Florida made a game of it. Not just garbage time scores, a real game. They got within 7 and then held LSU to a FG. Ten-point deficit. About 1:40 left. It was over at that point unless they made a big play quick. They tried. QB Anthony Richardson went back to pass but was sacked, fumbled, and LSU recovered at the FU 19. Kelly could have tried to rub it in but was gentlemanly, taking two knees to run out the clock.
It'll be interesting to see what AP's postmortem on this is. Last week after a tight home over Mizzou AP insightfully wrote, "The Gators don't have an identity six games into the Napier era. Now a loss at home when they were a slight 2-point favorite. The "Gators" have had one impressive win this whole season, against then seventh-ranked Utah in Gainesville in their first game. They are now 4-3. Their three other wins have come over a terrible South Florida team in a three-point game in The Swamp, over Eastern Washington, also in Gainesville, and over Missouri.They have lost at home to then-20th Kentucky, at then-11th Tennessee close and now by ten points at home to unranked LSU. They're identity is they're a 4-3 team. Their remaining games are versus #1 Georgia in Jacksonville, at Texas Acquisitions and Mergers, home to South Carolina, at Vandy, and at Florida State. Reasonable to predict they will finish 7-5. Napier has to have, and will be given, time to mold the new identity of the team. Given what followed the Utah win, soo promising at the time, now looks confusing, vaguely alarming. They are clearly worse after seven games than they were after one.
