No. 6 LSU beat No. 8 Florida, 35-28, in Death Valley on Saturday night.
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He apparently took a swing with his left hand at one Florida defender in the open field. Miles asked, smiling. “My heart was fluttering with each bobble”. “They call him Mad Hatter for a reason”. “I ended up on the other side of the field and nearly forgot to kick the extra point”.
LSU wound up with 423 yards compared to 326 for Florida.
LSU earned that halftime edge through big plays on the ground from Fournette and multiple connections from Brandon Harris to Dupree.
“That was a pretty awesome call by them”, McElwain said.
“I got outside the pocket and Malachi knows, just keep running”, Brandon Harris said. We should have been high (protecting for the fake) instead of flat. “They made a hell of a play”.
All 102,000 people in Tiger Stadium know the ball is going to Fournette. It’s kind of a badge of honor. The fake woke the team up, bailed out the sputtering offense, and got LSU the win.
Actor Tom Cruise was spotted in LSU athetic director Joe Alleva’s suite near the pressbox during the LSU-Florida game Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, but he was clearly not the “Top Gun”.
For everything SEC…stories, news and notes follow End Zone Score’s Aaron Gehrig on Twitter.
Even though the Gators prevented Fournette from hitting a home run on them, he was a huge difference maker (as usual) and got his yards – 180 to go along with two touchdowns.
FORMIDABLE FOURNETTE: LSU’s best hope for a Heisman Trophy victor since Billy Cannon in 1959 has averaged 204.5 yards through five games this season and has scored 12 touchdowns. Both Harris and Anthony Jennings showed little in 2014 to make LSU fans feel optimistic of the quarterback position, despite an otherwise loaded roster.
“I want to protect my players”, Miles said. “Our quarterback can really throw it”.
Florida capitalized on a muffed punt by LSU return man Tre’Davious White at the LSU 13-yard line early in the first quarter. Treon Harris gave the Gators a 7-0 lead with a 4-yard toss to tight end Jake McGee.
Late in the second quarter, Harris handed the ball to Fournette, who pitched it back to Harris. His first TD came out of the Wildcat. He scored untouched from 2 yards out after taking a direct snap and untouched from 6 yards out on a conventional play.
While the Gators have a dominant running back, LSU has arguably the best running back in the country in Leonard Fournette. The Tigers have had more than a few coverage breakdowns this season, and Dak Prescott almost led Mississippi State to a comeback win with repeated quick passes, but it would be a surprise if Harris’ passing is particularly effective against a talented group of LSU DBs who might get preseason All-SEC safety Jalen Mills back this weekend. That play set up Fournette’s second touchdown on a 6-yard run. Then Florida freshman defensive back Deiondre Porter, one of the club’s top special teams players, hadn’t been arrested this week for allegedly firing a gun in the direction of his pregnant girlfriend. Two plays later, Taylor’s two-yard touchdown run cut the LSU lead to 28-21 with 8:01 to play in the third quarter.
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“When I saw him go down”, Alexander said, “I had extra passion, extra motivation to handle my business”.
