On Saturday, Florida systematically dismantled LSU's vaunted defense, winning 51-21 in the Swamp. It was one of the best victories of the Urban Meyer era, and unarguably Les Miles' worst loss since taking over the Bayou in 2005.
The USA Today pollsters responded by driving Florida up to 7th in the overall standings while the AP poll was even more impressed, ranking the Gators just behind 4-1 Oklahoma at 5th.
So what's the significance of it all? Why was this win in particular such a tilting point for Florida's season? How is it that a team which lost to unranked Ole Miss two weeks ago is now back in the national title picture?
The answer might be found in the stats. Florida managed 475 total yards of offense, of which only 210 came through the air. Most of the remaining 265 came from two running backs who are starting to show they bring their own star power to an offense riddled with larger-than-life players. Jeff Demps ran for 129 yards and a touchdown, averaging a ludicrous 12.9 YPC average while Chris Rainey put up 66 yards on only 11 carries. These impressive numbers were earned against what many believed was the SEC's best defense.
When a team can run the ball that effectively, they're going to be hard to beat.
Add in Tim Tebow's efficient distribution of the ball to playmakers all over the field and the usual fantastic special teams play that Meyer's squad is known for, and the Gators are starting to look very much like the complete package. That kind of multi-faceted balance is what wins championships, and by scoring at will against a talented group of Bayou Bengals, the Gators seem to have announced that they are the team everyone expected them to be in the pre-season.
