Florida Gators want to spoil Noles’ perfect season

The Florida Gators have turned into the answer to a trivia question.

The Florida State Seminoles have won an astonishing 27 consecutive games in a row dating back to 2012. Who was the last team to beat them? The Florida Gators.

The Gators endured an emotional week after the firing of Will Muschamp last Sunday. By Muschamp’s own admission the team was unfocused on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week but they handled business on Saturday with a 52-3 win over Eastern Kentucky.

“It’ll hit me when the season is over,” Muschamp said of the finality of his time in Gainesville fast approaching. “I’ve already switched gears to next week, that’s just what we do.”

Next week brings a tall task. The Seminoles have had some close games this season, including a three point win on the back of a last second field goal to beat Tyler Murphy and Boston College on Saturday. The Noles are enjoying their quest for a repeat as national champions as much as the Gators did in 2009. Every game is seemingly more arduous; one part satisfaction three parts relief.

The players are astutely aware of the success their cross-state rival is experiencing, even more so than you might imagine.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
Florida Gators fans holding a sign during the 2013 matchup between Florida and Florida State. / Gator Country photo by David Bowie

“It was to us,” senior linebacker Mike Taylor answered when asked if he knew who the last loss was for the Noles. “We wore the white tops, orange bottoms. I was there; I was a little sick, under the weather. I dressed out but, yeah, I remember the last time they lost a game, it was to us. Let’s go start that up again.”

Unlike last year, Florida’s season won’t end with the FSU game. The Gators 52-3 win on Saturday made them bowl eligible. It will, however, be the last game that the Gators play with Will Muschamp.

Muschamp will coach the Gators in Tallahassee — his swan song. Following the win on Saturday the players lifted Muschamp up in the locker room, dancing singing and yelling. They love their coach and want nothing more than to send him out a winner.

The Seminoles won’t make things easy for Florida. Florida State is playing for a chance to make the College Football Playoff and a loss next week would almost certainly knock them out of contention for that.

On paper, Florida will likely be a double-digit underdog on the road. That doesn’t matter to them. They are riding high off of a win. They’re playing for a coach that they love and it’s rivalry week in Gainesville.

Asked if he knew how many games FSU had won in a row, defensive lineman Alex McCalister shrugged before being informed of the total.

“Yeah, we’re going to end that,” he said. “Don’t worry about that.”

 

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC

1 COMMENT

  1. Saturday’s game against FSU looms rather large on the quickly approaching football horizon. Beating Georgia this year was a monumental win. Letting SC slip away was a painful loss and a reminder that consistency isn’t all that easy to master. And, yes, it was another home loss. But, this is a problem 120 or so other teams are also dealing with. Senior day was special for the kids, and for a lot of them, wearing a Gator uniform will be as good as it gets in the realm of sports. Many will never sniff the NFL. So just how huge would it be to beat FSU? If we lose it will just be another typical loss that mired the Muschamp era. If they win…man, it will be so much more. That will be much bigger than any bowl game they play. To face the adversity they have, to rise up above it all, to muster the courage and the spirit will take a tremendous effort. It can only be done with an indomitable spirit. They’ll have to dig deep. But, it is very doable. Character issues aside…Winston is a stud, the team is good, but they are very beatable. It’s time to play to win and never stop. A Gator win in Tally will live on forever in the minds of both teams. It can only be done with them playing as a team. And something tells me these kids have each others backs. Go Gators. Beat FSU!