Trailing 20-13 in the fourth quarter, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier scrambled on 3rd-and-11, trying to keep his offense on the field.
The Tigers were driving toward the goal line, but Nussmeier only gained one yard, and LSU had to settle for a field goal.
There was five minutes left in the game, and on the next drive, Florida running back Jadan Baugh rushed up the sideline for 55 yards into the endzone, sealing the 27-16 win for the Gators.
This was the theme for the Tigers throughout the game.
While LSU controlled the ball with 41 minutes of possession time and 92 plays, the Gator defense held the Tigers to field goals.
“We can’t keep taking points off the board… Drives have to be converted,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “You can’t just continue to move the ball up and down the field and not convert it to points. They don’t give you a pat on the back because you had the ball longer.”
Florida was all over LSU, sacking Nussmeier seven times. The Gators redzone defense was on fire, only allowing one LSU touchdown.
“Players make plays in short fields,” Kelly said. “We haven’t made enough plays down there quite frankly.”
Minutes after Florida’s final touchdown, Nussmeier laid on the floor shaken up after being hit hard to the ground. From all angles, the LSU team was truly being pummeled by the Gators.
Florida ended LSU’s hopes for an SEC Championship appearance and also ended Kelly’s chance at another 10-win season.
But LSU did show improvement. Going into the matchup against the Gators, the Tigers’ running game ranked dead last in the SEC.
It only managed 24 rushing yards against Texas A&M and a little over 100 against Alabama. However, running backs Josh Williams and Caden Durham combined for 160 yards – a 136-yard improvement compared to the A&M game.
Durham ran for 91 yards on 20 carries. With a more-balanced offense, Nussmeier was able to create big plays. He had two touchdowns and racked up 260 passing yards amid being pressured for four quarters.
But in a competitive back-and-forth game, the LSU offense ultimately struggled with creating consistency. Almost every drive consisted of late downs where LSU put itself in tough situations, giving the Florida defense a chance to create stops.
The Gator defense affected the pass game, keeping tight coverage on the Tigers’ top receivers.
On the opening drive, LSU turned the ball over on fourth down at their own 46-yard line. While the Tigers held the Gators to a punt, the offense proceeded to struggle against a defense that kept breaking through the line.
On the offense, Gator freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, coming back from injury, was making deep shots and perfectly placing balls for his receivers.
“They played well,” Kelly said. “We did not do enough to eliminate some of the mistakes that have been haunting us these past weeks.”
In this SEC battle, it came down to the last quarter. The game was tied 13-13, and big plays were going to win the game.
The Gator defense was coming out with needed stops, even sacking Nussmeier at LSU’s 10-yard line on 3rd-and-8 with only 30 seconds left in the third quarter.
Trying to pull the upset, Lagway threw a 36-yard pass to receiver Elijah Badger, which placed the Gators at the one-yard line. Running back Ja’Kobi Jackson finished the drive, and Florida took a 20-13 lead.
LSU will have an opportunity to break its three-game losing streak against Vanderbilt at home next Saturday.
“Obviously, I wasn’t good enough tonight,” Kelly said. “But were going to go back to work, and we are going to look at the things we need to get better at.”