LSU vs. Florida: Score and Twitter Reaction

Colby Delahoussaye nailed a 50-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give LSU the 30-27 win over Florida.

Freshman running back Leonard Fournette led the way for the Tigers, totaling 140 rushing yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns in the victory. Quarterback Anthony Jennings only completed 10 of his 21 passes for 110 yards, but he made plays when needed and helped his team win a tough road game in the SEC.

This was a big win for LSU because a loss would have put this team in historically bad territory for the program, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy:

McMurphy also quotes head coach Les Miles in his thoughts after the game:

Meanwhile, this was yet another impressive comeback on his long resume:

Florida was trying to win this game despite dealing with plenty of distractions throughout the week. Freshman quarterback Treon Harris was accused of sexual assault before the complaint was later withdrawn. While he was reinstated, Jeff Driskel was given the start after practicing with the first team all week. 

While the junior quarterback had only recently lost his starting job, offensive coordinator Kurt Roper believed in the ability to bounce back, via Jesse Simonton of the Miami Herald:

"

I have never seen him waver. ...He’s a guy that has the right look in his eye. He is confident. Obviously, it’s a challenge when you don’t have the success in a game or in a couple of games that you want to have. The first thing that you do is you start looking at yourself first, and he’s that kind of guy.

"

Driskel responded with a solid effort that included 183 passing yards, 71 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also had two interceptions, including one on the final drive to give LSU a chance to win.

Both sides came into the game concerned about a lack of offense, so it should be no surprise it was a special teams play that broke the scoreless tie. Andre Debose returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, which helped him set a new school record, according to Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun:

Fournette evened the score with a 12-yard run into the end zone, but then the two sides continued to battle back and forth to a 17-14 Gators lead at halftime. Of course, not everyone was impressed with the effort, including CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli:

"

Florida has 17 points? How terrible is LSU?

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) October 12, 2014"

It certainly wasn't the passing attacks that led to the scoring, as Mark Long of the Associated Press pointed out:

LSU gained its first lead of the game late in the third quarter thanks to a strong effort from Fournette, including his second touchdown of the night. Of course, a missed extra point kept it at 20-17. 

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports noted how well the freshman was playing compared to the rest of the team:

Florida continued to struggle offensively, but Debose came through again with just over seven minutes left with a 53-yard punt return to the LSU 9-yard line. The Gators scored two plays later as CBS Sports described the situation:

Down 24-20, the Tigers needed a touchdown to take the lead and did just that with less than three minutes remaining. Anthony Jennings threw a fade to Travin Dural in the back of the end zone and the receiver made a one-handed grab despite being held by the defender. 

However, the Gators were not ready to give up. After going down the field on a long pass to Demarcus Robinson, they came close to scoring a go-ahead but Tevin Westbrook dropped a ball in the end zone. They settled for the field goal to tie the game at 27-27.

Florida then had the chance to win the game in regulation, but he threw a bad interception, as described by Bryan D. Fisher of NFL.com:

LSU only needed to move the ball three yards to give Delahoussaye a shot at the win and he came through.

This game certainly had less fanfare than we are used to when these two teams match up. College GameDay noted the difference in this year's competition:

Strangely, battles like Ole Miss versus Texas A&M and Auburn against Mississippi State took center stage in the SEC. 

Still, the latest win keeps LSU remaining in the conference title race, even if it is on the outside looking in. It might take nothing but wins the rest of the year, but the dream is still alive.

Things get a little easier for the Tigers next week with a home game against Kentucky. This is one of three straight games at Tiger Stadium with the squad also facing Ole Miss and Alabama in coming weeks.

Florida will have some key battles in the SEC East with matchups against Missouri and Georgia. Wins in these games could put the squad in the driver's seat for a spot in the conference title game.

Although neither team is likely happy with how it has performed to this point of the year, there is still a lot of talent on both rosters and it would not be surprising to see either go on a long winning streak as the season continues.

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