Florida at FSU: Gameday Primer

14th-ranked Florida State will look to make it four straight over rival Florida on Saturday night as the Gators come to Doak Campbell Stadium off an emotional 16-10 win at LSU to clinch the SEC East for a second straight year. No. 15 Florida comes in with a record of 8-2 and may have some playoff hope if it can beat both the Seminoles and then No. 1 Alabama. FSU is 8-3 for the year, but comes in on a 3-game winning streak.

The star for the FSU offense is without question, running back Dalvin Cook. Cook has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards this season with 18 total touchdowns. Defensively, the Seminoles have been close to lights out over their past six games. DeMarcus Walker leads the team with 13 sacks and as a unit, FSU has more sacks than any team in the country with 41. Cornerback Tarvarus McFadden has recently come into his own as a sophomore. McFadden leads the nation with eight interceptions.

With linebackers Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone out, Florida will rely on the defensive front, headlined by Caleb Brantley. The Gators will miss safety Marcus Maye in the secondary, but have an outstanding duo of cornerbacks in Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson. On offense, Florida will look to pound the ball with sophomore Jordan Scarlett. Wide receiver Antonio Callaway is a dynamic play-maker out wide and on special teams. Specials teams is a unit where the Gators are very good with Eddy Pineiro kicking field goals and junior Johnny Townsend doing the punting.

Quick Hits

• FSU looks to beat rival Florida for the fourth straight time Saturday night. That hasn’t happened since 1987-90.
• With a victory Saturday night, FSU’s senior class would be the first in school-history to go a combined 8-0 against rivals Miami and Florida.
• FSU running back Dalvin Cook needs one rushing touchdown to break Greg Allen’s school-record of 44.
• Under head coach Jimbo Fisher is 8-1 against the SEC and 3-0 against teams that played or would go on to play in the SEC Championship.
• Of the last nine meetings between the schools, only one has been decided by single digits. That was FSU’s 24-19 win over Florida in its last trip to Tallahassee in 2014.
• Against Florida teams that would go on to play for the SEC Championship, the Seminoles are 6-5-1. The lone tie came in 1994.

Good Times, Bad Times

All-Time Series: Florida leads 34-24-2.
Good Times: Florida State’s first win in the series came in 1964 as the Seminoles defeated the Gators 16-7 in Tallahassee. Steve Tensi’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff accounted for the only FSU touchdown. Les Murdock kicked three field goals, including a 40-yarder with less than seven minutes to play to make it a 2-score game. The FSU defense held Florida to 244 yards and forced six turnovers.

The 1994 game coined the “Choke at Doak” featured the biggest comeback in FSU history. The Seminoles trailed 31-3 at home after three quarters, but outscored the Gators 28-0 over the final 15 minutes to force a 31-31 tie. Wide receiver Andre Cooper, fullback Zack Crockett, quarterback Danny Kanell and running back Rock Preston all scored fourth quarter touchdowns in the comeback. FSU and Florida would rematch in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans in a contest dubbed “The Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter” with the Seminoles coming out on top, 23-17.

The 1996 contest at Doak Campbell Stadium featured a match-up of No. 1 vs. No. 2 as the Seminoles raced to a 17-0 lead over top-ranked Florida behind a blocked punt and touchdowns from Pooh Bear Williams and Melvin Pearsall. Florida would twice pull to within three, but Williams’ second touchdown run with just over seven minutes to play was too much to overcome as FSU topped Florida, 24-21.

Bad Times: Unfortunately after winning during the 1996 regular season, Florida State fell to Florida in the Sugar Bowl to conclude the campaign. FSU trailed 24-20 early in the second half, but behind 306 yards passing and four total touchdowns from Florida’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel, the Gators rolled 52-20. Florida went on to claim its first national championship.

FSU was ranked first in the Coaches Poll when it visited Gainesville in 1997 and looked as if it would cruise after racing to a 17-6 lead. Florida running back Fred Taylor however, would have a game to remember with 162 yards rushing and the 1-yard touchdown with 1:50 to play that put Florida ahead for good, 32-29. The Gators sealed the victory when linebacker Dwayne Thomas intercepted a pass from FSU quarterback Thad Busby with about a minute remaining.

From 2004-09, Florida won six straight over rival Florida State with the final three coming by an average margin of 30 points. Over that span, Florida won three SEC East titles, three BCS bowls, two conference crowns and two national championships. The Seminoles won the ACC just once in that 6-year span and never finished ranked higher than 14th in any poll. FSU also appeared in just one BCS bowl in that span, losing to Penn State in the Orange Bowl to conclude the 2005 season.

For Your Reading Pleasure

Here are The Daily Nole articles on the match-up leading up to Saturday night’s rivalry contest:

FSU Football: A First Look at Florida
Preview: FSU Looks to Defeat Rival Florida for Fourth Straight Year
Staff Predictions for FSU-Florida
FSU’s Cook Looks to Continue Success Against Gators’ Stout Run Defense
FSU-Florida: Five Things to Watch
FSU Football: Beating Florida Would Salvage Disappointing 2016

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson