This team reminds me of 2006 UGA. If you remember, it was an UGA team that lost many key players, including its qb. They relied on a defense with many newcomers and a freshman named Stafford and it cost them a couple of times. They looked like a 5-6 win team and barely beat Colorado, who was awful at the time, by one point. After a 5-0 start and a very high AP ranking, the Dawgs were pummeled 51-33 by Tennessee. If that wasn't bad enough, Vandy would beat them two weeks later - not a Vandy akin to this year's version. UGA would go on to lose 4 SEC games, but would get better and better with their new qb and new playmakers. They derailed the locomotive known as the Auburn Tigers, defeated a solid GA Tech team, and won their bowl game vs. VA Tech. The defending SEC champs were in a similar "rebuild mode" (or refilling the cupboard mode), but 9-4 turned out to be not so bad, after all. The following season, UGA barely missed out on an SEC c'ship game and what might have even been a repeat and a long awaited shot at the BCS c'ship. They still played well enough and gathered enough respect to play in the Sugar Bowl. Thanks to Stafford's arm and Moreno's newly discovered legs, the Dawgs were arguably one of the best 2-3 teams in 2007; just a year after a majorly disappointing losing stretch. Now, UGA is once again top 5-10 material, despite a poor performance against Bama. Perhaps their 4 SEC losses give each of you a "Ewwwww, no way...that's not us!" sort of thought, but think a bit deeper.

J. Lee is Matthew Stafford, in ways...a highly-touted Texan with a cannon and a "throw you into the fire" role to star in. He's looked awful and SEC speed has done a great job of being deception's best ally. Nonetheless, he's improving and getting familiar with his playmakers. At times, he looks down right scary good. I am not advocating that this LSU team will lose four games or that Lee will be exactly what Stafford was, but after last night...what would be so unimaginable? 2006 UGA was hardly impressive, coming off the end of an SEC east mini-dynasty team with the likes of Pollack, T. Davis, D. Greene, R. Brown, B. Watson, G. Blue, etc. LSU, in the eyes of the nation, is hardly impressive, either. UGA fought hard to finish with 9 wins when they looked like 6 would be reasonable. Now, LSU must fight hard to not get drummed again. LSU must fight hard to finsih strong. What is strong for this team? I still do not know that question. Maybe we shall know when Lee faces Stafford in two weeks?

Like you all have said, if we had to lose one...we picked the right game. What we do from here is based on how well we handle adversity. How thick is this team's collective skin?

For those of you idealists who have visions of Miami dancing in your head and believe the above analogy is non-applicable (and don't want to eat Chic Filet for three days/roll dice in Shreveport and then turn around and drive home/visit the Elvis museum and eat bad bbq), here's a "germanic" point: 2003's lone loss came to Florida. The next week, LSU's backs were against the wall in Columbia, S.C. LSU found its new identity and confidence and blasted Holtz's Cocks 31-7. It would be the beginning of a powerful domino effect that would carry LSU into a new level of football, as they would punish Auburn, embarrass and avenge a collapse to Bama, and make Arkansas look like Arkansas State. The Tigers would also come out ready to play against an inferior LA Tech squad and triumph over an Ole Miss team in the biggest game in Oxford, MS's history. These wins gave LSU its swagger and helped them win two awesomely big post season games. 2003 LSU knew just what to do with adversity...punch it in the mouth, as the late Marquis Hill would probably still say.

Thanks for reading. I just felt like putting an old spin on a newer subject.

This post was edited on 10/13/08 at 2:01 am