How it Happened: Florida upsets LSU in The Swamp
In a game LSU needed to win to keep any hopes of making the College Football Playoffs alive, the Tigers dropped another opportunity in a 27-16 road loss at Florida.
LSU went to The Swamp as a 4-point favorite after back-to-back losses, and even when matched up against a limited true freshman at quarterback and a defense that is banged up and without multiple starters, Brian Kelly and the Tigers couldn’t find a way to victory.
Instead, it was another head-scratching night for an LSU team that has now lost three straight SEC games, meaning the team will fall short of a 10-win season and a chance at a 9-win regular season – a mark well below the expected outcome for Kelly in Year 3 of his time as head coach in Baton Rouge.
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The Tigers found a nice 1-2 punch in the run game with Caden Durham and Josh Williams, but drive after drive resulted in missed opportunities, sacks, field goals instead of turnovers.
After four quarters, LSU had the ball for 92 snaps on offense, were on the field for nearly 42 minutes of the 60-minute game, and still managed just one touchdown.
Here’s how the game unfolded in Gainesville.
Two LSU starters sitting out first quarter
11/16/2024 02:42:30 PMLSU starting EDGE rusher Bradyn Swinson and starting safety Sage Ryan are set to miss the first quarter, per LSU Radio’s pregame report.
A pair of veterans being out for a quarter points to in-house discipline, and LSU’s radio network also reported backup EDGE rusher Da’Shawn Womack didn’t travel with the team to Gainesville. True freshman Gabriel Reliford will get the start in place of Swinson, while true freshman linebacker Davhon Keys will start at the STAR position as Major Burns moves to safety to fill the void left by Ryan being on the sidelines for the first 15 minutes of the game.
Florida strikes first … but after mishaps for both teams
11/16/2024 03:35:27 PMFlorida freshman quarterback DJ Lagway hit wide receiver Elijhah Badger on a back-shoulder throw to get the Gators on the board with a 7-0 lead.
Both teams had forgettable opening possessions, with LSU unable to convert on fourth-and-short from midfield before Florida went backwards on multiple penalties that resulted in a punt. LSU got into a 3rd-and-2, but once more, were unable to convert in a short yardage situation – once more choosing to throw the ball instead of run it with two yards or fewer to gain. On fourth down, Kelly elected to punt it back to the Gators.
On the first Florida snap, freshman linebacker Davhon Keys dropped a chance at the interception on Lagway. The Gators made LSU pay, with three of the next four plays going for at least 20 yards as Florida struck first with the score.
Ramos misses on first FG attempt
11/16/2024 03:50:59 PMThe following drive saw LSU march across midfield and into Florida territory, but a false start by left tackle Will Campbell put the Tigers behind the chains.
The drive ultimately resulted in a field goal attempt from 51 yards out, which Ramos missed to the right.
LSU evens the score on Drive No. 4
11/16/2024 03:47:01 PMThe Tigers trailed 7-0 after the first quarter, but after a stop by the defense, LSU’s offense went on a 14-play, 84-yard drive that brought a combination of runs and big gains in the passing game.
The final play of the drive: a touchdown strike for the Tigers as Nussmeier stepped into the pocket and delivered a great throw to Aaron Anderson for the 28-yard score midway through the second quarter.
So far, Anderson has hauled in all five of his targets for 57 yards and a score after four offensive possessions for LSU.
LSU, UF swap field goals to close out first half
11/16/2024 04:12:42 PMFlorida answered LSU’s long touchdown drive with a 49-yard field goal from Trey Smack, which came after the Tigers buckled in on defense after the Gators crossed midfield.
LSU responded with an even longer field goal as Ramos converted on a career-long 51-yard kick, which he drilled down the middle with room to spare after missing his first field goal opportunity.
Nussmeier and the LSU offense put together what appeared to be a solid 2-minute drive mixed with runs and first-down throws, but the drive stalled when Shemar James sacked Nussmeier on second down, forcing the Tigers into a 3rd-and-18 before Ramos was called on for the long field goal attempt.
Halftime: LSU 10, Florida 10
11/16/2024 04:25:43 PMHere’s a look at the first half stats across a 30-minute stretch that saw LSU post more passing and rushing yards than Florida while going 8-for-12 on third down and more than doubling up the Gators in time of possession (20:09 to 9:51).
Both teams swap field goals in the 3rd quarter
11/16/2024 05:31:47 PMLSU forced a punt coming out of halftime, and the Tigers rebounded from a fumble inside the team’s own 10-yard line to put together a 15-play scoring drive.
Unfortunately, a touchdown came off the board when Kyren Lacy was called for screening the defensive back on a play Nussmeier hit CJ Daniels in stride for the go-ahead touchdown. Backed up because of an untimely penalty, again, the Tigers settled for a field goal. Ramos converted from 45 yards out.
Florida answered with a scoring drive on the next possession, and like the Tigers on the drive prior, a penalty put the offense behind the chances before turning to Smack for a 55-yard field goal.
Florida takes the lead to start the 4th quarter
11/16/2024 05:32:04 PMAfter Bradyn Swinson nearly got to Lagway on the blitz, Florida’s freshman quarterback stepped up to deliver another huge throw, this time hitting Badger for a 36-yard gain to the 1-yard line.
The Gators scored on the goal line run on the following play to take the 20-13 lead just minutes into the fourth quarter.
After Florida’s TD, LSU answers with another FG
11/16/2024 06:08:33 PMWith LSU trailing 20-13, the Tigers got the ball back and answered with a drive that saw the Tigers convert a 4th down attempt at midfield. Timely catches came from LSU wide receiver CJ Daniels before Nussmeier found tight end Mason Taylor – one of this top targets in Gainesville – for a second fourth-down conversion on the drive.
Still, a 15-play drive would ultimately end in another field goal instead of a touchdown. And, yet again, it was a self-inflicted wound by way of an Emery Jones false start that put LSU’s offense behind the chains and forced the Tigers into a field goal instead of a game-tying score.
3 plays later, Florida secures the upset win
11/16/2024 06:11:57 PMOn Florida’s third snap of the following series, true freshman Jadan Baugh took the ball and ran free for the 55-yard touchdown to put the Gators up by double-digits.
With less than four minutes left in the game, Florida had taken a 27-16 lead that would end up being the game’s final score.
FINAL: Florida 27, LSU 16
11/16/2024 06:13:46 PMOn a night when LSU finally found life in the run game, and was matched up against a true freshman quarterback in DJ Lagway who was hampered by a hamstring injury, the offense fell flat yet again.
The best way to sum up LSU’s loss relative to swapping field goals for touchdowns: the Tigers scored just one touchdown in a game when the Tigers had 92 plays on offense and had possession of the football for nearly 42 minutes of a 60-minute game.
