Quarterback Kyle Trask threw for 474 yards against LSU in a disappointing finish to the regular season for the Gators. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Sluggish Start, Strange Finish Doom Gators
Sunday, December 13, 2020 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – There have been perhaps more disappointing defeats in the history of Florida Gators football, but for sheer shock value, what transpired at foggy Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the second Saturday in December is near the top of a Florida fan's most-unwanted list.
It undoubtedly fit the times perfectly.
Florida's 37-34 loss to LSU is so 2020 that future generations might question if it really happened. They'll want to know how the sixth-ranked Gators (8-2) lost when they gained 609 yards, when quarterback Kyle Trask, in his final game at The Swamp, matched his career high by throwing for 474 yards, and of course, they'll want to know what's the story about the shoe.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on the circumstances, in these modern times seemingly everything and everybody is recorded, so proof that it's all true shouldn't be difficult to find for future explorers.
First, let's start at the end. It came down to a pair of kickers.
Gators junior Evan McPherson tied the game 34-all on a 31-yard field goal with 2:51 left. If the Gators could get a defensive stop on the ensuing possession, McPherson might get a shot at a game-winning field goal and help the Gators avoid a loss few saw coming. He did, but not the way anyone in the announced crowd of 16,610 or millions of TV viewers anticipated. Instead, LSU (4-5) marched 36 yards on nine plays and trotted Cade York out to try a 57-yard field goal – in a heavy fog that engulfed Spurrier/Florida Field in the second half no less – with 27 seconds left in the game.
York's kick would have been good from Lake City and silenced the home fans when it split the uprights.
But the Gators, starting on their 25-yard line with less than 30 seconds left, refused to disappear in the fog. They drove 42 yards in three plays as Trask connected with Trevon Grimes for 15 yards, then Kadarius Toney for 18 yards and nine more, putting the ball at LSU's 33-yard line with two seconds remaining. McPherson put enough leg on his 51-yard attempt, but his kick sailed left and Florida's bid to force overtime failed.
Game over.
Kicker Evan McPherson's 51-yard field goal to tie the game Saturday sailed left of the upright on the game's final play. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
More importantly, the Gators' quest for the program's first berth in the College Football Playoff could be over, suffering a devastating hit as their six-game win streak and 12-game home win streak ended. The Gators remain no less than Southeastern Conference East Division co-champions and head to Atlanta next week for the SEC Championship Game against No. 1-ranked Alabama.
But Saturday's loss altered the tone drastically.
"You can't win doing what we did tonight,'' Gators coach Dan Mullen said. "We lose the turnover battle. We don't score touchdowns in the red zone. We can't make key stops when we need to defensively and we lose the special-teams part of the game. It's not a very complicated deal."
In many ways, Mullen is spot on. Trask threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble in the first half – one of them a pick-six returned 68 yards for a score by LSU defensive back Eli Ricks to put the Tigers in front 14-7 early in the second quarter. The three turnovers led to 13 LSU points. Meanwhile, the Gators failed to force a turnover for the second consecutive game.
There's more to Mullen's analysis of what ailed the Gators. They scored only four touchdowns in eight trips to the red zone, lost the field-goal exchange in the final minutes, had a busted coverage that led to a 34-yard touchdown pass from LSU freshman quarterback Max Johnson to a wide-open Kayshon Boutte in the second quarter, and then there's the play that had the most people tossing barbs on social media after Florida's first home loss since losing to Missouri in 2018.
On the drive that led to York's game-winning field goal, LSU faced third-and-10 from its 25. Johnson completed a 4-yard pass to tight end Kole Taylor short of the first down. Gators fourth-year junior cornerback Marco Wilson, who was in on the tackle, picked up the shoe that Taylor lost on the play. He didn't hand it back. He threw it "20 yards down the field" according to the official who announced the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
First down, LSU. Six plays later, York's kick sailed through the uprights and Wilson went viral in the worse way.
Mullen said he could see the field through the fog but missed Wilson's shoe toss.
"I didn't see that. I don't know. I mean, I guess that's a penalty,'' he said. "I have no idea what happened. We get the stop at the end to win the game pretty much and we get a personal foul. We've got to keep working, we gotta get better and we gotta make better decisions out there on the field."
In what has been a difficult season for Wilson based on the perception of fans, the fourth-year junior from Fort Lauderdale had arguably his best performance of the season Saturday. He finished with three tackles, two pass breakups and one regrettable lapse in judgement.
The Gators had no interest in blaming Wilson for the loss. There were too many moments that led to his moment. Teammate Amari Burney offered support at his postgame session with the media.
"It was just a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes,'' Burney said. "You can't kill him for the mistake he made. It was in the moment. He just gotta learn from it and move on. I really didn't see it. All I seen was the flag and then I see the shoe flying. There was really nothing I could do. I didn't know who threw the shoe until we got to the sideline."
The Gators entered Saturday's game, originally schedule Oct. 17 but pushed back due to Florida's COVID-19 outbreak that forced the program to shut down for two weeks, with talk of winning a potential national title. Trask was also a front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy.
Those accomplishments seem unlikely now as the Gators try to regroup for next week's showdown against the high-powered Crimson Tide. Florida is playing in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 2016 and seeks its first conference championship since 2008.
Trask, who finished 29 of 47 for 474 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions Saturday, broke former UF quarterback and 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel's single-season school record for touchdown passes. He tied Wuerffel with this 39th touchdown pass of the season when he connected with Jacob Copeland for a 19-yard score that gave the Gators a 17-14 lead. He passed him with a 9-yard scoring pass to receiver Kadarius Toney that put the Gators in front 31-27 late in the third quarter.
Wuerffel FaceTimed Trask after the game to offer his congratulations and lift his spirits, sharing a story about how he knew what it was like to lose in the final regular-season game and then beat Alabama for the SEC title. Trask relished the call, but he really wanted a victory in his record-breaking performance.
Senior receiver Kadarius Toney had a career-high nine catches for a career-best 182 yards on Saturday with tight end Kyle Pitts out of action. (Photo: Isabella Marley/UAA Communications)
"We probably had one of the worse starts that we have ever had to a football game,'' Trask said of the first half. "Turning the ball over that many times, it's hard to win games. I take full responsibility. I just got to play cleaner.
"It's a tough loss. It's not the way you want to go out as your last home game in the Swamp."
The Gators played without star tight end Kyle Pitts, who was scratched by the medical staff after warmups. Mullen said Pitts wanted to play but that after not practicing all week and not 100 percent Saturday, he was concerned about putting Pitts on the field.
In a deflated locker room, Mullen told the Gators to focus on bouncing back and winning the SEC championship next week. That is what they can control.
As Saturday's loss unfolded, it seemed like so much was out of the Gators' control as they trailed at halftime for the first time all season. The offense had its moments – Toney was spectacular with a career-high nine receptions for 182 yards and 56 yards rushing – but the turnovers and late lapse on defense derailed their bid to go undefeated at home for the second consecutive season.
The unranked Tigers made them pay.
"They kind of seemed to make the plays they needed to make to win, and we kind of made every play you needed to lose,'' Mullen said.
LSU rebounded from a 41-point loss to Alabama last week to shock the Gators on Senior Night.
How did they do it?
"Blocking out the noise was key," Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said.
The Gators will try to do the same. Alabama awaits.
