Florida
DJ Lagway returns and Florida upsets No. 21 LSU 27-16 for 1st series win since 2018
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — With two defenders closing in and a strained left hamstring to protect, Florida quarterback DJ Lagway’s only option was to step up and let it fly.
Lagway’s 36-yard completion to Elijhah Badger was a thing of beauty and arguably the most important play in Florida’s season. It set up Ja’Kobi Jackson’s 1-yard scoring run and put the Gators ahead for good in the fourth quarter of a 27-16 victory over suddenly reeling No. 21 LSU on Saturday.
“Elite play,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “God blessed that young man.”
Lagway returned after missing most of Florida’s last two games and delivered enough clutch plays for the Gators to earn their first series victory since 2018.
Jadan Baugh’s 55-yard scoring scamper with 3:48 remaining essentially sealed it and put Florida (5-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) on the verge of becoming bowl eligible.
The Gators had dropped eight in a row against ranked opponents and were 1-10 under coach Billy Napier in rivalry games. But this was the kind of performance that has mostly eluded Napier during his three seasons in Gainesville.
“You’ve got to be a tough guy, and you got to be up for the challenge,” Napier said. “This group has proven they’re up for that. It’s harder than ever in my opinion. These guys could have pointed fingers and splintered a long time ago. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
LSU coach Brian Kelly had few answers following his team’s third consecutive loss. Cameras caught Kelly screaming at receiver Chris Hilton early — he seemed to call him uncoachable — and getting yelled at late by receiver Kyren Lacy.
“This is a simple exercise of do you want to fight or not?” Kelly said after the game. “Do you want to fight and take responsibility as coaches and players that we’re not playing well and we’re struggling right now? … There’s a rough spot here that we have to fight through and we have to do it together.”
Florida’s defense, played together and deserved every accolade. The unit sacked Garrett Nussmeier seven times — one more than LSU (6-4, 3-3) surrendered in its first nine games combined — and allowed just 16 points despite being on the field for 92 plays and more than 41 minutes.
It may have helped that last week’s 49-17 drubbing at then-No. 5 Texas was humbling and humiliating.
“We knew that wasn’t our brand of football that we played in Texas,” Florida linebacker Shemar James. “That left a bad taste that we had.”
The game started to turn in Florida’s favor when T.J. Searcy sacked Nussmeier late in the third quarter. Nussmeier fumbled, one of his linemen scooped it out of the air and then fumbled again. Caleb Banks recovered, one of several huge plays for the defensive tackle.
The Gators went backward from there despite the solid field position and ended up punting. But Jeremy Crawshaw pinned the Tigers inside the 10.
Florida then forced a punt and started another drive in LSU territory. This time, Lagway made the biggest play of the night.
“DJ, he’s a dude for sure,” James said. “He showed grit tonight. He came out and made pretty good throws and commanded the offense, and that’s what we were kind of missing. We’re very fortunate to have DJ on our team.”
The Takeaway
LSU: Kelly’s streak of 10-win seasons will end at seven. Kelly won double-digit games in each of his last four years at Notre Dame and extended it with consecutive 10-win seasons in Baton Rouge. But losing three in a row to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida make it impossible to get past nine and will surely lower his approval rating with the team’s frustrated fanbase.
Florida: The Gators will have to win one of their final two games, against Ole Miss and at Florida State, to become bowl eligible for the second time in Napier’s three seasons. Florida is trying to avoid its fourth consecutive losing season.
Up Next
LSU: Hosts Vanderbilt next Saturday.
Florida: Hosts Ole Miss in its home finale next Saturday.
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MoreLess
The finish line is right around the corner for the sweepstakes to land Lane Kiffin.
More News: Alabama Tries Coaching Shakeup Before Auburn Game
Florida dropped out of the marathon early. Reports surfaced on Friday that Kiffin pulled out of consideration for the Gators job. He’s set to choose between LSU and Ole Miss on Saturday.
Kiffin had been Florida’s top target after Billy Napier was fired on Oct. 19. However, communication broke down between Kiffin and the Gators in recent days.
More News: Oregon Coach a ‘Prime’ Candidate for Newly Opened College Football Job
Florida has a couple of backup options for Kiffin. Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key is someone to keep an eye on.
On Saturday, the big name for Florida is Jon Sumrall. The Tulane head coach had been linked to Auburn for weeks, but he appears to be out of consideration for the job with the Tigers.
Multiple reports indicate that Sumrall is the top option for Florida.
Sumrall has gone 41-11 during his stints at Troy and Tulane. His resume is similar to that of Napier when Florida hired him in 2021 after going 40-12 at Louisiana.
Florida fans on social media appeared upset with athletic director Scott Stricklin for fumbling the bag on Kiffin and then considering hiring a Group of 5 coach as Napier’s replacement. Some want Stricklin to be fired before he can hire Sumrall.
“Good morning, Gator Nation It is a great day to fire Scott Stricklin,” wrote a fan.
“Scott Stricklin is 1-for-7 on coaching hires. $31M+ wasted on buyouts. Elite coaches don’t want the job. Time for a change,” argued a fan.
“Scott Striklin is the Billy Napier of athletic directors,” posted another.
“If Scott Stricklin had any sense, Lincoln Riley would be headed to Florida, not Jon Sumrall. Unfortunately, it appears he paid Billy Napier $21 million to leave so he could hire Billy Napier 2.0. The Gators continue to be unserious about football,” argued a poster.
“We don’t want Jon Sumrall as our Head Coach, nor Scott Stricklin as our AD!” suggested a fan.
“So how can we get Scott Stricklin fired if majority think he sucks at his job and ruining the football program? We would have been great again with Kiffin. If he goes after Sumrall he should be fired on the spot,” wrote another.
It’ll be interesting to see if Florida continues to go after Stricklin amid the backlash. Texas A&M had a similar situation with Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops in 2023 before the Aggies hired Mike Elko away from Duke.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
STARKVILLE — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin is going to try to be a regular dad for a bit.
Then he’ll make the choice currently tearing him apart.
Ole Miss won one of the most important Egg Bowls in school history on Nov. 28. And yet, the next 24 hours may matter more to Ole Miss than what happened at Davis Wade Stadium.
The No. 6 Rebels beat the Bulldogs 38-19. It’s the third consecutive Egg Bowl win for Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC), cements the Rebels as first-time CFP participants and erases MSU’s (5-7, 1-7) path to a bowl game.
The positive momentum in Oxford could be shattered in one day. It’s up to Kiffin, who said postgame he needs to decide whether to depart for LSU or Florida on Nov. 29. That’s been Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter’s deadline since last week.
“These are hard decisions,” Kiffin said. “You guys have them all the time. You guys (reporters) have to make decisions about jobs you take, where you move. All those things. We get paid a lot so I know ours is under a different spotlight and scrutiny but, you know, a lot of people that are critical of it are the same people that do it all the time.”
Lane Kiffin’s schedule before picking between Ole Miss, LSU or Florida
Kiffin was headed straight from Starkville to Tupelo. In his words, the most important game of his day kicks off at 7 p.m.
Kiffin’s son, Knox, is starting for Oxford High in the MHSAA Class 7A state football. The game starts at 7 p.m.
Kiffin said he lives a day-to-day life. He’ll watch Knox play and leave the decision about his future until later. Sometime after that Kiffin will have to choose what offer to take.
LSU is a big brand with a recent national championship. Florida is where his coaching idol Steve Spurrier became a star, although reports indicated that the Gators are prepared to search elsewhere. Ole Miss is home.
Kiffin will become one of the sports highest-paid coaches regardless. Maybe $13 million, maybe closer to $15 million.
He knows he can’t be just another dad watching his son in Tupelo. Other dads don’t have million-dollar salaries. Other dads don’t generate headlines with their family takes trips to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Gainesville, Florida.
“In other professions it’s a little easier because you get to go to places,” Kiffin said. “You go for a week, see all the schools. The neighborhood and stuff. Then you make the decision. Our jobs are more difficult that way, but I’m not complaining about it.”
Kiffin said he’s found himself missing his father, Monte, who died in 2024. He posted a picture of him on social media on Nov. 27 with he caption “Hero.” He wishes he could ask his dad for advice for his looming decision.
Kiffin doesn’t waver from his early morning hot yoga. It’s likely one of the last things he’ll before his big decision. He has long said it’s the hardest thing he does each day. Until Nov. 21, when he told the Clarion Ledger that it hasn’t been lately.
“Yeah, usually,” Kiffin said Nov. 21. “For most people. Except when you’ve had days like mine lately.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Florida
Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy: Where to watch live Florida high school football playoffs (11/28/2025)
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The road to the 1A state championship runs through Hollywood this Friday night as the upstart True North Classical Academy Titans (10-2) travel to face the perennial powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna Lions (9-2) in a much-anticipated regional final matchup at Zappone Field.
The Titans enter riding high after an explosive 62-28 rout of Saint Andrew’s in last week’s semifinals, showcasing an offense firing on all cylinders at the perfect time.
Meanwhile, the host Lions dispatched Edison 47-18 in their semifinal contest, continuing their quest for another state title to add to their decorated trophy case.
With both teams demonstrating dominant offensive performances in their previous outings, this clash promises to be a high-scoring affair that will test True North’s Cinderella story against Chaminade-Madonna’s championship pedigree in what could be the most exciting 1A playoff game of the season.
Opening kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, November 28 with a live TV broadcast on NFHS Network.
• WATCH: Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy football is livestreaming on NFHS Network
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How to watch Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy football livestream
What: True North Classical Academy looks to continue Cinderella run against powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna in 1A regional final
When: Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, November 28
Where: Zappone Field | Hollywood, Florida
Watch live: Watch Chaminade-Madonna vs. True North Classical Academy live on the NFHS Network
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