FINAL: Gators 31, Florida State 11

FLORIDA 31, FLORIDA STATE 11

What happened

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — DJ Lagway passed for two points, Montreal Johnson Jr. ran for one, and Florida’s defense recovered five Florida State fumbles to beat the Seminoles 31-11 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night. Florida (7-5) secured a winning season by defeating FSU (2-10) for the first time since 2021 and gave the Seminoles their first 10-loss season in 50 years.

The Gators put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter when Johnson, the senior tailback, followed the head coach Billy Napier from Louisiana to Florida, ran 65 yards for a touchdown and a 24-3 lead. Johnson finished his career with 99 yards on 10 carries, surpassing the 3,000 career rushing yard mark.

Meanwhile, Lagway finished 14 of 22 for 133 yards, two touchdowns and an interception to improve and become the Gators’ first true freshman quarterback to ever win in Tallahassee. Lagway threw a 4-yard TD pass Marcus Burke in the second quarter to give the Gators a 14-0 lead. His final pass was an 8-yard TD throw Tony Livingston End of fourth quarter.

The Gators struck first as edge rushers Jack Pyburn released FSU freshman quarterback Luke Kromenhoekwhich forced a fumble that was recovered by a teammate D’Antre Robinson at the Seminoles’ 14th running back Ja’Kobi Jackson took the lead from there, running 13 yards for FSU’s 1-yard TD and then strolling into the end zone for a 1-yard TD, giving Florida a 7-0 lead with 2:28 left in the first quarter.

Pyburn’s sack and Robinson’s fumble recovery not only led to Florida’s first goal, but also set the stage for what would happen again and again. Florida recovered five FSU fumbles and registered eight sacks on a night in which the Seminoles managed just 239 yards of total offense. Florida gained 368 yards and outscored FSU 14-0 in turnovers.

Florida’s best offensive performance came in the second quarter, when the Gators extended their lead to 14-0 on Lagway’s 4-yard pass to Burke with 25 seconds left in the first half. The Gators went 80 yards on nine plays and used 2:31 of game time. Lagway was 4-for-4 on the drive for 60 yards, including two throws to the receiver Chimere Dike that totaled 46 yards.

FSU scored its first points with a 39-yard field goal Ryan Fitzgerald to cap the Seminoles’ first possession of the second half, capping a nine-play, 42-yard drive. The Seminoles’ only other score was a 2-yard passing run Lawrance Toafili with less than four minutes remaining.

After Fitzgerald’s field goal the score was 14-3. Rocco Underwood recovered a botched punt by Seminole’s punt returner Lawyne McCoy at FSU 12. Trey Smack added a 30-yard FG to give Florida a 17-3 lead with 6:27 left in the third quarter.

The Gators’ lead was never in serious danger in the second half as the defense kept constant pressure on Kromenhoek and posted a season-high number of sacks.

What it means

Florida is coming off a winning season for the first time in Napier’s three seasons, ending a streak of three straight losses that dates back to 2021. Meanwhile, the Gators slipped two games against FSU and won in Tallahassee for the first time since 2018. Most importantly, the Gators maintained the momentum they gained from home wins over LSU and Ole Miss.

In the spotlight

In the first matchup between true freshman quarterbacks in the rivalry’s history, Lagway outplayed Kromenhoek. While Lagway wasn’t as strong as before, he finished the regular season with a 5-1 record as Florida’s starter. Meanwhile, Kromenhoek went 15 of 28 for 140 yards in his second career start.

Amazing statistics

The Gators finished the regular season on the road, but brought their pass rush with them. After totaling 10 sacks in consecutive wins over LSU and Ole Miss, Florida sacked the Seminoles eight times on Saturday. For those keeping score at home, that’s 18 sacks in the last three games. Florida totaled 20 sacks in the first nine games. Do you want more? The Gators have amassed 36 tackles for loss over the last three games.

Next

The Gasparilla Bowl, Gator Bowl and Music City Bowl have been mentioned as possibilities, but the bowl picture remains fluid in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. The bowl schedule will be finalized by Sunday, December 8th.