Official Game Thread 2023 Week 11: Florida Gators at #18 LSU Tigers 11/11/23

[DRU2012]

Trust me, E--:
Watching this one "in snippets" is the only way an intelligent, heartfelt Gator fan can stomach the breakdowns and inconsistencies that only such youth and inexperience (and yes, questionable coaching) can bring.

 

[Escambia94]

Gators are not looking like a bowl eligible team today. Trail by 3 at the half.

	FLA	LSU
Score	14	17
1st Downs	12	12
3rd down efficiency	2-6	1-5
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-2
Total Yards	196	342
Passing	136	157
Comp-Att	13-15	9-15
Yards per pass	9.1	10.5
Interceptions thrown	0	0
Rushing	60	185
Rushing Attempts	19	20
Yards per rush	3.2	9.3
Penalties	3-25	4-38
Turnovers	1	0
Fumbles lost	1	0
Interceptions thrown	0	0
Possession	15:59	14:01

 

[Escambia94]

Why was ETN running with one shoe? Is this how Florida reverses the curse of Marco Wilson throwing a shoe?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1723522646589976843

 

[Leakfan12]

Hey, I know I'm here for a change. The Gators are holding their ground. Just hope they can score in their first drive in the second half.

 

[Leakfan12]

Why was ETN running with one shoe? Is this how Florida reverses the curse of Marco Wilson throwing a shoe?

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1723522646589976843

The guy trying to tackle him got his shoe.

 

[DRU2012]

17-14 LSU at the half.
So UF holding its own--when I'M not around to mess it up, I guess.
I will take the same tack in the 2nd half:
I PROMISE not to mess with their "mojo";
I will only tune back in if they are IN with a chance late in the game--and maybe not even then.
They almost screw it up HUGE to start the 2nd half...SAVED by the Tigers offside!
I am OUTTA here: I swear, I am BAD for these guys!

 

[Leakfan12]

Well punted the ball

 

[DRU2012]

Hey, I know I'm here for a change. The Gators are holding their ground. Just hope they can score in their first drive in the second half.

Welcome, LF...Normally I'd be right here WITH you, happy for another compadre.
But like I said, I really do think I am having some weird detrimental drag-effect or something here--every time I tune in, they've BEEN "holding their own" but immediately something BAD happens--something "STUPID bad"!
From the replays from the 1st half I saw in addition to those little bits of disaster I personally witnessed, it LOOKS like once again we COULD have taken the LEAD here, but instead have had to settle so far with "keeping it close".
I want so badly for us to somehow "shock the WORLD", just ONCE here late in the season
...and am just drowning in hopeless pessimism even as deep DOWN I still HOPE.
I cannot watch.

 

[DRU2012]

Still just too many dumb errors and foulups all OVER the place. I understand why, to some extent: It's directly BECAUSE of that "youth abd inexperience...We started OUT "the youngest team being fielded in major college football this season", and with all the injuries that, plus the heightened lack of team cohesion that came with it, is just spreading and deepening the problem.
But it sure looks as if they may well have the same problems over on the sidelines!
It all just hurts so much to witness, live through.
Someday we will shut them all UP.
But not today I'm afraid, my friends.

 

[Leakfan12]

They took the lead, still have a ways to go.

 

[Leakfan12]

They took the lead, still have a ways to go.

and it didn't last long

 

[DRU2012]

So far it is looking like we WILL be able to say "They fought hard, and they DIDN'T give up!"
But we well know that THAT just isn't ENOUGH.
Once again, though, Mertz has been a tough and strong leader, a fine QB-1 and ONE TRUE GATOR.
I am completely SOLD on this kid.
DJ couldn't do much better than having Graham as his mentor and example--just as WE couldn't have done much better from what was available out there back last year. I give Billy credit for THAT much--right along with his outstanding recruiting class and ongoing effort to keep it going, GROWING into the future.
If we could just pull off one more "shocker", one more "nobody-saw-it-coming"-MIRACLE...
(and that right there, that unbounded HOPE--in spite of myself and ANY SENSE OF LOGIC, THAT is why I just cannot WATCH: Anything but that dream being somehow satisfied is bound to leave me in great pain--even though it remains so unlikely!)

 

[DRU2012]

and it didn't last long

I don't have to actually look to interpret your texts here...I am still watching this military history show while monitoring our site, and what you imply is so typical "Gators 2023" that it is basically a more isolated, less-painful way to "keep up" WITHOUT having to have it hit me squarely in the gut!

 

[DRU2012]

Sigh...The whole idea, the ONLY way I can see it happening, is for us to somehow GET AND HOLD the lead at the very end of the 4th quarter.
"Master of the Obvious" my obvious, well-deserved title...

 

[DRU2012]

2026. That, I am now pointing to in full-on, abject predictive mode, will be the year that we indeed finally bust into the expanded CFB Playoff format: We may not win it ALL that year, but we will have a great year and at the very least come CLOSE--AND then commence to play for (and sometimes WIN) National Championships on a regular basis for years to COME.
Now, none of that is ANY kind of soothing consolation presently. Which is exactly why I PRAY for single relatively minor "unexpected triumphs" and victories now and then, here and there that no one but Gators will fully appreciate, in the meantime:
We need SOMETHING to sustain us, carry us along until then.

 

[DRU2012]

For now, though, as I said I am watching something completely WITHOUT tension, given that we long since KNOW how WWII turns out.
That being the case, could someone maybe drop a hint if it gets to be late in tge gane and we are STILL in this thing. Given everything, I am frankly AFRAID to click on over to the game myself without good cause...

 

[DRU2012]

Just "peeked in long enough" to see LSU score another long TD pass to go up 2 scores.
We just cannot win a shoot out with an offense like LSUs: WE clearly just don't have the horses to keep up, even WITH Graham Mertz AND Etienne playing their HEARTS out.
But clearly it is our short and crippled Defense that is just not UP to this sort of thing.
They have ushered the LSU QB into the History books--with over 300 yards passing and over 200 years running! YIKES!
Nice effort by our Offense...BUT the time must come when this kind of scoring has to WIN games.
Oops--ball dropped...That'll do it. Sad.
Sure enough: IT HURTS , DAMNIT!!!

 

[DRU2012]

I'm sorry. I cannot be suffering through these last few hopeless moments.
Naturally, of course this game proceeded in a kind of strange microcosmic replay of the whole season--poor start, quick recovery, promising play and general progress, but crucial errors about breakdowns bringing frustration, only NEAR MISSes even at our GOOD moments--and finally, we get ONEMORE CHANCE to get back in it, and we begin AGAIN to drive the ball, abd yes, we come "close, but OOF!"; missed coverage, dropped ball on ensuing drive's 4th and short...and "big chance" fades into another ignominious loss.
The trouble with "coming close" and "playing well" in "strong showing" is that the remaining two opponents will not likely overlook us.
Oh well... maybe we won't HAVE to OUTSCORE the others that way; Then again, maybe we put ANOTHER quarterback into the record books...
Forunate that so much of this pending "top recruiting class" is on DEFENSE.

 

[Escambia94]

Ouch.

	FLA	LSU
Score	35	52
1st Downs	27	25
3rd down efficiency	4-13	2-6
4th down efficiency	1-3	0-2
Total Yards	488	701
Passing	311	372
Comp-Att	26-38	17-26
Yards per pass	8.2	14.3
Interceptions thrown	0	0
Rushing	177	329
Rushing Attempts	42	35
Yards per rush	4.2	9.4
Penalties	6-50	8-63
Turnovers	1	1
Fumbles lost	1	1
Interceptions thrown	0	0
Possession	34:24	25:36

 

[DRU2012]

@Leakfan12, @Escambia94,
In the end, just not enough of ANYTHING to matchup against that team.
I hate having to go "searching for positives", but fortunately they AREN'T that hard to find:
We WERE fighting throughout and right down close to the very end...Had the freshman receiver held onto that 4th down pass I suspect we WOULD gave scored again to bring us within 3 and then we would have possibly had a "puncher's chance" down to the wire...
BUT...
Damn too MANY "buts"--in this case, main operative one being "BUT it didn't happen: He DID drop it and we never GOT that last big, noble opportunity in an honorable, fighting finish!"
We can SEE the rising outline, the BONES of what can one day BE a strong, disciplined and hard-fighting Championship-calibre team...It's just that there will likely be a lot of time, pain and shortfalls between here and there.
We'll need some satisfactory moments of encouraging domination along the way in the meantime. The sooner the better.