DJ Lagway passed for 226 yards and a touchdown and Florida handed No. 22 LSU its third consecutive loss, 27-16 Saturday in Gainesville, Fla.
Lagway returned from a one-game absence due to a strained hamstring to complete 13 of 26 passes and the Gators (5-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) moved within one victory of bowl eligibility with two games to play. Elijhah Badger caught six of Lagway’s passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Garrett Nussmeier completed 27 of 47 passes for 260 yards and touchdown for the Tigers (6-4, 3-3), but he was sacked seven times.
On its first possession of the third quarter, LSU drove to Damian Ramos’ 45-yard field goal to take its only lead of the game at 13-10. On the ensuing possession, Florida dove to Trey Smack’s 55-yard field goal to tie the score.
Lagway’s 36-yard completion to Badger set up Ja’Kobi Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Gators a 20-13 lead with 13:58 remaining.
The Tigers converted a third-and-11, a fourth-and-three and a fourth-and-four to reach the Florida 21-yard line before stalling and Ramos kicked a 38-yard field goal to trim the lead to 20-16 with 5:18 left.
On the third play after the ensuing kickoff, Jadan Baugh ran 55 yards for a touchdown and a 27-16 lead.
LSU reached the Gators’ 31 on the ensuing possession, but turned the ball over on downs.
Lagway threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Badger to give the Gators a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. The score stayed that way through the end of the period after Ramos was short on a 52-yard field-goal attempt.
The Tigers tied the score midway through the second quarter when Nussmeier threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Anderson on third-and-nine.
Smack kicked a 49-yard field goal to give Florida a 10-7 lead. LSU drove to the Gators’ 25 before Nussmeier was sacked and Ramos kicked a 50-yard field goal that tied the score at halftime.
–Field Level Media