A week after running directly into a buzzsaw, LSU went down to the swamp and flipped the script.
Tigers QB Jayden Daniels accounted for six touchdowns and LSU bodyslammed Florida on their own turf, then held on through a furious rally for a 45-35 victory.
With that in mind, here are my top three takeaways after the Tigers' high-octane win over Florida.
THIS OFFENSE DESPERATELY WANTS TO BE GOOD
The talent level on this offense isn't a mirage. The only question is whether the QB can get the playmakers the ball where they can do something with it.
The story of this game wasn't complicated: Jayden Daniels finally managed to do that. The happy feet weren't a problem. There were some off-target throws. But when he needed to, he hung in the pocket and fired the ball into his receivers. That was especially the case on third down. The Tigers went 8-for-12 in the game, and Daniels was particularly good. He completed his first 7 pass attempts on third down.
Daniels finished 23 of 39 for 349 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. Kayshon Boutte finally got involved early and put on a show, finishing with a team-high 6 catches for 115 yards. The ball was spread around well with six other Tigers catching 2 or more passes. It was just an impressive performance.
Oh, and when things break down, it sure is nice to have those legs to fall back on. Daniels ran it 14 times for 44 yards and another three TDs.
Brian Kelly has been adamant about his QB being more aggressive in the passing game. I have a feeling he knew this type of performance was in that arm.
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THE BIGGEST PROBLEM STILL AIN'T FIXED
We know special teams is a major problem. The team knows special teams is a major problem. That problem seems as far away from being solved in mid-October as it did in early September.
Jack Bech has taken over return duties, but for the second-consecutive week he put a ball on the ground. The fumbled kickoff against Tennessee put the Tigers in an early hole they were never able to even start digging out of.
This week it came in a similarly damaging situation. The Tigers had just finished off a long drive to tie the game at 14 apiece. The Defense forced a 3-and-out and a punt. All Bech had to do was catch it to keep building momentum. He couldn't do it. The Gators jumped on the ball and capitalized on their prime field position to drive in for a 21-14 lead.
Fortunately for Bech, Daniels and Co. went supernova and and the defense clamped down. The punt will be a footnote on a big win. But it's the type of mistake that will lose close games, and it'd have been a much bigger issue if this had turned into one of those.
My suggestion: Just stop fielding them. Send everyone for the block. Let the ball roll. Take it where you get it. Problem solved. If it results in even one block and one fewer muffed kick, it was a good trade.
In fairness, Bech wasn't alone in special teams blunders. The opening kickoff was taken past the 50-yard line by Trevor Etienne and set up the first Gators score. LSU didn't have to punt until early in the 4th quarter, and when they did they lined up incorrectly and had to punt again from 5 yards further back.
The offense did the same thing to Damian Ramos with back-to-back false starts prior to a field goal to stretch the lead to 10. He calmly split the uprights from 47, a career long and a nice bounce-back from the blocked PAT in the opener.
But it's just ugly right now. If things don't get cleaned up, it's probably going to be a coaching question by the end of the season.
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ROUND 1 TO BRIAN KELLY
There is probably a large number of LSU fans who would've preferred Billy Napier to be the name taking the reins from another of Louisiana's favorite sons in Ed Orgeron. Scott Woodward and Co. didn't agree.
Scott Woodward is always looking to land a big fish. We've seen it time and time again, and that's exactly what he got with Brian Kelly. Still, it was fair to criticize, and it was much easier to do after the opening week of the season for both teams. Florida landed an upset of a ranked Utah squad. LSU fell to unranked Florida State.
The heat was on. Is Florida back? Is it more of the same for LSU? Not so fast, because these two teams have gone opposite directions since. Both lost to Tennessee, but LSU has now landed three quality SEC wins (Miss. State, Auburn and Florida). Meanwhile Florida is 1-3 in the conference.
There's a long way to go for both head coaches. Both inherited a roster they'll be actively rebuilding in the image of their choice. Both have outsized expectations from Day 1 as they go about doing that. But it was the Tigers, not the Gators, that looked like a team on the cusp of being an SEC contender. Florida got the big plays. LSU had the long drives. When they end in scores, I know which I'd prefer.
Special teams notwithstanding, it was the Tigers who looked like the better coached team in this one. They've now won four straight against the rival Gators. No one even needed to throw a shoe this time.
WEEK 7 | LSU at Florida | Live score by Jeff Nowak━━
LAGNIAPPE
I don't typically lead with opponent notes here, but man, Anthony Richardson earned it. Down 21 entering the 4th quarter, there wasn't a ton of hope left for Florida. He changed that in one powerful, unlikely 81-yard touchdown run to keep the Gators within reach. If you didn't see it, go find it. It's one of the highlights of the year, even if it came against LSU. ... Jayden Daniels was in his bag for this one, and that included a savvy, veteran move in the second quarter. A Florida defender had jumped offsides and Daniels knew he had a free play. He took his shot to Jaray Jenkins and hit. It's not often you see that free play taken advantage of correctly, but Jayden did it to perfection. ... Jay Bramblett might've been a bit bored. His first punt didn't come until 13:05 left in the game. His first punt pinned the Gators at their own 14, but he had to do it again after a penalty. That time he stuck them at their own 20. It was good composure shown in a big moment. ... Jayden Daniels' 6 touchdowns responsible for tied him with Joe Burrow for No. 2 all time in LSU history. Burrow holds the record with 8 (vs Oklahoma in 2019). ... Josh Williams hit a big run and he was efficient (14 for 106) to become the first LSU back to rush for over 100 yards in a game this year. He also got the high-leverage carries with the Tigers trying to ice the game in the 4th quarter. John Emery will have a role, and he's the best pass-catching back of the bunch, but Williams is clearly the trusted man in the backfield.
