge by ticket prices, this certainly is. Most tickets are going for over $300 a piece. I predict that Tiger Stadium will finally break the 93,000 barrier.

Bring Back the Magic
Do you realize that the last time we had Florida in our house for a night game was 1997, the year that LSU upset the #1 ranked team in the nation. Everyone remembers where they were on that night. I’m one of the few Tiger fans that can admit they were not in the stadium that night. I watched the game at Jeremy Breaux’s house in the Dell with a bunch of high school teammates.

Weather Update:
At last check, the threatening weather should be gone by late Friday. That sets up a great day of tailgating and a dry game.

Mike VI:
Big Mike will make his debut in Tiger Stadium this Saturday night at 6:55 pm. Also, he will be leading the band down the hill at 5:40. I can’t think of a better atmosphere to christen Mike VI.

Next Week:
The LSU-Kentucky game next week has been picked up by CBS for their 2:30 slot.