Florida fans might have had a tough time deciding who they wanted to win Sunday night’s contest between the Florida State Seminoles and LSU Tigers.
Both teams are among the Gators’ top rivals, and the easy answer for most UF fans would be for both of them to lose if it were possible. Someone had to win, though, and that ended up being FSU by the slimmest of margins.
If you missed the game, here’s a recap of the ridiculous sequence of events that occurred. FSU had a 14-point lead with 9:04 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, but LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels led a 75-yard drive down the field to make it a one-score game. The Tigers forced the Seminoles to punt the ball away and give them a shot at tying things, but a muffed punt gave FSU the ball in the red zone.
At the one-yard line and with 1:20 on the clock, it seemed impossible for the ‘Noles to blow it. But then Mike Norvell made one of the most bewildering play calls imaginable, given the situation. He called for a pitch play, and Treshaun Ward fumbled the ball away at the goal line. LSU still needed to go the entire length of the field, but there was a chance.
The Tigers took the ball all the way down to the two-yard line before a review left them with one second on the clock to score the tying touchdown, pending an extra point. After a long delay — the review took some time and Norvell called a timeout — Daniels found Jaray Jenkins to complete the comeback… or so they thought.
FSU’s special teams unit came up huge, blocking the extra point and securing the most intense victory of the weekend. But why should Gators fans care? Well, Florida plays LSU on October 15 and FSU on November 25. Sure, it’s the first game of the year, but an ongoing scouting report on future opponents can come in handy and neither of those teams looks as good as UF did against Utah.
It’s not just about gloating, though. Beating LSU and FSU is necessary for Florida to accomplish what it wants to after upsetting the No. 7 team in the nation. The Georgia and Texas A&M games will be tough, and a team at the same level as either team that played Sunday night won’t stand a chance.
Watching Brian Kelly on the sidelines was like reliving the worst moments of Dan Mullen‘s reign in Gainesville. From an apathetic halftime interview to poor play-calling, things looked bad for the Tigers, and it still took every ounce of fight the Seminoles had to beat them.
Both teams could straighten up their act by the time Florida comes around the schedule, but Gators fans have to be fairly optimistic about those matchups after seeing the results from week one.
Florida and Utah looked like two well-coached teams trying to win a ball game, and FSU-LSU looked like two badly coached teams trying to give one away. Add in the fact that LSU had Billy Napier in their own backyard, and it really can’t seem like more of a win for UF right out of the gate.
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