Florida Football Rolls Past Florida State in Rivalry Game

The number 11 Florida football team (9-3) broke a Florida State 36-year bowl streak after beating the Seminoles (5-7) 41-14 in Tallahassee on Saturday.

The Rivalry

Coming into Saturday’s game, Florida State had won the previous five match ups. While no current Gators had won against the Seminoles, head coach Dan Mullen was 4-0 against FSU in his previous stint with the Gators as an offensive coordinator.

Recap

Saturday’s game got off to a slow start, with both teams going three-and-out on their first drives. A 27-yard field goal from Florida’s Evan McPherson on the final play of the first quarter put the Gators up 3-0.

Florida’s offense started to come to life in the second quarter. A 74-yard touchdown run from Lamical Perine and a 23-yard field goal gave the Gators a 13-point lead.

.@LP_deucedeuce taking this thing all the way back to Gainesville 🙌pic.twitter.com/ON1LysNFsL

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 24, 2018

However, Florida State found the end zone just before the half. A spectacular 15-yard catch from running back Cam Akers got Florida State on the board.

What a grab by Cam Akers pic.twitter.com/qyVRYahGcy

— Ty Wurth (@lostyhighway) November 24, 2018

Florida and quarterback Feleipe Franks got into a rhythm quickly after the half. A three-yard touchdown pass from Franks to Josh Hammond capped a 12-play drive. A fumble recovery shortly after resulted in another trip to the end zone for the Gators. FSU would score their final points of the day on their next drive, where quarterback Deondre Francois escaped for 32 yards on fourth-and-14. Francois would run it himself for a touchdown on the next play.

The Gators broke it open in the fourth quarter, bringing their 13-point lead to an eventual 27-point victory at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Notes

• Florida wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland left the game toward the end of the first quarter with a broken collarbone.
• Florida State combined for 293 total offensive yards, in comparison to Florida’s 536 yards.
• Florida’s running backs Lamical Perine and Jordan Scarlett have combined for over 700 yards this season, the first duo to do so since the Tim Tebow Era in 2009.

#FunFact pic.twitter.com/u0SIsUi2PO

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 24, 2018