BATON ROUGE, La. — The Gators traveled to LSU looking to continue the program’s rebirth that has come under new head coach Jim McElwain.
Instead, No. 8 Florida’s chance for an undefeated season died in Death Valley on Saturday, the victim of a 35-28 defeat at the hands of the No. 6 Tigers.
But while UF’s perfect streak has come to an end, its season still has life.
Following a week that saw Florida lose its starting quarterback to a yearlong suspension, lose a special teams player being arrested for reportedly shooting a gun in the direction of his pregnant girlfriend, and lose its first game of the season at the hands of a powerhouse conference opponent, the Florida football program continued to fight as if it were business as usual.
“As you go through life, you get tests, man,” McElwain said. “Things don’t always happen the way you want them. ... Really the measure is how you deal with it.”
While Florida was tested mentally last week, LSU (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) tested the Gators physically early and often on Saturday, giving UF a warm-up for the exams it could face later in the season.
Running back and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Leonard Fournette ripped Florida’s defense for 180 yards and two touchdowns on a season-high 31 carries.
Quarterback Brandon Harris looked poised, picking apart the Gators’ coveted secondary to the tune of 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13-of-19 passing, a 68.4-percent completion mark that ranks highest among UF’s opponents this year.
Defensive lineman Lewis Neal and linebacker Deion Jones led LSU’s defensive effort up front, combining for 20 tackles, four sacks and six tackles for loss.
The Tigers’ limited UF to just 55 rushing yards and 1.8 yards per carry.
“They played really hard,” said UF running back Kelvin Taylor, who was limited to 25 yards on 15 carries. “They played well. They played fast. It just wasn't our night, really, in the run game.”
With the run game non-existent, LSU forced UF quarterback Treon Harris — starting his first game since the season opener for a suspended Will Grier — to make the plays if the Gators wanted a win, a game plan reversal UF couldn’t deliver.
While the sophomore had a respectable game on paper — completing 17 of 32 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns — he stumbled when it mattered.
In UF’s final two drives with less than four minutes to play — its last two opportunities to tie the game — Harris went a combined 2 of 10 for 40 yards.
“The guy did a good job,” McElwain said. “He’s going to want some plays back, as a lot of our guys will on both sides of the ball. … He’ll come back and play better next week.”
The loss stings, but McElwain praised his team’s resiliency.
Twice the Gators (6-1, 4-1 SEC) trailed by two touchdowns, and twice they fought back.
After falling behind 21-7 in the second quarter, Florida cut the deficit in half with a 19-yard touchdown from Treon Harris to Jake McGee, the second touchdown connection between the tandem on Saturday.
When LSU pushed the score to 28-14 at halftime, UF responded with 14 unanswered points in the third quarter — a 2-yard rushing touchdown by junior tailback Kelvin Taylor and a 72-yard Antonio Callaway punt return.
“I liked the fight the team stayed with,” McGee said. “… It’s something we’ve had all year: improve each game, a no-quit attitude. We really played all out to the end.”
Callaway’s punt return — the first by a UF true freshman in an SEC game — set the stage for the Gators’ biggest second-half comeback since being down by 18 to Kentucky in 2003.
LSU had other plans, with the kicker scoring a game-winning touchdown off a fake field goal in the fourth quarter.
“Our guys are disappointed,” McElwain said. “But as I told them, it ain’t about being disappointed. It’s about learning from the experience.”
Even with the loss, the Gators still hold sole possession on top of the SEC East, sporting a one-game advantage over Georgia (5-2, 3-2 SEC) as UF heads into its only bye of the season.
The Gators can seal up their half of the conference and their first trip to Atlanta since 2009 with a win against the Bulldogs on Oct. 31 and one more conference victory in the ensuing two weeks — a home game against Vanderbilt on Nov. 7 and a road trip to South Carolina on Nov. 14.
“We're going to be fine,” Taylor said. “It is what it is. It's a tough pill to swallow but we're going to regroup.”
And as the Gators regroup, their focus will be on what’s to come. They don’t plan to live in the past.
“Our team handled this week. That’s the way it works,” McElwain said. “If you’re going to cry over spilled milk all day long you’re not going to be worth a heck doing anything.”
Follow Jordan McPherson on Twitter @J_McPherson1126
UF tight end Jake McGee catches his first of two touchdown passes on Oct. 17, 2015, against LSU.
UF wide receiver Antonio Callaway reacts after failing to catch a pass from quarterback Treon Harris (not pictured) as time expired in Florida's 35-28 loss to LSU on Oct. 17, 2015, at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
UF quarterback Treon Harris attempts a pass on Oct. 17, 2015, against LSU.
UF running back Kelvin Taylor carries the ball on Oct. 17, 2015, against LSU.
