Trickery, defense lift Florida over LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Lucas Krull grew up idolizing Tim Tebow, a left-handed quarterback big enough to play tight end.

So imagine how wide-eyed Krull was when Tebow spoke in the locker room before Florida’s game against LSU. Krull was even more starstruck when Tebow congratulated him afterward.

A former University of Arkansas pitcher and now a seldom-used tight end, the 6-6 Krull lofted a perfect pass to Feleipe Franks on a trick play that set up No. 22 Florida’s winning touchdown in a 27-19 victory against No. 5 LSU on Saturday.

“I was like, ‘Hey, can we get a picture?’ ” Krull said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, of course. Great throw. Great team win.’ So that was awesome to be able to talk to him.”

The Gators (5-1, 3-1 SEC) scored all their points after the end of the first quarter, when Tebow became the sixth player

inducted into the school’s ring of honor.

“I didn’t want to let him down that way,” said Florida Coach Dan Mullen, who was Tebow’s offensive coordinator for two national championships. “I know it’s a night he’ll never forget and the whole family will never forget. I know winning that game was kind of like a little cherry on top to make sure it was all smiles.”

Lamical Perine grinded out tough yards and scored twice, Florida’s defense was as good as it’s been all season, and the difference was another perfect trick play called by Mullen.

A week after beating Mississippi State with a double pass, Franks handed off to Krull and slipped around the right side mostly unnoticed. Krull pulled up and lofted a 15-yarder back to Franks that set up Perine’s second touchdown.

The drive was huge for Florida, which had dropped six of the past eight in the series and two in a row in Gainesville. It immediately followed LSU’s go-ahead score that featured two long runs from Nick Brossette.

Brossette ran for 79 yards on the drive, including a 2-yard plunge that put the Tigers (5-1, 2-1) up 19-14 with 8:48 to play.

Florida answered, but didn’t put LSU away until Brad Stewart’s 25-yard interception return for a touchdown, and then another interception on fourth down on the ensuing possession.

In other SEC games, backup quarterback Michael Scarnecchia threw for three touchdowns in his first college start and Parker White hit the game-winning 33-yard field goal with two seconds left in South Carolina’s 37-35 victory over Missouri in Columbia, S.C. The Tigers (3-2, 0-2) had gone ahead 35-34 on Tucker McCann’s career-long 57-yard field goal with 1:18 remaining. But the Gamecocks, behind Scarnecchia, drove to the Missouri 16 where White nailed his third go-ahead field goal of the game. The Gamecocks (3-2, 2-2) rallied from 23-14 at halftime to win their third consecutive over Missouri in a game that lasted more than five hours due to rain and lightning delays. … Jordan Ta’amu passed for 374 yards and accounted for five touchdowns as Mississippi opened with nine consecutive touchdown drives in a 70-21 victory over Louisiana-Monroe in Oxford, Miss. Ta’amu was 21-of24 passing, including first-half touchdown passes to A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and DaMarkus Lodge for 20, 62 and 16 yards, respectively. Ta’amu added touchdown runs of 1 and 39 yards, individually accounting for 437 yards of total offense before sitting out the second half. The Rebels (4-2) scored on drives of 78, 61, 97, 66, 72 and 74 yards to build an insurmountable 49-7 halftime lead.