GAINESVILLE — In a season in which nothing has been easy, and arguably the toughest week of the Gators' season, Saturday night's game against LSU was another cruel blow.
Colby Delahoussaye kicked a career-long 50-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the Tigers a 30-27 win in front of a sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The winner was set up by safety Rickey Jefferson's interception in the final minute off a tipped pass.
It was LSU's first conference win of the season and ended a streak in which LSU (5-2, 1-2 SEC) had lost three of the last four against the Gators in Gainesville.
"Our guys fought their butts off,'' UF coach Will Muschamp said. ''We had a chance to win the game. Credit LSU. They've got a good team. They made the pays when they needed to.''
Florida (3-2, 2-2) blew a 10-point lead in the loss.
The final 6:10 of the game was frenetic and heart-stopping for Gator fans. Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel, still reeling from being benched in last weekend's game, threw an 11-yard touchdown to Demarcus Robinson that gave the Gators a 24-20 led with 6:10 left. That touchdown was set up when Andre Debose returned a Jamie Keehn punt 53 yards.
With 3:40 left and LSU with third down and 25 yards to go, quarterback Anthony Jennings threw a 41 yard pass to a wide open Travin Dural. A penalty for illegal use of the hands was added, and eventually led to an 11 yard touchdown pass from Jennings to Dural to put LSU ahead 27-24 with 2:40 remaining.
The Gators had one final opportunity to win. After Driskel hit Robinson for a 73-yard pass, it set the Gators up with first and goal at the 2. But on third and goal, Tevin Westbrook dropped a pass from Driskel in the end zone and the Gators had to settle for an 18-yard field goal by Frankie Velez to tie the score at 27.
UF trailed 20-17 after LSU running back Leonard Fournette scored on a 2-yard run with 3:42 remaining in the third quarter (the extra point failed).
It was Debose who helped the Gators to a 7-0 lead with 8:52 remaining in the first quarter on a 62-yard punt return — his first career punt return for a touchdown.
On the Gators' ensuing possession Driskel fumbled, giving the Tigers the ball on the Gators 28-yard line. Two plays later, Fournette tied it with a 7 yard run.
Fournette, a touted freshman, rushed 140 yards on 27 attempts — the second 100-yard rushing game of his career.
Driskel entered the game one week after he was replaced by freshman Treon Harris in the fourth quarter of the Tennessee game for poor performance and battling mounting pressure. Through the past 2½ games, he had six interceptions and two fumbles.
Early in Saturday's game, he looked improved.
Driskel kept the offense moving with designed quarterback runs, mixed in with short passes. He had 12 carries for 59 yards in the first half.
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Explore all your optionsBut for most of the game, it was the same old story with the UF offense.
Florida's downfield passing was of little impact, which allowed LSU to crowd the line of scrimmage and shut down the running game.
Short passes for minimal yards were effective; long passes resulted in incompletions.
The Gators defense gave up 181 rushing yards, but held quarterback Anthony Jennings to 37 passing yards through three quarters.
Florida was without two of its best players for the entire second half.
Junior running back Matt Jones, who missed several days of practice with knee swelling, reaggravated and ankle injury from last week and did not return. Sophomore starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves was shaken up late in the first half and missed the second half. He walked off on his own, but later returned in street clothes. In the final seconds, wide receiver Latroy Pittman suffered an injury as he tried to catch a pass and had to be taken off the field on a cart for precautionary reason. Muschamp said after the game that Pittman had full movement of his limbs.
"It's a really tough loss,'' Driskel said. ''We would have liked to have pulled it off. But all our goals are still ahead of us.''