The return of freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and wide receiver Elijhah Badger sparked Florida football in a big way Saturday afternoon against No. 22 LSU.
Lagway went 13 of 26 for 226 yards and one TD and Badger had six catches for 131 yards and a TD, lifting Florida to a 27-16 win over No. 22 LSU on Saturday at The Swamp.
The Florida Gators (5-6, 3-4 SEC) snapped a two-game losing streak and an eight-game losing streak against ranked opponents. Their last victory over a ranked foe was Sept.16, 2023, when they beat No. 11 Tennessee.
Florida also broke a five-game losing streak against LSU, beating the Tigers for the first time since beating LSU 27-19 on Oct. 6, 2018.
LSU (6-4, 3-3 SEC) dropped its third straight.
With the score tied 13-13 in the third quarter, Lagway connected with Badger on a 37-yard pass down to LSU’s 1-yard line, setting up a Ja’Kobi Jackson TD run that put Florida ahead to stay, 20-13.
LSU responded with a Damian Ramos field goal. But freshman running back Jadan Baugh put the game away with a 55-yard TD run with 3:48 left.
A 55-yard TD run by freshman Jadan Baugh puts Florida up 27-16 on LSU with 3:48 left. Florida answered with a score quickly, going 75 yards in three plays.
LSU converts twice on 4th down on a 15-play, 58-yard drive that ends with a 38-yard Damian Ramos field goal, cutting Florida’s lead to 20-16 with 5:18 remaining
Florida football takes a 20-13 lead on a 1-yard TD run by Ja’Kobi Jackson. DJ Lagway set up the TD with a 36-yard strike to Elijhah Badger down to LSU’s one-yard line. Badger has 6 catches for 131 yards and 1 TD.
Gators should get ball back in good field position coming out of timeout. Florida’s pass rush is making an impact. Four sacks.
Trey Smack boots a career-long 55-yard field goal, tying the score 13-13 with 3:07 left in the third quarter.
LSU takes its first lead of the afternoon, 13-10, on a 45-yard Damian Ramos field goal. LSU drove 62 yards on 15 plays as UF’s third-down defense again struggled, surrendering a 3rd-and-12 and 3rd-and-8 on the drive. LSU had a TD pass wiped out on an offensive pass interference penalty on receiver Kyren Lacy.
Florida defense struggling on third down (LSU 8 for 12) bending but not breaking. DJ Lagway 7-of-12 for 99 yards and 1 TD, hasn’t attempted a run, no surprise in first game back from hamstring injury. LSU outgained Florida 213-151 and dominated time of possession (20:09-9:51). Garrett Nussmeier 15-of-26, 137 yards and a TD for LSU.
After missing from 51 yards earlier in the game, Damian Ramos boots a 50-yard field goal to tie the score 10-10 with 10 seconds left in the first half. It caps a 12-play, 47-yard drive. Linebacker Shemar James had a sack and pass breakup to help keep the Tigers out of the end zone.
Florida settles for a 49-yard field goal from Trey Smack to help the Gators regain the lead over LSU, 10-7, with 3:27 left in the second quarter. Florida put together a balanced nine-play, 44-yard drive but chose to go for the field goal attempt on 4th-and-3 from LSU’s 31-yard line.
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier finds Aaron Anderson on a 28-yard TD pass, capping a 14-play, 84-yard TD drive that ties that score at 7. Florida defense had a number of third-and-long chances to get a stop and failed to do so
Damian Ramos just missed a 51-yard field goal attempt for LSU. Florida outgained LSU 104-82 in the first quarter.
A number of blue chip recruits are on hand to The Swamp for the Florida-FSU game including 2025 five-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas (FSU commitment), 2025 five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord (Ohio State commitment), 2026 5-star edge rusher Zion Elee, 2025 5-star commitment DJ Pickett (LSU commitment) and 2025 5-star commitment Dallas Watson (Oregon commitment). With National Signing Day approaching on Dec. 4, Florida is trying to close strong on a class that has been lackluster so far. Florida currently has 12 commitments in a 2025 class that 247Sports ranks 44th nationally.
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway leads Florida on a five-play, 80-yard TD drive, capped by a 23-yard TD pass from Lagway to Elijhah Badgers to put UF up 7-0 on LSU with 7:12 left in the first quarter. Lagway also connected with wide receiver Chimere Dike for 34 yards on the drive.
Former Florida football standout quarterback Rex Grossman returned to The Swamp to serve as Celebrity Mr. Two Bits before the game. Grossman passed for 77 TDs for UF from 2000-02 and was the Heisman runner up to Nebraska QB Eric Crouch in 2001.
Quarterback DJ Lagway and wide receiver Elijhah Badger are back for the Gators against LSU. Running back Montrell Johnson Jr. is a game-time decision.
WATCH FLORIDA FOOTBALL VS LSU ON HULU FREE TRIAL
Florida’s offense will receive a jolt with the return of Lagway and wide receiver Elijhah Badger, and its defense will bounce back from its no-show performance last week against Texas, propelling the Gators to an upset win.
Final Score prediction: Florida 27, LSU 24
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Nov. 15
Betting line: LSU -4
O/U: 55.5 points
Per Weather.com, the forecast for the Florida-Kentucky game at kickoff at The Swamp in Gainesville, Fla., is 74 degrees with 0% chance of rain with winds from the northeast at 6 mph.
The Florida football vs LSU game is sold out, though tickets remain available on secondary markets such as such as StubHub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek.
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