First Impressions: LSU 10, Florida 16

Poseur’s Law: If you dominate the run of play and do not turn it into points, the advantage dissipates.

This game was a monument to my pet theory. LSU outgained Florida 423-270. LSU won time of possession 34:02 to 25:58. LSU went fifty percent on third down conversions.

LSU lost.

The Tigers made five different trips into the red zone, and after the first successful trip on the first drive, LSU did not score a touchdown on any of the final four. Not only did LSU get inside the red zone, LSU had goal to go situations on four occasions and came away with just three points.

That’s almost impossible to do unless you’re trying. With the entire season o the line, and not to be cute, but Ed Orgeron’s future employment as well, LSU called timeout to set up on fourth and goal from the one… and called a play in which the quarterback and running back seemed to think the play was going in different directions.

That simply can’t happen after a timeout, but especially on the last play of the game. It was a completely inexcusable breakdown which was the result of poor planning. The moment got big, and LSU flinched. Orgeron flinched.

Over one-third of Florida’s offense came on one play, a 98-yard touchdown pass after Florida took over the ball following a failed hold on a field goal attempt. That play was the defining play of the game, as LSU, which had been in control throughout, staggered and never quite got back up. The team started to panic, and just continued to panic as the game wore on and the clock ran out.

Donte Jackson had a game he wants to forget. He’s probably going to spend the next week hiding under the covers. He blew the coverage on the touchdown play, and then followed that up with a critical fumble in the final minutes off of the kickoff.

This was a frustrating game. Sometime you win, and sometimes you lose, but LSU really lost it here. Florida didn’t do enough to win the game on their own, LSU kept Florida up with a series of blunders, and then wasted multiple chances to win this game. It was an ugly, ugly effort when all Orgeron needed was a mediocre one.

Yes, Fournete was hurt and while he tried to give it a go, he wasn’t himself. Yes, Kendall Beckwith’s absence on the defense was keenly felt, as Florida kept attacking the middle of the defense. But those are excuses, and really, this team does not need to make excuses.

LSU played awful football and still had a chance to win the game in the final minutes, but botched the final play in both design and execution. That lies squarely on the team, and no one else. We choked.