Gators Ready To Move Past Bama, On To LSU
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the immediate aftermath of Florida's loss at No. 1-ranked Alabama on Saturday night, Gators coach Urban Meyer saw a team he has seen before in his time here.
He saw glimpses of it after a midseason loss to Auburn in 2006. He saw similar hints following a crushing home loss to Ole Miss in 2008.
Meyer said he saw an angry team after the Auburn defeat, and a dejected group after the Gators lost to Ole Miss.
“This group was a combination of both,'' Meyer said Monday. “Some leadership really stepped up in there. It's easy to stand up and say something. You have to be a grown man to back everything up. I'm anxious to watch.''
Meyer didn't go into details about what exactly was said in the locker room after Saturday's game, but by all accounts, the Gators quickly turned their attention from the Crimson Tide to No. 9/12 LSU (5-0, 3-0), which brings an undefeated record and a talented roster to The Swamp on Saturday night for a key Southeastern Conference showdown.
“Watched the tape yesterday,'' said starting quarterback John Brantley of the Alabama game. “We got what we needed to get out of it. We're moving on. We have a different focus and we've put it behind us.''
The No. 12/14 Gators (4-1, 2-1) remain in contention for the SEC East title and a third consecutive trip to the SEC Championship Game if they don't trip over another SEC foe. But they also know they must play better than they did at Alabama.
The Gators had four opportunities inside the red zone at Alabama but came away with no touchdowns and only one field goal. Florida also committed four turnovers. Meyer said the team's red-zone efficiency and losing the turnover battle were the difference in the game.
The Gators moved the ball against Alabama – outgaining the Crimson Tide, 281 yards to 273 – but were unable to score other than on a pair of field goals from Chas Henry.
“We just have to improve our execution and not have the miscues we had down in there,'' Meyer said. “That's a different game if you score. I knew points were going to be at a premium against that offense. We wanted to score touchdowns. But the red-zone scoring, that's a whole different ballgame. We're in that thing.''
Senior offensive lineman Carl Johnson is confident the offense won't have any carryover effect from Saturday's loss, emphasizing what is at stake.
“We've got a lot of ball left,'' Johnson said. “You never know how the season could end. You've got to rally up. We can't be dwelling on or licking our wounds over Alabama anymore. It's time to move on. We've got LSU.''
The Tigers are coming off a 16-14 win over Tennessee that included perhaps the most dramatic finish of any game in the country last weekend. After Tennessee had apparently stopped LSU on the final play to preserve a 14-10 win, the Vols were called for too many players on the field, resulting in one final untimed play for LSU.
Stevan Ridley made sure the final play did not go to waste, scoring the game-winning touchdown and setting off a frenzied celebration. Ridley enters Saturday's game as the SEC's leading rusher, the third time this season the Gators have faced the league's top back. They held Tennessee's Tauren Poole to 23 yards and limited Kentucky's Derrick Locke to 54 through three quarters. Locke finished with 104 yards, most of them coming with the game out of reach.
While the mood Saturday was a mix of anger and dejection according to Meyer, the Gators who met with the media on Monday voiced a similar tone. Redemption was a common theme.
“A lot of important stuff was said after, but it doesn't mean anything if we don't follow up with it this week at practice, try to learn from that game and make the best of the rest of the season,'' Lemmens said. “It was a wake-up call. And with that said, you don't need to be pumped up to play LSU at night in The Swamp.
“That's our motivation. It's another SEC game and we have a chance to either go downhill or go uphill from that game. We're going to do our best to make the best of the rest of the season.''
