Leonard Fournette had to ask LSU coach Ed Orgeron to play.
After a pre-game skirmish at midfield, the junior, record-setting, draft-eligible tailback who’s recovering from season-long ankle injuries in both ankles, asked the 4-2 coach to dress prior to LSU’s 10-16 loss against No. 23 Florida on Saturday.
“It was a game-time decision,” Orgeron said. “Leonard wanted to play. He struggled all week in practice. He came to me right before the game and said, ‘Coach, I want to play. I want to support my team.’ As you can see, he wasn’t full speed.”
And just like against Auburn, it all came down to one play.
This time, LSU (6-4, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) was without Fournette in the backfield for the play and the Tigers ended with the same result: a loss.
“It’s a tough loss,” Orgeron said. “Especially the way we lost — with a chance at the end to win. It was fourth down there on the goal line. We think we’re going to win the football game but we didn’t execute right. Then it got taken away, it would’ve been a great victory for all involved.”
Tiger quarterback Danny Etling commanded LSU to a 13-play, 74-yard drive as the Tigers trailed the Gators (8-2, 6-2 SEC), 10-16, with 0:03 remaining.
All LSU needed was the 75th yard.
Sophomore backup tailback Derrius Guice, who has started for Fournette four times this season, had his number called on fourth and 1 from Florida’s 1-yard line.
Guice anticipated a toss from Etling toward the wrong side of the designed play call. The Baton Rouge native running back couldn’t muscle in a touchdown and the game was over as LSU careened into its fourth loss of the season and second at home in three games.
“Tough battle,” Orgeron said. “[We] came up short.”
LSU struggled in the redzone throughout the 60-degree, brisk and windy afternoon in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers lined 20 yards, or fewer, away from the endzone five times Saturday and scored on two of the possessions.
“We would get the ball down close to the endzone and we wouldn’t capitalize and you can’t do that,” said junior wide receiver D.J. Chark, who added 97 yards of total offense.
Added Chark: “If we’re capitalizing at those times when we’ve got the ball down into the redzone, it wouldn’t have been close. But we didn’t, so, we came out on the wrong end of it.”
“Holding them to a field goal with all the trips they had to the redzone, that speaks volumes for our guys saying, ‘Win this play,'” Florida coach Jim McElwain said.”
Etling found Chark — and eight other receivers — for 14 completions on 25 attempts for 204 yards, including a 30-yard gain on fourth and 10 to Chark to set up the failed final goal-line charge via Guice.
“Guy’s a warrior,” Chark said of Etling. “He’s going up and fighting for you and so whenever I have a chance, I’m going to try to make a play for him. Whether it’s a great ball or not a great ball, and it’s usually good balls, but I’m going to try to make a play for him.”
Guice, Fournette’s pupil, rushed for 83 yards on 19 carries and added one touchdown. He was one of six Tigers to be handed the ball for a carry Saturday.
Yet, the Tigers’ offense simply wasn’t good enough to knock off the SEC East divisional champs, Florida.
“When we watch the film, I think we’ll realize we played well,” Etling said. “Just didn’t finish.”
You can follow Christian Boutwell on Twitter, @CBoutwell_
