character   noun :
the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation

I don't know who said it originally, but someone once stated "Football doesn't build character, it reveals it".  Basically, saying you are who you are. And maybe you can hide it. Maybe you can "fake it 'til you make it".  But in football? There will come a time when a very bright spot light will be shined on your character.  You and your teammates' souls will eventually be put on display. You can't avoid it.  And in the world of big-time college football. That moment will almost always be on national TV.  With millions of eyes watching you.  You can't hide from it. It will happen.

So who are you when the lights get shined on you?  Anybody can strut and smile when things are going great.  It's easy to look cool when up 51-0 at half time.
But who are you when backed into a corner?  How do you react when your only options are fight or die?   When half the country is watching you, waiting on you to fail? When the media is salivating at the opportunity to slam you, your coach, and your fans?

5 weeks in to the season, I think we know who our Tigers are.

grit   noun :
firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger

LSU has played against three Power 5 opponents so far in 2022.
In those 3 games, they have fallen behind by: 14 , 13, and 17. And did not look particularly good doing so.

In all three games, things were looking pretty dark.  All three times, our backs were up against the wall. We were given a choice. Collapse and let the avalanche consume you. Or Get up off the mat and tell adversity "you hit like a b!tch".

These Tigers chose option B.

We rolled up our sleeves and went to work. 
Outscored: FSU 20-3, Landmass State 31-3, and Auburn 21-0.

You all saw the 4th quarter of the Auburn game.  We had every opportunity to quit.  Bad penalties. Turnovers. Starting QB was hurt, we're playing in a Stadium that has been rather unfriendly to us historically, etc.
But not us. We have a grit to us that has been missing the last few years.  No way in hell we were folding our tents in that game.  We weren't going down without a fight. And we were going to be swinging until the final bell.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you we have what it takes to run the table and knock off the big boys on our remaining schedule.
But I'm confident enough to say we're going to battle them.  We're going to make them give us their best shot.

Football has revealed our character. And to quote Johnny Cash, we have "gravel in our guts, and spit in our eye".