Running back Dalvin Cook broke another Florida State record early on and the defense did the rest on Saturday night as 14th-ranked FSU earned a fourth straight victory over Florida at Doak Campbell Stadium, 31-13.
Cook scored from 17 yards out to get the scoring started just two plays after FSU defensive end Josh Sweat stripped Florida quarterback Austin Appleby of the football which was recovered by senior DeMarcus Walker. Cook’s run not only gave FSU a 7-0 lead, but the junior the top spot in Seminole history with 45 career rushing touchdowns, surpassing Greg Allen.
A short field goal by Ricky Aguayo made it 10-0 in the opening seconds of the second quarter, but No. 15 Florida crawled its way back into the game with a pair of Eddy Pineiro field goals. The first cut the lead to 10-3 at the break and the second followed a Chauncey Gardner interception of FSU quarterback Deondre Francois that set the Gators (8-3) up in Florida State territory.
Francois atoned on FSU’s next drive by hitting Travis Rudolph for a 46-yard touchdown to make it a 2-score game at 17-6 and the Seminoles (9-3) never looked back. Freddie Stevenson, the senior fullback for FSU, extended the lead to 24-6 with a 27-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
The Gators looked to have gained some life minutes later after Nyqwan Murray fumbled a punt for the Seminoles, which was carried 22 yards the other way for a touchdown by Florida’s Marcell Harris to cut the lead to 24-13. That however, was as close as Florida would get. Following Appleby’s second lost fumble in the waning minutes, Francois put the exclamation point on the victory with an 8-yard touchdown run.
Francois passed for just 138 yards, but rushed for 63, accounting for two total touchdowns and two turnovers. Cook finished the night with 153 yards on the ground to eclipse 1,600 for the season while Rudolph led all receivers with 63 yards receiving.
The story of the night for FSU however, was the defense. The Seminoles got to Appleby six times, with two of the sacks coming from Walker and held Florida to just 207 yards of total offense. The Gators didn’t crack the 200-yard mark until the final drive of the game against soft coverage for FSU.
With the win, FSU’s group of seniors becomes the first class to go a combined 8-0 against Florida and Miami. The Seminoles have also won four straight against rival Florida for the first time since 1987-90. Under head coach Jimbo Fisher, FSU improved to 9-1 against the SEC. Florida has now gone without scoring an offensive touchdown against FSU for 10 quarters.
The Seminoles have concluded the regular season and will wait to hear what they’re headed for a bowl game. Florida will take on top-ranked Alabama next week in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
You must be logged in to post a comment Login