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LSU beats Florida: 4 takeaways from Tigers win over Gators

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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LSU survived a scare from Florida in an unexpected shootout Saturday night in Baton Rouge. What did we learn from the Tigers’ win? Here’s four takeaways.

Florida gave LSU a scare in Death Valley, but the Tigers survived with a 35-28 victory. The win keeps the Tigers’ hopes for a perfect season alive, but the Gators are still very much in control in the SEC East. Because Florida has only struggling Georgia, Vanderbilt and South Carolina left on the conference schedule, the Gators have a much easier road to the College Football Playoff.

Let’s take a quick look at four things we learned tonight:

1. LSU offense is more than Leonard Fournette

After receiving a lot of attention this season as the regarded weakest link in the LSU offense, quarterback Brandon Harris had the best game of his college career with a 13-for-19 performance with 202 passing yards and two touchdowns without an interception. And, for the criticism Harris has endured this year, it’s important to not that the sophomore has yet to throw a pick this season.

Harris made great use of his talented receiving corps, particularly fellow sophomore Malachi Dupre, who caught four passes for 115 yards and two first half touchdowns, and the pair also connected on a 52-yard play on a flea flicker. Travin Dural contributed 65 yards on a team-high five catches, and the passing game – which came in as the weakest in the SEC this season – should help keep some of the pressure off of all-world running back Leonard Fournette moving forward.

2. But Fournette is unquestionably the best player in the nation

There are other great players all across the country, and with all due respect to players like Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette proved once again that he is not only the best running back in the country, but he’s the nation’s best player and deserves the Heisman Trophy.

With 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 31 tough carries against a stingy Florida defense, Fournette has already surpassed his production from all of last season in only six games, and increased his nation-leading rushing total to 1,202. Fournette also has 14 rushing touchdowns.

3. LSU special teams are a mess

The Tigers scored the game-winning touchdown on a 16-yard fake field goal with 10:40 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, but special teams nearly doomed LSU Saturday night. After the Tigers stuffed Florida in four plays on their first drive of the night, Tre’Davious White fumbled the punt, which the Gators recovered at the eight-yard line and scored a TD four plays later to take a 7-0 lead.

In the third quarter, LSU allowed Florida’s Antonio Callaway to tie the game 28-28 with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown. It’s the second consecutive game in which the Tigers allowed a return TD after South Carolina took a kickoff to the house last week.

4. Florida will be fine with Treon Harris at quarterback

The loss hurts, but because they have a one-game lead in the SEC East, Florida will be just fine – and Treon Harris is a big reason. Playing in place of suspended starter Will Grier, Harris completed 17 of 32 pass attempts for 271 yards and two touchdowns – both to tight end Jake McGee.

A dual-threat signal caller, Harris had only 20 rushing yards on 13 carries, but eluded several oncoming pass rushers to buy himself time in the pocket to give himself more time to throw – including on the last play of the game – a Hail Mary that fell incomplete.

In the long run, this game really meant nothing to Florida. If the Gators beat a reeling Georgia team in two weeks in Jacksonville, they will have the SEC East practically wrapped up, and if they win out, the Gators have a great chance to make the College Football Playoff. With Harris under center, it’s all still possible.

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