Cade York split the uprights on a 57-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining and unranked LSU shocked No. 6 Florida 37-34 on the road.
THE KICKER WITH THE WINNING SHOE pic.twitter.com/riJPrN3Qco
â LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 13, 2020
York's game-winning boot was the difference for the Tigers, but it may have been the second-most impactful shoe-related event in the final minutes on Saturday. LSU was initially stopped short of a first down with 1:51 to play. But though Florida defensive back Marco Wilson made the stop for the Gators, he received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for ripping tight end Kole Taylor's cleat off and throwing it downfield.Â
The Tigers made the most of their second opportunity and gained 17 more yards following the flag to set up York.
However, the Gators did not going away as simply as that. Florida quarterback Kyle Trask marched the Gators 42 yards downfield in just three plays. That gave kicker Evan McPherson a chance to send the game to overtime, but his 51-yard attempt hooked left as time expired.
Florida will still represent the SEC East at the SEC Championship next week given its head-to-head win against Georgia, but tonight's result puts a serious damper on the Gators' chances at reaching the College Football Playoff. A two-loss team has never made the Playoff, though Florida could secure the ultimate resume booster in the SEC title game when it matches up with top-ranked Alabama.
The SEC champion has reached the Playoff every season. Not only would a Florida win make the Gators SEC champions, but it'd also mean UF owns wins over two top 10 teams in the CFP rankings. But that would mean defeating the top-ranked Tide in Atlanta one week after losing to LSU at home.
