It wasn’t the 2025 season Florida hoped for but the Gators ended on a strong note with a dominant 41-20 win over in-state rival Florida State.
Gator Country provides three early takeaways from the victory.
The Jadan Baugh Show
Sophomore running back Jadan Baugh stole the show in Gainesville, running 38 times for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Baugh’s 266 rushing yards mark the second most in a single game in Florida program history, trailing only legendary running back Emmitt Smith (319).
Baugh also became the first Florida Gator since Kelvin Taylor in 2015 to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a season. He is just the third underclassman in program history to hit the milestone. Entering the matchup with Florida State needing 96 yards, Baugh cleared the mark by halftime, piling up 98 yards in the opening two quarters.
FSU had no answer for Baugh, who patiently found open rushing lanes to deliver one of the best individual performances in recent memory. Noted by Florida’s strength staff as the pound for pound strongest player on the team, Baugh refused to go down vs. the Seminoles.
One thing is clear: Florida has to do whatever it takes to keep Jadan Baugh in Gainesville.
Critical fourth down stops
Florida’s defense delivered two pivotal fourth-down stops that swung the momentum.
Late in the first half, on a fourth-and-short at the Gators’ 22-yard line, sophomore linebacker Aaron Chiles burst through the line to drop FSU running back Gavin Sawchuk for a loss. Florida capitalized on the stop with a scoring drive to go up 10–0.
Early in the third quarter, linebackers Myles Graham and Bryce Thornton chased down scrambling quarterback Thomas Castellanos, forcing him out of bounds short of the marker. Florida scored a touchdown three plays later to go up 24-14.
Both stops came with Florida holding a three-point lead, and both times the Gators responded with a touchdown. Florida’s effort plays proved to be the difference.
Most complete game in 2025
Florida finished with a 4-8 (2-6 SEC) record, the worst season since 2013. However the Gators put together their best performance of the 2025 campaign in week 14. There were highlights from offense, defense, and special teams.
The Gators scored 40 points for the second time this season and first against an FBS program. Prior to Saturday evening, Florida hadn’t scored 30+ points vs. an FBS program in 2025. Florida started strong with a score on their first three possessions and followed that up with 23 second half points.
DJ Lagway played a fairly clean game, making one bad decision right before halftime which resulted in an interception. Lagway tossed three touchdowns and completed 62.5% of his passes. He managed the game well behind a strong running game.
While Florida struggled at times to contain FSU quarterback Thomas Castellanos, the Gators consistently disrupted him with pressure. Florida’s defense finished with four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and two takeaways—four if you include the turnovers on downs.
Trey Smack made a 54 yard field goal while Tommy Doman recorded a 71 yard punt.
Far and away Florida’s most complete game of the 2025 season.