Andreu's Answers: Gator defense makes the difference

BATON ROUGE, La. — Before every game this season, veteran football beat writer Robbie Andreu comes up with five pertinent questions, then answers them after each game. Here is week 5:

1. Can the Florida defense stuff the run and control the game?

After LSU tailback Charles Scott had such a big game against Georgia a week earlier, the thought was the Tigers would try to establish him early in the game. But they didn't. Scott had only seven carries in the first half and was held to 28 yards, only 3.7 yards a carry. The Tigers tried to put the game in his hands late in the third quarter after a missed UF field goal. He gained 17 yards on three consecutive carries, but then back-to-back motion penalties took Scott and the LSU running game right back out of the game. With LSU trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, LSU's running game was no longer a factor.

2. After missing the last two games, will Deonte Thompson be a factor in the passing game?

Even though he was back to full speed, UF's best deep threat was not used to stretch the field vertically. Instead, he caught just two short passes for a total of 11 yards. Overall, the Florida wide receivers were not much of a factor, other than when Riley Cooper caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow late in the second quarter. This has kind of been the way things have gone all season. In this game, the play-calling seemed very conservative, with the Gators relying mostly on their running game.

3. Will the Gators be able to bring the heat against LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson?

It wasn't a good start for the Florida pass rush. The only time the Gators touched Jefferson in the first half came when he ran out of the pocket — or ran on a called run — for positive yardage. Early in the third quarter, the UF front finally dialed up some heat. On LSU's first offensive play of the second half, defensive tackle Justin Trattou sacked Jefferson for an 8-yard loss. The UF secondary deserved the credit for what was clearly a coverage sack. One play later, Jefferson was sacked again, this time by middle linebacker Brandon Spikes. On this one, Jefferson had no time to look downfield on a third-and-16 play. Early in the fourth quarter, the Gators got to Jefferson again, with end Jermaine Cunningham sacking him for a 7-yard loss. Then, the front produced the play of the night — Carlos Dunlap's sack of Jefferson on fourth-and-1 from the LSU 39 with less than six minutes remaining in the game.

4. Who wins the battle between the experienced UF corners and the experienced LSU wide receivers?

Janoris Jenkins and Joe Haden won this crucial matchup in a huge way for the Gators. They took Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver completely out of the game, and they did it without the benefit of a pass rush for most of the first three quarters. LaFell and Toliver, two of the most dangerous receivers in the SEC, combined for only six receptions for a mere 58 yards. They were pretty much suffocated most of the night by Jenkins and Haden and never posed a threat down the field.

5. Can Florida's big, strong offensive line punch some holes in the LSU defensive front?

In an attempt to take some of the pressure off Tim Tebow, and protect him, the Gators made it obvious from the start they wanted to establish their running game, and they did. The line pushed LSU off the ball and created adequate running room for the tailback trio of Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody. This was part of the plan to keep Tebow out of harm's way as much as possible, and it worked. UF didn't come close to matching its 300-yard plus average on the ground, but the line did its job on several fronts.

Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or at andreur@gvillesun.com.