The crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium produces a certain sound when Florida is truly playing well. It falls somewhere between “I can’t hear” and “standing next to an F/A-18 as it takes off from an aircraft carrier.” For a time Saturday, it felt as if the crowd might never reach that level. It fell nearly silent early in the third quarter when Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks—while getting crushed by LSU defensive end Breiden Fehoko—threw a pass directly to LSU safety Grant Delpit in the end zone.
But when Florida cornerback Brad Stewart Jr. intercepted Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow late in the fourth quarter and raced 25 yards into the end zone to seal a 27–19 win, the denizens of The Swamp finally rose up and roared.