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In each of the last 5 years, LSU found a way to beat Florida.
Finally, that streak came to an end.
For the first time since 2018, Florida found a way to stop the bleeding against the Tigers. No thrown shoes were had. Florida knocked off No. 22 LSU 27-16.
Here are 3 takeaways from Saturday’s showdown in The Swamp:
1. DJ Lagway returned and looked the part
The Florida true freshman returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him in the Georgia game, and boy, did the Gators need him. Lagway wore an apparatus on his left leg to limit his mobility, but that didn’t limit him from making key plays in this one.
Lagway’s 36-yard pass to Elijah Badger was the play of the day. He stepped in the pocket and threw off the wrong foot. Didn’t matter. Lagway’s precision was what set up a go-ahead score by Ja’Kobi Jackson to give Florida a 20-13 lead that it didn’t look back on.
Lagway’s touchdown pass was a dime to Badger on the back shoulder. That was part of a 131-yard day for the Arizona State transfer.
But the story of the day was Lagway returning and giving Florida its first win vs. an AP Top 25 team since it beat Tennessee in Sept. 2023.
2. Once again, LSU’s offense sputtered
For the 3rd consecutive game, LSU’s offense couldn’t get much of anything going when it mattered. Tyreak Sapp and Florida’s defensive line won the battle against LSU’s heralded offensive line. Garrett Nussmeier was sacked 7 times. Mind you, LSU had allowed 6 sacks all year.
It was that kind of day for LSU. One touchdown was all the Tigers had to speak of, which was a slight improvement from last week’s 0-touchdown showing vs. Alabama. Nussmeier briefly left the game late after he was swallowed whole by the Florida defense, but by that point, the hay was in the barn on the LSU offense.
Brian Kelly’s streak of 7 consecutive 10-win seasons came to an end in brutal fashion, as did LSU’s slim SEC Championship hopes.
3. Florida’s bowl hopes are alive and well
The Gators entered the day needing to win 2 of its final 3 games to reach bowl eligibility, though with 1 of those games being against 1-win Florida State, the thinking was that the postseason would come down to upsetting LSU or Ole Miss. By knocking off LSU for win No. 5, Florida would have to endure an epic collapse to miss out on a bowl berth.
Never say never, but Saturday’s win felt monumental for earning a postseason berth after navigating a gauntlet of a schedule. Next week vs. Ole Miss will mark Florida’s 4th consecutive game vs. an AP Top 25 team.
The Gators can clinch bowl eligibility with another upset in The Swamp.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Down South. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.
