UF wonders how to stop LSU

• By ROBBIE ANDREU
• Gainesville Sun sportswriter
• Published: Oct 11, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.
• The Advocate is exchanging stories with The Gainesville Sun.

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Since Sunday night, the tape has been running non-stop on the television screens in the locker room, the weight room, the training room and throughout the offices and hallways of the Florida football complex.

It’s not like the Florida Gators need last year’s LSU game tape to remind them how heartbreaking that 28-24 loss was in Baton Rouge. The big plays, the missed opportunities, the failure to stop the Tigers on all those fourth downs are memories that remain clear and sharp.

“It’s good for our players to see that game,” defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. “You can still show it to them and say, ‘Guys this cannot happen again.’ You’re able to throw that game in their face.”

What really jumps off the screen are those fourth-down plays.

LSU coach Les Miles has been called reckless on occasion for his gambling nature and willingness to take chances. But he wasn’t reckless in this game. He was perfect.

Five-for-five on fourth down, with two of those critical conversions coming on the winning drive in the closing minutes.

Had the Gators stopped any one of those plays five, they probably win the game.

Had linebacker Ryan Stamper been able to get Jacob Hester down on initial contact on that final fourth-and-1 from the UF 7-yard line, Florida would have won.

Stamper hit Hester near the line of scrimmage, but the powerful Hester was able to nudge the ball just beyond the first-down maker. Two plays later, Hester bulled into the end zone for the winning touchdown with 1:09 to play.

That last fourth-down play — and the four others — has gnawed at the Gators throughout the long offseason.

“You look at the game, and we led up until about a minute to go,” Strong said. “All those fourth downs. ... and they made all of them. It’s tough (to live with).”

Football players and coaches look at fourth-down plays (especially fourth-and-short) as a test of manhood. The Gators failed every single test a year ago.