Winners do not quit in the face of adversity

When LSU lost to Auburn, there were posters who said that the season was lost, championships were out of reach, and LSU should play for "next year." The team and the coaching staff could have quit. They could have gone the way of South Carolina mid-season. South Carolina quit and has continued to lose, beating only lowly Furman in their last five games. Spurrier has certainly quit on interviews.

But at LSU, the team doesn't play for "next year." At LSU, they play for victory.

After the Auburn game, other teams started losing, the invincible became vincible, LSU's defense started getting stout, and the offense started gaining ground. LSU got right back into the title hunt but fell a bad call, dropped pass, or failed kickoff short.

The calls for playing for "next year" have been renewed, even louder than before. Posters type crap like, there is no difference between 7-5 and 9-3; LSU needs to get experience for "next year"; and LSU needs to eliminate the "unknown."

If you want to play for "next year," try telling that to La'el Collins. Tell him he is risking injury for LSU's prospects "next year." Or is the plan to bench Collins, so LSU can see develop left tackle experience for "next year"? Doesn't LSU need to know what it has at left tackle for "next year"?

Are those that want to play for "next year" going to say that to Hilliard, Magee, and Rasco? Tell them that their hard work only mattered for the first ten games? Tell them you don't care what bowl they play in? Are they going to risk injury too, or are they going to be subbed so that LSU can develop experience at their positions?

And if LSU is going to play for "next year," what about four years from now? Is the future of LSU four years from now to be sacrificed for "next year"? Who is going to explain to LSU's recuits and targets that LSU doesn't always play for victory, that the recruits should ignore the next two games and LSU's season record because LSU is playing for "next year."

LSU doesn't get the #1 draft pick by losing the next two games. LSU doesn't get extra lottery numbers if they drop the next two games.

What the hell does playing for "next year" send as a message? That it's okay to fail for the rest of this time period because you've already lost your goals? frick it, I won't run today because I didn't run yesterday; I'll pick it up again on Monday. Screw sales for the rest of this quarter becase my numbers for this quarter are shot; I'll start working hard again next quarter. I'm going to lose weight next month because I;ve already eaten badly for this month. I'll work on grades next semester because it's too hard to bring up my grades this semester.

Winners do not quit. They do not quit when the national title appears unobtainable. They do not quit when they cannot win the conference. Winners do not quit.

LSU does not play for "next year."

LSU plays for victory.