LSU allows Florida Hail Mary touchdown as time expires in first half

Nothing was going well for No. 20 Florida on the road against reeling LSU.

All that stood between the Gators and a 21-6 halftime deficit was a Hail Mary try in the final five seconds of the second quarter.

Florida quarterback Emory Jones lobbed one up toward 6-foot-5 Justin Shorter in the corner of the end zone. Surrounded by several LSU defenders, Shorter was somehow the only one tracking the ball and the pass fell right into his arms, leaving the incredulous LSU defenders wondering what just happened.

Shorter didn’t even have to jump for the ball. The LSU defenders seemed to have no clue where the ball was.

That Jones-to-Shorter connection cut LSU’s lead to 21-13 at halftime and gave the Gators some much-needed positive vibes going into the locker room.

Florida gifted LSU a short field with two interceptions in the second quarter that allowed the Tigers to build the big lead. And it was a lead that could have been even bigger had LSU not had multiple touchdowns called back by penalties.

LSU, though, would bounce back by opening the second half with a pick-six of Jones. That led to Florida benching Jones for freshman Anthony Richardson. Richardson led a big comeback, but the UF defense could not get the stops it needed.

In the end, LSU pulled off a 49-42 upset to improve to 4-3 on the year. UF dropped to 4-3 with the loss.