Florida @ Florida State: News, Notes, Quotes, & Interviews
2022 Florida Football Postgame Notes No. 16 Florida State 45, Florida 38 November 25, 2022 Doak Campbell Stadium – Tallahassee, Fla.
Gators Offense
● The Gators eclipsed 400 yards for the fourth-straight game, including the seventh time this season and the sixth time in the last nine games. Florida amassed 400-plus total yards for the 24th time in its last 35 games including 37 of the last 54 contests.
● The Gators have rushed for 100-plus yards in 13 of their last 14 games including 11 of 12 games so far this season. o The Gators have now rushed for 100-plus yards in 22 of their last 25 games. Florida has rushed for 100-plus yards in 51 of its last 63 games.
● Florida rushed for 200-plus yards for the eighth time in 12 games this season and for the sixth time in the last eight games. o Florida posted its 14th game of 200-plus rushing yards in the last 25 contests. This marks Florida’s 26th 200-plus yard rushing game in its last 63 games.
● Florida scored 30 points for the seventh time this season including the seventh time in the last 10 games. The Gators scored 30-plus points for the 39th time in their last 63 games, including scoring 30-plus in 26 of the team’s last 39 games. The Gators scored 30-plus points six times in 13 games last season.
● Florida’s 29 rushing TDs are the program’s fifth-most all-time in a season (2008 – 42, 2007 - 39, 2010 - 31, 2009 – 30).
● With 654 rushing yards on the season, QB Anthony Richardson surpassed Terry LeCourt (1977 – 628) for fifth-most by a UF QB in a season.
● Richardson connected with WR Ricky Pearsall for a 52-yard TD pass in the first quarter. The 52-yard catch was Pearsall’s longest as a Gator (of the 2022 season).
● Richardson and Pearsall later teamed up for a 43-yard TD pass in the second quarter. o Pearsall set new a new career high with 148 receiving yards while his two touchdowns tied his career high. o Pearsall totaled 100-plus receiving yards for the third time in his career. Pearsall and Richardson connected for two 40-plus yard TDs in the first half. Pearsall has hauled a pass in 27-consecutive games.
● Richardson tossed three TD passes in the first half alone for the first time in his career. Richardson tied his career high with three TD passes (third time in career, second-straight game this season with three TD passes).
● Of Richardson’s 36-career touchdowns (24 passing, 12 rushing), he has: o Seven scores of 70-plus yards, 14 scores of 40-plus yards, and 16 scores of 25-plus yards. Three TD rushes of 70-plus yards, four TD rushes of 60 yards, and five TD rushes of 45 yards. Four 70-plus-yard TD passes, nine 40-yard TD passes, 10 30-yard TD passes, and 11 25-yard TD passes.
● Across the last six games, Richardson has thrown 12 TDs and two INTs, while rushing for four TDs (16 total TDs, two turnovers).
● RB Trevor Etienne rushed 17 times for a career-high 129 yards and one rushing TD, marking his second 100-yard rushing game in the last three weeks. o Etienne averaged 7.6 yards per carry. He broke off a 45-yard TD rush to tie the game at 38-38 in the fourth quarter – his sixth rushing TD of the campaign.
● Montrell Johnson Jr. rushed for 85 yards, moving his season total to 827 and becoming the first UF RB to rush for over 800 yards since La’Mical Perine in 2018.
● Johnson Jr. scored his 10th rushing TD of the season with a one-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. o It marked Johnson Jr.’s 22nd-career rushing TD and 23rd TD overall.
● With Etienne rushing for 129 yards, the trio of Etienne (705), Richardson (654), and Johnson Jr. (827) became the third trio in UF history to eclipse 600 rush yards apiece. 1984 – Anderson, Williams, Hampton l 2008 – Tebow, Harvin, Rainey, Demps o No UF trio has ever eclipsed 700 yards apiece
● Johnson Jr. and Etienne have combined for at least one touchdown in all 12 games, scoring 17 total TDs (rushing TDs in 11 of 12 games). The duo has combined for 16 total rushing touchdowns. The duo has combined for 46 of Florida’s 74 explosive rushes (10-plus yards) this season (62.2%).
● Florida has allowed only 13 sacks through 12 games in 2022.
● Richardson’s 12-yard TD pass to TE Jonathan Odom in the second quarter marked Odom’s second[1]career reception and second-career receiving TD – including his second in the last three games for each as well. Odom finished with career highs in receptions (three), yards (39) and long (21).
● Each of Richardson’s first-two completions went for touchdowns for double-digit yards. Gators Defense
● The Gators recorded two sacks in tonight’s game. Since the start of last season, Florida has out-sacked its opponents by a plus-31 margin. Florida’s 177 sacks since 2018 season ranks second in the SEC and seventh nationally – trailing only Clemson (222), Pittsburgh (221), Alabama (200), Miami (186) and Ohio State (183). Florida ranked tied-for-14th in the FBS and second in the SEC with 34 sacks last season.
● Florida recorded a takeaway on its first defensive possession, extending the team’s streak to 12- consecutive games with a takeaway this season. This is Florida’s longest streak since having 15-straight games with a takeaway from 2014-15 (last-seven games + first-eight games). LB Shemar James recorded his first-career forced fumble while LB Tre’Vez Johnson tallied his second fumble recovery of the season.
● The Gators have produced 22 turnovers this season with at least one each game.
● With one takeaway vs. Florida State, Florida’s defense has now produced 100 turnovers since 2018, which ranks second in the SEC and tied-for-19th in the FBS.
● After missing the first half, LB Ventrell Miller recorded a pass breakup on Florida State’s first drive of the second half. Miller also added 0.5 TFL.
● With one pass breakup at FSU, DB Trey Dean III has broken up 20 passes and is five away from tying Janoris Jenkins (2008-10), who is tied for 10th all-time at UF with 25. Dean finished with a team-high nine tackles (four solo).
● LB Amari Burney continued his torrid campaign, totaling six tackles (three solo), 1.0 TFL and one pass breakup.
● DB Kamari Wilson set a career high with eight tackles (five solo) while logging 0.5 TFL.
● James totaled two tackles (two solo), 1.0 sack (second-career) and one forced fumble.
● Johnson posted two tackles (one solo), two pass breakups (first of season) and one fumble recovery.
● DB Jason Marshall Jr. finished with four tackles (three solo), one pass breakup and 1.0 TFL – his first of the season. Marshall Jr. now has a team-leading seven pass breakups this season.
● DL Gervon Dexter tallied two tackles (one solo) and 1.0 TFL. o He now has 4.0 TFL on the season and 9.5 in his career.
● LB Derek Wingo had two tackles (one solo) and one quarterback hurry – the second of his career and his second in the last three games.
● LB Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. finished with three tackles (one solo), one sack, his first-career pass breakup and one forced fumble. Powell-Ryland Jr. now has three sacks on the season.
● DL Desmond Watson had a career-high five tackles.
Florida Special Teams
● Florida did not punt in the first half (Downs, TD, TD, INT, TD, FG, HALF).
● P Jeremy Crawshaw punted three times for an average of 46.3 yards, including a long punt of 52 yards and one kick of 50-plus yards. Crawshaw has punted for 50-plus yards on 30 of 84 career punts.
● K Adam Mihalek went 1-for-1 on field goals to improve to 13-for-19 on the season. Mihalek connected on a 41-yard attempt in the second quarter.
● RB Trevor Etienne’s 48-yard kickoff return in the first quarter marked a career-long return as well as Florida’s longest kickoff return since Kadarius Toney’s 51-yard return vs. Georgia on Oct. 27, 2018. Explosive Plays (11)
● Ricky Pearsall (from Anthony Richardson): 52-yard TD reception, first quarter
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 22-yard rush, first quarter
● Ricky Pearsall (from QB Anthony Richardson): 32-yard reception, second quarter
● Ricky Pearsall (from QB Anthony Richardson): 43-yard TD reception, second quarter
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 16-yard rush, second quarter
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 13-yard rush, second quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 10-yard rush, second quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 35-yard rush, third quarter
● Anthony Richardson: 15-yard rush, third quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 45-yard TD rush, fourth quarter
● Jonathan Odom: 21-yard reception, fourth quarter Series Updates
● Tonight’s game represented the 66th all-time meeting between Florida and Florida State including the 29th matchup in Tallahassee.
● With tonight’s loss, Florida falls to 37-27-2 (.576) vs. Florida State and 14-14-1 (.500) on the road.
● Tonight’s contest was just the third game in the last 15 matchups between UF-FSU decided by single[1]digit points.
• HC Billy Napier falls to FSU HC Mike Norvell in their first meeting as head coaches.
• Friday’s 45-38 affair marked the highest-scoring game (83 points) in the history of the UF-FSU rivalry.
Other
● Florida has scored in 435-consecutive games -- which is an NCAA record and 56 games longer than any other college football team in history. The Gators broke Michigan’s record of 365-consecutive games (1984-2014) against LSU on Oct. 7, 2017.
● Florida has finished with fewer than 10 penalties in 51 of its last 56 games.
● Florida Game Captains: #0 Trey Dean III, #65 Kingsley Eguakun, #51 Ventrell Miller, #15 Anthony Richardson,
● Florida won the toss and deferred; Florida defended the north end zone.
● Attendance: 79,560
2022 Florida Football Postgame Quotes Billy Napier, Florida Head Coach No. 16 Florida State 45, Florida 38 November 25, 2022 Opening statement…
“Heck of a football game. Obviously, it came down to the last possession. A lot of good out there. I think probably what I’m most proud of is how hard the players played in the game. They put it on the line, I think, across the board. It wasn’t always pretty. But you’re talking about a group that – I’m on the sideline, I watched it with my own two eyes – they played the game of football the right way. Got nothing but respect and admiration for our players. The effort, the physicality, the mental toughness. This is a group that’s made a ton of progress as people, relative to making up a team. Having a team. Having a group that cares for each other. There’s a legitimate brotherhood, like I would do anything for a teammate in that locker room. And I think that showed up tonight. There’s going to be 20, 25, 30 plays – we get a handful of those 25 or 30, we probably win the game. But we come up a little short. The football wasn’t good enough tonight. There was a lot of good ball out there, but there were some things we can do better, no question. But I’m proud of the intangibles that our team showed. In that locker room right now, there’s a lot of guys that are… it’s tough. It’s tough. When you do it the right way and you come up short, it’s tough. You know, I think it creates opportunities. There’s no question that we need to remember every single part of that experience. This game can teach you a lot about life, and I think that there’s going to be lots of things that we can learn from tonight. But you know, came up a score short, and there’s no question we can do a lot of things better. But I am extremely proud. The staff had them ready to compete and they showed up and put it on the line. Tough one to swallow. But we’re going to get better. We’re going to improve. We’re going to use that experience.”
On the three-and-outs to open the second half…
"First and second down in particular, bang-bang plays on some of those. But there’s no question, can do some things better there. Across the board.”
On Anthony Richardson starting hot but later having a streak of incompletions…
"You got to evaluate each one of those plays independently. I saw a guy that competed. That’s what I saw. I saw a guy that made some unbelievable plays as a runner. Made some elite throws at times. When you’re playing a game like that, there’s going to be things that you can do better, there’s no question, even if you win the game. That’s the thing we got to understand. Even if you win the game, those same things you can learn from, they happened. Regardless, there’s opportunity. Sometimes problems are opportunities in disguise. I’m proud of Anthony and the way he competed in the game.”
On how being short-handed at receiver impacted the game…
"I think we’ll know a little bit more when we get down to it, but yes. There’s a handful of plays where we got our hands on the ball. There’s a handful of plays where the coverage is tight, whatever the case may be. But you know, we felt like the matchup in the slot was good and we went there, and that paid off. And then we had some opportunities to make some plays. We felt like we could rush the ball; we rushed the ball. But offensively, what’d we have, 460 yards? Lot of good, just came up a little bit short. Some of the things that you knew going into the game that were going to be a challenge. The quarterback [Jordan Travis] is a challenge. His legs were the difference in the game. Anybody that watched that game would say, ‘Yep. Quarterback, the legs in the quarterback of Florida State was the difference in the game.’ Gave us fits all night.”
On Ricky Pearsall’s career performance despite being questionable…
"He passed the final test on Friday. He was moving through protocol during the week. Felt fine. Obviously, we want to dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s, much like we do with any player. He was able to play and certainly made an impact in the game, there’s no question. He’s a great competitor, and certainly a guy that has made our team better.”
On Rashad Torrence II’s absence and the impact of those who filled in…
“Rashad had an elbow, he was questionable. He wasn’t able to do a ton during the week, during the short week. And then just didn’t feel – it was almost a pain-tolerance deal. Just didn’t quite make enough progress late in the week, and didn’t feel good about putting him out there. Those guys that played took the majority of the reps throughout the week anticipating that. You got some guys out there that are playing really their first significant time. Kamari [Wilson], obviously is out there competing his tail off. Donovan [McMillon]. Those guys stepped up and competed in the game.”
2022 Florida Football Postgame Quotes Florida Student-Athletes Florida State 45, Florida 38 November 25, 2022 #51 Ventrell Miller, Redshirt Senior, Linebacker On preparation despite being out the first half…
“Definitely tough, but just from a leadership standpoint, just trying to get those guys ready that’s backing me up the whole week. Trying to get those guys ready. I feel like they came in and did a good job the first half, so couldn’t ask them to do more.”
On sitting out the first half…
“It didn’t feel too good. I know the guys were ready for me to come back in. They was talking about, ‘free me’ after halftime. It felt good that my teammates felt a certain way about me coming back at half. It felt good to see them cheering me on to get back out there. It was tough just to wait. I felt like my teammates, [Derek] Wingo and [Scooby Williams] did a great job coming out there the first half. They kept us up. They kept us up, so I guess I couldn’t asked for them to do more.”
On the team’s progress…
“Like coach [Napier] said, I know we didn’t win as much games this year, but, like I said, this would half to be one of my favorite years just being here. Just the brotherhood we built throughout the time. Like I said, that’s just something coach Napier emphasized. You could just see the brotherhood growing throughout the year. It’s been a great time.”
On Coach Napier…
“Coach Napier is a real competitor. It never feels good to lose. Don’t nobody hates losing more than him in the locker room and just to see the guys emotion. Like I said, we come out to win each and every week. We go hard each and every week, so just to see the emotion going on in there it doesn’t feel too good, but, like I said, we’re competitive.”
#15 Anthony Richardson, Sophomore, Quarterback On the passing game…
“That’s just us not connecting, winning matchups. We knew we were going to get one-on-one matchups in this game, so we just tried to attack them outside. They played pretty good defense and deflected most of the passes, but it was just us not winning matchups, winning one-on-ones. That’s what we talked about all week.”
On Florida’s receiver depth…
“Nah, I wasn’t worried. Some people might have thought it was kind of crazy not having some of the big-time receivers that they’re used to seeing out there, but it’s no surprise to us because we try to prepare as if anybody can go out there and play. Those guys came out there and they played. They did what they could do, and we got the result that we got.”
On running the ball…
“It’s a dog fight out there. A rival game, so you got to play hard. You got to put your nose down, put your head down and just try to fight through people, run through people. They were doing it to us, so why not do it back to them.”
On the first touchdown… “We pretty much knew that that was going to happen because we talked about that in practice all week. We were setting that up all week, getting ready for that. Originally, Ricky [Pearsall] wasn’t even the one that was supposed to run that route, but he was out there at the right place, right time and he caught the touchdown.”
On Coach Napier…
“It’s an emotional game for everybody. Last regular season game for us. A rival game like that, so it definitely meant a lot to a lot of people, and just the state of Florida in general. Just seeing how much it meant to people, it kind of makes you want to go out there and play a little harder for them. But you win some and you lose some. You just got to get better day by day.”
Postgame Press Conference: Florida @ Florida State
