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No. 11 Florida has wrapped up back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in a decade, doing so with a dominant 40-17 win against rival Florida State. Dan Mullen improved to 2-0 against the Seminoles as Florida's coach, and the general direction of this program as it approaches a return to national championship contention was indeed affirmed in front of a joyous crowd in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, which hadn't seen a Florida win over Florida State in Gainesville since 2009.
Florida's offense set the tone early with touchdowns on each of its first three possessions. Kyle Trask had another productive day moving the ball through the air, completing 30 of 41 passes for 343 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the kind of day where everyone seemed to have a chance to pitch in, with Freddie Swain (five catches, 62 yards and two touchdowns), Van Jefferson (five catches, 48 yards and two touchdowns), Kyle Pitts (five catches, 44 yards) and Kadarius Tony (four catches, 65 yards) all having a major impact on the game.
Meanwhile, Florida's defense imposed its will against a Florida State offensive front that was overwhelmed throughout the night. That advantage was not a surprise given the Seminoles' inability to protect the quarterback on passing downs and the Gators' status as one of the top havoc-causing defenses in the country. But the way it played out created clear differences between these two teams on a big rivalry stage. Florida State quarterbacks were sacked eight times in total for 56 lost yards, as star linebacker Jonathan Greenard led the way with three of those sacks.
Florida has increased its chances to make a New Year's Six bowl with the emphatic win, as it will certainly see a bump in the College Football Playoff Rankings when they are updated on Tuesday. Florida State now awaits to find out its bowl future as questions still loom large over the current coaching search in the wake of firing Willie Taggart.
