By Chris Macaluso
Special to LSUsports.net
BATON ROUGE — The largest crowd to ever witness a game in Tiger Stadium walked back to its collective cars after Saturday’s 21-17 win over Florida undoubtedly missing some fingernails.
For the second-straight week, LSU statistically dominated a Southeastern Conference opponent and, for the second-straight week, the outcome of the game remained in doubt until late in the game because of a host of Tiger mistakes. Last week, the opponent was an obviously out-manned Vanderbilt team that eventually lost 34-6.
This week, the opponent was the much more formidable Gators, who’s hopes of representing the SEC East in the conference championship game rested largely on the outcome of Saturday’s visit to Baton Rouge.
The win improved LSU’s record to 4-1, 3-1 in the SEC while Florida fell to 5-2, 3-2 in the conference, a full two games behind SEC East leading Georgia. The Tigers take on bitter rival Auburn in Baton Rouge next week. Florida’s players get what Coach Urban Meyer described as a much-needed week off both physically and mentally before having to face Georgia on October 29.
LSU amassed 361 yards while Florida managed 206. LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell completed 14-22 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Florida quarterback Chris Leak completed just 11-30 passes for 107 yards and no touchdowns. LSU scored 14 points so easily during the games opening minutes it seemed as if a route was in the making.
But, as in last week’s game, the Tigers provided their own demises. LSU committed five turnovers, three of which led to all of Florida’s 17 points. Russell was responsible for three, on two interceptions and a fumble while Tiger tailbacks Joseph Addai and Justin Vincent threw in a fumble a piece.
“On offense we cannot sustain the mistakes that we made,” said LSU Head Coach Les Miles. “I will not allow it. We worked hard on it last week and we’re going to work hard it again.”
Florida seized a 17-14 lead late in the third quarter just three plays after Russell threw his second interception. But, LSU reclaimed the lead for good on the ensuing drive, an impressive 12-play, 75-yard time eater that ended with a 3-yard run by Addai with 12:35 remaining in the game.
Florida was able to take advantage of the Tiger mistakes by opening up its running attack in LSU territory after the turnovers. All three Gator scores came within five plays of a Tiger mistake and two of the three drives contained runs of at least 30 yards. The Gators finished the contest with 99 net yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground.
But, when LSU didn’t hurt itself with fumbles and interceptions, its defense dominated, sacking Leak four times and limiting Florida to just four trips beyond the 50-yard line the entire game.
LSU deferred the winning coin toss giving Chris Jackson the chance to drill the opening kick out of the back of the south endzone. Florida moved the ball to the LSU 35 but penalties and an aggressive Tiger blitz kept the Gators from accomplishing much and LSU took over at its 29-yard line with 13:28 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers responded quickly, moving the ball across midfield in three plays thanks to a personal foul against Florida. On the drive’s fifth play, Russell found Benny Brazell wide open between the safety and the cornerback at the Gator 10-yard line and the receiver skipped into the endzone to give LSU a touchdown lead with 11:42 remaining in the quarter. The 44-yard strike capped a 71-yard drive that ate up just 1:38 and marked the first career touchdown catch for the long-time special teams specialist.
LSU’s defense stymied Florida again on the ensuing drive, forcing the Gators to punt and giving Addai a chance to display his speed and agility on the second play of LSU’s second drive. The senior tailback gashed Florida for 30 yards setting up a first down at the Gator 31. But, Vincent turned LSU’s scoring chance into a an opportunity for Florida when he dropped the ball on the next play and Gator linebacker Brandon Siler recovered it at the 30.
Leak appeared befuddled after the Gators took over on offense, constantly moving from the shotgun formation to under center to change the play call. Florida managed a first down, but that was all as the Tiger crowd grew increasingly louder as Leak shifted.
LSU was unable to move the ball past midfield on its next chance and Jackson entered the game to pin the Gators inside their 20-yard line. Leak continued to struggle as the Tiger defense harassed him and Florida booted the ball back to LSU four plays later, giving the Tigers another prime scoring chance with a first down at the LSU 44.
Russell connected with Bowe on the drive’s first play for 24 yards, setting up a first down at the Gator 32. The next play, Russell found Bowe again in one-on-one coverage on the right side and Bowe out-muscled Gator cornerback Demetrice Webb in the endzone for a 27-yard touchdown grab with 1:10 left in the opening quarter. LSU’s quick score ability put the Tigers up 14-0 after just a three-play drive that used a scant 23 seconds of the first-quarter clock.
The Tigers were pinned deep to begin their next offensive chance after Gator punter Eric Wilbur bounced a kick dead at the LSU 4-yard line. Shyrone Carey attempted to move the ball beyond the shadow of the goal line on first and second down to no avail and Russell launched the third down pass attempt well over Skyler Green‘s head setting up a Jackson punt from deep in his endzone.
Florida took over on offense at the LSU 47-yard line and moved themselves into a 4th-and-2 situation at the 38. Leak pitched the ball to tailback DeShawn Wynn well behind the line of scrimmage and was met first by Tiger safety Jesse Daniels then a host of Tigers at the 41.
LSU took over on downs at their 41, but handed the ball right back to the Gators on the first play of the drive when Addai dropped the ball on a straight dive play up the middle. Florida safety Jarvis Herring picked up the loose ball and stumbled to the 32-yard line before Russell pulled him to the turf.
Two plays later, Florida cut the two-touchdown LSU lead in half on a 32-yard run by back-up tailback Kestahn Moore. The point after made the score 14-7 LSU with 8:44 remaining in the first half.
LSU’s offense sputtered on its next two possessions and Jackson gave the Gators a decent offensive shot after a wobbling 34-yard punt was touched dead at the Florida 39-yard line with 3:38 to play in the half. But, the Tiger defense exploited Leak’s confusion again as the Gator signal caller dropped a shotgun snap at his 35, losing nine yards on a third-down chance and Wilbur was forced to punt again.
The Tigers took control at their 16 and moved the ball close to midfield in three plays. But LSU ended its own momentum again on a fumble when Russell dropped the ball as he dropped back to pass at the 37-yard line. Florida recovered with less than 40 seconds to play and the half ended with Leak in the arms of linebacker Ali Highsmith, who tracked down the Gator quarterback deep in the backfield.
LSU continued its giving ways on the first drive of the second half when Russell, after being chased from the pocket inside his 10, lofted a wobbling, inaccurate pass along the west sideline into Herring’s arms at the LSU 46.
Wynn outpaced the Tiger defense for a 26-yard run on the first play of the Gator drive, setting up a first-and-goal at the Tiger 10. Leak advanced to the Tiger 5 on a 2nd-down scramble, but that was as far as the Gators traveled. Place kicker Chris Hetland chipped in a 22-yard field goal with 11:31 to play in the third quarter and Florida had its second score thanks to a Tiger turnover.
LSU started its next drive at its 10-yard line thanks to a holding penalty during the kickoff return but then embarked on a methodical drive that ate up plenty of clock and looked promising but resulted in another turnover and predictably, another Gator score. Russell dropped back to pass on third down at the Gator 44 and had his attempt batted into the air by defensive tackle Steven Harris then picked off by end Joe Cohen. Cohen returned the interception 16 yards setting up a first down at the LSU 32-yard line.
Three plays later, Wynn carried the ball easily over the Tiger goal line and the Gators claimed a 17-14 lead with 4:02 to play in the third.
LSU responded with an often uncertain, but ultimately successful 12- play drive, the result of which gave the Tigers the lead for good. Addai carried the ball into the endzone from two yards out with 12:35 remaining in the game to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive highlighted by a 31- yard pass from Russell to Bowe with the Tigers facing a 3rd-and-8 at the Florida 43. Colt David‘s extra point gave the Tigers a 21-17 advantage at the end of the 6:27 drive.
Florida started its next drive at its 18, giving the Tiger defense a chance to cut loose on Leak the same as it did in the first half. The Gator drive ended with another sack by Highsmith and a short punt gave the Tigers control at their 45 on the ensuing possession.
But, LSU was unable to move the ball forward, losing a combined 22 yards on first and second down. Jackson was forced to punt away one of the best of his career, a 54-yarder that pinned the Gators at their 6-yard line to begin their most crucial drive of the game. Florida moved to the 24-yard line but was forced to punt after Leak was unable to escape a Tiger blitz on 3rd-and-12 on the drive’s third play.
The Tiger offensive possession again began close to midfield after another punt angled away from Green. LSU took over at its 42-yard line but was forced again to punt after the drive netted minus -1 yard.
Jackson punted again and again the Gators took over on offense inside their 10-yard line. Leak was given 4:02 to move the ball 95 yards, but the Gators moved backwards on penalties too often to be effective. Florida had three similar chances before the game’s finish but they all concluded without another point being scored. The Gators moved the ball close to the 50 with less than 3:00 to play on what appeared to be a 33-yard completion. But, the play was called back because of an offensive pass interference penalty.
The game ended when a desperation hook-and-lateral to receiver Gavin Dickey was smothered by linebacker Cameron Vaughn at the Florida 25-yard line.
“Our defense played extremely well from start to finish,” Miles said. “They played with the same intensity, they played hard. They need to correct some things certainly because nobody plays a perfect game, but our defense came to play.”
LSU vs. Florida
Oct. 15, 2005 – Tiger Stadium
Game Notes
Team Notes
1. LSU’s game captains are 41 Chris Jackson, 46 Cameron Vaughn, 64 Rudy Niswanger and 98 Claude Wroten.
2. LSU won the toss and deferred to the second half. Florida received the opening kickoff.
3. Tigers extending their consecutive starts’ streak today were: OT Andrew Whitworth (44), FS LaRon Landry (25) and DT Kyle Williams (25), LB Cameron Vaughn (17) and SS Jessie Daniels (17).
4. LSU extended its sack streak to 42 straight games with a sack on Florida QB Chris Leak by DE Glenn Dorsey early in the second quarter.
5. Today’s attendance of 92,402 is the largest crowd in Tiger Stadium history. The previous high was 92,251 set on Sept. 20, 2003 against Georgia.
6. LSU defeated Florida in Tiger Stadium for the first time since 1997.
7. LSU has now won back-to-back games against the Gators for the first time since the 1986 and 1987 seasons , and the Tigers have won three out the last four contests between the two.
Individual Notes
8. OT Andrew Whitworth started his 44th straight game, moving the senior into a fourth-place tie with Anthony McFarland on LSU’s all-time starts list. The career record is held by Jerel Myers and Rodney Reed with 48 starts.
9. With a tackle in the first quarter DT Kyle Williams and FS LaRon Landry extended their tackles in consecutive games streak. They each have now made a tackle in 31 straight games.
10. WR Bennie Brazell‘s 43-yard touchdown reception with 11:42 left in the first quarter was the first of his career.
11. QB JaMarcus Russell now has 16 touchdown passes in his career and seven this season.
a. The touchdown pass to Brazell was Russell’s 15th of his career and sixth of this season.
b. Russell’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe with 1:10 left in the first quarter was his 16th of his career and seventh of the season.
12. QB JaMarcus Russell went over the 2,000 passing yards in his career with a 24-yard pass to Early Doucet late in the first quarter. Russell finished game with 236 passing yards and now has 2,170 in his career.
13. With Joseph Addai‘s 6-yard reception early in the first quarter, the senior has now collected at least one reception in 13 straight games.
a. With Addai’s 30-yard run early in the first quarter, the senior moved into 10th-place on LSU’s career rushing yards list, passing Domanick Davis.
b. Addai then passed Brad Davis during the fourth quarter and moved into ninth-place on the all-time rushing yards list. Addai finished the game with 156 yards and 2,203 in his career.
c. Addai recorded the fourth 100-plus yard rushing game of his career and the third of the season.
d. Addai scored the 15th rushing touchdown of his career and the sixth of the season on a 3-yard run with 12:35 left in the fourth quarter. He has now rushed for a touchdown in five straight games (every game of this season).
e. With 32 carries and 156 yards, Addai set career highs in each category.
LSU vs. Florida
October 15, 2005
Quotes
LSU HEAD COACH LES MILES
Opening Statement…
“Our defense played extremely well start to finish. As a matter of fact, if you had to give credit for that win to a piece of our team, it would be that defense from start to finish. They played with the same intensity, they played hard, they need to correct some things certainly because nobody plays a perfect game, but our defense came to play. On the other hand, on offense we cannot sustain the mistakes that we made. I will not allow it. We’re going to work hard at it. We worked hard at it last week, and we’re going to work hard at it again. There’s got to be a stronger push and a greater commitment by our team. We’re going to fix it. If you turn the ball over the amount of times we did and you have penalties that are unforced, that’s just fundamentals. We will not be able to do the things that this team is capable of doing. This football team has a lot in front of it, if the things that we’re trying to eliminate don’t stand between us and being a spectacular football team. Right now, we’re just a sloppy team on offense. We need to get that fixed. We’ll get that fixed. But we still must give credit to this team. The fact that they came back in the fourth quarter again and played well enough to win and understand they have to play that well. The fact that they really allowed the team they played tonight to stay close was because of the mistakes they made. We’ll get this thing fixed. I look forward to it. It will be a lot of fun coaching this week, and we’ll work hard at it.”
On Chris Jackson‘s punting…
“He is having a very strong year. If there’s a better punter in the country under pressure in tough situation who kicks the ball as high and as long as he does, I’d like somebody to point him out to me. I think he’s having a great year.”
On JaMarcus Russell‘s decisions when he threw the interceptions…
“JaMarcus goes to throw out of bounds and gets a pick. He throws a ball to a wide open X-cross, and it really wasn’t the decision. The decision to throw to where he was throwing was fine, the problem was his execution. The trajectory on the throw was poor, and a guy who was not intended to drop into coverage caught the ball.”
On punishment for sloppy ball-handling…
“There’ll be some thought given to some punishment. It might be most painful when watched in front of their teammates so they can see how much they hurt the team. That may well be the most significant punishment.”
LSU Player Quotes (Defense)
CB Ronnie Prude
On the difference of the team between Arizona State and now…
“I feel the difference is we carry more confidence, just carrying out our assignments and executing Coach’s plan. Having fun is the main thing we’re doing right now, having fun and executing and just going all out.”
On breaking out 14-0 and then Florida coming back and having any thoughts about Tennessee…
“No, that’s way behind us. We didn’t think one time that was going to happen again. We just came out and said we’re going to stay focused and play defense.”
On the biggest difference in defense…
“Just confidence. Just going out there and executing, locking up and not playing soft in the zones. And having faith in what we’re doing and in the coaches.”
On the praise to the D-line making his job easier…
“Well if they do there job and we just sit back and let them do what they got to do then everything comes clear for us.”
About what the D-line did…
“Putting pressure on Chris Leak because that’s what we had to do. We knew if we got at him everything was going to be alright.”
On the game plan…
“The game was come in and get after him (Leak) and let him know that we’re here for business and we not here to play around. We still had a few mistakes, but we worked them out on the sidelines and came on the field and just took care of it.”
LSU Offensive Player Quotes
WR Bennie Brazelle
On the win over Florida…
“I think we always knew we had it in us. The defense had our back. We’ve worked really hard in practice.”
On the atmosphere in Tiger Stadium…
“It’s a special feeling. That’s why I came back for my fifth year and I can’t let it go to waste. I’ve got to give it all I’ve got.”
OL Andrew Whitworth
On beating Florida…
“It’s a big win for us. My hat is off to them and we’re proud to get out of Tiger Stadium with a victory.”
On the defense’s improvement…
“I think it’s just the way they’ve been coming along. Each week they’ve been getting better. They’ve worked really hard and it’s definitely something I’m proud of them for. We’re really proud of them and we’re going to really need them down the stretch.”
On the atmosphere during the game…
“It was unbelievable. It was wonderful just to get a chance to come in here and play. I don’t have too many of them left some I’m cherishing each one.”
FLORIDA HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER
On today’s game …
“Our opponent was a very good team, very athletic. A lot like Tennessee and Alabama, this is a tough conference. I know I always say that but this is a tough conference and there is a lot of great defenses in this conference including the University of Florida’s. Great environment and for a coach that has not been in the SEC very long, that’s what separates the SEC from every other conference in college football. I mean go to the Swamp, or go here, or go to Alabama. That was a hell of an atmosphere. I thought that we played excellent defense. We created turnovers and gave great field position. I thought that our kicking game was very solid. We held the leading punt returner and our punter did an excellent job. We did some things to try to keep the ball out of his (Skyler Green) hands. I’m not sure of what our net was but our net- we had far too many punts- but our net was- I don’t think he returned any so I think it was a forty-three net, which I thought would be critical in this game. We are still not executing offensively, certainly not our throw game, but I thought that we recovered for most of the game. Our run game showed up, I found a tailback. I think he finally can play tailback at Florida. Practicing once in awhile, played once in awhile, so I really though DeShawn (Wynn) played hard. So you can really say that we got a running back at Florida, before that you couldn’t say that. I just had a long talk with him, and Florida needs a tailback. I mean a real tailback, a guy you hand the ball to, and he goes hard. That’s what Florida really needs, the University of Florida needs a tailback. I thought he ran really hard.”
About QB Chris Leak’s performance …
“I think Chris struggled a little bit but I think that our receivers struggled as well. I don’t think we did a good job getting guys open. There was a lot of blitzing, we call it no deep zero man and we didn’t do a good job getting off of it. Obviously our throw game was non-existent. And far too many sacks.”
FLORIDA DEFENSIVE PLAYER QUOTES
DT MARCUS THOMAS
On the emotion played with…
“We played with a lot of emotion and that’s what Coach (Meyer) brought into this, that we got to stick together and be a team. We came out and we played together and Coach was saying that if we had six more people that was in with us then we would have came out with a victory. We have a couple people on the boat, but not everybody.”
On players joining with the team…
“We just want everybody to hustle hard and do the best that they can. I guess you can blame it on the leaders and other players for not getting them on the boat. This whole week we’re gonna work harder and talk to people and get ready for Georgia. “
On the front defensive play…
“The defense did well. With the big plays, I kind of put that on the defensive line. We should have got to the quarterback and not hang our safeties out to dry. We have a couple of big plays we gave up that we shouldn’t have given up.”
On losing back to back weeks…
“Last year, I kind of got used to losing. This year it hurts real bad because I wasn’t expecting it. We were on a roll not to lose any games then we lost to Alabama and that really hurt, too. I wasn’t expecting us to lose again.”
Florida player quotes (offense)
QB Chris Leak
On what went wrong:
“We just didn’t take advantage of our opportunities. We made too many mistakes. Guys played their hearts out. We just didn’t make enough plays.”
On Coach Meyer being so emotional after the lost:
“He is just so passionate about his guys, the guys played so hard. That’s just how Coach Meyer is. He loves his players.”
On his emotional state after the game:
“It was a tough loss. This is one of those big time games that you want to win. It was really hard.”
On whether he still believes in Coach Meyer’s offensive system:
“Yeah, everybody is bought into. We just got to get more comfortable and make the plays when we have the opportunity.”
RB DeShawn Wynn
On his performance:
“It all started with the offensive line opening the holes for me. I just ran through them. Coach Meyer challenged me before the game and I just took that personally.”
On how Coach Meyer said he became a tailback this game:
“I think so, the way I was running hard and with the line opening so many holes I think he has a lot more confidence in me.”