GAINESVILLE – If you still have doubts about the Florida offense, ask LSU coach Les Miles and his Tigers.
Plain and simple, they got steamrolled in the Swamp by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his merry band of offensive speedsters – junior Percy Harvin, redshirt freshman Chris Rainey and true freshman Jeff Demps, all of whom have been clocked at 4.4 seconds or better in the 40-yard dash.
A 17-0 first-quarter start and a dazzling 475-yard offensive display that included 210 passing yards by Tebow (112 of the yards to Harvin, who scored on touchdown receptions of 70 and 7 yards in the first quarter) and 129 rushing yards on 10 carries by Demps helped the No. 11 Gators rout the fourth-ranked Tigers, 51-21, under the lights at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
“They executed extremely well,” Miles said. “We spotted them 20 points in the first half. We never got out of that hole. You play quality teams, make mistakes and you give up easy scores.”
The Gators’ victory, which improved them to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC East Division, concluded a day of major upheaval in the Top 5. No. 1 Oklahoma fell to No. 5 Texas, 45-35, and No. 3 Missouri was upset by No. 17 Oklahoma State, 28-23, just as the Gators were finishing off the Tigers, the reigning national champions. The night victory improved the Gators’ record at home in the evening under Florida coach Urban Meyer to 10-1 and ended LSU’s 19-game winning streak in the dark. The loss dropped LSU to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC West.
“We were able to jump out to an early lead against a great team with great football players,” Meyer said.
Tebow finished 14-of-21 passing for 210 yards and the two first-quarter touchdowns to Harvin, who caught six passes total and gained another 13 yards on two carries. Tebow also had 22 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown.
“We wanted to start strong and we did that,” Tebow said. “They rallied back and made it a game, but we responded with maturity and took overat the end. This game we had to pass to set up the run. Usually we run to set up the pass. It was a great job by all our guys, especially our little backs who came in and ran well.”
The Gators’ rushing attack totaled 265 yards on 31 carries, with the 5-8 Demps finishing with his second straight 100-yard game (he had 103 yards in a 38-7 victory at Arkansas) and his fourth TD of more than 30 yards, a 42-yard burst in the third quarter that helped the Gators regain momentum. The 5-9 Rainey added 66 yards on 11 carries, including a 21-yard burst that set up the game’s final touchdown, a 2-yard run by Kestahn Moore, who had 23 yards on four carries as coach Urban Meyer cleared his bench.
Jonathan Phillips remained a perfect 9-for-9 on field-goal attempts, connecting from 20 yards in the first quarter, 34 yards in the second quarter and 25 yards in the final quarter. He also made all six PATs.
The Gators allowed LSU just 321 yards, 241 of them through the air. Jarrett Lee was 23-of-38 passing for 209 yards and two touchdowns but he was picked off twice by Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes, who took the second one 52 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter to finish off a 21-point Florida spurt in 4:28 at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.
Florida’s defense held LSU running back Charles Scott, who had entered the game as the leading rusher in the SEC with 535 yards, to just 35 yards on 12 carries, 18 of them on the final play of the game. Coach Les Miles’ Tigers managed just 80 yards on 26 carries.
Florida has the week off before entertaining Kentucky in its Homecoming Game on Oct. 25. LSU is back on the road next Saturday at South Carolina.
The Tigers might have stayed in their locker room the way they came out for the opening kickoff. Florida ran 22 plays to LSU’s 8, outgained LSU 186-4 in the first 15 minutes and had the ball to start the second quarter with a 17-0 lead after Spikes’ first interception.
After winning the toss and deferring to the second half, LSU kicked off to Brandon James, who returned the ball 28 yards to the Florida 32. Tebow threw incomplete to Harvin on first down and then Rainey lost 2 yards on a rush, leaving the Gators facing a third-and-12 from their own 30.
LSU exerted some pressure on Tebow, who saw Harvin breaking free behind safety Danny McCray and attempted to lead his receiver with a soft pass. McCray got a hand on the ball, however, knocking it up in the air and Harvin came back to catch it at the LSU 40. He then turned on the after-burners and sped across the field into the end zone to complete the 70-yard touchdown play, his longest TD reception and Tebow’s longest TD throw. Phillips added the PAT and Florida was on top 7-0 with 1:38 gone in the game.
LSU ran three plays and netted one yard and punted the ball back to Florida, which took over at its own 20. After Demps gained 2 yards on the first play, Tebow connected on four straight passes to four different receivers – 10 yards to Riley Cooper, 25 yards to Harvin, 11 yards to Demps and finally 14 yards to Deonte Thompson to give Florida a first down at the LSU 18. James then gained 8 yards on a pitch right and Tebow gave the Gators a first-and-goal at the 8 with a 2-yard rush.
Rainey then gained 5 yards up the middle on first down, but Tebow rolled left and couldn’t find anyone open and second down. On third-and-goal at the 3, Tebow tried to find Harvin on a quick slant but threw incomplete. Phillips came in to kick a 20-yard field goal for a 10-0 Florida lead with 7:00 remaining.
Once again, the Florida defense forced LSU into a 3-and-out and Brady Dalfrey punted 47 yards to James, who fielded the ball at his own 19 and then took off before being tackled after a gain of 40 yards.
Starting at the LSU 41, Tebow lost 3 yards when he was sacked but then Rainey got 2 yards and LSU’s Marlon Favorite pulled him down by the face mask, giving Florida a first down at the LSU 27. Harvin gained 8 on a run and Tebow hit Thompson for 12 yards and a first-and-goal at the LSU 7. Tebow kept on first down, gaining 6 yards. After losing a yard on second down, Tebow took too much time getting the next play off and Florida was set back another 5 yards to the LSU 7. On third down, Tebow rifled a slant pass to Harvin for the touchdown and Phillips’ kick made it 17-0 with 1:09 remaining in the quarter.
Florida couldn’t do anything with the Spikes interception nor with a fumble recovery by A.J. Jones later in the quarter. On its next possession, however, Florida ran five times to start the drive and seven of the first eight plays of the drive with Demps, Rainey and Harvin sharing the load. But the drive stalled at the LSU 17 and Phillips booted a 34-yard field goal with 49 seconds left for a 20-0 Florida lead.
But Phillips, given the kickoff duties in the first quarter, booted the kickoff out of bounds to give LSU a first-and-10 at its own 40, and Lee completed five of six passes to get the Tigers back into the contest with his 6-yard scoring pass to Chris Mitchell with five seconds remaining before halftime. The drive included a nifty trick play, with Lee completing a quick pass to Brandon LaFell, who tossed it back to Trindon Holliday for 15 yards to the Florida 6.
Colt David kicked the extra point after the TD pass and LSU ran back to its locker room trailing 20-7 but with momentum despite being outgained 256-130 by the Gators.
LSU kept its fires burning to start the second half, got the kickoff and drove 80 yards in 12 plays, eating up 6:19 of the clock, to a 3-yard TD run by Hatch. David’s PAT made it 20-14 and suddenly the partisan crowd of 90,684 inside Ben Hill Stadium was biting its collective nails. Lee completed six passes on the drive for 45 yards, but it was a 20-yard run by the slippery Holliday that set up the TD run by Hatch.
But with its defense reeling, the Florida offense responded. Tebow finished off an 8-play, 67-yard drive with a 2-yard bootleg run for a touchdown. Phillips’ PAT made it 27-14 with 4:16 remaining in the quarter. Tebow accounted for 57 of the yards on four carries and two pass completions, including a 37-yarder down the sidelines to Louis Murphy to set up his touchdown run on the next play.
Given a breather, the Florida defense forced LSU into a 3-and-out and Florida took over at its own 40 after a nifty tip-toe return by James. After three plays netted 18 yards to start the drive, Tebow optioned left with Demps trailing. When he got the pitch, Demps accelerated past a downfield block of James Wilson and scooted 42 yards for the touchdown, his fourth score of 30 or more yards, two more than Florida had rushing all last season. Phillips’ PAT made it 34-14 with 1:02 left in the third quarter, a lead the Gators took into the final 15 minutes.
Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Florida’s defense applied the dagger when Spikes stepped in front of Lee’s pass at the Florida 48 and went 52 for a touchdown at 14:48. Phillips’ PAT made it 41-14 and the Florida fans sensed the victory.
But LSU wouldn’t go away quietly. Defensive end Tyson Jackson sacked Tebow, caused a fumble, picked it up and rumbled 18 yards to the Florida 31. Lee completed four passes, the final one 6 yards to Richard Dickson for the touchdown and David’s PAT cut the Florida lead to 41-21 with 11:10 to play.
The Tigers attempted an onside kick that went out-of-bounds at their own 43. From there, Florida went quickly downfield on the running of Demps and Rainey, who carried three straight times for 32 yards. The final rush was a 21-yard effort which gave Florida a first-and-goal at the LSU 9. But Tebow was sacked on third down and Phillips kicked a 25-yard field goal to push the lead to 44-21 with 6:47 to play.
The Florida defense followed up with a Janoris Jenkins’ 12-yard sack of Lee and then an incompletion on fourth-and-6 and Florida had the ball back at its own 40.
The Gators needed only five running plays to get to the end zone. Demps ripped off 37 yards on the first play to finish his night and then Kestahn Moore ran 15 yards to give Florida a first-and-goal at the LSU 8. That run finished Tebow’s night, and he ran off the field exhorting the Florida crowd to cheers. Moore ran three straight times after that, going the final 2 yards for the score. Phillips’ PAT closed out the scoring at 51-21 in Florida’s favor.
HOW THEY SCORED
FLORIDA 51, LOUISIANA STATE 21
At Gainesville
Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Scoring by quarters 1 2 3 4 — Final
Louisiana State 0 7 7 7 — 21
Florida 17 3 14 17 — 51
FIRST QUARTER
UF–Percy Harvin 70 pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick) at 13:22. Drive: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1 first down, 1:38 time elapsed after opening kickoff return of 28 yards by Brandon James to LSU 32. Key plays: After Chris Rainey lost 2 yards on second down, Tebow lofted a pass to lead Harvin, who had gotten behind LSU’s Danny McCray. McCray tipped the ball, it ended up in Harvin’s hands at the LSU 41 and he took off to the middle of the field and outraced everyone to the end zone. Score: Florida 7, Louisiana State 0.
UF–FG Phillips 20 at 7:00. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 5 first down, 5:16 time elapsed after LSU punt. Key plays: Tebow completed four straight passes to four different receivers – Riley Cooper (10), Harvin (25), Jeffrey Demps (11) and Deonte Thompson (14) – to give Florida a first-and-10 at the LSU 18. Score: Florida 10, Louisiana State 0.
UF–Harvin 7 pass from Tebow (Phillips kick) at 1:09. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2 first downs, 4:10 time elapsed after Brandon James’ 40-yard punt return. Key plays: A face mask penalty on LSU’s Marlon Favorite in brining down Chris Rainey after a gain of 2 gave Florida a first down at the LSU 27. Touchdown, a slant pass, came on a third-and-goal play after Florida delay of game penalty. Score: Florida 17, Louisiana State 0.
SECOND QUARTER
UF–FG Phillips 34 at 0:49. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 4 first downs, 4:38 time elapsed following LSU punt. Key plays: Rainey carried three times for 22 yards and Demps carried three times for 26 as Florida kept it on the ground for the first nine plays of the drive. Score: Florida 20, Louisiana State 0.
LSU–Chris Mitchell 6 pass from Jarrett Lee (Colt David kick) at 0:05. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 3 first downs, 0:43 time elapsed after Florida kickoff was caught out of bounds by Trindon Holliday, giving the Tigers the ball at the LSU 40. Key plays: Lee completed 5 of 6 passes on the drive. Following LSU’s final timeout, Lee threw a quick out to Brandon LaFell, who came back for the catch and then pitched the ball back to Holliday, who was trailing the play and took the ball to the Florida 6. Score: Florida 20, Louisiana State 7.
THIRD QUARTER
LSU–Andrew Hatch 3 run (David kick) at 8:41. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 4 first downs, 6:19 time elapsed after the second-half kickoff. Key plays: Lee completed six passes on the drive and Trindon Holliday scooted 20 yards to the Florida 3 to set up the touchdown. Score: Florida 20, Louisiana State 14.
UF–Tebow 2 run (Phillips kick) at 4:16. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 3 first downs, 4:25 time elapsed following James’ 25-yard kickoff return. Key plays: Tebow accounted for 57 of the yards on four carries and two completions, the last a 37-yard completion to Louis Murphy who was pushed out at the LSU 2. Score: Florida 27, Louisiana State 14.
UF–Jeffrey Demps 42 run (Phillips kick) at 1:02. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 2 first downs, 2:14 time elapsed following 7-yard punt return by James. Key plays: The touchdown came on an option pitch from Tebow. Demps accelerated into the hole and got a downfield block from guard James Wilson before he broke into the clear. Score: Florida 34, Louisiana State 14.
FOURTH QUARTER
UF–Brandon Spikes 52 interception return (Phillips kick) at 14:48. Key plays: Spikes stepped in front of Lee’s pass and picked it off at the Florida 48 and then outlegged the LSU quarterback to the end zone where he was mobbed by his teammates. Score: Florida 41, Louisiana State 14.
LSU–Richard Dickson 6 pass from Jarrett Lee (David kick) at 11:10. Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 2 first downs, 1:22 time elapsed following Tyson Jackson’s recovery of a Tim Tebow fumble and return of 18 yards down the Florida sideline. Key plays: Lee was 4-for-4 on the drive for 28 yards. Score: Florida 41, Louisiana State 21.
UF–FG Phillips 25 at 6:47. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 2 first downs, 4:23 time elapsed following unsuccessful LSU onside kickoff which went out-of-bounds at the LSU 43. Key plays: Chris Rainey carried three straight times for 32 yards, including a 21-yard burst to the LSU 9 on which he was shaken up. Tebow was sacked on third-and-goal at the LSU 2 while attempting a jump pass. Score: Florida 44, Louisiana State 21.
UF–Kestahn Moore 2 run (Phillips kick) at 2:03. Drive:5 plays, 60 yards, 2 first downs, 2:45 time elaped after fourth-down incompletion by LSU. Key plays: Demps rushed for 37 yards on the first play of the drive and then Moore went for 15 to give the Gators a first-and-goal at the LSU 8. Moore gained the final 8 yards on 3 carries. Score: Florida 51, Louisiana State 21.
Game summary
Officials (assigned by SEC): Steve Shaw, referee; Brent Sowell, umpire; Gary Jayroe, head linesman; Michael Shirey, line judge; Mike Washington, field judge; Chuck Ross, side judge; George Ranager, back judge; Ben Oldham, replay official.
Weather: Fair weather, 76 degrees, 73 percent humidity, winds from the NNE at 6 miles per hour.
Coin toss: LSU won, defers to second half, will defend South goal.
Attendance: 90,684.
Records: Louisiana State 4-1, 2-1 SEC West; Florida 5-1, 3-1 SEC East.
Next games: Louisiana State at South Carolina, Oct. 18; Florida vs. Kentucky, Oct. 25.