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Friday, March 29, 2024

BATON ROUGE, La. - For two weeks, everyone waited to see if Tim Tebow would play and how he would respond against LSU under the lights of Tiger Stadium.

Then Saturday night came, and No. 15 played, but it was No. 51 who stole the spotlight.

Linebacker Brandon Spikes led the team with 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks - half the team's total - as No. 1 Florida's defense held then-No.4 LSU to 162 yards, and Tebow led a conservative offense that did just enough in a 13-3 victory in front of a record crowd of 93,129.

Gators fans might want to call ESPN College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit and thank him for Spikes' performance. Herbstreit singled out Spikes and defensive end Carlos Dunlap as two players who would need to play big for Florida (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) to win.

Spikes was not available to the media after the game, but he seemed to give his response on the field.

Cornerback Joe Haden said UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong was sure to let Spikes know about the nationally televised slight.

"Coach Strong, if he finds anything to motivate the team or make them feel like people are against us, he's going to let us know," Haden said. "Spikes was mad. Spikes thought coach Strong called Herbstreit and told him to say that."

The nation's best defense (allowing 202.6 yards per game) held LSU to 66 yards rushing on 30 carries.

The Gators have still only allowed two touchdowns on the season after holding the Tigers (5-1, 3-1 SEC) to only a field goal when LSU was threatening to take the lead in the second quarter.

Florida stuffed running back Charles Scott on third and goal from the 2, and LSU coach Les Miles took the safe route and sent out his kicker to even the score from 18 yards out.

Those 3 points would mark the peak of the Tigers' offensive production.

On their next possession, Haden picked off Jordan Jefferson, sending the teams to halftime with Florida leading 10-3, and extending UF's streak of games with an interception to 17, longest in the nation.

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The Gators, who also lead the nation in points allowed per game (6.4), seemed to step it up even another notch for the second half.

In four second-half drives, LSU combined for 29 yards and never got farther than its own 36-yard line.

"In the first half, we didn't really play that well as a unit, but coach Strong came in and got at us," safety Will Hill said. "We came out and we all gelled together and played great defense.

"We were trying to make a statement that the Gators defense is here to play, and we're going to show you why we're the No. 1 team in the country."

Thanks to its defense, UF's offense didn't have to be flashy Saturday night. That's probably a good thing, because the Gators didn't seem to bring along their high-octane spread offense from Gainesville.

Florida ended LSU's 32-game Saturday night home winning streak by grinding it out. The Gators ran for 193 yards on 48 carries (compared to 16 pass attempts) and dominated the time-of-possession battle 36:30 to 23:30.

It's a theme that may continue, with UF ranked second in the country in rushing offense and 78th in passing offense.

Tebow's 24-yard pass to Riley Cooper in the second quarter was the only time either team would reach the end zone.

"We've had some high-scoring teams, like the team two years ago, but you don't win games that way," coach Urban Meyer said. "All the great teams I've been associated with have had a fantastic defense."

For many of Florida's players, Saturday night was a chance for vindication after UF came to Baton Rouge two years ago and fell 28-24. The Gators, especially their defense, admitted it was motivation in their first trip back.

That storyline may have gotten downplayed some due to coverage of Tebow's injury, but UF showed a bit of swagger during pregame warm-ups.

Players met near the 50-yard line to huddle and jump around on the eye of the Tiger in the middle of the field.

LSU's fans responded by booing, and its players answered by rushing to meet the Gators at midfield. Officials seemed to break it up before any physical contact occurred, but it set the tone for the physical showdown that followed.

This was the first time a pair of teams ranked this highly had met in Tiger Stadium in 50 years, and many pegged this matchup as Florida's toughest regular-season test.

Now, after escaping Death Valley, the Gators stand one step closer to reaching the SEC Championship Game and, potentially, the BCS National Championship Game.

And it looks like they'll have their starting quarterback and a dominant defense along for the journey.

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