A formula of punishing opponents at the line of scrimmage and limiting third-down conversions fueled the Gators’ defense into becoming the SEC’s best unit this season.
But that combination crumbled as Florida was consistently outmatched and overpowered by LSU during a 17-6 loss in front of 92,980 at Tiger Stadium on Saturday.
“We’re a proud team,” linebacker Michael Taylor said. “It is painful that we lost the way we lost. That’s all I can really say.”
Much of the focus entering the game was on the improvement of LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger, whose development had his offense humming to an average of 45.5 points per game this season.
As a junior in 2012, Mettenberger struggled in a loss to the Gators, completing only 11 of 25 passes and tossing an interception with no touchdowns.
Mettenberger’s job was made easy Saturday night behind a dominant offensive line.
Despite facing a Florida rushing defense that entered as the best in the conference, LSU running back Jeremy Hill thrived. The sophomore carried the ball 19 times for 121 yards and helped spearhead an offensive attack that accumulated 327 yards of total offense.
“We had opportunities to make stops,” coach Will Muschamp said. “We’ve got to be more consistent.”
LSU responded to a Florida’s early field goal by pounding the Gators with a 9-play, 70-yard drive late on its second possession of the game. The drive culminated with a rushing touchdown by J.C. Copeland on the first play of the second quarter to give the Tigers a lead they never lost.
After Mettenberger fumbled on LSU’s next possession — the lone turnover in the game — the Tigers extended their lead to 14-3 in the second quarter with another impressive drive.
Facing third-and-17, a down and distance the Florida defense has feasted on this season, Mettenberger dropped back and completed a 22-yard strike to Odell Beckham Jr. to advance to the Florida 25-yard line. Three plays later, Anthony Jennings bulldozed his way into the end zone with 5:14 remaining before halftime.
“They just had the perfect play for the perfect coverage,” safety Cody Riggs said of the third-down conversion from Mettenberger to Beckham. “They ran a great play.”
LSU converted 5 of its 9 third-down tries in the game to surpass the 23 percent conversion rate Florida limited opponents to during its first five games.
“Third down is our money down,” Riggs said. “That’s what we take pride in. We are used to getting off the field on third downs. They converted a couple third downs and were able to keep the ball moving.”
The first-half struggles of Florida’s defense were reminiscent of its poor performance early in a 21-16 loss to Miami on Sept. 7. Against the Hurricanes, the Gators allowed two first-quarter passing touchdowns before controlling the rest of the game.
A similar fate awaited Florida on Saturday night. Mettenberger and LSU failed to sustain many drives during the second half — adding just a field goal midway through the fourth quarter — but a punchless Florida offense proved too much to overcome.
“We didn’t hold them to enough to win the game, and that’s the bottom line right there,” Taylor said. “This is an SEC team, a rivalry team, a team that we damn sure wanted to beat.”
