Montrell Johnson rushed for 99 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown, and Florida recovered five fumbles in a 31-11 victory over Florida State on Saturday.
Jadan Baugh contributed 81 yards as Florida gained 235 rushing yards in total, while DJ Lagway threw two touchdown passes, giving coach Billy Napier his first win over the Seminoles after three attempts.
Florida’s defense was strong, recording eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and four fumble recoveries, with a fifth coming from a muffed Florida State punt. This defensive effort was one of the team’s best this season.
“Defensively we were really lights out,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “We had a season high in TFLs and sacks. We created some takeaways and were able to take advantage of those.”
Florida took advantage of good field position. The Gators scored a touchdown after recovering a fumble at the Florida State 14-yard line and added a field goal after recovering another fumble at the Seminoles’ 12.
Lagway completed 14 of 22 passes for 133 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Burke and an 8-yard pass to Tony Livingston.
Florida (7-5) ended November strong, with wins over ranked teams LSU and Ole Miss, plus a victory over Florida State after starting the season 3-3.
Outside the Florida locker room, players, coaches, and staff were seen smoking victory cigars to celebrate a long-awaited win over their rivals. When asked if Napier enjoyed a cigar, he smiled and said, “Absolutely.”
Florida’s defense held Florida State to just 79 yards in the first half, with the Seminoles averaging only 2.5 yards per play. Florida State (2-10) ended the game with 239 yards, failing to reach 300 yards in all 11 games against FBS teams this season.
Lawrance Toafili scored a 1-yard touchdown run for Florida State late in the fourth quarter.
The Seminoles lost all three of their rivalry games (against Miami, Clemson, and Florida) by double digits.
“Extremely disappointed in today,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “Made too many mistakes throughout the course of the game. Turned the ball over five times. Too many negative plays. … It’s a disappointing ending to an awful season. That’s the best way I can put it.”
