GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida Gators put themselves in position for a big win Saturday.
Unfortunately for the Gators, they also did the same for LSU.
Colby Delahoussaye bombed a 50-yard field goal with three seconds to play Saturday night, giving the Tigers a stunning 30-27 victory over UF at The Swamp.
The game-winner was made possible after Tigers defensive back Rickey Jefferson grabbed a tipped-ball interception off UF quarterback Jeff Driskel, who tried to force a slant pass into slot receiver Latroy Pittman. The ball caromed into the air and Jefferson returned the ball 23 yards to the UF 36.
The Tigers ran one off-tackle handoff, then called on Delahoussaye, whose kick left no doubt -- and left The Swamp drained.
Three turnovers, a dropped touchdown pass and an inexplicable third-down defensive breakdown all played severe roles in a cutting, crushing defeat.
"We had our opportunities," Florida coach Will Muschamp said. "Countless."
For sure.
Twice late in the fourth quarter, the Gators (3-2, 2-2) appeared on the verge of icing the game. After Driskel threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson with 6:10 to go for a 24-20 lead, the UF defense forced LSU into a third-and-25 situation, only to allow Travin Dural to race past the secondary -- yet another blown coverage on the back end -- for a 41-yard reception.
"You cut a guy loose in that situation, you don't deserve to win," Muschamp said.
That breakdown was compounded by an illegal-hands-to-the-face personal foul, which put the Tigers at the Florida 12. Two plays later, LSU quarterback Anthony Jennings lobbed an 11-yard touchdown to Dural on a fade route over cornerback Brian Poole, who was called for interference on the play. Dural, though, still made the catch for a 27-24 lead with only 2:40 to go.
Before those two consecutive completions for 53 yards, Jennings had hit just eight of 18 attempts for 58 yards.
"It was just one of those things where they hit one on us," said defensive defensive end Alex McCalister, who had a 1 1/2 sacks and 2 1/2 tackles for loss. "We made plays throughout the game, but they hit the big one on us."
On the very next play from scrimmage, though, Driskel hit Robinson for 73 yards to the LSU 2, as Florida Field erupted. Two runs into the middle netted just a yard. On third-and-goal from the 1, Driskel faked into the line, rolled to his right and fired a perfect pass into the chest of tight end Tevin Westbrook, who was wide-open in the end zone.
He dropped it.
"Obvioulsy, we'd like to have that one back," Driskel said of Westbrook's killer gaffe. "[But] physical mistakes happen. We're going to be there for him and continue to pick him because I'm sure he's feeling down on himself right now."
The Gators settled for a Frankie Velez 18-yard field goal with 1:51 to play and a 27-27 tie. The defense then forced a three-and-out, with the Gators getting the ball at their 42 with 54 seconds remaining and knocking on the door of game-winning field-goal position. UF reached the LSU 45, but that's where Driskel was picked off.
"We've got to continue to search for some consistency throwing and catching the football," Muschamp said.
Driskel finished 14 of 25 for 183 yards yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed 21 times for 71 yards and a score, but also fumbled. His three turnovers led to 10 LSU points, whereas the Tigers did not give the ball away.
Andre Debose was sensational in the kicking game for Florida, returning a punt for 62 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter and another for 53 yards to set up the Driskel-to-Robinson TD. Robinson caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
LSU (5-2, 1-2) was led by true freshman tailback Leonard Fournette, who carried 27 times for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Fournette's second score of the game, a 2-yard plunge after a second third-down penalty against the Florida defense, gave LSU a 20-17 in the third quarter.
"I was ready," Fournette said of career-high workload, accounting for nearly half of LSU's 305 yards of total offense. "Young Tigers are here to play big roles. I felt good running the ball, but it was a close game. I had nerves pretty bad. I was kind of nervous about how close the game was."
He looked pretty poised, actually.
Fournette got his chance at the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter after UF sophomore defensive end Bryan Cox Jr., was called for pass interference in the end zone on a third-and-5 the play before. The Cox penalty came three plays after Poole was flagged for defensive holding on a third-and-15 from the UF 30, giving the Tigers a chance to take their first lead of the game.
They did, erasing a 10-point first-half deficit, though Delahoussay missed the point-after and keep the margin at three points.
Driskel ran for a touchdown and led a pair of scoring drives, but also turned the ball over twice in the first half; once on a fumble that set up a Tigers touchdown and another on an interception when he underthrew Robinson on a deep sideline ball.
Fournette rushed 14 times for 85 yards and a score in the first half to carry the Tigers, while the Gators got the big return from Debose early in the game to go up 7-0.
With the score tied at 7-all, UF had back-to-back scoring drives in the first period. Driskel marched Florida 75 yards in eight plays, then scored on a 9-yard run. On UF's next drive, Driskel took the Gators 54 yards in eight plays to a 34-yard field goal from Velez that put Florida 17-7.
But Kenny Hilliard's 1-yard touchdown run -- on a fourth-and-goal gamble by Tigers coach Les Miles with 4:12 to go in the second quarter -- made it 17-14, with Driskel throwing the interception to cornerback Tre'Davious White on the next series.
Fournette's 6-yard touchdown run tied the game 7-7 midway through the opening period.
Fournette's score was set up after Driskel was hit and fumbled on a zone-read keeper, with the Tigers recovering at the UF 29. Fournette barrelled 16 yards and then 6 more, running over UF safety Marcus Maye at the goal line to finish the play.
Debose his punt back 62 yards in the first quarter to give the Gators their 7-0 lead. Make that five kicks returned for TDs by Debose during his six seasons -- a UF record -- but his first on a punt. It was also the first touchdown on a punt by a Gator since Brandon James in 2008.
"Andre Debose was spectacular," Muschamp said.
In defeat, that is.
"If ratings weren't boosted in the fourth quarter, something's wrong," Miles said. "It was an immensely classic battle in The Swamp."
That it was ... but that wasn't much consolation for the Gators.
