Florida football earned its fifth win of the season on Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium over the 22nd-ranked LSU Tigers in a rivalry game that lived up to its long-time reputation. The Gators used an all-around effort to overcome the visitors, 27-16.
After the dust settled following college football’s Week 12 schedule, USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg penned up his winners and losers column, with the Orange and Blue headlining the positive side of things. Here is what he offered.
“Florida pitched the decision to bring back coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] as one focused on the program’s future.,” Myerberg begins. “The reality of the situation is that paying Napier’s $27 million buyout made less sense at a time when a fraction of that total can be used to develop a roster that can compete on a weekly basis with the best teams in the SEC.
“This decision may end up being one of the smarter economic allocations in recent Bowl Subdivision history,” he continues. “In a dream scenario, Napier’s program turns a corner over the next year. If not, the Gators fire him next November or December and pay a smaller buyout number.
“The future is uncertain, basically. But the present isn’t all that bad: Florida beat No. 22 LSU 27-16 for what may be the hallmark win of Napier’s tenure, Myerberg notes. “And with freshman quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] back in the lineup after missing last week’s loss to Texas, the Gators seem poised to earn a bowl berth and potentially post a winning season for the first time since 2020.
“Lagway largely outplayed LSU junior Garrett Nussmeier in completing 13 of 26 passes for 226 yards and a score. Nussmeier threw for 260 yards but averaged a season-low 5.5 yards per attempt.
“Crucially, Lagway avoided any turnovers in a game that went back and forth until freshman running back Jadan Baugh’s 55-yard touchdown pushed Florida ahead by two possessions with just under four minutes to go.
“The Gators will be heavy underdogs in next week’s game against No. 11 Mississippi but are poised to capture bowl eligibility in the season finale against rival Florida State,” Myerberg predicts. “Given the drama of this season — from Napier’s job security through quarterback Graham Mertz’s season-ending injury through the nastiest schedule imaginable in the SEC — that this team could reach a bowl game should be applauded.
“Hold your applause for LSU, which as a specific team and program is clearly trending downwards after a nice run through the start of SEC play. In the past three games, the Tigers have been blown away in the fourth quarter by No. 15 Texas A&M, blown out from the start by No. 9 Alabama and then lost to the Gators.
“That’s not good news for coach Brian Kelly, who missed the chance to capitalize on some early success and might be better off packing up his Foghorn Leghorn-style accent and doing a reverse carpetbagger back to the friendlier confines of somewhere in the upper Midwest,” he concludes.
Up next for the Gators
The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.
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