As the media
shock waves generated by Tim Tebow’s concussion begin to subside
attention is slowly returning to what the Florida Gators must do to
defeat the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Oct. 10.

Regardless of who
starts for the Gators at quarterback, the blinding flash of the obvious
for Florida head coach Urban Meyer is to create a game plan that simply
puts more points on the scoreboard than LSU.

Should Florida
find that Tebow is either unfit to play, or only fit to play in a
limited fashion, the Gator Nation should take comfort in remembering
the old adage that offense wins games but defense wins championships.

The new adage is that a championship defense should be able to shoulder its team in an hour of need.

The daily reports
coming out of Gainesville regarding Tebow’s recovery are promising but
Meyer is keeping the college football world, especially the LSU
coaching staff, guessing as to what events must transpire prior to
deciding on a starting quarterback. 

Chances are that
Meyer and his staff will not make an announcement regarding Tebow’s
fitness until game day next week or at the earliest a day or two before.

As distressing as this appears this really should not be a cause of concern for the Gator Nation.

Why’s that?

Far from the
blinding glare of the media spotlight focusing on Tebow’s health and
the health of the Gator offense you will find Florida’s Defensive
Coordinator Charlie Strong and his unit quietly perfecting their trade.

No matter who is
the signal caller for the Gators in Baton Rouge, the Florida offense
will score points. How many is the big question. Enter a wounded Tebow
or a first start for John Brantley and chances are the point total will
resemble the output against Tennessee.

The safe bet is 24 points.

With at least two Florida turnovers—probably three.

This is where Strong and the Florida defensive unit come into play…

In games against
Tennessee and Kentucky, Brandon Spikes and the rest of the Big Blue
Wrecking Crew surrendered only 20 points, gave up five plays over 10
yards, and forced 12 punts.   

The Gator defense
has also picked off four passes, racked up three sacks, and held these
two teams to 8-of-28 on third-down conversions.

So, when considering the issues with the Florida offense, Strong and his unit will have five goals for the LSU game. 

First, the Gator defense should make getting the ball back into the hands of the offense priority number one. 

If Tebow is not
100 percent, or if Brantley is fighting off the jitters, then mistakes
or lost opportunities will require more offensive series than in
earlier games for point production.

The Gator defense
can steal the show if they are successful in racking up as many
three-and-outs as possible. The best scenario would be to force the LSU
passing game by creating third-and-long situations.

Second, Spikes and his peers must continue to limit big plays.

Nothing changes
the momentum of a team or the crowd like a 30-yard pass or a 20-yard
rush. Strong has done a tremendous job of frustrating offenses by
bending with the short game but coming up solid against long gains.

Yes, LSU’s offense
will be the most complete seen so far but the Tiger talent and
predicted game plan match up nicely with what the Gators will put on
the field.

Third, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew must be responsible for winning the war of turnovers. 

Florida will turn
the ball over against LSU but the Gator D must do everything possible
to negate those turnovers by creating a few of their own.

Since forcing
fumbles does not seem to bode well for the Gators this season they
should continue to take advantage of the strengths found in their
secondary. Perhaps this will be the real debut of the Joker scheme or
something even more sinister.

Fourth, the Gator defense must have their best Red-Zone day ever.

It’s impractical
to think that LSU won’t have some success moving the ball but what
happens in the Red Zone will define this game.

Since a low scoring game is expected, every touchdown opportunity needs to be thwarted and trumped down to a field goal try.

Strong’s unit has
performed brilliantly this season in the Red Zone so they should be
perfectly primed for the touch line game of LSU. 

Fifth, it’s up to the defense to make sure the Gators never play catch-up.

This is how the
defense can really take the pressure off of the offense. Keeping the
Tigers out of the end zone, at least early in the game, will do wonders
to settle the offense down and make any new faces feel more confident.

Besides, the last thing any team wants to do is play from behind in a night game in Tiger Stadium.

So, while the
nation follows the recovery of Tebow and the Gator offense prepares to
potentially have to play without its’ Heisman candidate, the staff of
this team, the Gator defense, will continue to quietly prepare to
shoulder the load in Baton Rouge.