Instant Analysis: Florida offense flat in 31-13 road loss to FSU
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA | Coming off of a thrilling 16-10 win at LSU last weekend to clinch the SEC East divisional crown, Florida’s offense came out flat against FSU as the No. 15 Gators (8-3, 6-2 SEC) fell to the No. 14 Seminoles (9-3, 5-3 ACC) 31-13 on Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The loss marks Florida’s fourth-straight defeat to FSU, as the Seminoles have outscored the Gators 119-41 during that stretch. Florida now must shake off this loss as it heads into a matchup against No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game next Saturday in Atlanta.
Instant Analysis now further examines the Gators' loss.
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IT WAS OVER WHEN: The game appeared to be out of reach for the Gators when Florida State scored two touchdowns in the second half. FSU took a two-score lead with 5:38 in the third quarter when FSU quarterback Deondre Francis connected with wide receiver Travis Rudolph for a 46-yard touchdown pass. Soon, the lead ballooned when Seminoles tacked on another touchdown on a 27-yard run by Freddie Stevenson to lift their lead to 24-6 with 12:51 left.
Florida managed to cut the deficit to 24-13 thanks to a fumble recovery by Marcell Harris on an FSU punt return in the fourth quarter, but with how poorly the Gators’ offense performed all of Saturday night and its inability to conjure up explosive plays, the deficit was still too big for the Gators to overcome at that point. A forced fumble by Harris gave the Florida offense the ball back down 11 with 4:25 left, but Appleby lost the ball on a third-down sack that FSU recovered.
THEY STOLE THE SHOW: Safety Marcell Harris deserves the nod here, for his team-leading 11 tackles (nine solo) and touchdown scored on a fumble recovery during an FSU punt return. Harris also logged a forced fumble in the contest, on a vicious hit on Francois in the fourth quarter as the Gators recovered the fumble. Although neither was unable to haul in an interception, cornerbacks Jalen “Teez” Tabor and Quincy Wilson performed relatively well in coverage Saturday. Each corner accounted for three pass breakups Saturday, coming up big on a number of downfield throws by the Seminoles.
On the other end, Dalvin Cook was dominant for the Seminoles. The junior tailback rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries and caught three balls for 26 yards against the Gators on Saturday, with 87 of his rushing yards coming in the first quarter. The Florida defense had no answer for Cook, especially when it came to trying to set the edge. Cook has rushed for 460 yards and three touchdowns on 76 carries (6.05 YPC) in his three appearances against Florida.
THESE STATS DON'T LIE: The Gators offense went 0-of-12 on third down Saturday against the Seminoles. It’s the first time since 1980 that an opponent did not convert a third down against Florida State. In the past two years, Florida has gone a combined 5-of-28 on third down attempts against FSU. After logging 67 yards on the opening drive, the Gators offense totaled just 140 yards throughout the remainder of the game.
WHAT A PLAY: Two special teams plays, and a interception by freshman defensive back Chauncey Gardner, comprised three of Florida’s top highlights of Saturday night’s contest.
First came a block by defensive lineman Joey Ivie on a 44-yard field-goal attempt by FSU kicker Ricky Aguayo – good for the Gators’ first blocked kick in more than three seasons. The play helped Florida hold FSU scoreless on its final drive before halftime.
Then, Gardner made a key play for the Gators, intercepting an overthrown pass by Francois on 2nd and 8 and returning it 15 yards to the FSU 27-yard line for his first career interception. Although the offense couldn’t move the ball into the red zone, Eddy Pineiro knocked down a 41-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 10-6 thanks to Gardner’s pick.
Later, Harris made a good heads-up play on special teams in the fourth quarter, after Chris Thompson forced a fumble on Nyquan Murray on a punt return. Harris scooped up the ball and returned it for a touchdown to cut UF’s disadvantage to 24-13 with 10:45 left in the game.
THIS MATCH-UP PROVED KEY: Florida State’s defensive ends gave Florida’s offensive line headaches in pass protection throughout Saturday’s contest. The FSU pass rush accounted for six sacks, with defensive ends DeMarcus Walker, Brian Burns and Josh Sweat combining for five of them. Many of those sacks came on third down, as the Florida O-line struggled to keep Appleby clean in the pocket.
Stay tuned with ITG, as we provide more post-game coverage of Florida's road loss to FSU.
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