Eight fumbles and eight sacks; that was the storyline from Florida’s 31-11 win over in-state rival Florida State in week 14. It wasn’t smooth sailing for either offense inside Doak Campbell Stadium, but the Gators simply made less mistakes on Saturday night.
FSU coughed up the football eight times in the contest, losing five of them to the Gators’ defense and special teams unit. Florida’s defense also earned eight sacks, setting their season high after recording seven vs LSU two weeks ago. The eight sacks also marked a UF vs FSU rivalry record.
The Gators finish the 2024 regular season with a 7-5 record including three consecutive wins.
It was a sluggish start for DJ Lagway and Florida’s offense, who suffered a handful of drops and miscommunications through their first five drives. Still, the Gators jumped out to a 7-0 lead after Jack Pyburn’s strip sack was recovered by D’Antre Robinson at FSU’s 14-yard line.
Florida’s offense found a rhythm right before halftime, putting together a much needed nine play, 80-yard touchdown drive to extend their lead to 14-0, capped off by Marcus Burke’s four-yard touchdown catch.
It seemed as if the momentum had shifted in FSU’s favor after Ryan Fitzgerald’s 39-yard field goal and two straight defensive stops for the Noles. That was until FSU’s return man Lawayne McCoy muffed Jeremy Crawshaw’s punt and set Florida up in favorable field position once again. The Gators had to settle for a field goal after starting at FSU’s 12-yard line. Still, the Gators led by two touchdowns with roughly 23 minutes left.
Senior running back Montrell Johnson called game on Florida’s next possession, housing a 65-yard run to extend Florida’s lead to 24-3 with 2:46 left in the third quarter. Johnson eclipsed 3,000 career rushing yards during his 6th touchdown run of the 2024 season.
Johnson has been a staple in Billy Napier’s offense dating back to their days together at Louisiana. In four seasons under Napier, Johnson has averaged at least 5.2 yards per carry while eclipsing 500+ rushing yards each season including 800+ in three of four.
Florida State scored a late touchdown to cut into the large deficit with 3:25 to play. The game was all but over, but the Gators weren’t done scoring. Freshman running back Jadan Baugh combined for 41 yards on back-to-back carries, setting Florida up on the goal line with over two minutes left. FSU head coach Mike Norvell called a series of timeouts before DJ Lagway dropped back to pass and found tight end Tony Livingston for an eight-yard touchdown.
It was an off night for Lagway, who completed just 14 of 22 passes (63.6%) for 133 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Florida was able to run the ball despite Lagway’s struggles, totaling a season-high 235 rushing yards on 6.2 yards per carry. It was just the second time Florida has ran for 200+ yards in a game this season (226, Miss State).
Florida is now 5-0 when DJ Lagway starts and finishes the game.
The Gators (7-5, 4-4 SEC) scored on three of their four final possessions to close the door on in-state rival FSU, ending the season on a high note while they await their bowl matchup.