They say that football is a game of inches, but sometimes it's a game of bounces.
UF playmaker Percy Harvin showed just that on the third play of Saturday night's matchup between the last two BCS National Champions.
With the Gators facing a third-and-12 on their opening drive quarterback Tim Tebow lofted a pass to a seemingly wide open Harvin.
Tebow's pass was slightly underthrown, allowing LSU safety Danny McCray to recover and tip the pass. Luckily for the Gators, the tip fell right into the hands of Harvin, who took care of the rest himself and took home a 70-yard touchdown.
"I knew once he jumped he had mistimed it," Harvin said. "I was just trying to make sure I didn't miss it to so I was just trying to time it up so I didn't miss it too."
The play and bounce was bigger than just the 7-0 lead it gave UF. Without it UF's 51-21 rout of the Tigers may have never been. If that tipped ball had fallen to the ground-or worse been intercepted-the questions that have hung over the Gators offense this season would have persisted in the biggest game of their season.
What's wrong with Tebow?
What the heck is Dan Mullen doing?
Instead, the electricity that filled the air turned into pandemonium as fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was reminded of the type of firepower Florida has when the offense is hitting on all cylinders.
"He wasn't getting crushed by me," Meyer said of Mullen's critics. "Dan Mullen does a fine job of calling the game."
On UF's second drive Harvin caught a 25-yard pass that helped setup a field goal that gave them a 10-0 lead before the Tigers could catch their collective breaths.
Harvin wouldn't give them a chance to either. With the Gators facing third-and-goal at the LSU seven-yard-line Tebow found Harvin for his second receiving touchdown of the day.
The score gave Harvin his second 100-yard receiving game of the season, as well as his fifth touchdown reception of the season.
It was also the first two touchdown reception day of Harvin's career.
But to Harvin it wasn't about the start it was about how UF would end it.
"To me it's not about our start it's about how we finish," he said. "Last year we let them come back in the game so getting up was big but we were focused on finishing.
But they couldn't have finished without the bounce that saved the season.
