LSU vs. Florida score, takeaways: No. 5 Tigers outlast No. 7 Gators in surprising offensive shootout – CBS Sports

A Immense 12 sport broke out on the Bayou as No. 5 LSU managed to outdo No. 7 Florida 42-28 in a excessive-scoring, wait on-and-forth affair on Saturday evening in Death Valley. Long gone are the days when the SEC’s elite rob turns punting and mettlesome the more than a couple of to ranking. Both groups spent the greater part of three quarters exchanging touchdowns.

It wasn’t unless the Tigers and Gators were tied 28-28 that the protection goodbye linked with the SEC in the ruin showed up. The LSU front seven was in the ruin in a local to gather dwelling while pressuring Florida quarterback Kyle Trask to gather its first sack of the evening. It was a sack that regarded as if it may perchance perchance well perchance alter the consequence of the game, because it forced UF to commit a cardinal sin in this sport. The Gators punted, and as well they paid for it.

LSU took advantage by turning that punt into a touchdown, after which, after a couple more punts, the game had its deciding moment. Florida had a big gamble to tie the game again, striking together one other impressive power of their very must gather wait on into the red zone, nonetheless Trask made his first, and solely, true mistake of the evening. He forced a dawdle that wasn’t there into the discontinuance zone, and LSU’s Derek Stingley seen it the total intention, deciding on it off. Four performs later, LSU wideout Ja’Marr Droop was racing down the sideline for a 54-yard touchdown to save the Tigers up 14, and that’s the reason the style it may perchance perchance well perchance preserve. LSU accomplished it off with a device-line stand in the best minute to entire Florida’s comeback try.

Joe Burrow had one other distinctive sport for LSU, finishing 21-of-24 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns. Trask played terrifically as neatly, throwing for 310 yards and three touchdowns of his have, nonetheless it absolutely was the discontinuance zone interception that proved decisive.

Listed here are four takeaways from this handsome SEC shootout.

1. LSU remains the ideal threat to Alabama in the SEC:  I felt this model earlier than Georgia misplaced to South Carolina on Saturday, as I wrote about it a couple of weeks up to now. Tonight honest correct bolstered my idea, on memoir of while LSU’s protection is plenty leakier than we’re worn to seeing, or now not it’s miles the solely totally different offense in the SEC able to retaining saunter with that of Alabama. Long gone are the days when LSU, or anybody, goes to beat Alabama 9-6.

After taking down Texas A&M 47-28 on Saturday, Alabama is averaging 51 facets per sport thru six video games. After striking 42 facets on the board in opposition to Florida tonight, LSU is at 52.5.

Right here’s the new fact of the SEC. Sure, it took the convention a runt bit longer to be dragged into the novel period of offensive soccer, nonetheless it absolutely’s there now. And, in its protection, in case you’re winning a bunch of nationwide titles, there may perchance be seldom the inducement to alternate. Alabama modified, and now LSU modified to retain. It is Georgia that hasn’t modified, and the Bulldogs realized the perils of limiting the sample measurement by playing slowly and deliberately. It is a lesson LSU wished a couple of years to spend as a lot as, nonetheless it absolutely’s realized it, and it seems admire thought to be one of many most attention-grabbing groups in the nation now. It is wonderful what occurs in case you pair abilities with an advantageous device, is now not it?

2. LSU’s offense can even comprise gotten scarier tonight:  Again, here’s a crew that is now scoring 52.5 facets per sport, nonetheless coming into tonight, LSU hadn’t been running the ball all that neatly. They entered Saturday evening averaging solely 4.2 yards per preserve it up the bottom and were going up in opposition to a Florida protection that ranked 19th in the nation, allowing 2.9 yards per lift. LSU averaged 9.1 yards per lift in opposition to it on Saturday. No, that is now not a typo, the Tigers nearly picked up a first-rate down at any time when they ran the ball.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the anxiousness, speeding for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. He had some support, too, as Burrow picked up 43 yards on the bottom. Then there was the freshman Tyrion Davis-Ticket, who launched himself to the nation with a 33-yard touchdown that put the Tigers forward to preserve unhurried in the third quarter. If the Tigers are in a local to pair this ground assault with a passing assault that no-one has been in a local to prevent up to now, neatly, honest success, SEC.

3. Florida restful has plenty to play for this season:  Listen, this loss stings. With Georgia losing earlier in the day, Florida had a big gamble to rob entire retain watch over of the SEC East, nonetheless that is now now not he case. Soundless, if the Gators beat the Dawgs in Jacksonville, Florida, in a couple of weeks, they’ll be in the SEC East driver’s seat. In issue that they’ll restful take the division, and that implies they’ll restful gather to Atlanta the save they’ll face both Alabama or perchance gather a rematch in opposition to LSU or Auburn.

Either intention, if the Gators take out, or now not it will not be admire a one-loss SEC champion Florida crew with the wins it may perchance perchance well perchance comprise is getting left out of the College Football Playoff. And in actuality, while or now not it’s laborious to feel mammoth about yourself after allowing 42 facets, Florida restful played neatly over the route of the game.

The style Trask handled himself in the ambiance of Tiger Stadium on Saturday evening would comprise me feeling extraordinarily assured about my offense going forward if I’m Dan Mullen. He did now not gather flustered. Yes, he made one gloomy dawdle, and it proved dear, nonetheless he was going shot for shot with Burrow — a Heisman Trophy candidate — for a range of of the evening. That’s a mammoth imprint going forward. Soundless, I discontinuance comprise one command with Florida’s QB distress.

4. Mullen ought to prevent the musical chairs at QB: Listen, I know that Mullen and Florida comprise had a range of success the utilization of two quarterbacks up to now. That Chris Leak-Tim Tebow mixture was moderately effective. I didn’t admire the style Mullen worn Emory Jones on Saturday evening, though. With the style Trask was playing, it felt admire it was disrupting the stream of Florida’s offense when he was pulled for Jones.

Mullen kept bringing Jones in all the intention thru red-zone scenarios, as well to fully different a must comprise spots, and it made Florida’s offense predictable. The Tigers protection stacked the box on memoir of it didn’t assume Jones was able to beating it with his arm, and he proved them factual for the most part set up for one a runt bit-fortunate touchdown that was hauled in by Lamical Perine on a tip drill. Jones is a proficient QB, absolute self assurance, and he’ll likely take a quantity of video games in his profession at Florida. Nonetheless factual now? Trask has played too neatly to be discovering himself on the sideline in important scenarios. 

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