BATON ROUGE, La. — If LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels wins the Heisman Trophy, he should thank Florida’s defense during his acceptance speech in New York City.
All of them by name.
The Gators (5-5, 3-4 SEC) showed plenty of fight on offense Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, but Daniels and the Tigers (7-3, 5-2) proved too much to overcome during their 52-35 victory.
The LSU star’s Heisman campaign rolled on at the expense of the Tigers’ longstanding rival during their final meeting as SEC division crossover foes.
“They’ve got an elite group of players, and they were tough to stop,” coach Billy Napier said. “We stopped them a handful of times, but not enough.”
With a sellout crowd of 102,231 looking on, Daniels threw for 372 yards and 3 scores plus rushing for 234 yards and 2 scores on 12 carries as the Tigers compiled 701 yards — the most ever gained against the Gators.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior shook off an inconsistent first half and led his team to touchdowns on LSU’s five second-half drives.
“He’s a great competitor. He’s a great athlete,” Florida linebacker Derek Wingo said. “He’s able to run the ball, throw the ball, do everything that great quarterbacks can do. We didn’t execute certain things, and he was able to take advantage.”
The performance raised questions about the continued decline of a defense now headed by 30-year-old coordinator Austin Armstrong. The Gators visit No. 14 Missouri Saturday and host No. 4 Florida State Nov. 25 in the Swamp looking to avoid the program’s first losing regular season since 2017.
“Austin would tell you that he could do his job better,” Napier said. “That’s what he would tell you. There’s nobody who wants to do it more than he does. The unit’s performance is a reflection of a lot of people, not one guy.
“We all like to think in those terms.”
The stakes were not as high as might be expected between two SEC blue bloods. The action, though, was at fever pitch, especially during a third quarter featuring 5 touchdowns, 370 yards and the Gators’ only lead of the game.
A 1-yard keeper by quarterback Graham Mertz gave the Gators a 28-24 lead, but LSU led all but 1:07 as Florida could not contain Daniels.
Following the Gators’ go-ahead score, Daniels completed a pair of 12-yard throws before taking off from the pocket for a 51-yard touchdown run.
“He plays that are hard that you struggle with are the ones where you match the pattern, you compress the rush lanes and then one guy can’t finish on him and he’s loose,” Napier said.
Daniels’ 6-yard touchdown pass on LSU’s next series to running back Noah Cain pushed the Tigers’ advantage to 38-28.
The Gators, though, would not go away.
A 5-yard run by Trevor Etienne to cut the lead to 38-35 with 10:27 to go, marking the third touchdown for Florida’s sophomore star who grew up 90 miles west of Tiger Stadium in Jennings.
“You can tell this was special for him,” Napier said. “When given opportunities tonight, he was elite.”
Daniels answered with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr., who finished with a team-leading 150 receiving yards and 2 scores. SEC yardage leader Malik Nabers chipped in 132.
Trailing 45-35, the Gators’ hopes effectively ended when Mertz’s pass to freshman Eugene Wilson III was incomplete on 4th-and-3 from the UF 49.
Florida’s loss was its fifth straight for the first time in the longstanding series dating to 1937 and played every year since 1971. The Gators won nine straight meetings from 1988-96.
The defeat dropped Napier to 11-12 during his second season in Gainesville.
“For us to go where we want to go here, as an organization, as a program, as a team, every single part of our organization is going to have to work their tail off,” he said. “We have to be relentless.”
Daniels’ drive, determination and transcendent talent helped him turn a trying week into a record-setting night.
LSU’s QB entered the week in concussion protocol following a brutal hit during a loss to Alabama. By Thursday, he was cleared for full contact.
On Saturday night, he became the second player in SEC history with 200 passing yards plus 200 rushing yards in a game, joining Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel from the 2013 Cotton Bowl.
Daniels gave credit to God.
“I can’t explain it honestly,” he said. “It’s just how he created me. He made he able to be tough and get through stuff quickly. It just worked out.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
