Florida vs. LSU score, takeaways: Gators break out behind DJ Lagway in take down of No. 22 Tigers

Image Credit: UAA

There were a few helmets lost Saturday night inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, but the Florida Gators kept their heads … and their shoes. Florida exorcised the demons of that fateful night and snapped a five-game series losing streak pulling away late for a 27-16 win over the No. 22 LSU Tigers in Gainesville, Florida.

The victory was the Gators’ first over a top 25 team in 14 months coming after five prior tries this season and nine consecutive losses against such quality opponents. It also marked a key achievement for head coach Billy Napier, who took down counterpart Brian Kelly head-to-head with both in Year 3 leading their respective programs.

It was not the cleanest victory for Florida, of course, but the offense scored when necessary and the defense came alive late in the second half despite some problems on third down. Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway arguably outplayed LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, considered by many to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and did so despite being hobbled and limited athletically with a nagging hamstring injury.

Let’s take a look at everything that went down in The Swamp as the Gators pulled to 5-5 (3-4 SEC) and one game away from bowl eligibility.

This is ‘why’

Fans understandably pulling their hair out learning Napier was being retained for the 2025 season continuously asked one simply question: “Why?” Only Gators detailed many of the reasons nine days ago when the decision was first announced by athletic director Scott Stricklin. One of those proved itself over 60 hand-wringing minutes on Florida Field.

Lagway is special — as are many of the young Gators whom Napier signed over the last two seasons. Time and again the five-star signal caller delivered on his pedigree and proved there is indeed tremendous upside with him under center — even when largely playing on one leg.

Completing 13 of 26 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown, Lagway’s stat line does not jump off the page; however, his ability to drop dimes, extend plays by stepping up in the pocket and make smart decisions with the football completely changes Florida’s trajectory and makes Napier’s sometimes-frustrating play calling far less worrisome.

Lagway was simply tremendous on Saturday finding senior wide receiver Elijhah Badger — also returning from injury — six times for 131 yards and a score. It would have been two TDs for Badger had he not fallen down on the 1-yard line during the go-ahead scoring drive that was ultimately completed by junior running back Ja’Kobi Jackson.

“Those are throws … ‘God bless that young man,’ is what I would say,” Napier expressed.

👀🐊 DJ Lagway plays it like a pro in the game with an excellent back-shoulder throw to Elijhah Badger putting the Florida #Gators up 7-0 on No. 22 LSU in The Swamp.pic.twitter.com/jvg29Ao4jz

— OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news (@onlygators) November 16, 2024

Lagway hit six passes of 17+ yards, including two of 34+ yards, many of which came with defenders breathing down his neck. He did have a couple near-interceptions, though both were situational on occasions in which he’d likely have moved out of the pocket and either escaped pressure or thrown the ball away if he was able to be more mobile.

Freshman RB Jadan Baugh has similarly broken through since senior RB Montrell Johnson Jr. went down. Though Johnson looked spry also returning from injury Saturday, it was Baugh who iced the game with a runaway 55-yard TD in the fourth quarter. Baugh and Jackson combined for 102 yards and two scores on 12 total carries with Johnson likely seeing the field while still recovering simply to play against his home state’s team.

👀🐊Jadan can't answer calls cause he Baugh-lin'. Rumble, young man, rumble. 55-yard TD for the Florida #Gators freshman RB. pic.twitter.com/9WLWfCIKO6

— OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news (@onlygators) November 16, 2024

Players like Lagway and Baugh — along with numerous defenders who have flashed behind more veteran starters — are why taking the risk to retain Napier may wind up paying off. Given the complicated college football landscape involving NIL deals and the transfer portal, a Napier departure may well have seen the likes of Lagway and Baugh opt for another program this offseason.

Florida’s recruiting, which has struggled amid serious uncertainty around Napier and the program, gained significant momentum following the “vote of confidence.” The Gators may now be able to close the Class of 2025 strong coupling Napier’s retention with a victory over the Tigers that came on UF’s biggest recruiting weekend of the season.

This is defense

There’s no ignoring the Gators’ struggles defending third down on Saturday. LSU had converted 10 of 17 tries through three quarters and ultimately succeeded on 13 of 24 third downs (15 of 28 including fourth down) in the game. That allowed the Tigers to extend drives, keep Florida’s offense off the field and stay in a game that would have otherwise been over 15 minutes earlier.

LSU entered ranked 11th nationally converting third downs (48.4%) and did even better than that Saturday (54.2%). UF looked like it had answers in the first quarter with three tremendous stops at midfield, but the Tigers used check downs and slants to avoid an attacking Gators defense.

Along with quick offensive scoring drives, the third-down allowances are why there was a strangely lopsided allotment of plays and time of possession in the contest. LSU ran 92 plays to Florida’s 43 and possessed the ball for 41:43 compared to 18:17 for the hosts. That’s legitimately wild.

“The play count and time of possession was very unique … really out of whack at the end of the game,” Napier said.

The aggression and bend-but-don’t-break effort ultimately played off for UF, though, which sacked Nussmeier seven times. LSU entered the game having only given up six sacks through nine prior games this season.

“I do think we made them earn it on defense. We limited the big play, but obviously we gotta do a better job getting off the field on third down,” Napier said.

Redshirt junior defensive tackle Caleb Banks broke out with sack (really, two), two solo tackles (one for loss), three quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles (one recovered). Junior linebacker Shemar James was all over the place with two sacks, a game-high 11 tackles (five solo, two flor loss) and two pass breakups. Redshirt junior EDGEs Tyreak Sapp and George Gumbs Jr. were exceptional as well; each registered a sack with Sapp totaling four tackles for loss, though Gumbs’ full-throttle play was impactful beyond the box score.

The rare double fumble from a bit ago. #Gators pic.twitter.com/9CqXaHIL6W

— OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news (@onlygators) November 16, 2024

Many of their big-time plays came at crucial junctures, including on some third downs, to force field goals or punts on what the Tigers certainly hoped would be potential touchdown drives.

No, it was not perfect from the Gators defense, but the arrow has been pointing up massively for this unit ever since the first off week. Saturday night marked the first time UF held an SEC team to a single touchdown in two calendar years. And do not forget, this performance came with Florida missing its two starting cornerbacks (plus a primary backup) as well as starters at safety and linebacker.

If UF had been playing the last few weeks at full strength, who knows what this defense might be accomplishing. Should it bring many of these players back next year — with 10 more months in the system — it’s possible the defense under new coordinator Ron Roberts could be in the midst of a significant turnaround.

What went right

• Junior kicker Trey Smack was incredibly clutch booting a 49-yard field goal in the second quarter to put Florida ahead 10-7 as well as a career-long 55-yarder in the third quarter to create a 13-13 tie after the Gators’ trailed during their only stretch of the game (lasting 2:47).
• Senior punter Jeremy Crawshaw was a bit short on a few early punts leaving them at the 15-yard line, but he dropped a perfect ball to the LSU 8 late in the contest that massively helped UF’s efforts. “He’s the best punter in the country,” Napier said.
• Baugh’s game-sealing TD came on an excellent call from Napier, a misdirect off-tackle run that Florida had not previously used in the contest. It was frustrating how little UF ran the football given its lack of possessions, general success on the ground and LSU entering as the third-worst run defense in the SEC; however, Napier definitely made the most of his run game late in the fourth quarter to seal the contest. Another tremendous sequence was a strong run with Jackson that backed LSU off the line and set up the 36-yard play action reception by Badger.

👀🐊 DJ Lagway staying on his grizzy; he's a bona fide hustler … 36 yards to Elijhah Badger setting up another #Gators TD to push Florida ahead 20-13 of No. 22 LSU.pic.twitter.com/8r1lTpK3kK

— OnlyGators.com: Florida Gators news (@onlygators) November 16, 2024

What went wrong

• Penalty issues plagued the Gators at the worst times (as is usually the case). Florida committed holding, false start and 12 men on the field (on special teams) penalties in succession after obtaining the ball at midfield following a fourth-down stop on the opening drive of the game; it came away without points.
• UF similarly committed a facemask (referees conveniently missed a simultaneous holding on LSU) on the next drive but nevertheless got a stop on that possession, too. Yet another offensive possession was hurt with similar holding-false start penalties on consecutive snaps. Those issues subsided as the game progressed, but 55 yards were gifted to the Tigers that made winning more difficult and directly obstructed scoring opportunities.
• Officials also missed a blatant defensive pass interference call on the Tigers that screwed the Gators on a third-quarter drive.
• Napier called a tunnel screen in the second quarter – passing behind the sticks on third down – that reeked of his typical playcalling miscues. In this case, it actually appeared to be an OK call – if the Gators had sealed one additional block, it would have led to a significant gain – but results always dictate success and such decisions have been made far too many times.

Odds & ends

Florida evened its series with LSU 34-34-3; UF now holds a 17-15-3 edge in The Swamp … the Gators defense has forced turnovers in nine of 10 games this season … Florida under Napier improved to 13-6 at home, 13-6 when scoring first and 10-0 when allowing 20 points or fewer … UF picked up rare wins under Napier when tied or trailing at halftime (3-14), tied or trailing after three quarters (2-17) and being outrushed by an opponent (4-14) … the Gators won their third game against an AP Top 25 opponent under Napier (3-14), first in 14 months … Florida is now 2-9 against such opponents over the last two seasons, 1-5 in 2024 … the Gators have scored in 458 consecutive games, an NCAA record

What it means

A lot … potentially … Florida picked up a necessary victory to create an opportunity for bowl eligibility, which it will be favored to achieve with a game against one of the nation’s worst teams to end the season. The Gators also gained some significant momentum in recruiting while hosting a star-studded group of prospects in The Swamp on Saturday night — some of whom are choosing between UF and LSU. Rousing victories like these can create momentum within a program, particularly one that came soul-crushingly close to similar upsets earlier this season only to lose quarterbacks and leads against Tennessee and Georgia.

What’s tough to know is whether any — or how much of — the aforementioned will play out. However, creating all these possibilities is indeed an achievement, and what should not be lost is Florida’s improved level of play since that first open week.

Frustrations mount weekly from fans who want the Gators to play better and want Napier to coach better. What is often forgotten or conveniently ignored is the legitimate adversity that Florida has faced. It is literally playing not only the nation’s toughest schedule but what some have considered the toughest ever constructed. This while losing — at one point — two starting QBs and a ton of other starters on both sides of the ball. Would Florida be 8-2 with all of that talent healthy? No. Might it have been 6-4 or (less likely) 7-3 completing one or both of those aforementioned upset opportunities? Probably.

Even if you are anti-Napier (either in the short or long term), given the defensive improvements and the more explosive offense led by Lagway — all coming despite the significant adversity faced by the program — suggesting that Gators football has not taken steps forward this year is a foolhardy stance.

“We’re trying to create a culture here. The intangibles of the group are what we would want from our players. Obviously, the football needs to continue to improve. I do think it is improving, and that’s a result of each individual player contributing,” Napier explained.

“… If you’re going to have a good football team, you’ve got to do it all. This group continues to show it’s up for the challenge. … We played well tonight, but the way they’ve handled their business throughout the year [has been impressive]. … We’re learning how to win. Belief and hope are the most powerful things in the world, and I think we got that.”

What’s next?

Florida will play its seventh and final top 25 opponent of the regular season when it remains in the friendly confines of The Swamp to welcome No. 11 Ole Miss on Saturday. The game will kick off at noon ET and air live nationally on ABC. The Gators and Rebels are playing for the first time since 2020 and first time in Gainesville since 2015, both games UF won.