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Strong defense leads LSU past Florida

Oct 13, 2013 - 1:06 AM Baton Rouge, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - A solid defensive effort propelled the 10th-ranked LSU Tigers to a 17-6 home victory over the 17th-ranked Florida Gators.

The Tigers (6-1, 3-1 SEC) came into Saturday's game allowing foes to put up 24.7 ppg, while yielding 367.0 yards of total offense. The LSU defense responded on Saturday by limiting the Gators to just six points and 240 yards of total offense.

Zach Mettenberger completed 9-of-17 passes for 152 yards for the Tigers, who have won two in a row since a loss at Georgia on Sept. 28. Jeremy Hill carried the ball 19 times for 121 yards.

"The way we (play) over here, we can win all types of games," Hill said. "We can win shoot-outs, and we can win tough, physical running games. That's what kind of game it was today."

Tyler Murphy connected on 15-of-27 passes for 115 yards for Florida (4-2, 3-1), which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

"I didn't do a good job of getting rid of the ball quick enough," Murphy admitted. "That is something that I am really going to have to evaluate and get better at."

Florida's first possession of the game lasted 14 plays and took nearly 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. The Gators moved the ball to the LSU 29 before Mack Brown was stopped short on 3rd-and-3. Francisco Velez made a 44-yard field goal to make it 3-0 with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Tigers came right back with a touchdown. Terrence Magee and Odell Beckham caught passes of 17 and 25 yards, respectively. A pair of penalties on Florida set up J.C. Copeland's 1-yard rushing TD on the first play of the second stanza.

LSU was marching down the field on its next possession when Mettenberger fumbled.

After the Gators went three-and-out, the Tigers took over at their own 38-yard line. LSU was awarded a fresh set of downs when Florida was called for defensive pass interference on third down. Beckham added a 22-yard catch on 3rd-and-17 later in the series. Copeland's 10-yard run set up Anthony Jennings' 1-yard TD run, making it 14-3 with 5:14 left in the half.

A scoreless third quarter featured four punts.

Florida was faced with a 4th-and-1 from the LSU 14-yard line in the early stages of the fourth stanza. The Tigers were called for a personal foul on the play, giving the Gators a first down. The visitors, however, had to settle for a 27-yard Velez field goal.

The Tigers responded with three points of their own. Hill's 26-yard run helped set up Colby Delahoussaye's 31-yard field goal.

Florida used a fake field goal to keep its next drive going. On 4th-and-5, Kyle Christy completed a 14-yard pass to Neiron Ball. Demarcus Robinson followed with consecutive catches to move the ball to the LSU 30-yard line. Ahmad Fulwood kept the Gators alive with a 15-yard catch on 4th-and-9. The visitors, however, turned the ball over following two incomplete passes and a pair of sacks.

The Tigers ran the final 3:51 off the clock.

Game Notes

Florida leads the all-time series, 31-26-3 ... Florida was held without a touchdown for the first time since Oct. 27, 2012, against Georgia ... LSU came into Saturday's game averaging 45.5 ppg ... Florida running back Matt Jones carried the ball four times for 17 yards before leaving with a knee injury ... Brown led the rushing attack for the Gators with 56 yards on 15 carries ... A crowd of 92,980 was announced on a hot, humid afternoon in Death Valley.