Florida Gators Hand LSU Tigers Worst Loss Under Les Miles
To quote Mick Hubert, OH MY!!! I’m still in disbelief that Florida put up 51 in a 30-point win over LSU. I got extremely nervous during the third quarter when the Tigers had cut the Gators’ lead to 6, but Florida turned it back on and ended up winning in a blow out. This was a huge win to help get the Gators back on track after the loss to Ole Miss and some lackluster offensive performances. Putting up 51 points and 475 yards of offense against any team is impressive, but against the #4 team in the nation who also happens to be the defending champ…well…OH MY!!!
Tim Tebow put in a solid performance, moving the Gators up the field several times. But his arm still isn’t completely there. He made some nice, accurate, short throws, but the 70-yard touchdown pass to Percy Harvin was actually underthrown. I know, I know. I shouldn’t be complaining about a 70-yard touchdown pass. But last year, Tebow hits that receiver in stride. This year, he’s still just slightly off. However, Tebow did look calmer against LSU and finally looked like he was having fun again. He got pumped up after several plays and enjoyed himself out there. It’ll be very good for Florida if Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen continue to let Tebow be Tebow.
If I were an opponent on Florida’s schedule for the rest of the year, I would be very afraid. Over the last two games, the Gators have realized exactly what they have in Jeffrey Demps and Chris Rainey. Demps finished the night with 129 yards on the ground and added a 42-yard touchdown. He now has 4 touchdowns runs of 36 yards or greater on the season. The most amazing stat in there is his yards per carry. 13.3. That’s not a typo. Demps averages 13.3 yards per carry. To illustrate how good that is, take a look at Rainey’s numbers. Rainey is having an outstanding season himself, averaging 6.8 yards a carry. Well for the year, Demps has 21 more yards than Rainey. Here’s the kicker. He’s done it on 19 fewer carries! Any back would love to average over 6 yards a carry. Demps’ speed has allowed him to better than double that. Demps has the speed. Rainey has showed he has the agility. And Harvin might be the best player in the nation when the ball is in his hands. With them all in the zone, I wouldn’t want to face the Gators.
It’s good to see Deonte Thompson getting a couple of looks a game. Especially in big games. With Louis Murphy gone after this season and Harvin a pretty good bet to leave, Thompson is a star in the making. Getting him big game experience now will pay off in the future.
Watching Brandon Spikes in this game showed how good he really is. Spikes was all over the field, making big tackles and 2 huge interceptions. Other than his meager punting skills, Spikes played a great all-around game. Along with Harvin, he’s a player who we might not see beyond this season. It’s great to watch him step up against big time competition. He really is one of the best linebackers in college football.
Going into the game, the biggest thing I was worried about was Charles Scott and LSU’s running game. The Gators were ready for Scott and everything else the Tigers threw at them. Scott only managed 35 yards on 12 carries for a subpar 2.9 average. Being able to control him, allowed Florida to maintain control of the clock and get the Gator offense back on the field a number of times.
This win put Florida right back in the national championship picture. The Gators were up 6 spots to #5 when the new AP Poll came out on Sunday. If Florida can continue to play like they did Saturday night, there’s no reason they won’t be in discussions to play in the title game at the end of the year.