GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Almost everybody has to face his past eventually. Florida quarterback Doug Johnson seems to do it every week.

The scene of this week's life lesson will be in Baton Rouge, where Florida (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) returns to play LSU (2-2, 0-2) Saturday for the first time since possibly the worst week of Johnson's football career.

Two nights before the game at LSU in 1997, Johnson was seen at a Gainesville bar with his friends after curfew. He responded with a four-interception performance in an 28-21 defeat, the loss that knocked the Gators (No. 7 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 AP) out of their No. 1 ranking and ended their 25-game SEC winning streak.

Coach Steve Spurrier found out about the curfew violation the next week and suspended Johnson. The quarterback may not have truly bounced back from that incident, and others, until this season.

"It was probably the lowest point of my career," Johnson said. "But I think it made me a better person. I battled back."

Johnson's change in attitude has been apparent since the summer, when he put career as a minor-league baseball player on hold, opting to stay in Gainesville. He worked on his passing touch as much as his personal touch, hanging out with teammates and becoming more a part of the team than anyone had sensed before.

"He's a changed person," said defensive lineman Buck Gurley. "He's more of a leader now."

"Before this year, I didn't really hang out with Doug too much," said receiver Alex Willis. "This year, we hang out a lot as a team. The wide receivers, quarterbacks, we go out and have fun together."

The personality conflicts with his coach, and his team, seem to have subsided. Finally, it seems, Johnson has learned to harness his ego and get the most out of a strong arm and a good football sense.

This season, he has thrown for 1,446 yards and 16 touchdowns. Last week, he may have played his best all-around game, completing 22 of 31 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns. The performance came in a 40-39 loss to Alabama, however, so this was not a time for praise from Spurrier.

"Doug did a lot of good things, but he dropped a snap from center once," Spurrier said. "He needed to throw the ball away at the end of the game, but he held on and took a sack. Still, he's trying the best he can."

Part of that is because Spurrier entrusted the position to him at the beginning of the season. He didn't want Johnson to feel the quick hook could come with talented junior Jesse Palmer waiting behind him.

When the Gators play at LSU, Johnson will have a chance to erase some ugly memories. The interceptions, the LSU fans storming the field to tear down the goalposts and the eventual suspension are among them.

But to him, this is not about settling scores or righting the misdeeds of the past. It's about proving he has become a better quarterback.

"I'm not going to make it personal," Johnson said. "Any athlete, when they have a bad memory of a place and they have to go back there, it's a challenge. So, I'm going to challenge myself this week to prepare the best I can. It would be sweet to go there and play well."