Kick through the fog seals LSU upset of Florida

Through the adversity of a season unprecedented in its challenges and its scope, LSU fought its way through incredible adversity and the fog of The Swamp on a Saturday night.

When they made it through, they found themselves with an unforgettable win.

Cade York's 57-yard field goal with 23 seconds left gave the Tigers a 37-34 win on the road, in a contest that saw six lead changes, over 1,000 yards of offense, and a blanket of fog thick enough to force the broadcast to change camera angles.

Thick as it was, it couldn't stop York's field goal from splitting the uprights to seal the win. Nor could it stop freshman quarterback Max Johnson, who became the first LSU quarterback to throw three touchdowns in The Swamp, completing 21-of-36 passes for 239 yards in the win. His favorite target on the night, Kayshon Boutte, caught five passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Curry tallied 64 yards on 17 carries. Johnson added 52 yards on the ground, as well.

The LSU defense, tasked with stopping the SEC's top offense and Heisman frontrunner Kyle Trask, also forced three turnovers and scored a touchdown to lead the way to the win. The unit started strong, beginning the game with a goal line stand. JaCoby Stevens broke up a pass on third down and teamed up with Neil Farrell for a stop on fourth down to keep Florida out of the end zone.

The Gators took advantage of the field position, however, and scored on their next possession, as Kyle Trask carried home from one yard out, capping off a five-play, 52-yard scoring drive. LSU, who started the game without Derek Stingley Jr. (injury), also lost Eli Ricks (injury) and Cordale Flott (ejection, targeting) on the Gators' scoring sequence.

Johnson and the LSU offense responded immediately, going 75 yards on 11 plays to tie it at 7. The freshman quarterback picked up 24 yards on two runs early in the drive, aided by carries of 10, 8, and 7 yards. Facing second and goal from the Gator 5, Johnson lofted a perfectly weighted pass to Jaray Jenkins for the fourth touchdown pass of his career.

Elias Ricks gave the Tigers the lead with 12:59 to go in the first half with his second pick six of the season. On third and six from the LSU 32, the true freshman read a slant route and grabbed Trask's ill-advised pass, returning it 68 yards for the score for his fourth interception of 2020. With the score, Ricks became the first Tiger since Ron Brooks in 2011 with two pick sixes in the same season.