On Saturday, Florida systematically dismantled LSU's vaunted defense, winning 51-21 in the Swamp. It was one of the best victories of the Urban Meyer era, and unarguably Les Miles' worst loss since taking over the Bayou in 2005.The USA Today pollsters responded by driving Florida up to 7th in the overall standings while the AP poll was even more impressed, ranking the Gators just behind 4-1 Oklahoma at 5th.
So what's the significance of it all? Why was this win in particular such a tilting point for Florida's season? How is it that a team which lost to unranked Ole Miss two weeks ago is now back in the national title picture?
The answer might be found in the stats. Florida managed 475 total yards of offense, of which only 210 came through the air. Most of the remaining 265 came from two running backs who are starting to show they bring their own star power to an offense riddled with larger-than-life players. Jeff Demps ran for 129 yards and a touchdown, averaging a ludicrous 12.9 YPC average while Chris Rainey put up 66 yards on only 11 carries. These impressive numbers were earned against what many believed was the SEC's best defense.
When a team can run the ball that effectively, they're going to be hard to beat.
Add in Tim Tebow's efficient distribution of the ball to playmakers all over the field and the usual fantastic special teams play that Meyer's squad is known for, and the Gators are starting to look very much like the complete package. That kind of multi-faceted balance is what wins championships, and by scoring at will against a talented group of Bayou Bengals, the Gators seem to have announced that they are the team everyone expected them to be in the pre-season.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-13-2008 @ 1:27PM
Brian Grummell said...
That offense is scary if it can repeat this kind of showing or something near it the rest of the way.
I still want to see more defense though. Spikes' two INT's from the middle were a revelation, but I still see some serious run D issues to go with the still-suspect secondary.
It's all relative of course, but Florida right now looks more like 2005 USC with the star-studded offense and a defense that limped into the title game (USC's D would have been great in 2005 if not for the 19,000 injuries) where I think Florida has health and talent but just hasn't quite figured out how to dominate consistently on that side of the ball.
Charlie Strong was the force behind the 2006 title team, seems like the weak link this year though oddly.
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10-13-2008 @ 7:33PM
TJ said...
Brian, if you thought the 2005 USC defense was good, well, their 2008 defense tops that. Florida wouldn't score 51 on USC. There isn't a SEC team that would score more than 14 to 17 points against that D. Oregon St. caught SC sleeping at the wheel. It's called "taking your opponent for granted". Some would call it conceit and I can't disagree. I've been a long time USC fan, but it is what it is!
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10-13-2008 @ 9:14PM
rob combs said...
Just WAIT until we get Florida on OUR turf in 2009; what goes around comes around; that SOB Urban Myer running up the score on us is unforgivable.
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10-14-2008 @ 10:24AM
Brent said...
Running up the score, really? Seriously? Did you see the game or did you just see the score at the end? I was there and short of downing the ball the whole fourth quarter, we did everything possible to not run up the score. We ran the ball almost every down with 2 freshman back-ups. I guess we could have put our 4th stringers in, but wouldn't that kind of disrespect make you feel even worse, plus trust me when I say, Brantley can put up bigger numbers than Tebow, just wait. LSU is not used to playing from behind and I think they are better than what I saw on Saturday, they just couldn't get momentum on their side. Don't fret, you may get another shot at us this year. Good Luck!
10-14-2008 @ 2:50PM
conchybong said...
If Florida continues to play like they did against LSU no team will beat them.There are too many weapons to stop.Demps was very close to breaking multiple long runs,once he gets experience it will be scary.Tebow can pick his spots now that the run game is producing.Harvin is incredible and James is the best punt returner in the nation.No other team can match this offensive display of speed and power.
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10-27-2008 @ 2:42PM
jacks said...
Except of course the Dawgs! Glad you enjoyed the LSU win, in Jax. youll get to see a real "O"! Go Dawgs!