TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida-Florida State recreation was once must-watch TV. It was once nice theatre, viewers by no means sure of what they could see. The Gators-Seminoles rivalry was once stuffed with trash discuss and future NFL stars and pregame drama.
The recreation was once enjoyable, enjoyable, enjoyable.
“You know, when I was growing up, Florida and Florida State were dominating college football,” first-year Gators coach Billy Napier said this week. “It was Steve Spurrier, and it was Bobby Bowden, and it is fairly superior to be part of this recreation.”
When the Gators (6-5) and No. 16-ranked Seminoles (8-3) meet Friday night time at Doak Campbell Stadium, a nationwide TV viewers and a sold-out crowd might be a part of the package deal. The recreation stays an enormous occasion.
Sixty Minutes.
? Game 12 Trailer — Narrated by: @TimTebow pic.twitter.com/q7uzrFLZB1
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 25, 2022
What has been lacking lately is the type of marquee matchup that impacts the nationwide championship race and high of the polls. That is why Napier was employed at Florida, and that’s the reason Mike Norvell is in his third yr at Florida State.
The neatest thing that would occur to this rivalry is that in eight, 9, or 10 years, we’re nonetheless speaking about Napier and Norvell main their groups into the annual Florida-Florida State recreation. Both faculties want stability at head coach, and each are younger sufficient to hold round for some time.
So, because the Gators and Seminoles meet for the 66th time Friday night time — and the primary matchup between Napier and Norvell — right here is to extra of the identical in years to come back.
If that occurs, then we’ll know the Florida-FSU rivalry is again the place it belongs on the nationwide stage.
For extra on Friday night time’s recreation between the Gators and Seminoles, right here is The Opening Kickoff:
THREE STORYLINES
- The Gators and Seminoles sq. off on a Friday night time for the primary time within the collection. The matchup at Doak Campbell Stadium marks Florida’s first go to to Tallahassee since 2018. The 2020 recreation was canceled as a result of Covid-impacted schedule. This is the primary assembly within the rivalry between first-year Gators coach Billy Napier and FSU’s Mike Norvell, in his third season. A whole lot of newness surrounds this yr’s recreation.
- Florida has dominated out 5 of its high receivers due to numerous accidents: Justin Shorter, Xzavier Henderson, Marcus Burke, Ja’Quavion Fraziars and Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman. In addition, Ricky Pearsall is listed as questionable. The good news is that the Gators are their greatest once they set up the run recreation and quarterback Anthony Richardson is a part of the bottom assault. FSU ranks fourth within the nation in go protection (155.4 yards per recreation) and 52nd in opposition to the run (138 ypg).
- The Seminoles are scorching with 4 consecutive wins. They are at house and could have a sellout crowd urging them to snap a three-game shedding streak to the Gators. In different phrases, Florida has a formidable problem underneath the Friday Night Lights. But rivalry video games are normally stuffed with surprises and anticipate a number of on this one. The Anthony Richardson–Jordan Travis quarterback matchup will play an enormous position this one.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Anthony Richardson and Jordan Travis are each dynamic athletes at totally different phases of their careers. A fifth-year participant, Travis has taken lumps in his profession however has continued to enhance and blossomed this season. He is finishing greater than 65 % of his passes for two,526 yards, 21 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has added 5 speeding scores. Meanwhile, a third-year sophomore in his first season as Florida’s full-time starter, Richardson is finishing 55.7 % of his passes for two,351 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Richardson has rushed for 613 yards and 9 scores. Travis has a bonus in expertise, however Richardson is true there in expertise. Which one avoids the pricey mistake?
- Gators receiver Daejon Reynolds went from bench-warmer to go-to goal in final week’s loss to Vanderbilt, catching eight passes for 165 yards and two scores. He had not caught a go in 5 consecutive video games earlier than the journey to Vanderbilt. Considering Florida’s depleted state of affairs at receiver, Reynolds might be a main goal as soon as once more in opposition to the Seminoles.
- In mild of senior linebacker Ventrell Miller‘s anticipated absence within the first half (see notes file), UF head coach Billy Napier stated the Gators are assured younger gamers Shemar James, Derek Wingo and Scooby Williams can decide up the slack with out Miller, the heartbeat of the protection. James has been the best of that trio, sixth on the group with 38 tackles.
FIVE DIGITS
4 – Years since Florida’s final recreation in Tallahassee, the longest stretch because the first six video games of the collection (1958-63) have been performed in Gainesville.
3 – FBS gamers with at least 2,300 yards passing and 600 yards speeding this season. Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson is one in all them.
27 – Rushing touchdowns for the Gators this season, which ranks fifth at school historical past for a single season. The 2008 group (42) owns the all-time faculty document.
16 – Scoring drives to open a half for Florida State this season. The Seminoles are second within the nation with a 68.2 percent-touchdown price on drives to open a half.
7 – Turnovers pressured by the Gators of their final 10 quarters, which totals 148 offensive performs by the opposition.
INJURY REPORT
GATORS — OUT: WR Ja’Quavion Fraziars (shoulder), WR Xzavier Henderson (decrease physique), CB Devin Moore (shoulder, out for season), LS Marco Ortiz (higher physique), WR Justin Shorter (decrease physique), WR Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman (higher physique), WR Marcus Burke (higher physique). QUESTIONABLE — TE Keon Zipperer (decrease physique), WR Ricky Pearsall (higher physique). FLORIDA STATE — OUT: WR Darion Williamson (undisclosed), WR Winston Wright Jr. (leg), OL Kayden Lyles (undisclosed), LB Stephen Dix Jr. (shoulder, out for season), OL Bless Harris (arm, out for season). QUESTIONABLE: OL Thomas Shrader (undisclosed), TE Jackson West (undisclosed), OL Julian Armella (undisclosed), WR Keyshawn Helton (undisclosed).
NOTES FILE
- This is the 66th all-time assembly between the Gators and Seminoles, and the twenty ninth in Tallahassee.
- Florida leads the collection 37-26-2 and has a three-game win streak in opposition to the Seminoles.
- Only two of the final 14 conferences between the colleges have been determined by single digits: UF’s 24-21 win in 2021 and FSU’s 24-19 victory in 2014.
- The Gators might be with out 5 receivers as a result of damage (see damage report), with seldom-used wideouts Jordan Pouncey, Ja’Markis Weston and Kahleil Jackson listed as second-team on the depth chart.
- Florida senior linebacker Ventrell Miller has to take a seat out the primary half due to his ejection for focusing on in final week’s loss at Vanderbilt.
- Senior linebacker Amari Burney has a team-leading 4 sacks for the Gators, who’ve 19 as a group; FSU enters with 33 sacks on the season.
- Florida State’s four-game win streak is its longest since 2017, when the Seminoles received their ultimate 4 video games of the season.
- Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis has 1,601 profession speeding yards, a faculty document for a quarterback, surpassing Charlie Ward (899 from 1989-93).
- Gators operating again Trevor Etienne wants 24 yards to succeed in 600 on the season. If he does, the trio of Etienne, quarterback Anthony Richardson and operating again Montrell Johnson Jr. might be simply the third at school historical past to every rush for 600 yards or extra in the identical season.
- FSU main receiver Johnny Wilson was a teammate of Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall at Arizona State for the previous two seasons.
THEY SAID IT
- “I don’t blame the fans and the supporters for the way they feel because the University of Florida once was a great program football-wise, even academically. So they’re holding us to a higher standard, so we’ve got to hold ourselves to that standard as well. With Coach Napier, I feel like everything will get back on course.” — Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson on a few of criticism after Vanderbilt loss
- “It is something that we take a lot of pride in, how we finish. That is one of the core things to our identity that we want to be remembered by.” — FSU coach Mike Norvell on his 19-5 profession document in November video games
- “Everybody will be watching us. That’ll be fun.” — Gators cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. on the Florida-Florida State recreation being performed on a Friday night time
- “You’ve got to get consumed with improvement, efficiency, refining every part of the systems that you run, what you do with your time. We’ve been through this before, right? This is a process. You don’t just flip a light switch and the house is built. It is truly one day at a time, and it’s one person at a time. I’ve got a ton of confidence in what we do.” — Gators head coach Billy Napier on first-year ups and downs
- “You don’t want to lose against the ‘Noles. I hate them now, just being around. I never grew up hating them. I didn’t even know who they were until I came here. Now you hate them because just being a Florida Gator you don’t want to lose to them, so we’re coming in hot this week.” — Gators punter and Australia native Jeremy Crawshaw on the Florida-FSU rivalry
THEY WROTE IT
BOTTOM LINE
The Gators are a 9.5-point underdog and have solely a 23.1 % likelihood to beat the Seminoles in response to the ESPN Matchup Predictor. Vegas has FSU round a ten.5-point favourite, so not many see the Gators pulling this one out after their beautiful loss at Vanderbilt final week. It’s arduous to argue in opposition to that logic with the Seminoles on a roll and outscoring opponents 173-39 within the final 4 video games. Still, as the good Al Michaels likes to say in regards to the infinite pregame chatter: “nobody knows anything.” We noticed a few of that final week when the Gators fell to the Commodores and South Carolina, which misplaced at Florida Field the earlier week, destroyed Tennessee. All I’m saying is I’m not writing the Gators off on this one. I feel they’ve an opportunity and will not be stunned in the event that they shock us regardless of being with out the majority of their receivers corps.