LSU gets the spark it needs

BATON ROUGE, La. -- It was midway through the third quarter when the crowd at Tiger Stadium heard news of USC’s upset loss over the public address system and filled the muggy night with a shuddering roar.

Louisiana State’s fans continued chanting and celebrating for a solid five minutes. But there was still some vital business remaining on the field.

The top-ranked Tigers needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns and some last-gasp defense to secure a 28-24 victory over ninth-ranked Florida that -- in conjunction with USC’s defeat -- cemented their grip on the national rankings.

“Obviously, when the 92,500 in the crowd, when they heard that USC had lost, kind of gave us a wake-up call,” Coach Les Miles said.

Actually, it was a record 92,910 fans that packed the stadium known as Death Valley on Saturday, buzzing over an LSU team that had reached No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for the first time since 1959.

For much of the night, it looked as if the Tigers might give the top spot right back.

The problem was Florida’s mobile quarterback, Tim Tebow, and LSU had no answer for his lethal combination of running and passing.

Something about LSU brings out the best in Tebow. Last season, as a freshman, he had a breakthrough game against the Tigers, passing for two touchdowns and running for another.

On Saturday, he led his team 47 yards on an opening possession that ended with a field goal. In the second quarter, he drove the Gators 77 yards, flipping a short touchdown pass to running back Kestahn Moore for a 10-0 lead.

“The balance between run and pass in the first half was tremendous,” Florida Coach Urban Meyer said. “Some guys were making plays and moving the chains against obviously a very good defense.”

But after that, LSU snapped to life in a two important ways.

First, the Tigers started running the ball with authority. Second, their defense -- led by interior lineman Glenn Dorsey and linebacker Ali Highsmith -- started living up to its No. 1 ranking.

Though Florida scored another touchdown to take a 17-7 lead into halftime, the going got tougher for Tebow who, after starting fast, would finish with 158 yards through the air and 67 on the ground.

LSU opened the second half with a sign of things to come, driving downfield on the tough running of Jacob Hester. The Tigers also established another theme -- gambling on fourth down.

With his team setting up for a long field-goal attempt, quarterback and holder Matt Flynn took off running with the ball, resuscitating a drive that would end with a four-yard touchdown run by Keiland Williams.

Florida and Tebow engineered one more touchdown, stretching the lead to 24-14, but that only set the stage for LSU’s comeback.

Early in the fourth quarter, right end Kirston Pittman intercepted a pass that bounced off a Florida receiver’s helmet and LSU drove inside the five-yard line for another big fourth-down play.

This time, Flynn scrambled and passed four yards to Demetrius Byrd to close the gap to 24-21.

When the defense forced a three-and-out, LSU came right back. Hester broke free for 19 yards and converted yet another fourth-down play before bulling into the end zone from two yards out.

“It was just a regular power play,” Hester said. “We had been running it all night to the left side.”

It was also a fitting achievement for a player who ran 23 times to lead all rushers with 106 yards.

“How frustrating?” Meyer said of the late turnaround. “Very frustrating.”

Florida had one more chance, getting the ball back with 1:09 left. Tebow completed a short pass and scrambled 21 yards across midfield. But Dorsey was getting penetration up the middle, pressuring the sophomore quarterback, forcing him to throw quickly. Tebow’s final Hail Mary pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

“We’re undefeated,” Miles said. “It’s a good thing, a good thing.”

And no sooner had Florida’s final pass bounced off the turf, the LSU players mobbing each other on the field, than the public address announcer reminded the crowd how difficult it can be to remain perfect.

“In case you missed it,” he announced, his words barely audible over the cheering, “final score: Stanford 24, Southern Cal 23.”

--

david.wharton@latimes.com