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Florida in the second half ain't nothin' to fuck with. And the killer bees of the Gators' defense made sure LSU knew that in the second half of a stirring 14-6 win over the Tigers in The Swamp on this Saturday.
But that offense, the one that has spent the better part of three years sputtering more often than not? It's the unit that won this game and vaulted Florida back into the conversation about national championship contenders, and is especially impressive in its single-minded devotion to one thing: Breaking you.
Mike Gillislee ran the ball 34 times for 146 yards; I can't remember the last time a Florida running back carried the ball that often, but I suspect the name Errict Rhett is in close proximity to it. He never carried for more than 12 yards, the distance covered on each of his two scampers to paydirt, but he never lost yardage, and he never pulled up lame. Workhorses like that are rare, even in the SEC, which should be a veritable stable for them, and we should thank our lucky stars that Florida has finally decided to build a team around him.
That team is strong, and determined, and practically indefatigable: These Gators have a 78-13 scoring edge in the second half, and a spectacular 41-0 edge in the fourth quarter. Will Muschamp's newest hires, strength coach Jeff Dillman and offensive coordinator Brent Pease, are the architects of the foundation that allows Florida to be that: Dillman's made Florida's stamina its greatest asset, and Pease has made every series of downs a skirmish that will leave the other team wounded at least.
There will be words for the defense, coming of age in its own right, later. This win, the biggest of Muschamp's career and the most important by Florida since at least 2009 and perhaps 2008, belongs to all of the Gators equally. For now, though, reflect on this: Florida has an offense that does exactly what its coach wants it to do.
And I didn't even need to mention Jeff Driskel until just now.