By Hunt Palmer
As losses pile up in college football, focus can dwindle.
Coaches are often fired. Players have freedom to opt out a season for redshirt reasons or transfer portal desires. Bowl games, once the ultimate reward for a team’s season and opportunity for conference bragging rights, have been reduced to laughable exhibitions.
Keeping a team together becomes a significant challenge.
LSU suffered its third loss of the season Saturday night, a second in league play. The path to the SEC Championship game and College Football Playoff still exists, but there are obstacles aplenty.
“We’re definitely aware of (the path to the SEC Championship game),” said junior offensive tackle Emery Jones. “We know the situation. We are focused on the next game. We can’t be worried about three games down the line. So, we’re not too much worried about the SEC Championship right now. We’re worried about Florida. We have to make sure we win that game.”
Florida is dealing with issues of its own. Embattled third-year head coach Billy Napier was given a vote of confidence by athletic director Scott Stricklin last week. The Gators promptly went to Austin and fell behind, 35-0, in the first half.
Effort could be questioned in a game that got out of hand so quickly, but a slew of devastating injuries cannot be overlooked. Florida was without its top two quarterbacks, starting running back, most explosive receiver and top two corners.
“We’re hoping to get a little healthier this week and have some guys available,” Napier said. “But in general, I thought we showed up the last couple of days with the right attitude.”
College coaches consistently preach about attitude and culture. Those words can feel easy to latch on to in August when no one has lost a game. Each setback can allow doubt and other distractions to creep into a locker room.
LSU’s offense and defense have struggled the last six quarters. The Tigers have been outscored, 79-19, by Texas A&M and Alabama. That will sully most any mood.
“When we first got in here after the (Alabama) game, it was probably a little down,” said sophomore cornerback Ashton Stamps. “We’ve got a 24 hour rule, so that really plays a part in our program. (Tuesday) we were all happy. We were at practice having fun. We’re not really just sitting on that loss, because that’s not going to do anything for us for Florida. We just have to be able to have a positive attitude going to Florida.”
Senior defensive lineman Paris Shand echoed Stamps’s sentiment that the team’s energy has been good throughout the week of practice.
“I think we do great job of having good positivity and keeping the energy that is required,” Shand said. “There are certain things that we need to fine tune, but the energy is there. The competitive spirit is there.”
LSU must improve its rushing attack and turnover problem on offense. The defense must stop the run much more effectively.
None of that can be done without effort and energy.
Whether it’s the chance at an SEC Championship, the College Football Playoff, the upcoming NFL Draft or simply an opportunity to win a rivalry game, every player on both sides will have to summon motivation from somewhere despite the struggles both squads have endured. Jones summed his up succinctly on Tuesday.
“This is a business where you have to keep fighting no matter the circumstances,” he said. “We owe it to the state of Louisiana to continue to get better, to go out there and fight on Saturdays.”
