BermudaSooner
10/7/2008, 02:38 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3630858
LSU lineman targets Gators QB Tebow for take-out duty
The Florida-LSU rivalry never seems to run short on vitriol. LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois upped the ante this week by vowing that his linemates, if the opportunity presents itself, will try to knock Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, out of the game.
"If we get a good shot on [Tebow], we're going to try our best to take him out of the game," Jean-Francois said Monday, according to the Orlando Sentinel's Web site. "With his size and his heart, it's hard to get a clean shot.
"I think every lineman wants to get a good hit on a Heisman Trophy winner."
This year's clash, at the Swamp in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday night, didn't need the extra hype. It's the first time in nearly two decades that the last two national champions are to meet during the regular season.
The home team has never lost in a matchup of the last two national champions. Fourth-ranked LSU is off to a 4-0 start and has defeated No. 11 Florida three times in four meetings since 2004, including a 28-24 victory last season in Baton Rouge, La.
The Gators (4-1, 2-1) trail Vanderbilt (5-0, 3-0) in the SEC East and come Saturday will be two weeks removed from their stunning 31-30 loss to Ole Miss at the Swamp.
Gators linebacker Brandon Hicks told the Sentinel that his defense hasn't forgotten last year's loss to the Tigers, in which LSU scored with 1:09 left for the winning margin.
"OK, this is the game," Hicks told the paper. "This week, there's nothing else that really matters. There's no worrying about the bye week after LSU. It's just nothing but 8 p.m. this Saturday night. We've got a chip on our shoulders, a fire in our eyes to kick somebody's butt."
LSU lineman targets Gators QB Tebow for take-out duty
The Florida-LSU rivalry never seems to run short on vitriol. LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois upped the ante this week by vowing that his linemates, if the opportunity presents itself, will try to knock Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, out of the game.
"If we get a good shot on [Tebow], we're going to try our best to take him out of the game," Jean-Francois said Monday, according to the Orlando Sentinel's Web site. "With his size and his heart, it's hard to get a clean shot.
"I think every lineman wants to get a good hit on a Heisman Trophy winner."
This year's clash, at the Swamp in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday night, didn't need the extra hype. It's the first time in nearly two decades that the last two national champions are to meet during the regular season.
The home team has never lost in a matchup of the last two national champions. Fourth-ranked LSU is off to a 4-0 start and has defeated No. 11 Florida three times in four meetings since 2004, including a 28-24 victory last season in Baton Rouge, La.
The Gators (4-1, 2-1) trail Vanderbilt (5-0, 3-0) in the SEC East and come Saturday will be two weeks removed from their stunning 31-30 loss to Ole Miss at the Swamp.
Gators linebacker Brandon Hicks told the Sentinel that his defense hasn't forgotten last year's loss to the Tigers, in which LSU scored with 1:09 left for the winning margin.
"OK, this is the game," Hicks told the paper. "This week, there's nothing else that really matters. There's no worrying about the bye week after LSU. It's just nothing but 8 p.m. this Saturday night. We've got a chip on our shoulders, a fire in our eyes to kick somebody's butt."