Davis-Price Sets Record in 49-42 Win Over Florida
Highlights
Postgame Press Conference
Recap
BATON ROUGE — Tyrion Davis-Price set a single-game LSU Football rushing record with 287 yards, as the Tigers outscored No. 20 Florida, 49-42, on a Homecoming Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium.
Davis-Price, a junior from Baton Rouge, thrilled the home crowd with 36 carries including touchdown runs of 18, 40 and 25 yards. The previous LSU single-game rushing record was 285 yards, set in 2016 against Texas A&M.
On a blue-sky but windy fall morning kickoff, LSU (4-3, 2-2 SEC) leaned on Davis-Price and the Tigers’ offensive line down the stretch, running the ball on 23 of its final 25 offensive snaps. LSU often employed a six-man front along with first-time-starting tight end Jack Mashburn to create running lanes in the Gators’ front seven.
LSU quarterback Max Johnson battled the wind to connect with junior wide receiver Jaray Jenkins for three more touchdowns including a 1-yard score on fourth-and-goal with 3:30 remaining in the contest that gave LSU its final margin. The TD was Johnson’s only pass attempt in the fourth quarter. The sophomore signal caller finished 14-of-24 passing for 133 yards with three touchdowns. He was sacked only once.
In a final defensive stand, LSU senior linebacker Damone Clark intercepted Florida’s Anthony Richardson at the LSU 30-yard line, allowing Davis-Price and the Tigers offense to run out the clock.
Earlier in the contest, sophomore cornerback Dwight McGlothern – who started for the second time in his LSU career – returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown to put LSU ahead 28-13 only 48 seconds in the second half.
Clark led LSU with 11 tackles, while linebacker Micah Baskerville , safety Cameron Lewis and defensive end BJ Ojulari each had nine. Baskerville earned his first career interception off a pass breakup by cornerback Cordale Flott , while cornerback Jay Ward had a 26-yard interception return to go with six tackles.
LSU finished with 321 net rushing yards, while holding Florida to 138. The Tigers scored 21 points off four turnovers.
Florida fell to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in SEC play. The Gators used two quarterbacks – starter Emory Jones and backup Anthony Richardson. Jones was 12-of-19 for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, while Richardson was 10-of-19 passing for 167 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Richardson led Florida with 37 net rushing yards with a score, while Justin Shorter had game highs of six catches for 113 yards and scored twice.
Blow-by-Blow Recap
Florida took a 6-0 lead at the 7:55 mark of the first quarter when running back Dameon Pierce scored on a 6-yard burst, capping a six-play, 59-yard drive.
LSU defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. blocked the Gators’ extra-point attempt following the touchdown. The blocked PAT was LSU’s first since 2018, when Austin Deculus blocked an extra point versus Alabama.
The Tigers marched 90 yards in 13 plays to grab a 7-6 advantage with 14:29 remaining in the second period. An 18-yard dash by Davis-Price culminated the drive, which was highlighted by a 3rd-and-15 completion from Johnson to Jenkins to the LSU 48-yard line.
Florida moved to the LSU 38-yard line later in the quarter, but cornerback Cordale Flott broke up a pass from Florida QB Emory Jones and linebacker Micah Baskerville snared the ball out of the air and returned it to the Gators’ 28.
The Tigers scored on the next play as Johnson connected with Jenkins on a 28-yard TD aerial, increasing LSU’s lead to 14-6 with 8:31 left before halftime.
On Florida’s next play from scrimmage, LSU safety Jay Ward intercepted quarterback Anthony Richardson’s pass and returned it to the Florida 21. The Tigers capitalized on the opportunity, as Johnson hit Jenkins with a 5-yard touchdown strike, and LSU led 21-6 with 6:51 left in the second period.
Jones heaved a 42-yard Hail Mary pass on the final play of the first half that was caught by wide receiver Justin Shorter in the end zone to narrow the deficit to 21-13 at intermission.
On the third play of the second half, Jones’ third-down pass was picked off by McGlothern and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six was LSU’s first since Dec. 19, 2020, when Ward returned an interception 31 yards for a score against Ole Miss.
The Gators responded when Richardson engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended on his five-yard TD run. Richardson also ran in for the two-point conversion, reducing the Tigers’ lead to 28-21 with 11:01 left in the third period.
LSU needed just three plays to answer, as Davis-Price bolted 40 yards to the end zone to cap a 75-yard march at the 10:08 mark of the third quarter.
However, Florida came right back to again reduce the deficit to seven points, moving 75 yards in six plays and scoring when Richardson fired a five-yard TD pass to Shorter.
The Gators tied the game 35-35 with 3:45 left in the period as Richardson finished a six-play, 65-yard drive with an 11-yard scoring pass to Pierce.
The Tigers roared back to reclaim the lead when Price sprinted 25 yards to paydirt, completing a 10-play, 75-yard march with 14:27 remaining in the game.
Florida knotted the game at 42-42 when Richardson connected on a 33-yard TD pass to wide receiver Jacob Copeland, capping a 13-play, 75-yard possession at the 9:14 mark of the fourth period.
LSU surged in front again, moving 68 yards on 10 plays and scoring on a one-yard pass from Johnson to Jenkins with 3:30 left in the contest.
Following a touchback by LSU’s Avery Atkins on the kickoff, Florida picked up a first down on Richardson’s third-down run in his own territory. With less than 2 minutes to play, the Florida quarterback was pressured up the middle by LSU defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy and threw a high pass along the left sideline that was caught by Clark at the LSU 30.
With 1:59 to play, Florida had three timeouts remaining. However, Davis-Price runs of 5, 20 and 10 yards allowed the Tigers to run out the clock.
Homecoming
LSU senior Claudia Henry of Watson, La., was named the Homecoming queen and senior William Chandler Black of Atlanta, Ga., was named Homecoming king in a halftime ceremony.