Saturday in The Swamp was a coming out party for the No. 10/11 Florida Gators (5-0, 4-0 SEC), which earned the team’s biggest win under head coach Will Muschamp to date with a 14-6 come-from-behind victory over the No. 4/3 LSU Tigers (5-1, 1-1 SEC) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

Senior running back Mike Gillislee was nearly the entire offensive attack for the Gators as he carried the ball a career-high 34 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns, most of which occurred in the second half of the game.

Florida’s victory over LSU is the team’s first at home against a ranked opponent since 2008. The Gators are now 3-0 when trailing at the half in 2012 and have started the season 5-0 for the first time since 2009. UF is 8-0 under Muschamp when rushing for more than 150 yards and continued their dominance in the second half, holding LSU scoreless over the final 30 minutes of the game.

Despite each team being flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct personal foul on the opening drive, LSU was successful in marching down the field on Florida right out of the gate. The Tigers moved 64 yards in 10 plays but were stalled inside the red zone and settled for a 31-yard field goal just minutes into the first quarter.

A pair of big punts by Gators sophomore Kyle Christy kept the visitors at bay as Florida struggled to get anything going offensively even though the team started near midfield on consecutive possessions.

With LSU backed up once again, UF junior cornerback Jaylen Watkins intercepted quarterback Zach Mettenberger and handed his offense the ball at the 38-yard line. The Gators were unable to capitalize on the field position, however, as Florida’s offensive line was exposed and sophomore QB Jeff Driskel was sacked on consecutive snaps.

The Gators began making some progress one possession later with a seven-play, 49-yard drive, but it was halted when redshirt senior wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. fumbled the ball away on 2nd-and-10 at the Tigers’ 22-yard line.

After another defensive stand, Florida wasted little time turning the ball back over to LSU. Driskel was sacked for an 11-yard loss and fumbled the ball, which the Tigers recovered at the Gators’ seven-yard line. UF was able to hold strong, however, and forced LSU to kick another field goal and take a 6-0 lead into the half.

Read the rest of the Florida-LSU game story…after the break!
Continue Reading » Mike Gillislee, Florida Gators run over LSU 14-6

Tags: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Frankie Hammond, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Kyle Christy, LSU Tigers, Mike Gillislee, Omaruis Hines, The Swamp, Will Muschamp, Zach Mettenberger

Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 88,548]
Weather Forecast: 85°F, scattererd T-storms (45% chance of rain), WNW at 4 mph
Time: 3:30 p.m. EDT

Tickets: Starting at $58 on TiqIQ

TV: CBS/CBSHD (Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson)
SiriusXM: 91 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: CBSSports.com | Mobile Video: CBS Sports app
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter and SportsYapper

Odds: Florida +2.5, O/U 42

HOMEWORK

Need to catch up on what happened with the Gators over the last two weeks? No problem. OGGOA has been here the whole time posting a ton of information so you can do your homework on the team before its next exam on Saturday.

LSU a big test, great opportunity for Florida | Gators do not need superheroes | Miles says Florida is much improved | Gators defense can still improve

HISTORY / STREAKS

» Florida leads LSU 30-25-3 in the all-time series between the two teams and holds a 14-11-3 advantage in Gainesville. The teams have squared off every year since 1971. The Tigers have won consecutive games in the series but have split the last 12 contests with the Gators 6-6 dating back to 2000. UF is the last team to have won more than two-straight games in the series, capturing four contests in a row from 1998-2001.
» It is just the fourth time in the series that Florida and LSU enter the game both ranked in the top 10. It is just the fifth time that the Gators and Tigers are both undefeated when going head-to-head on the gridiron.
» Florida is 10-1 against unranked opponents and 1-5 against ranked teams since Muschamp took over the program in 2011.
» Muschamp spent four years at LSU as an assistant coach under Nick Saban. He is 1-2 all-time as a coach against the Tigers (0-1 at UF, 1-1 at Auburn).
» Since 1990, the Gators are 28-9 overall and 8-2 in The Swamp when playing a game after being afforded a bye week.
» Florida has started the season 4-0 for the fourth-straight year but is looking to improve to 5-0 for the first time since the 2009 season. LSU is 5-0 for the fourth year in a row.
» The Gators have not defeated a ranked opponent at home since Nov. 15, 2008.
» Florida has not defeated an SEC West team in Gainesville since Oct. 17, 2009. LSU has won seven-straight games against SEC East opponents overall with its last loss coming to UF in 2009.
» The Gators were 0-5 when trailing at the half in 2011 but has started the 2012 season 2-0 in that category with both victories coming against league opponents.
» Florida is 7-0 under Muschamp when rushing for more than 150 yards and 0-4 when rushing for fewer than 100 yards. The Gators are also 8-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points and 8-3 when scoring first.
» UF has scored in all but one quarter (15-of-16) so far in 2012.
» The Gators have scored on 13-of-14 red zone trips (92.9 percent) but have only converted 8-of-14 possessions (57.1 percent) into touchdowns.
» Florida has converted just 23-of-58 third-down attempts (39.7 percent) this season.
» The Gators have held their opponents to 18-of-62 on third down (29.0 percent); UF was second nationally in third-down defense (27.3 percent) last season.
» Florida has at least two kickoff returns for touchdowns in each of the last two seasons after never having more than one in a single season before 2010.
» The Gators are outscoring opponents 64-13 in the second half and 34-0 in the fourth quarter through four games this season. UF is the only team in the SEC to not allow a fourth-quarter point to be scored.
» Florida is out-possessing opponents by an average of 9:34 through four games, a margin that ranks eighth nationally.
» The Gators are +5 in turnover margin through four games after being -12 in 2011. UF has forced the most turnovers in the SEC (325) since 2000, while LSU has forced the second-most turnovers (316) in that span of time.
» Florida has grabbed six interceptions so far in 2012 (three games with two each) and is already closing in on its 2011 total of eight picks.
» The Tigers are riding an 18-game regular season winning streak into The Swamp on Saturday. It is the longest such streak in the nation.
» LSU will play its 20th straight game as a top-five ranked team.
» The Tigers are ranked in the top 10 nationally in rush defense (ninth), total defense (fourth), scoring defense (ninth) and pass defense (sixth).
» A total of 20 players on LSU’s roster have recorded an impact defensive play (sack, tackle for loss, interception, forced/recovered fumble).
» The Tigers under Miles are 12-10 vs. top 10 opponents and 4-3 against the Gators.

LAST TIME OUT

After dropping a heartbreaker at home to LSU in 2010, Florida entered Tiger Stadium looking for some revenge against their annual SEC West rivals. Instead the Gators were dished a harsh dose of reality by the Tigers, which outscored them 14-0 in the first quarter, led 24-3 at the half and went on to wipe out the visitors 41-11 in Baton Rouge, LA. Florida was forced to start freshman Jacoby Brissett at quarterback for the second-straight game, and he was held to just 94 yards passing, which included a 65-yard touchdown throw. LSU outgained UF 253-124 on the ground, and the Tigers’ defense dominated the Gators’ offense, registering four tackles for loss (one sack), a forced fumble and two interceptions.

Read the rest of the Florida-LSU preview including injuries and absences and which players to look out for from both sides of the field.
Continue Reading » Gameday: No. 10/11 Florida vs. No. 4/3 LSU

Tags: Anthony Johnson, Barkevious Mingo, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Bennie Logan, Caleb Sturgis, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, J.C. Copeland, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Kenny Hilliard, Les Miles, LSU Tigers, Matt Elam, Michael Ford, Mike Gillislee, Sam Montgomery, SEC, Sharrif Floyd, Spencer Ware, Will Muschamp, Zach Mettenberger