LSU-UF Recap

What a difference 28 days makes. 28 days from Saturday, I remember walking out of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium thinking “How on earth did they lose to Kentucky?!”, along with the rest of Gator Nation. I remember jokingly telling people, “Hey, maybe Kentucky is just good.” 

It turns out, Kentucky is just good, and the Gators are, too. After one of the most electrifying games to happen at The Swamp, the Gators went on to take down LSU, 27-19. It wasn’t an easy win, nobody expected that, but it was one they deserved and it could have been the game they needed to turn this program around. 

This game just seemed to have a little fate involved. Not only was it a highly ranked rival coming to town, but it was a day in which UF legend, Tim Tebow, was inducted to Florida’s Ring of Honor. It was a day where the entire community honored the 2008 National Championship team.

All of that was on hold, however, when the Tigers marched down the field on their 10 play, 75 yard opening drive for the game’s first touchdown. Florida was hit in the mouth early, and most of Gator Nation was filled with trepidation. Following that possession, the Gators offense showed some life, but ultimately were not able to mimic LSU’s offense and had to punt. You could feel a sense of anxiety. A sense that this thing could get ugly really fast if something didn’t change. 

The defense woke up and everything changed. 

On LSU’s next drive, defensive end Jachai Polite, forced LSU QB Joe Burrow to fumble on Florida’s 33 yard line and UF recovered. This play was the play that settled everyone down. This was the proof the Gators needed that they belonged on the same field with the #5 team in America, and they showed why they’re still the best defense in the SEC. 

The offense eventually picked up the pace and took a 14-10 lead into halftime. The running game was leading the way and QB Feleipe Franks was doing the things he needed to do to keep drives going. He wasn’t perfect by any means in this game. In fact, his interception on the opening drive of the second half was reminiscent of last year’s Feleipe. It wasn’t all his fault, as the offensive line missed a couple key blocks which lead to some heavy pressure, but it was still a very bad decision. His ability to shake that off, however, was one of the reasons why UF won. Feleipe’s mental and physical toughness is some of the best I’ve ever seen a quarterback posses, college or pro. He’s taken so many heavy hits the last two seasons, and he’s endured doubt and exile from his own fan base. Yet, he’s still improving every week. He’s a massive reason why this team is #14 in the country. His supporting cast has been helping him a lot too. The offensive line has become much more physical since the beginning of the season. The receivers are making plays, and the running backs are all contributing in their own ways. 

28 days from this past Saturday, we all will know a lot more about this team. The Gators will have played another top 5 rivalry game, this time, in Jacksonville against Georgia. This was a game everyone has had pegged as a loss since the spring. However, this now looks like another potential big time win for the Gators. The Dawgs have looked great throughout the season, but they don’t look unbeatable. A win against UGA, and no slip ups against teams they shouldn’t lose to (the rest of the schedule), and this team will have a date with Alabama in December. Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, the 2018 Gator football team has been an immediate upgrade from the 2017 team and will likely be the one looked at as the team that launched UF back to the national scene.