14 minutes ago
AP
Photo: Photo by James Gilbert / Getty Images
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – – Jayden Daniels accounted for six touchdowns – three overtakes and three dashes – and LSU beat Florida 45-35 Saturday night at The Swamp for a fourth straight win in the series.
Daniels finished with 349 passes – 115 of them to Kayshon Boutte – and rushed 44 yards. The Tigers (5-2, 3-1 Southeast Conference) rebounded from a 27-point loss to Tennessee a week earlier and matched their longest winning streak against the Gators since 1977-1980.
This match, like so many recent matches in series history, has come to an end. Followed by a touchdown, Florida (4-3, 1-3) had a rare third stop with less than two minutes left. But freshman Damian Ramos kicking a 47-yard goal with 1:52 to play is basically a win.
Anthony Richardson tried to regroup Florida, but his fourth down pass didn’t complete, and LSU has been out of clocks ever since.
Richardson played unprofitable football for the first time in six weeks, but Gator needed him defensively to make the difference in this game. He opened the game with a 51-yard touchdown pass and added an outstanding 81-yard strike to start the fourth half. However, the Gator is too conflicted in the middle.
The tigers have no such problem. They scored touchdowns in their first six possessions, without any assistance from a short pitch. They rolled 469 yards on those driveways, tearing down Florida’s already heavily damaged defense, especially on the third downhill.
LSU moved the string eight times in the first nine third attempts. Wrong person? Well, coach Brian Kelly’s offense converted from fourth down.
Florida was eventually forced to play a game of chess with about 13 minutes to play and followed by an 80-yard drive that ended with Trevor Etienne’s 1-yard plunge. Down 42-35, the Gators looked like they had a game-changing intercept with less than six minutes to play. But Jason MarshallThe team’s pick was nullified by a crude penalty against teammate Gervon Dexter. Dexter pushed Daniels to the ground and landed on him after he released the ball.
Richardson completed 15 of 25 185-yard passes and one TD came Justin Shorter in the second play of the game. Richardson also ran 109 yards and a score.
CARRIED AWAY
LSU: Tennessee’s 40-13 drunken stay at home last week looked a lot better, after the Volunteers disappointed No. 3 Alabama earlier on Saturday. The Tigers had some bouts with special teams in that game and did the same thing against Florida. They allowed a back-to-back game at 47 yards to open up the game and choke off a ball hit in the second half. Both errors set touchdowns.
Florida: The Gators have faced defensive flaws throughout the season but nothing quite like this one. LSU’s 6 points are 75, 73, 75, 83, 75 and 88 yards.
TOM PETTY NIGHT
Florida paid tribute to late music icon Tom Petty, a Gainesville native, during the game as part of its inaugural “Tom Petty Day at The Swamp.” About a dozen members of the Petty family were in the north region as the Gators played “Won’t Back Down” between Q3 and Q4, a Florida game-day tradition that began a few days after the Petty’s death in 2017.
LSU doesn’t seem to respect this moment. The Tigers’ band started playing late in the show and drew boos from most of the 90,585 fans in attendance.
NEXT
LSU: The Tigers begin a three-game run against the SEC West teams, starting at home against 9 Ole Miss next Saturday.
Florida: The Gators have a bye week before facing top-rated Georgia in nearby Jacksonville.
