Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson and the Gators did not back down.
Not on “Tom Petty Night” in the Swamp against LSU.
The Gators eventually fell 45-35 to the rival Tigers, but not without staging a fourth-quarter comeback after all appeared lost following continued defensive collapses and on an uneven night by Richardson.
“There were many times out there tonight they could have folded their card,” coach Billy Napier said. “We fought back into the game.”
As a reported crowd of 90,585 looked on, Florida (4-3, 1-3 SEC) rallied following a spirited sing-along of the Petty hit, “I Won’t Back Down,” between the third and fourth quarters despite Florida trailing 42-21.
Richardson immediately ripped off a spectacular 81-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Following a third-down stop, the Gators drove 80 yards on 11 plays, capped by a 1-yard scoring run by Louisiana native Trevor Etienne to cut the deficit to a touchdown.
“It definitely felt good,” Richardson said of his long run. “Right before we went back out there I was talking to [quarterbacks] coach [Ryan] O’Hara. He said, ‘We’re gonna score.’ It just so happened that I made that play right there.
“It put us in a position to come back and win the game.”
But LSU (5-2, 3-1 SEC) responded to eat up the clock and pick up its fourth straight win in the series for the first time since 1977-80.
A Jason Marshall interception with 5:50 remaining appeared to give the Gators the ball with plenty of time on the clock, but officials called a pivotal roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.
“It’s a judgment call, a bang-bang,” Napier said. “We didn’t get a replay of it. I wasn’t able to see it. It wouldn’t be right for me to comment on it.”
The Tigers soon converted 4th-and-1 on a 2-yard run by Josh Williams with 3:21 remaining.
With 1:52 to go, Damian Ramos hit a 47-yard field goal to ice the game and bounce back from a dispiriting 40-13 loss at home to Tennessee that raised questions about LSU’s direction under first-year coach Brian Kelly.
“We didn’t play up to our capability a week ago,” Kelly said. “We were more purposeful and thorough on the practice field this week.”
Meanwhile, LSU’s victory during the SEC’s best crossover rivalry left the Gators at a crossroads entering the bye week prior to an Oct. 29 date with reigning national champion Georgia.
“There’s no shortcuts here,” Napier said. “You got to go right through every single bit of adversity. It’s not easy for the staff. It’s not easy for the players.
“It ain’t easy.”
The easiest game during the most difficult stretch of the Napier’s first season in Gainesville delivered the customary back-and-forth much of the first half until Kelly’s Tigers pulled away behind quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The Arizona State transfer accounted for 6 touchdowns — 3 passing, 3 rushing — as LSU compiled 528 yards against the Gators’ hapless defense.
Florida allowed the Tigers to convert 10 of 14 times, including twice on fourth down. The effort continued to raise red flags and put the spotlight on 32-year-old coordinator Patrick Toney’s group.
Napier was not pointing fingers.
“When we look at it we’re going to see a combination of things,” he said.
Napier knew this much: “We’re going to be sick when we watch this tape.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.
