BATON ROUGE, LA - In its biggest game of the season, No. 9 UF may have found a new playmaker.
After carrying the ball just three times last week, Gators running back Kestahn Moore rushed for 79 yards on 12 carries and added a receiving touchdown in UF?s 28-24 loss to No. 1 LSU.
BI felt great tonight,C Moore said. BI came out here with a lot of emotion. They gave me the ball and the o-line was blocking real nice, so I just found the holes they were making for me.C
Moore?s performance added an extra weapon to the Gators? attack, which had relied heavily on Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin in the two previous games.
Tebow may have gained the biggest relief, as he didn?t have to shoulder the rushing load.
The quarterback carried a combined 46 times against Ole Miss and Auburn, and was the leading rusher in both games.
BI thought the balance was very good,C UF coach Urban Meyer said. BThe balance between the run and pass in the first half was tremendous.C
The ground game accounted for 156 total yards, an impressive stat compared to the 39 yards the Tigers? opponents had averaged on the season.
BThe more you can run, the more effectiveness you have, the easier it is to pass,C said Tebow, who threw for 158 yards on 12-of-26 passing.
Moore?s day was marred by one big mistake.
The Gators were driving near midfield late in the third quarter when Moore fumbled on a first down running play.
The turnover didn?t lead to a score, but cost UF field position and possible points.
Moore was a big part of the Gators? fast start, as they held a 17-7 lead at halftime.
On the opening drive, Moore ran around the left side and carried defenders on his back on the way to a 15-yard gain. The run led to a Joey Ijjas field goal.
He rushed for 17 yards on 4 carries on UF's next scoring drive, and capped it off with a two-yard touchdown catch, just the second of his career.
On 2nd-and-goal from the two, Tebow scrambled towards the sideline and flicked the ball to Moore in the end zone just before being hit to make the score 10-0.
After a Tigers touchdown and the announcement of No. 2 USC losing to Stanford, the LSU crowd was raucous as the UF offense took the field.
The Gators silenced them with several big plays en route to a touchdown, including back-to-back runs by Moore for a total of 22 yards.
The drive put UF in control with a 24-14 lead, and was the last time the Gators would score in the game.
