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Jadan Baugh put the finishing touches on a glorious Saturday afternoon at The Swamp, taking off down the left sideline on a 55-yard touchdown run with 3:48 left that gave Florida a commanding 27-16 lead over No. 21 LSU.
For a moment, it felt like old times in Gainesville, with the crowd roaring during a statement win over another good SEC team, and on national TV. Billy Napier hasn’t had enough of these the past few years, but he’ll take Saturday, as the Gators kept Brian Kelly’s team skidding toward the regular-season finish line.
CAN’T CAGE THE GATORS‼️
ABC pic.twitter.com/UKkOLYZKvN
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 16, 2024
Baugh, a freshman from Atlanta, had done virtually nothing all day, as he finished with just 6 carries for 65 yards, but 55 of them came on that exhilarating run that knocked LSU out.
Baugh has had a productive freshman season for the Gators, with 89 carries for 411 yards and 6 touchdowns coming into Saturday. Then on Saturday, he helped seal one of Florida’s biggest wins in recent years, and certainly since Napier arrived in 2022.
That 27-16 lead turned into the final score a few minutes later, and Florida was suddenly back at .500 at 5-5 while sending struggling LSU to 6-4. Napier will have a chance to tack on a few more wins now, as the Gators will look for another upset next Saturday back at The Swamp against Ole Miss before the annual showdown with Florida State in Tallahassee.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
