Florida State likely accomplished all three Saturday before a record crowd at Florida Field.
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The Seminoles danced on the sideline. The Florida State Seminoles ground game is averaging 184.2 yards per contest, and Dalvin Cook leads the way with 1,475 yards and 16 touchdowns.
“You just don’t come into Gainesville and win three in a row here”, FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said.
“You know, hope our offensive line doesn’t sit there and their knees like crack together from shaking as they’ve got to play against those guys”, he said. He also fumbled a ball in the fourth quarter that gave Florida a safety for its first points of the game.
The Gators (10-2), meanwhile, have lost any chance of a College Football Playoff appearance and will now play Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. The Seminoles, who didn’t make the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, probably locked up a spot in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31 in Atlanta.
The AP poll wont rise Florida State as many rankings as the CFP as they started the week at #14.
Neither team surpassed 160 yards through the air as quarterbacks Maguire and Treon Harris were pressured all night.
He was inaccurate and indecisive for the fourth consecutive week. Harris completed 19 of his 38 passes Saturday and accounted for 129 total yards – his worst outing since taking over the starting job. Antonio Morrison leads the Gators with 84 tackles, Vernon Hargreaves, III has four interceptions and Alex McCalister has 6.5 sacks. McElwain said he never considered replacing Harris, but Harris’ inability to hit open receivers dramatically altered what the Gators could do offensively.
“They stepped it up as the season went along and made plays”, senior safety Lamarcus Brutus said following the game. Three times the Gators reached the red zone and each time Florida State had an answer.
The Gators announced the suspension about 75 minutes before kickoff. Of all the big-time rivalry games this Thanksgiving weekend, Florida-Florida State might have the greatest potential for a ugly rock fight. He was suspended for the 2014 season opener against Idaho and twice in 2013.
“We had some uncharacteristic turnovers we need to eliminate”, FGCU coach Joe Dooley said. “And who knows whether he can choose to do what’s right or not”.
A new attendance record set by Gators’ fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium brought their “A” game.
Hardin also missed a 51-yard attempt at the end of the first half. This week in the teams regular season finale, they host the 13th ranked Florida State Seminoles in the schools annual showdown. Florida State had a 13-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter, yet the Seminoles’ 10-point halftime lead seemed nearly insurmountable with how much Florida’s offense floundered. However, by the end of the night Cook had amassed 183 yards on 26 carries for two touchdowns. Hackenberg’s stock has dropped some this season (fitting considering how many dropped passes Penn State receivers have had this season), but Cook’s steady play should keep him among the candidates for top quarterbacks in the draft pool.
Maguire didn’t have a great day himself, going 14-of-28 for 160 yards and a touchdown.
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On FSU’s next drive, buoyed by Cook’s 21-yard run and a 45-yard completion from Maguire to Kermit Whitfield, the Seminoles went up 10-0 on the Maguire-to-Kerr connection. It took four plays from there, but on fourth down from the half-yard line, McGuire threw a bullet to tight end Jeremy Kerr.
