This is still a two-score game, Florida only leading 24-14 after a missed chip-shot field goal by Caleb Sturgis. But it feels like the game’s already over.
The air was pretty much out of the stadium after the first play of the fourth quarter, but it kept going out after that. When Tim Tebow was bottled up behind the line on third down just now, there was only tepid applause.
Fans have been leaving for some time, and the stands may now be two-fifths Florida fans.
You can’t really say the defense wore down; after all, Florida had really short fields here in the fourth quarter. But Darian Stewart, a senior, did draw an unsportsmanlike penalty on the most recent drive.
The interception return will get the most blame for this loss, and justifiably. But let the record show that the offensive line completely broke down in the fourth quarter too.
There were three sacks in a four-play stretch, most critically in the series after Florida’s touchdown. Instead of being able to provide some sort of answer, USC just went backwards.