No. 12 LSU 33, No. 14 Florida 29: Les Miles Works Another Miracle

LSU Stuns Florida, 33-29, With Last-Minute Touchdown

Gainesville, FL (Sports Network) - Terrence Toliver's three-yard touchdown catch with six seconds remaining on the clock lifted 12th-ranked LSU to yet another exciting victory, this one a 33-29 win over 14th-ranked Florida at The Swamp.

Toliver's touchdown was his second of the game, capping off a wild final series that saw a controversial fake field goal attempt. LSU (6-0, 4-0 SEC), which squandered a 12-point fourth-quarter lead, remained unbeaten again by the slimmest of margins.

In last week's wild finish, the Tigers topped Tennessee on an untimed down at the end of the game after the Vols were called for having 13 men on the field. The Volunteers had celebrated on the previous botched snap by LSU, only to be called back by the referees before losing.

The win allowed the Tigers to avenge their last two losses to Florida, both of which spoiled then-perfect records. LSU moved to 6-0 for the first time since 2007, when it won the national championship over Ohio State. Both sets of Tigers -- Auburn and LSU -- are now the lone unbeaten teams in the SEC after Auburn beat Kentucky.

Toliver finished with six catches for 111 yards, while LSU split the quarterbacking duties between Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson. Lee finished with 124 yards passing on 9-of-11 throws with two touchdowns, while Jefferson went 7-for-12 for 100 yards with an interception and added two rushing scores.

Steven Ridley ran 28 times for 83 yards in the win, LSU's first in The Swamp since 2004.

Florida (4-2, 2-2) saw its 12-game home win streak snapped and has now lost two straight for the first time since losing to Auburn and LSU on September 29-October 6, 2007.

John Brantley, playing with injuries to his ribs and hand, completed 16-of-24 passes for 154 yards and an interception, while Trey Burton and Mike Gillislee each ran for a score. Carl Moore caught four passes for 95 yards.

Jefferson's second touchdown run gave LSU a 26-14 lead with 14:17 to play in the fourth, but Florida came back to go in front.

On the ensuing kickoff, Andre Debose sprinted 88 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown, cutting the Gators' deficit to five. LSU struggled on its next two possessions and punted both times, as Florida took over on its own 20 with 7:55 to go.

Brantley orchestrated a 10-play drive that lasted 4 1/2 minutes, using a 51- yard pass completion to Moore on 3rd-and-8 from the 22 to get deep in LSU territory. Burton converted another third down from inside the 10, and Gillislee got into the end zone from five yards away for a 27-26 lead with 3:21 left.

Florida went for two points, and Brantley's pass completion to Frankie Hammond, Jr. made it a three-point game.

The Tigers took over with one final chance to tie the game or go in front and faced a 4th-and-3 from the Florida 36 with 35 seconds left. Josh Jasper, whose career-long field goal make it from 52 yards away, lined up for a 53-yarder before LSU called its final timeout.

Out of the timeout, the Tigers again lined up in field goal formation, only they called a fake. Jasper ran around the right end as the holder flipped the ball blindly over his back. It bounced before Jasper picked it up and ran five yards for the first down.

The referees embarked on a lengthy review to determine whether it was an incomplete pass, but ruled the ball did not move forward and was therefore a legal lateral.

On the next play, Toliver caught a pass from Lee over the middle and sprinted down to the three-yard line. Following a spike, Lee threw a fade route to Toliver, but the pass fell incomplete. On third down, the Tigers tried the same exact play, and Toliver came up with the touchdown reception to give LSU a four-point lead after the extra point.

Brantley's final pass on the last play fell incomplete to end the game.

LSU began the game on a good note, driving 40 yards on seven plays to take an early 3-0 lead on Jasper's 45-yard field goal.

The Tigers' second possession didn't end as successfully, as Jefferson was picked off by Jelani Jenkins, who returned the pick 47 yards to the LSU 17. Florida took advantage of the turnover on the first play of the second quarter on Jordan Reed's one-yard plunge into the end zone on 3rd-and-goal.

The hosts had an answer, however, moving 77 yards on a 13-play series. Michael Ford's 25-yard run helped the Tigers gain the Gators' 35, and Ridley ran four consecutive times to put LSU on the 13-yard line. A 10-yard scamper on 3rd- and-11 gave the Tigers a fourth down from the three, and head coach Les Miles elected to go for it.

Jefferson was able to gain the first down and score from the one-yard line two plays later for a 10-7 LSU lead with less than nine minutes until halftime.

The Gators went three-and-out on their next drive, but Patrick Peterson muffed the ensuing punt, and Florida's Ahmad Black recovered the ball at the LSU 16. The visitors took advantage of the short field, using Trey Burton's one-yard touchdown rush to grab a 14-10 advantage with five minutes left.

LSU couldn't move the ball on its ensuing touch, but neither could Florida, which had to punt from its own one-yard line. The Tigers took over on the Gators' 39 with 1:49 to play, and Lee's 38-yard touchdown pass to Toliver helped LSU take a 17-14 lead.

Following an Emmanuel Moody fumble inside of two minutes, Jasper added a 39- yard field goal for the Tigers at the first half buzzer for a six-point cushion.

Game Notes

Since 2000, LSU has won more games than any other SEC school (105). Florida is second with 104...The Gators had won their previous 24 regular season games before last week's loss to Alabama...Florida still leads the all-time series, 30-24-3...LSU outgained Florida on offense, 386-247...The Gators, who face Mississippi State next week, have not lost three straight games since 1999.

LSU Vs. Florida: Just When You Think You Have It All Figured Out...

Our Alligator Army wonders how tonight happened — and if anything has changed for Florida:

Just when you think you've figured it out, you will be wrong. Teams who can't score get 62 points. It is possible for UF to have a long touchdown scoring drive. Perfectly sideways laterals are possible. And Les Miles still can pull more magic out of his hat.

 

But despite that, and South Carolina beating Alabama today, nothing in the long term has changed.

LSU Vs. Florida: Les Miles In Position To Laugh Last

Team Speed Kills nails what it is to be Les Miles:

So everyone's going to laugh at Les Miles again, but he's now in a prime position to be the one who laughs last.

LSU Vs. Florida: And The Valley Shook Requests You Deal With Les Miles

SB Nation's And The Valley Shook appropriates a popular meme for its postgame comments:

Seems about right.

LSU Vs. Florida: Miracle Finish Proves Les Miles' Magic Is A Terrible, Beautiful Thing

There is no logic to any of this.

Les Miles has two quarterbacks, and few think either is better than above-average. Les Miles had his special teams ace muff a punt that led to one Florida touchdown and had his special teams give up a touchdown return to a freshman.

Les Miles' idea of a sane last-minute call is the fake field goal flip to the kicker, and it works despite the ball bouncing and staying as literally lateral as possible. Les Miles' offensive coordinator can send in the same exact fade twice in a row and get the same coverage at the goal line.

Les Miles has more lives than nine cats combined, and his Bayou Bengals appear determined to use all of them and then some this year.

This, the place where a 33-29 win over Florida on the road seems like the only right outcome despite the unbelievable set of circumstances that produced it, is Xanadu and hell in one for LSU fans, I assume. It must be, trusting that your team will end up on the correct side of the ledger and yet knowing that there is no way to see it coming until the path reveals itself in retrospect. Tonight, that path had to do with Florida tackling like their predecessors in orange-clad futility, the early Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it was more evident on the fake field goal than ever, as overpursuit and a failed shoestring tackle led to a first down run by a kicker.

Florida played a valiant game in sum, with the fairly clearly hurt John Brantley taking shots and firing passes all night, Urban Meyer engineering offense out of nothing with three quarterbacks taking snaps and rocket-fueled Jeff Demps cooling his jets with a foot injury. The defense struggled to tackle all night, but was always almost good enough.

But almost good enough against LSU is always too little to prevent a gruesome heart-wrenching loss.

LSU isn't the best team in the SEC, and might not be the best team in the SEC West, but the Tigers get Auburn in two weeks and Alabama at home, and if this is the way the magic will work this year, why even dream of betting against them? Les Miles' magic is a dark and gorgeous thing, the sort of stuff that cannot be understood and only glimpsed.

It's chaos at its inscrutable best. And LSU fans just have to grit their teeth, week after week, and wonder how the coach they want to fire stays undefeated by pulling pages from scripts Hollywood would call ludicrous.

Les Miles has six wins and zero losses. That's amazing.

LSU Vs. Florida: Terrance Toliver Hauls In Touchdown Pass, Makes Magic

Terrance Toliver couldn't make the catch that would put LSU ahead for good.

Then he did it on third down.

Toliver skied over Jeremy Brown to pull in a fade from Jarrett Lee, and worked just one more miracle for Les Miles' Tigers, who claimed a 33-29 victory over Florida as the Gators' Hail Mary try failed.

LSU Vs. Florida: The Craziest Fake Field Goal That You Ever Did See

LSU had a 53-yard field goal. Naturally, Les Miles called the fake field goal flip to the kicker. And it worked.

Of course, it only worked after a replay confirmed that the flip to kicker Josh Jasper was a perfect lateral, and worked against all odds, because the lateral bounced.

But LSU is still alive.

LSU Vs. Florida: Gadgetry, Gimmickry, And Grit Give Florida Lead

10 plays, 80 yards, and all sorts of fun stuff later, Florida leads again.

It's a lead arrived at after a long pass play to Carl Moore. It came after the first sweep play of Andre Debose's career worked almost as well as all of the ones Percy Harvin ran. It came after a penalty negated a touchdown on an Omarius Hines reverse. And it came because Trey Burton and Mike Gillislee proved their goal line mettle again.

Florida's up 29-26, and LSU has just one timeout left. No matter what LSU does on this final drive, there's a pretty good chance insanity is making a stop in Gainesville right now.

LSU Vs. Florida: Andre Debose Provides A Spark With Kickoff Return

Andre Debose has been something like a great white whale for Florida for two years. He was supposed to be the next Percy Harvin, then became the next Percy Harvin with a hamstring injury, then failed to break into the lineup this year.

Now, he's back to being the next Harvin — in a good way — again.

Debose brought back a kickoff return for an 88-yard touchdown, helping the Gators cut LSU's lead to 26-21, and just may have ignited the Gators on this night.

Of course, that return covered more than half as many yards as the Florida offense has tonight. There is still work to be done.

LSU Vs. Florida: Tigers Get Second TD Run From Jordan Jefferson

LSU is now just hammering away at Florida.

Jordan Jefferson's three-yard touchdown run got LSU a 26-14 lead. A two-point conversion failed, but the two-possession lead is daunting for these Gators.

LSU Vs. Florida: Tigers Lead Entering Fourth Quarter

LSU has all but set the orange-clad Gators up to be jack-o'lanterns, and the unlikely pumpkin carving may happen with Gary Crowton at the stencils.

And Halloween's three weeks away.

The Gators are being gashed by these Tigers, giving up almost seven yards per play to a team that was averaging 5.3 yards per play coming in, and will begin the fourth quarter by defending in the red zone.

It's looking grim for Florida tonight.

LSU Vs. Florida: Chas Henry Misses Two Field Goals On One Possession

Chas Henry has been an All-American candidate at punter for Florida for three years. He isn't a kicker, though, and one painful sequence just now proved it.

First, Henry pushed a 32-yard field goal right. Then, after a holding penalty on LSU, Henry shanked a 27-yarder left.

That's an ambitious sort of futility that more or less sums up the 2010 Gators, who still trail 20-14 and got nothing from a drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock.

LSU Vs. Florida: LSU Turns Florida Fumble Into Three Points

Emmanuel Moody came to USC with a lot of promise. He transferred to Florida with a lot of promise. Mostly, though, he's produced a lot of fumbles.

Moody coughed up another one trying to make something happen late in the first half, and LSU pounced on it. Then, LSU played conservatively, getting a bit of yardage and a field goal to head into the half with a six-point lead.

Yeah, a Les Miles-coached team did the smart thing. Will wonders never cease?

LSU Vs. Florida: Terrance Tolliver Helps Tigers Capitalize On Short Field

Instead, the Tigers seized it.

Jarrett Lee hit Terrance Tolliver over the middle, and the wideout broke one tackle and dragged Janoris Jenkins into the end zone for LSU's second TD of the night. LSU leads, 17-14, and a game that could have been a defensive struggle is on the verge of being blown wide open.

LSU Vs. Florida: Trey Burton, Short-Yardage Weapon, Scores Again

Trey Burton has been deployed as a sort of Swiss Army quarterback for Florida this year. He's still sharp.

Burton ran in a touchdown from the 1, and after the PAT, Florida leads, 14-10. It was Burton's ninth TD of the year, which leads the SEC.

The Gators only got to the red zone because Patrick Peterson muffed a punt. Ahmad Black fell on the ball to give Florida great field position.

LSU Vs. Florida: Jordan Jefferson Scores On Odd Draw

It's not often you see the play-action quarterback draw at the goal line, but, hey, LSU will take points however they come.

Jordan Jefferson executed a great fake to Stevan Ridley, spun, held the ball, paused, then darted up the middle for the Tigers' first touchdown of the night. ESPN's Holly Rowe reported that it was a busted play, but points scored on improvisation are still points.

LSU might not need much more trickery if Ridley keeps rolling: the junior had 29 yards on the touchdown drive, and Michael Ford added another 25-yard run.

LSU Vs. Florida: Florida's Jordan Reed Gives Gators First Lead

Florida has four players originally recruited as quarterbacks on its roster: John Brantley, Trey Burton, Jordan Reed, and Tyler Murphy. With Brantley banged up and Burton's slight build working against him, Reed got the call at the goal line and came through.

Reed lowered his shoulder and got a touchdown on a second effort from one yard out, and Florida kicker/punter Chas Henry converted the extra point to give Florida a 7-3 lead.

LSU Vs. Florida: Florida Disputes ESPN Report On Brantley Injuries

ESPN reporter Joe Schad says John Brantley is playing with cracked ribs and a broken bone in his hand. Orlando Sentinel reporter Rachel George:

Then again, UF sports and information also erroneously misstated all sorts of facts about Trey Burton touchdowns earlier this season. We'll update Brantley's condition as the night progresses.

LSU vs. Florida: John Brantley Is A Gametime Decision

A week of rumors about John Brantley’s shattered condition following the Alabama game may have added up to something after all. After strenuous denials from Florida after Las Vegas oddsmakers took the game off the boards, Brantley is officially a gametime decision versus LSU tonight. If Brantley cannot play, the starter will be backup freshman quarterback Trey Burton.

LSU Vs. Florida: Gators' Time On The Edge

SB Nation's Alligator Army says Florida can't have a normal season:

If prior to the LSU game, I told you that UF would be 4-1 and in control of their own destiny in the SEC East, you probably would have taken it. After all, we expected to win divisional games against Tennessee and Kentucky, while Alabama seemed like a possible loss.

Yet, here we are grumbling. Granted, at least from a fan perspective, the grumbling is legitimate. While there are UF fans who think we should compete for a national title every season, most of us understand that is impossible. But we want to see growth among the team. So far, a series of factors have conspired to prevent that.

LSU Vs. Florida: Preview Podcast

SB Nation's And The Valley Shook previews the upcoming LSU-Florida tilt in their weekly podcast.

No. 12 LSU Vs. No. 14 Florida: Anybody Got A Spare Quarterback?

(Sports Network) SEC heavyweights will do battle in Gainesville this weekend as the 14th-ranked Florida Gators host the 12th-ranked and undefeated LSU Tigers.

LSU appeared to suffer its first loss of the season last week to Tennessee, but a penalty on the Volunteers at the end of the game enabled the Tigers to score the go-ahead points with no time left on the clock. That 16-14 triumph marked yet another stellar defensive effort, as the team has not allowed more than 14 points in any of its last four games.

"The thing that we want our team to do is go on the road and play just the way we play and eliminate the mistakes and turnovers," says LSU head coach Les Miles, looking forward to this weekend's showdown. "If we make plays, just make the plays that we are capable of making, we will be very happy with the outcome."

As for Florida, it was manhandled last weekend by Alabama, 31-6, in a rematch of last season's SEC Championship Game. That loss was the first of the season for the Gators, who are 4-1 overall, including 2-1 in SEC action. Also, it snapped a streak of 24 consecutive regular-season wins.

"Some leadership really stepped up in there," said Florida coach Urban Meyer of his team's reaction to the Alabama loss. "It's easy to stand up and say something. You have to be a grown man to back everything up. I'm anxious to watch."

Florida owns a 30-23-3 series lead over LSU and has beaten the Tigers in the last two meetings.

LSU established terrific offensive balance against Tennessee last weekend with 219 yards on the ground and 215 yards through the air. The Tigers would have put more points on the board if not for nine penalties and four turnovers, including three interceptions. Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson split time under center, and Lee was clearly the more impressive of the two passers, connecting on 16-of-23 attempts for 185 yards with one interception. Jefferson scored the winning touchdown, and it was tailback Steven Ridley who paced the ground attack with 123 yards and one score on 22 carries.

"I think he has come in to do something special, knowing that it was going to be his time," says Miles of Ridley. "His practices, attention to detail, the way he runs, and he's made real improvement in the way he runs the plays that we ask him to run and how he's helping this football team."

Ridley leads the conference with 557 rushing yards and four touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. Jefferson, who has rushed for two scores, as only completed 51.7 percent of his passes for 449 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions, and that has opened the door for Lee. Expect to see both signal callers this weekend. LSU is generating 24.4 ppg and 326.6 total ypg, numbers that can certainly stand some improvement.

Defensively, LSU held Tennessee in check last week, limiting the Vols to only 217 total yards. The Tigers registered five sacks in that tilt, overshadowing the fact that they failed to register a takeaway. The run defense was particularly stellar, limiting Tennessee to 96 yards on 37 attempts, an average of 2.6 yards per carry.

Opponents are posting 12.4 ppg against LSU, which is one of the best defensive teams in the nation. The Tigers are allowing a mere 246.6 total ypg, including 79.0 rushing ypg at a clip of 2.3 ypc. The Tigers have posted 16 sacks and 11 takeaways, and they are holding foes to 32 percent success on third down conversion attempts. Kelvin Sheppard has made 48 tackles for LSU, 21 more than his closest teammate.

Florida's two most important offensive players are both banged up, but both quarterback John Brantley (ribs) and running back Jeff Demps (foot) are listed as probable for Saturday's clash. The offense generated just 281 total yards against Alabama, including 79 rushing yards, and four turnovers were committed. Brantley threw a pair of interceptions and failed to lead his team into the end zone.

"Watched the tape yesterday," said Brantley of the Alabama game. "We got what we needed to get out of it. We're moving on. We have a different focus and we've put it behind us."

The Florida defense didn't play nearly as poorly as the final score of the Alabama game suggests. In fact, the Gators were able to limit the Tide to 273 total yards, including just 103 passing yards on 12 completions. Unfortunately, the run defense wasn't quite as good, yielding five yards per carry to a powerful attack.

The Gators are posting 31.4 ppg through the first five games of this campaign, and they are generating 339.8 total yards per contest. The club has committed 10 turnovers, but it is making good on 41 percent of its third down conversion attempts and has yielded a mere four sacks. Brantley has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 902 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions. As for Demps, he has rushed for 414 yards at a clip of 6.5 yards per attempt.

Opponents are posting 17.6 ppg against the Gators, who are allowing 291.0 total ypg. They are giving up fewer than four yards per rushing attempt and have shined against the pass as well, intercepting 12 balls to date. Ahmad Black leads Florida with 37 total tackles.

Expect the home team to hand the Tigers their first loss of the season. LSU cannot decide on the quarterback, not exactly the mark of an undefeated team.