By Hunt Palmer
An 84-yard touchdown drive capped by a brilliant throw may have kept LSU’s season from the brink.
As it stands at halftime, Florida and LSU are tied at 10 with 30 minutes to play.
After the Gators got a couple of early stops including a fourth down run on LSU’s opening drive, freshman DJ Lagway made a couple of big-time throws, the second a 23-yard score to Elijhah Badger, to ignite the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium crowd and give Florida an early lead.
Garrett Nussmeier and LSU answered the bell with that long touchdown jaunt to even things up with 7:39 to play i the half.
Florida did retake the lead with a 49-yard field goal from Trey Smack. Damion Ramos responded to a miss from 51 with a 50-yarder with 10 second to play before intermission.
LSU played much of the first half without its starting guards. Garrett Dellinger is inactive with a high ankle sprain, and Miles Frazier left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. He returned on LSU’s final first half drive. In Frazier’s place, redshirt freshman Tyree Adams filled in. Adams has missed a month after suffering a hernia.
LSU has run the ball with some success behind that offensive line. The Tigers have 84 rushing yards on 16 carries. Freshman Caden Durham has 11 of those carries for 57 yards of his own.
With help from that ground game, LSU won time of possession 20:09 to 9:51. The Tigers ran 46 plays to the Gators 21.
Both teams have responded to blowout losses last week. The game is being played with a lot of physicality and effort. The Gator crowd is live. The second half should be hotly contested.
Florida will get the football to begin the second half.
