GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida interim coach Greg Knox could sense something slightly different from the Gators after their meeting in the team hotel Saturday morning.
It’s been a wild six weeks for Florida, filled with loss, adversity and the firing of coach Dan Mullen last Sunday. Instead of dropping out of the season, Knox and his seniors led Florida to a 24-21 win over rivals Florida State, qualifying for the finals while denying the Seminoles hit for the win. six wins.
“We had a great senior class with some leadership,” Knox said. “They understood their situation and we talked about opportunity in the chaos. In a chaotic situation that started Sunday with Dan getting fired and I being put in place and then all that came. from the outside that I think they gathered and made them stronger.It made me stronger because I pulled them and we hold this together.
“And today when we watched our highlight video, we walked out of the meeting at that hotel, I knew when we walked out of that room, they were ready to play and they were ready.”
Going into the game, Florida seemed to be the more beaten team. In addition to playing without Mullen, Florida also has no defensive coordinator and attack coach, fired after an embarrassing 40-17 loss to South Carolina as a way of change to stem the momentum. downward.
But that didn’t help the situation. Mullen was fired after a 24-23 overtime loss to Missouri last weekend to knock the Gators down 2-6 in the SEC game. Florida had lost four of its previous five games against Florida State, and the only win in that streak was a 70-52 win over FCS Samford.
Florida State, on the other hand, has gone 5-2 since a 0-4 start and looks poised to get six wins in a remarkable game. What unfolded was a sloppy game between two teams that had made the same mistakes all season. The teams combined for 21 penalties and six rotations, but Florida took control in the second half behind the quarterback Anthony Richardson – who entered the game permanently after Emory Jones throws an interception in the end zone (third of his day).
Richardson has been a fan favorite all season long for his ability to play big on the ground, and his entrance seems to shift the energy on the sidelines and in the stands. Florida becomes a worldwide aggressor, and Dameon Pierce hard run, with 62 yards and a touchdown.
After Florida took a 24-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, Florida State fought back. Jordan Travis, playing with an apparently injured right throw, did his best to get Seminoles back into the game – leading two touchdowns to close the gap to 24-21 with 49 seconds remaining.
Seminoles lined up to be kicked right away, but the kicker Parker Grothaus hit the wrong ball when he tried to swing his foot over it. The ball moved a few inches, and Florida State had no choice but to hit it even though it didn’t travel the necessary 10 yards – effectively ending the game. Knox said afterward, “I’ve never seen that before in my life.”
Florida State coach Mike Norvell said the mistakes made by special teams in general were one of the main reasons they lost. Seminoles lost a groping to a punt player strangled by Ontaria Wilson in the third quarter, leading to a clash in Florida that broke the game.
“There were some serious mistakes that were made,” Norvell said. “It’s not just a moment, it’s not just a game, but in general, we need special teams to be something positive for us. There have been so many times this year, I don’t know if they’ve been. can I show the investment we make or not. The time we put in it.”
Travis finished with a total of 304 yards and two touchdowns, but that wasn’t enough against an awe-inspiring Florida defence, which has drawn criticism throughout the season. The Florida Line of Defense Antonio Valentino Defensive coordinator is credited with Christian Robinson for this improvement.
“It doesn’t matter what the record is, the standard here is that we don’t lose to Florida State,” Valentino said. “In defense a few weeks ago, we really got together. If you notice, a guy puts on a play, people come to celebrate with him. In the first half of the season, it didn’t matter. always C-Rob brings it up and says, ‘Why can’t it be like this?’ So it was a conscious effort, all of us, to get in there and do it.”
As a result, Florida kept the season alive for one more game.
“We know what’s at stake in this game,” the Florida guard addressed Zachary Carter speak. “They compete for a bowl. We compete for the bowl. We want it more. We want to win that bowl.”
