OGT-Florida vs #5 Florida State 7:00 pm ESPN

(Sat) 7 p.m.
Florida vs #5 Florida State
ESPN

November 25 // 7 PM // Gainesville, Fla.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field (88,548)

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NOVEMBER​

TEAM INFORMATION​

FLORIDA Head Coach: Billy Napier
Career Record: 51-25 (27-5 Sun Belt) [5th season]
Record at UF: 11-13 (6-10 SEC) [2nd season]
Record vs. FSU: 0-1
Rankings: NR (AP) / NR (Coaches)
2022 Record: 6-7, 3-5 SEC (T-4th in East)

FLORIDA STATE Head Coach: Mike Norvell
Career Record: 67-31 (24-8 AAC) [7th season]
Record at FSU: 29-16 (19-13 ACC) [3rd season]
Record vs. UF: 1-1
Rankings: 5 (AP) / 4 (Coaches)
2022 Record: 10-3, 5-3 ACC (2nd in Atlantic

 

SERIES HISTORY​

Overall: Florida leads, 37-27-2
Last Meeting: No. 16 FSU 45, Florida 38
(Nov. 25, 2022 - Tallahassee, Fla.)
Recent History: Florida State, W1
Florida has won 3 of last 4
In Tallahassee: Tied, 14-14-1
In Gainesville: Florida leads, 22-12-1
In New Orleans: Tied, 1-1

 

NUMBERS OF NOTE
948 + 52 = 1,000​

WR Ricky Pearsall needs 52 receiving yards vs. Florida State to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving on the season. He is aiming to become the 11th Gators player to accomplish the feat including the first
since Taylor Jacobs (1,088) in 2002.

 

THE STORYLINE​

• Florida and FSU match up for the 67th time in the 36th all-time meeting between the two teams in Gainesville.

• The all-time series dates back to 1958 with the Gators owning a 37-27-2 lead. UF is 12-9 vs. FSU at home since 1981.

• Florida has won three of the last four meetings in the series including two straight victories vs. FSU in The Swamp.

• In that span, Florida has outscored FSU, 143-97 (11.5 PPG), while outgaining the Noles, 1,820 to 1,388 (108.0 YPG).

• Florida is averaging 455 total yards including 190 yards rushing across the last four meetings.

• Both teams have enjoyed significant winning streaks in the series in recent memory. Florida claimed six-straight over FSU from 2004-09, while the Seminoles won five-straight vs. the Gators from 2013-17.

• Across 15 meetings dating back to 2007, only three games in the UF-FSU series has been decided by single-digit points including each of the last two (2022, 2021, 2014).

• Florida and FSU both rank top-10 nationally in TD-INT ratio. The Noles sit second (12.5) while the Gators rank 10th (5.0).

• Florida closes out the regular season vs. two top-10 opponents for the second time in team history (1956: No. 5 Georgia Tech, No. 6 Miami) and is one of two teams (Oregon State) in the FBS to finish 2023 with two top-10 opponents.

• Dating back to the 2018 season, Napier is tied for 11th in the FBS with 51 total victories alongside Penn State’s James Franklin, trailing only Nick Saban (72), Kirby Smart (71), Dabo Swinney (67), Brian Kelly (62), Lincoln Riley (61), Luke Fickell (60), Jim Harbaugh (57), Ryan Day (56), Josh Heupel (53) and Kirk Ferentz (52). He has more wins than Kyle Whittingham, Sonny Dykes, Mike Gundy, Mark Stoops, Mario Cristobal and Mike Norvell in that time, among others.

• Florida ranks 19th in the FBS with a 91.1% red zone conversion rate. The Gators have converted on 39 of 41 trips to the red zone across their last 10 games.

• Florida ranks seventh in the FBS in kick return defense, allowing an average of 14.9 yards per pick (19.0 per game).

• QB Graham Mertz has completed 72.9% of his passes (261-for-358), which leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally.

• Mertz ranks sixth in the FBS and second in the SEC in TD-INT ratio (6.7), owning 20 touchdowns and three interceptions.

• WR Eugene Wilson III leads all FBS true freshmen in receptions (58) and receptions per game (6.4) while sitting third in receiving yards per game (55.8) and fourth in receiving yards (502).

• Wilson III is the first Florida true freshman to eclipse 500 receiving yards since Antonio Callaway in 2015, who holds the UF freshman receiving record with 678 yards.

• Wilson III has caught five touchdowns while totaling 251 yards on 32 receptions in the last four games.

• The Gators have won 13 of their last 16 games in The Swamp (including eight of 10), but are 2-16 in their last 18 contests outside The Swamp and 2-12 in their last 14 true road games.

• Florida boasts a 359-114-13 (.752) all-time record at The Swamp, holding the third-highest home winning percentage in the nation since 1990 with a 178-35 (.836) record.
» The Gators have outscored opponents, 8,002 to 3,452 in 213 games inside The Swamp, putting the average outcome at 37.6 to 16.2 (21.4 points).

• Florida has scored in 447-consecutive games dating back to 1988 - an NCAA record and 53 games longer than any other college football team in the history of the sport

 

THE GRAHAM MERTZ FILES​

• QB Graham Mertz leads the SEC with a 72.9 completion percentage entering Week 13, ranking fifth in the FBS.

• Mertz threw his first interception in 240 attempts (239-consecutive - school record) in the second quarter at Missouri in Week 12. He broke Tim Tebow’s school record of 203 (2007-08) in Week 11 at LSU.

• Across the last six weeks, Mertz has thrown for 1,683 passing yards (280.5 YPG), 151 completions, a 68.9% completion percentage, 14 touchdowns and one interception.

• Mertz finished 26-of-38 (68.0%) for 311 yards and one TD for his third-career 300-yard passing game vs. LSU.

• Mertz has thrown a touchdown pass in all 11 of his starts as a Gator.

• Mertz opened his UF career with 11-straight games completing 62.0% of his passes and one passing touchdown (70.5%, 82.4%, 79.2%, 87.5%, 83.3%, 83.3%, 62.5%, 71.0%, 62.0%, 68.0%, 67.0%).

• Mertz opened the campaign with six-consecutive performances with a completion percentage above 70.0% (first Gator to ever do so) and has accomplished the feat in eight of 11 games this season.

• Mertz has started all 43 games he has played since 2020, ranking fourth among FBS QBs in games played.

• Mertz is in line to have the highest rating by a UF quarterback since Kyle Trask in 2020, while ranking eighth all-time in single-season program history (second-highest since Tebow in 2009).

• In Week 6 vs. Vanderbilt, Mertz (30-for-36, 83% comp.) joined Tim Tebow (2010 vs. Cincinnati*) as the only Florida quarterbacks to complete 80.0% of his passes or better on 35 attempts or more since 1996.

• Mertz’s 87.5% comp. pct. in Week 4 is the ninth-best of any FBS quarterback in any game this year.

• In Week 4 vs. McNeese, Mertz’s 87.0% completion percentage (20-for-23) was the highest from a Gators QB since Kyle Trask’s mark of 90.0% (18-20) against Towson on Sept. 28, 2019 (minimum 20 attempts)

 

THE MAX BROWN FILES​

• QB Max Brown entered in relief of Mertz in Week 12 (3Q), going 4-for-5 for 56 yards including a long of 27.

• Brown has appeared in five games this season, completing 10-of-12 passes for 106 yards.

• He was an Oklahoma District 3-3A MVP as a senior, throwing for 2,750 yards, 41 passing touchdowns and 1,343 rushing yards with 20 rushing touchdowns at Lincoln Christian in Tulsa, Oklahom

TIENNE EATING BEHIND JOHNSON JR​

• Prior to Week 11 at LSU, RB Trevor Etienne had zero career games with multiple TDs. He has now accomplished that feat each of the last two games, rushing for three at LSU and finding the endzone twice at Missouri.

• Etienne scored his first-career receiving TD in Week 12 at Missouri and now has five TD in the last two games.

• Etienne has rushed for 261 yards on 45 carries (5.8 YPC) with six total TDs across the last three games.

• RB Montrell Johnson Jr. led the team with 85 rush yards (7.1 YPC) in Week 12 while Etienne followed with 82 (5.5YPC). Johnson Jr. has paced UF in rush yards in seven games while Etienne has led in four (Weeks 1, 3, 10, 11).

• In Week 11 at LSU, Etienne joined La’Mical Perine (Sept. 30, 2017 vs. Vanderbilt) as one of two UF running backs to rush for three touchdowns in a game across the last 18 seasons.

• Etienne became the fifth SEC running back to rush for three touchdowns in a game this season, joining Kentucky’s Ray Davis (vs. Florida), Ole Miss’s Quinshon Judkins (vs. Texas A&M), Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson(vs. Virginia) and Missouri’s Cody Schrader (vs. LSU).

• Etienne sits fifth in the SEC with 5.9 yards per carry, owning 710 yards on 121 attempts.

• In Week 9, Johnson Jr. led the backfield with nine carries, 82 yards and 9.1 yards per carry as Florida finished Qith 109 yards rushing vs. Georgia -- the third-most allowed by the Bulldogs this season.

• Johnson Jr. and Etienne have combined for at least one touchdown in 18 of 24 games the last two years, scoring 31 total touchdowns. The duo has combined for 28 total rushing touchdowns.

• In Week 6 vs. Vanderbilt, Johnson Jr. rushed 18 times for 135 yards and 7.5 YPC with one score.

• Johnson Jr.’s 26 career rushing TDs rank t-third among active SEC running backs (Quinshon Judkins, Ray Davis) and are tied for 26th among FBS players. He owns 28 multi-purpose TDs (16 at UF: 14 rushing, two receiving).

• Johnson Jr. is tied for eighth in the SEC (t-seventh among RBs) with 14 rushing touchdowns since 2022.

• Etienne rushed for a career-high 172 yards on a career-high 23 attempts while posting the third 100-yard
rushing game of his career in Week 3 vs. Tennessee, earning numerous national weekly honors.

• Etienne’s 172 rushing yards were the most by a Gator in a single game across the past nine seasons (2015-2023). His performance ranks eighth in UF history across the last 25 seasons (1999-2023).

• Florida posted its 11th 200-yard rushing game since 2022 (third of 2023) in Week 11 at No. 9 Missouri.

• Florida has rushed for 100-plus yards in 19 of their last 24 games dating back to last season (seven in 2023).

 

Notable Games
• Oct. 7, 1972 - Unranked Florida routed No. 13 Florida State, in Tallahassee, forcing (and recovering) six fumbles and totaling 307 yards of offense in a 42-13 win. The six fumble recoveries helped the Gators hold off Florida State’s 341-yard passing performance.

• Nov. 26, 1994 - Fourth-ranked Florida led No. 7 Florida State, 31-3 entering the fourth quarter. The Seminoles rattled off an 84-yard touchdown drive in four-plus minutes, a 60-yard touchdown drive in 33 seconds, a 73-yard touchdown drive in two-plus minutes, and a 60-yard touchdown drive in two-plus minutes to tie the game with one minute and 45 seconds left in regulation. Florida State had a chance to go for the win, but settled for the 31-31 tie.
“It was probably the worst loss in my four years of college football,” UF
punter Shayne Edge recounted to ESPN’s Jared Shanker in 2014. “Everyone
knows that’s a Florida State win.”
“They were all bragging about the tie,” Steve Spurrier said of the game,
now known as the “Choke at Doak”. “I said, ‘Hell, it’s the same for you as it is for us.’”

• Nov. 30, 1996 - No. 1 Florida versus No. 2 Florida State.
The Gators fell behind 17-0 in the opening quarter but responded with a
pair of touchdown passes from Danny Wuerffel to make it a three-point
game. A touchdown run by Pooh Bear Williams midway through the
fourth quarter proved to be the edge the Seminoles needed to halt the
comeback, and seemingly spoil Florida’s national title aspirations.
Fortunately for the Gators, the Pac-10 Conference champion--No. 2 Arizona State--went to the Rose Bowl, and their win over Alabama in the SEC Championship game, paired with Michigan’s upset of Ohio State and Texas’ stunning upset of Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game.
All hope was not yet lost.

• Jan. 2, 1997 - Following a pair of upsets at the end of the season, Florida entered the 1997 Sugar Bowl ranked No. 3. After Ohio State upset No. 2 Arizona State in the Rose Bowl the day prior, the Gators’ rematch with No. 1 Florida State became the defacto national championship game. Florida led 24-17 at halftime, and after a Florida State field goal the Gators rattled off 28 unanswered points to win their first-ever national title. Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel threw for 306 yards and totaled four touchdowns, while Terry Jackson ran for 118 yards and two scores. “Maybe there was a divine guidance,” Steve Spurrier said after the win.

• Nov. 22, 1997 - It is often called the greatest game ever played in The
Swamp, as No. 10 Florida topped No. 2 Florida State, 32-29 in a thriller.
Adding to the intensity: Florida State players danced on the “F” at midfield prior to the game. After five lead changes, Florida trailed 29-25 but had the ball and two-plus minutes to work with. Doug Johnson hit Jacquez Green for a 63-yard gain, and Fred Taylor broke off a 16-yard run to set up a one-yard touchdown run for the game-winning score.
“The atmosphere was absolutely unreal,” UF linebacker Dwayne Thomas
recounted to The Gainesville Sun in 2007. “It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard The Swamp, that’s for sure.”

• Nov. 20, 2004 - Florida State renamed its playing field in honor of Bobby Bowden, but to Gators fans, it unofficially became Ron Zook Field. Although Zook would be at Illinois two weeks later, he got a triumphant sendoff and one last Gatorade bath as Gators head coach following a 20-13 win over No. 10 Florida State in Tallahassee.

• Nov. 29, 2008 - One of the most lasting images of this rivarly came from UF’s 45-15 rout of Florida State in Tallahassee, as Tim Tebow’s white uniform was covered in garnet paint after fighting his way into the end zone for a touchdown on a rain-soaked day. Tebow never lost to FSU.