Florida football took a beating on Saturday afternoon in the Las Vegas Bowl at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers, who nearly shut the Gators out for the first time since 1988. While the 30-3 final score was far more lopsided than most predicted, the outcome of this game could have been even worse.
Throughout the bowl season so far, ESPN’s staff updated its takeaway tracker following the conclusion of each postseason game. Writer Alex Scarborough offered his take on what the nation saw in Las Vegas between the Gators and Beavers on behalf of his crew, as noted below.
A week after signing a six-year deal worth $30.6 million, Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith led his team to a dominating triumph over Florida, securing the Beavers’ first 10-win season in 16 years and their first-ever victory against an SEC opponent. It was a balanced, all-round effort for Oregon State, which threw for 189 yards and rushed for 164 yards — 107 of which came from junior running back Deshaun Fenwick. The defense allowed only 1.2 yards per rush. A 40-yard field goal by [autotag]Adam Mihalek[/autotag] with less than a minute remaining avoided the shutout and extended the Gators’ streak of scoring in games to 436. — Scarborough
The loss sunk the program to its second-straight sub-.500 finish for the first time since the 1978 and 1979 seasons — the latter being the Swamp’s nadir following a 0-10-1 campaign in head coach Charlie Pell’s first season. The good news, based on that historical trend, is that brighter days are ahead in Gainesville… or at least, they should be.
[mm-video type=video id=01gmmd97zry26dcvgqc2 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gmmd97zry26dcvgqc2/01gmmd97zry26dcvgqc2-48026a5d8cf4e6809a18d31baf1522c7.jpg]
[lawrence-related id=98115,98002,97958,97951,97948]
[listicle id=98113]
[listicle id=98135]
[listicle id=98104]
[listicle id=98045]
[listicle id=98070]
[vertical-gallery id=98041]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!