Jalen Tabor is coming into his own.
With starter Vernon Hargreaves III on the sidelines during the second half of Florida’s 30-27 loss to LSU on Saturday, the true freshman cornerback saw extended time against the Tigers.
And he held his own.
One week after earning the first start of his career, Tabor finished Saturday with seven total tackles, one pass breakup and a third-quarter sack on a corner blitz.
"He’s done a nice job," coach Will Muschamp said.
"He’s covered well. A couple well-thrown balls (were thrown his way). … We’ve been proud of his process, day-to-day improving himself to get better and better."
Pass rush continues to progress: The Gators’ pass rush brought the heat for the second straight week.
Just seven days after sacking Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley six times, Florida sacked LSU signal caller Anthony Jennings four times on Saturday.
Redshirt sophomore Alex McCalister led the way with one-and-a-half sacks.
The Gators had seven tackles for loss against the Tigers as well as five quarterback hurries.
"We’ve done a better job at getting some one-on-one matchups we feel like we can win as far as edges are concerned," Muschamp said.
"So I thought they did a nice job for the most part."
A streak dropped: Quinton Dunbar saw his 32-game catch streak fizzle away Saturday night.
The redshirt senior wide receiver was targeted just once on Florida’s first drive of the game.
He dropped the pass.
Prior to Saturday, Dunbar hauled in a reception in every game dating back to Florida’s 54-32 win against Furman on Nov. 19, 2011.
The 32 consecutive games with a catch are the third-most in Gators history, three behind Ike Hilliard’s 35 straight games set from 1994-1997.
Eye of the Tiger: LSU was the only SEC team with a Tiger mascot that won on Saturday. No. 13 Georgia defeated the No. 23 Missouri Tigers 34-0 in Columbia, Mo., and No. 3 Mississippi State topped the No. 2 Auburn Tigers 38-23.
Taylor starts, barely runs: Running back Kelvin Taylor received his first start of the season on Saturday, but that didn’t translate into an increase production.
The sophomore received just two carries and totaled 0 yards for his efforts.
While Taylor has limited touches, freshman running back Brandon Powell had a telling return.
The true freshman running back recorded 66 yards on a team-high six receptions and six rushing yards on one more attempt than Taylor (three) in his first game since suffering a hamstring injury.
Kicking with accuracy: Redshirt senior Frankie Velez made both of his field goals (34 yards and 18 yards) against LSU. The Gators have converted nine of their 11 field goal attempts this season.
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Alex McCalister celebrates with Dante Fowler Jr. after a sack during Florida's 30-27 loss to LSU on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
