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Outlook Isn't All Bad For Gators

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2007

Updated: 10/08/2007 12:12 am

BATON ROUGE, La. - The University of Florida football team trudged in silence to its locker room beneath Tiger Stadium late Saturday night. A 28-24 loss to top-ranked LSU, which erased Florida's 10-point fourth-quarter lead, had sapped the Gators' energy.

It had not sapped their spirit.

'We just came in there and just prayed. We came together and said we have to stick together,' tailback Kestahn Moore said. 'When anybody loses two games, it's bound for a team to break up and go their own ways, pointing fingers and stuff. We just prayed and said we have to stick together.'

No. 13 Florida (4-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) is mired in the first losing streak of the Urban Meyer era, losing consecutive games for the first time since back-to-back losses to Mississippi State and Georgia in 2004. But while the Sept. 29 loss at Auburn left the Gators angry at the opportunities missed, Saturday's loss to LSU seemed to give Florida hope for the future.

A team that has played more than 40 freshman and sophomores faced the nation's No. 1 team and a rowdy school-record crowd and dominated for three quarters. Though Florida's defense - which starts three sophomore linebackers and two freshmen and a sophomore in the secondary - allowed the Tigers to convert all five of its fourth-down attempts, the Gators didn't allow a pass play longer than 19 yards and didn't allow any play longer than 21.

Florida's offense, with playmakers Andre Caldwell and Riley Cooper almost fully recovered from nagging injuries, flummoxed the nation's top defense. Aside from a Moore fumble and a costly Tim Tebow interception in the fourth quarter, the Gators weren't rattled by a unit that entered the night allowing 174 yards a game.

Even though LSU destroyed Florida's margin for error in the race for the SEC title, the Gators left Baton Rouge optimistic.

'We came out here and we played, in my opinion, the No. 1 team in the country,' Tebow said. 'We played 'em. We should have beat 'em. We played well, and if we play four quarters, we know we can beat anybody. So that's what we have to take from it. This team is young, and we can get better. The sky is the limit.'

Meyer came away from the loss thinking the same thing.

'The future of Florida football is terrific. It really is,' he said. 'I guarantee we'll be back. The Florida Gators will be back smokin.''

Though a national title repeat looks out of reach, the Gators still believe they can repeat as SEC champions. To get a chance to play for the title, they probably will have to win their next four games, all against Eastern Division opponents.

Florida needs Tennessee (1-1 SEC) to lose another conference game. If the Volunteers - who face Mississippi State, Alabama and South Carolina the next three weeks - lose, the Gators would control their own destiny. And, given the current SEC East standings, it's not difficult to imagine that the Gators could face former Florida coach Steve Spurrier's South Carolina team Nov. 10 with the SEC East title on the line.

And if the Gators can run that four-game gauntlet, they would advance to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, where they probably would have a chance to avenge the loss that taught a young team it could hang with anyone in the country.

'We feel like,' Moore said, 'we'll see LSU again in Atlanta.'

Correspondent Jenna Marina contributed to this report. Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

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