LSU didn’t allow Tennessee to beat it twice, but Saturday’s game against Florida ended up being a little too close for comfort.
After a back-and-forth first half that saw the teams trade scores throughout, the Tigers ultimately took control in the second half, stretching their lead out to as much as 21 in the third quarter.
A Florida comeback brought it within seven, and LSU avoided near-disaster when quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] threw an interception late that was ultimately called back due to a roughing the passer penalty. The Tigers did enough to survive 45-35 in a shootout in Gainesville, largely thanks to a tremendous offensive performance.
With the win, LSU’s winning streak over the Gators extends to four games.
The star of the show for LSU was Daniels. Aside from his scary almost-turnover, he was phenomenal. It was hands down his best game in a purple and gold jersey as he finished with six total touchdowns (three passing, three rushing). He had 349 yards through the air to go with 44 on the ground.
The bulk of the offense came through the air, but the ground game wasn’t bad, either. [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] led the way with 106 yards on 14 carries, due in large part to a 50-yard scamper.
It was finally the breakout game we had been waiting for from star receiver [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag], who was having a quiet start to the season. UF had no answer for him, though, and he had his best game of the season, finishing with six catches for 115 yards, both of which led the team.
Defensively, it wasn’t the Tigers’ best game. They allowed 395 yards of offense but overall performed better than they did in the loss to the Vols. Quarterback Anthony Richardson led the Gators’ elite rushing attack with 109 yards, most of which came on an 81-yard touchdown. Montrell Johnson also had 57 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
But the Florida passing game was held under 200 yards as the Tigers fared much better against this struggling offense than it did last week against one of the nation’s best groups.
With the win, coach Brian Kelly’s team moves to 5-2 (3-1 SEC) on the season with another absolutely massive test next week against an Ole Miss team in Death Valley that is undefeated and ranks in the top 10.
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