A bowl streak, a winning streak over Florida and a streak of 41 consecutive winning seasons hangs in the balance on Saturday as Florida State welcomes rival Florida to Doak Campbell Stadium.
The Gators are road favorites in the contest, but the Seminoles seemed to have acquired some newfound confidence in getting their first win over a ranked team in nearly two years last week. The annual rivalry match-up will feature two first-year head coaches in Florida’s Dan Mullen and FSU’s Willie Taggart.
The Match-Up
Who: No. 11 Florida Gators (8-3) at Florida State Seminoles (5-6)
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
When: 12 p.m. EST
Network: ABC
Spread: Florida -7.5*
Last Week: Florida defeated Idaho, 63-10; FSU rallied past Boston College, 22-21.
Key Players
For Florida
Jordan Scarlett, RB (R-Jr.): 629 rush yards, 6.2 YPC, 3 rush TD,
Jachai Polite, DE (Jr.): 37 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 4 FF
Jabari Zuniga, DE (Jr.): 38 tackles, 10 TFL, 5.5 sacks
For Florida State
Tamorrion Terry, WR (R-Fr.): 32 catches, 666 yards receiving, 20.8 YPR, 8 TD catches
Brian Burns, DE (Jr.): 46 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 10 sacks, 3 FF, FR
Stanford Samuels III, DB (So.): 55 tackles, TFL, 4 INT
Series History
All-Time Series: Florida leads 34-26-2
Last Meeting: Florida State won in Gainesville, 38-22 (Nov. 25, 2017)
Last Meeting in Tallahassee: Florida State won, 31-13 (Nov. 26, 2016)
First Meeting: Florida won at home, 21-7 (Nov. 22, 1958)
Notable Contests
Florida looked to be well on its way to handing Florida State its first home loss in more than three years in 1994 when it led 31-3 after three quarters. FSU however, wasn’t ready to roll over and die. The Seminoles forced a 31-31 tie with four fourth-quarter touchdowns. Fullback Zack Crockett, wide receiver Andre Cooper, quarterback Danny Kanell and running back Rock Preston all found the end zone over the last 15 minutes. The Seminoles would later claim bragging rights with a 23-17 win over Florida in a Sugar Bowl rematch dubbed “The Fifth Quarter in the French Quarter”.
It was a match-up of No. 1 vs. No. 2 as the top-ranked Gators came to Tallahassee to cap the 1996 season but before they could blink, FSU led 17-0. The Seminoles raced to the big lead behind a blocked punt, touchdown run by Pooh Bear Williams and short touchdown pass from Thad Busby to Melvin Pearsall. Florida would twice claw to within three points, but Williams’ second touchdown essentially put the game away in a 24-21 victory for FSU. Florida would get revenge in the Sugar Bowl as the Gators defeated the Seminoles for the national championship more than a month later, 52-20.
Florida beat FSU twice during the 1997 calendar year. In the 1997 regular season finale, FSU was ranked No. 2 in the country as it faced Florida in Gainesville. The Seminoles led 17-6 early and clung to a 29-25 lead with under three minutes to play. Florida was able to pull in front with less than two minutes to play, thanks to a long pass from Doug Johnson to Jacquez Green and a short touchdown run by Fred Taylor — his fourth of the game. The Gators sealed a 32-29 win when Dwayne Thomas intercepted FSU quarterback Thad Busby.
What’s at Stake
For Florida: With a win, Florida would snap a 5-game losing streak to FSU and keep its hopes alive for a 10-win season and a New Year’s Six bowl berth.
For Florida State: The Seminoles must win to go to a bowl for an NCAA-record 37th straight season. FSU also looks to keep streaks alive of 41 winnings seasons and five straight wins over rival Florida. FSU looks to beat AP ranked teams in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2000.
Fun Fact
With Dan Mullen leading Florida and Willie Taggart coaching FSU, Saturday’s contest will be the first match-up between Florida and Florida State where both teams have first-year head coaches since 1960. That year, Ray Graves’ Gators beat Bill Peterson’s FSU team, 3-0.
*According to Bovada
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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