TALLAHASSEE – With fireworks going off in the chilly northwest Florida skies, Florida State’s first-year coach Jimbo Fisher shook Florida head coach Urban Meyer’s hand quickly before pumping his two fists into the air.
As his players carried an alligator head around Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, one thing was abundantly clear for Fisher—Florida State was back on the football map in the state of Florida.
With redshirt senior quarterback Christian Ponder torching the Florida secondary for 221 yards and three touchdown passes and the Gators’ three-headed quarterback, hurry-up offense turning the ball over four times, three on fumbles, No. 22 Florida State ended the struggling Gators’ six-year reign in the series with a 31-7 victory Saturday.
Fisher, who spent three seasons as Bowden’s offensive coordinator and heir apparent before being named the head coach to Bowden’s dismay following last season’s 37-10 loss in Gainesville, and Ponder, who has been playing with a troublesome right throwing elbow, had their game faces intact from the start and now the Seminoles (9-3) will get a chance to play for the ACC Championship next Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C., against Virginia Tech. A half hour after his team’s biggest victory of the season, Fisher, who didn’t want his team or the stadium crowd to know the outcome of the North Carolina State-Maryland game that was being played in College Park, Md., learned that Maryland would win, 38-31, opening the door for the Seminoles to play for the conference championship and a BCS bowl berth.
Playing for an SEC Championship and in a BCS bowl this season ended for Florida in its 36-14 loss to South Carolina two Saturdays ago, and with Saturday’s setback, Meyer’s sixth Florida team (7-5) finished its regular season with more questions than answers. The Gators will go bowling but will wait to find out where they shake out in the SEC bowl maze. Florida did outrush the Seminoles 212-112, but the four turnovers and penalties (11 for 79 yards) came at inopportune times and killed any momentum the Gators tried to muster against the Seminoles, who ran 65 plays and accumulated 333 yards while Florida gained just 276 on 63 plays.
Meyer further put his team into a bottomless pit during the second quarter when he called for a fake punt with the Gators trailing 10-7 after FSU’s Lonnie Pryor scored on a 9-yard run following a Florida turnover.
Eight-for-eight on his previous fake-punt calls at Florida, Meyer saw punter Chas Henry stopped a yard short of a first down, and Fisher and Ponder did not wait long to put the dagger into the Gators’ hearts as Ponder connected for 39 yards with Rodney Smith for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead.
Ponder, who completed 16 of 24 passes, would later add a 15-yard scoring pass to Taiwan Easterling with 2:47 remaining in the first half and then a 29-yard scoring pass to Willie Haulstead with 9:19 remaining in the third quarter that gave FSU its eventual winning margin.
Meanwhile, Florida’s three quarterbacks – starter Trey Burton, thrower John Brantley and two-way threat Jordan Reed – managed just 64 passing yards (Brantley was 6-of-12 for 52 and a touchdown, Reed was 2-for-4 for 12 yards) and 99 combined rushing yards (Reed 74 on 13 carries, Burton 31 on 9 and Brantley a minus 6 yards on three).
Just as he did in Florida’s 36-14 loss to South Carolina, redshirt freshman Andre Debose provided the Gators an early dose of momentum with a long kickoff return. Only this time, the former Sanford Seminole standout, who sat out last year after hamstring surgery and has been in and out of the lineup with leg injuries, did not take it the distance as he did against the Gamecocks (and earlier the LSU Tigers).
But his 62-yard return was good enough to help Florida overcome Florida State’s 3-0 lead that resulted from Dustin Hopkins’ 38-yard field goal on the opening drive of the game.
Five plays after Debose stepped out of bounds at the FSU 32, on a third-and-11 play from the 20, Brantley flooded the field with receivers and hit true freshman Robert Clark, who ran a short curl, spun away after making the catch and ran untouched into the end zone for his first touchdown as a Gator. Henry’s PAT was good and Florida had a 7-3 lead with 10:43 remaining that stood up after the first quarter.
Florida outgained Florida State 82-54 in the first quarter, with a 53-8 edge on the ground. But the rushing effort surrendered Florida’s first turnover of the game when Reed fumbled away the football after he got the Gators past midfield with a 6-yard run late in the first quarter. It would prove to be the forerunner of bad things to happen for the Gators.
Early in the second quarter, Chris Rainey, who gained 73 yards on 11 carries and was Florida’s leading receiver with 25 yards on four receptions, lost the ball after catching a swing pass from Brantley on a third-and-3 play at the Florida 14. Rainey tried to juke Florida State cornerback Greg Reid but he lost concentration and just gave up the ball. Xavier Rhodes, who made the recovery on Reed’s fumble, fell on Rainey’s mistake and the ‘Noles were in the red zone at the Florida 17.
It didn’t take the Seminoles long to find the Gators’ end zone. Ponder handed to Chris Thompson, who gained 8 yards to the Florida 9. Then Ponder handed to Pryor, who ate up the final 9 yards as FSU began its 21-point second-quarter explosion. Hopkins kick was good and FSU regained the lead 10-7 with 12:06 left in the second quarter.
Debose had a 28-yard return on the kickoff, but a holding call against Stephen Alli put the ball back at the Florida 19. Reed rushed for 12 yards on the first play, but the Gators, who had penalty problems as well in the first half, were called for a false start, setting up a second-and-15 at the Florida 26.
Reed got 10 of those yards back, leaving Brantley a third-and-5 play. His pass to Frankie Hammond Jr. was on the mark but FSU cornerback Mike Harris hit the Florida receiver squarely in the back to break up the pass, bringing in Henry to punt the ball away at the Florida 36.
Except Meyer, who has seen all eight of his previous fake-punt calls in six seasons at Florida succeed, had different ideas. Henry faked a rugby kick running to his right and took off for the yard markers. With two linemen in front of him, Henry slowed to make a cut and was tackled by Florida State freshman safety Justin Bright a yard short of the chains moving.
On the next play with great protection from his senior-laden offensive line, Ponder waited as Rodney Smith put a double move on Florida cornerback Moses Jenkins. His pass hit Smith in stride after he separated himself and he ran into the end zone untouched to complete the 40-yard scoring play with 10:45 left in the first half. Hopkins’ PAT made it 17-7 and the more than 80,000 inside “Bob/Doak” were delirious.
After Florida did nothing with its next possession, Henry’s 49-yard punt gave the Seminoles a first-and-10 at their own 27. Florida State kept the ball for 12 plays and 6:01 of the clock as the Florida defense at times looked lost with Fisher mixing his play calls. Three times on third down, Ponder converted with passes, the last time on third-and-9 at the Florida 15.
Again with all sorts of time to survey the field, Ponder ended the drive with a 15-yard scoring pass to Taiwan Easterling and, after Hopkins successful PAT, the Seminoles led 24-7 with 2:47 left in the first half.
After Hopkins kicked the football through the end zone, the Gators got the ball at the 20 and behind the running of Reed and Rainey drove downfield. Reed had runs of 11, 16 and 2 while Rainey picked up 31 yards on his two carries, and now it was the Seminoles’ defense that was confused.
Florida State took a timeout to regroup and Florida sent in Brantley, who tried to thread a pass into a receiver. But Harris intercepted to end the Florida threat with 0:55 remaining, and Ponder took two knees to send his teammates into their locker room up 24-7.
At the half, Florida State had a 204-187 edge in total offense, with Ponder accounting for 153 of the yards on 11-of-17 passing. He also had another 18 yards rushing to lead FSU’s 51-yard rushing effort. Florida, meanwhile, had just 32 yards passing (Brantley was 3-of-7 for 29 yards, Reed 1-of-3 for 3). Reed and Rainey led the rushing attack that produced 155 yards on 21 carries with 63 (on 9 carries) and 57 (on 7) yards respectively. The Gators, however, also had three lost turnovers and were penalized 61 yards on 8 penalties. FSU had no turnovers and only 39 yards in penalties.
It was clear from the outset that Florida State’s aerial plan for Florida was to throw the football anywhere the Gators’ shutdown cornerback Janoris Jenkins wasn’t. Jenkins’ teammates on the opposite side of the field—Jenkins and eventually Cody Riggs—clearly were the targets of Fisher and his offensive staff.
Florida got the football to start the second half, but after two Reed runs netted just six yards, Brantley came into the game to try and pick up the first down through the air. Taking the snap, Brantley could find no one open as he surveyed the field, and his time eventually ran out when Brandon Jenkins sacked him for a loss of two yards.
After a Henry punt, Ponder threw incomplete on first down, but two Chris Thompson runs got the ball to the Florida State 45. On third-and-7, Ponder completed a 16-yard pass to Beau Reliford for a first down at the Florida 39.
On the next pass, Ponder hit Reed for 9 yards but two Pryor runs could not pick up the first down. So Ponder did the honors on fourth-and-1 from the Florida 30.
On first-and-10 from the 29, Ponder stood tall in the pocket and patiently waited for Haulstead to get inside position on Jenkins on a streak to the end zone. As he let go of the ball, Ponder was pounded by a too-late Florida pass-rusher but his ball hit Haulstead in stride as he crossed the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown and a 31-7 lead with 9:19 left in the third quarter.
Clearly, it was not to be Florida’s day in the series for the first time in the Meyer Era. The loss would drop the Gators to 7-5 for the season and Meyer’s record against Florida’s three big rivals — Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State — to a still remarkable 16-2.
But clearly, Florida State, which beat Miami (Fla.) earlier this season to finish 3-0 against the Sunshine State’s Big Three, was back in the football business.
No. 22 FLORIDA STATE 31, FLORIDA 7
Game 12 / Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010 / Tallahassee, Fla.
Florida State University / Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium
SCORE BY QUARTERS 1 2 3 4—Total
Florida Gators 7 0 0 0—7
Florida State Seminoles 3 21 7 0—31
FIRST QUARTER
FSU—FG 38 Dustin Hopkins good at 12:38. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 2 first downs, 2:22 time elapsed after opening kickoff returned by Greg Reid to the FSU 34. Key plays: Christian Ponder completed a 17-yard pass to Bert Reed and Florida was penalized 15 yards for a personal foul (face mask) penalty by Ahmad Black (who didn’t) that gave FSU a first down at the Florida 22. Florida State 3, Florida 0.
FLA—Robert Clark 20 pass from John Brantley (Chas Henry kick good) at 10:43. Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 2 first downs, 1:16 time elapsed following 62-yard return by Andre Debose to the FSU 32. Key plays: Trey Burton took the first snap, but Chris Rainey ran for 11 yards on second-and-8 play for first down; Brantley threw incomplete on his first pass but facing a third-and-11 from the 20, Brantley took the snap in an empty backfield as Florida flooded the field with receivers and he dumped it off to Clark, who had run a short curl and then outran everyone to the end zone. Florida 7, Florida State 3.
SECOND QUARTER
FSU—Lonnie Pryor 9 run (Hopkins kick good) at 12:06. Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 1 first down, 0:42 time elapsed following Chris Rainey’s fumble and Xavier Rhodes’ recovery for Florida State. Key plays: Rainey just lost concentration trying to make a cut; Chris Thompson got 8 yards on first down and Pryor took it up the middle for the score on the next down. Florida State 10, Florida 7.
FSU—Rodney Smith 39 pass from Christian Ponder (Hopkins kick good) at 10:45. Drive: 1 play, 39 yards, 1 first down, 0:07 time elapsed following failed fake-punt attempt by Florida’s Chas Henry, who was stopped a yard short by Justin Bright. Key play: Ponder had all the time in the world behind his offensive line, allowing Smith to put a double move on Florida’s Moses Jenkins, and Ponder hit his receiver in stride. Florida State 17, Florida 7.
FSU—Taiwan Easterling 15 pass from Ponder (Hopkins kick good) at 2:47. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5 first downs, 6:01 time elapsed after Florida punt. Key plays: Ponder converted three third-down plays with pass completions of 14 yards to Beau Reliford, 3 yards to Pryor and the touchdown pass; The FSU QB also rushed twice for 15 yards. Florida State 24, Florida 7.
THIRD QUARTER
FSU—Willie Haulstead 29 pass from Ponder (Hopkins kick good) at 9:19. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4 first downs in 3:54 following Florida punt. Key plays: Ponder completed a 16-yard crossing pass to Beau Reliford to the Florida 39 and then rushed for one yard on fourth-down to get a first down at the 29; the touchdown came on the next play. Score: Florida State 31, Florida 7.
FOURTH QUARTER
No scoring.
GAME SUMMARY
Attendance: 82,324.
Weather: Sunny skies, temperature 61 degrees falling into the mid 50s, winds from the North Northwest at 7-10 miles per hour, relative humidity 35 percent.
Officials: Brad Allen, referee; Michael Webster, umpire; Michael Kelley, linesman; Sterling Allen, line judge; Barry Hendon, back judge; David Meslow, field judge; Jim Corpora, side judge; Frank Kosman, scorer.
Coin toss: Florida wins the coin flip, defers to second half and kicks off, defending the North goal
Kickoff: 3:41 p.m. End of Game: 6:46 p.m. Elapsed time: 3:05.
Records: Florida 7-5 (4-4 SEC East); Florida State 9-3 (6-2 ACC Atlantic).
Next games: Florida in bowl game to be determined; Florida State vs. Virginia Tech in ACC Championship, Saturday, Dec. 4, at Charlotte, N.C. (Bank of America Stadium).
GAME STATISTICS
To see the final statistics for the Gators and Seminoles, CLICK BELOW:
http://www.gatorzone.com/football/boxscore.php?gameid=8285
2010 SCHEDULE
SEPTEMBER
04 Miami (Ohio) W, 34-12 (1-0, 0-0 SEC East)
11 South Florida W, 38-14 (2-0, 0-0 SEC East)
18 at Tennessee (SEC) W, 31-17 (3-0, 1-0 SEC East)
25 Kentucky (SEC) W, 48-14 (4-0, 2-0 SEC East)
OCTOBER
02 at Alabama (SEC) L, 6-31 (4-1, 2-1 SEC East)
09 Louisiana State (SEC) L, 29-32 (4-2, 2-2 SEC East)
16 Mississippi State (SEC) L, 7-10 (4-3, 2-3 SEC East)
30 Georgia (Jacksonville) (SEC) W, 34-31ot (5-3, 3-3 SEC East)
NOVEMBER
06 at Vanderbilt (SEC) W, 55-14 (6-3, 4-3 SEC East)
13 South Carolina (SEC) L, 14-36 (6-4, 4-4 SEC East)
20 Appalachian State W, 48-10 (7-4, 4-4 SEC East)
27 at Florida State L, 7-31 (7-5, 4-4 SEC East)
WEEK 13 RESULTS
For the rundown on Week 13 of the college football season, CLICK BELOW:
https://www.gatorcountry.com/swampgas/showthread.php?t=176048