Mike Gillislee ran for a career-high 146 yards and two
touchdowns, bringing No. 10 Florida to life in the second half as the
Gators beat fourth-ranked LSU 14-6 Saturday.
Led by Gillislee and a
dominant defense, Florida's grind-it-out victory provided a signature
win for coach Will Muschamp in his second season in Gainesville. It was
the program's first win against a ranked team since beating rival
Georgia in 2010.
Linebacker
Jon Bostic, safety Matt Elam and defensive end Lerentee McCray provided
the big plays on defense. Gillislee once again carried the load on
offense.
Together, they
wore down the Tigers (5-1, 1-1) in the second half — no surprise since
the Gators (5-0, 4-0) have been doing that all season. Florida, which
trailed 6-0 at halftime, also came from behind to beat Texas A&M and
Tennessee on the road last month.
This one was even more impressive.
The
Gators harassed quarterback Zach Mettenberger, pretty much shut down
running backs Spencer Ware, Kenny Hilliard and Michael Ford, and
completely wore down LSU's vaunted defense.
Mettenberger completed 11 of 25 passes for 161 yards, with an interception.
Florida
certainly will credit new strength coach Jeff Dillman and the team's
continually improving offensive line for the victory. Gillislee deserves
props, too.
It was his
third 100-yard game of the season, and it came against one of the
league's most feared fronts. Highly touted defensive ends Barkevious
Mingo and Sam Montgomery were neutralized much of the day. Linebacker
Kevin Minter had a career day, finishing with 16 tackles.
Minter had two of LSU's five sacks in the first half, helping the Tigers hold Florida to 47 yards at the break.
But
the Gators looked completely different after intermission. They went to
a heavy package featuring two extra offensive linemen to run the ball —
and it worked to perfection.
Florida
scored on consecutive drives by running on 17 of 18 plays. Gillislee
ended both of them with 12-yard touchdown runs, one in the third quarter
and another early in the fourth.
Maybe
the play of the game came between those game-changing scores. Elam
stripped Odell Beckham Jr. following a 56-yard reception on third down.
Initally,
the closest official ruled Beckham was down when the ball came out.
Replays, though, clearly showed the ball coming out before his knee hit
the ground. The play was reversed, and Florida seized the momentum.
It was a completed turnaround from the first 30 minutes, when Florida's offense fizzled.
Nonetheless,
the Gators probably should have scored in the first half — and pitched a
shutout — had it not been for two seemingly silly plays.
Bostic,
who was a key cog in stuffing LSU's run, was flagged for
unsportsmanlike conduct on the game's opening drive. Instead of facing
third-and-17, LSU got 15 yards and an automatic first down. It set up
Drew Alleman's 31-yard field goal.
Alleman
added a 21-yarder just before halftime as LSU capitalized on Jeff
Driskel's fumble. Driskel, who completed 8 of 12 passes for 61 yards,
held the ball too long and then fumbled while trying to scramble away
from Bennie Logan. Guard James Wilson had a shot at the loose ball but
whiffed.
Mingo eventually came up with it, setting LSU's offense up at the 7-yard line.
Florida's defense made a stand, though, and forced the chip shot.
