Florida State vs. Florida Preview
Our Florida State vs. Florida Preview examines how rivals Florida State and Florida stack up against one another this weekend. The game is set to kick off at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon. The television broadcast will be on ESPN. Those driving back from Thanksgiving can catch the game on Sirius XM’s channel 84.
Florida State faces its third and final rival of the season when the Florida Gators travel to Tallahassee to challenge the ‘Noles. Under head coach Jimbo Fisher, Florida State is 3-1 against the Gators.
Rivalry Well-Received
Just a season ago, former Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin embarrassed the Florida Gators’ secondary. Benjamin pulled in nine catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Included in those nine catches was this particular one that helped quarterback Jameis Winston tie the school record for touchdown passes in a single season.
(ABOVE: Kelvin Benjamin 2013 tackle-breaking reception)
Kelvin Benjamin went on to be drafted 28th overall in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. This year, Florida State senior wide receiver Rashad Greene leads the team in reception yardage and catches. Furthermore, Greene has already caught more passes and recorded more reception yardage through 11 games than he had a season ago after a 14-0 perfect season. Greene has seemingly been unstoppable this season, and could have another career day Saturday as Benjamin did a season ago against the Gators.
When the ‘Noles have the Ball:
Great defensive teams are starting to become the norm for Florida State. This weekend, the Gators make the trip from Gainesville to Tallahassee boasting one of the better run defenses in the country. UF’s squad is giving up a mere 110.4 yards per game on the ground. However, they’ve faced many offensively inept teams this season like Eastern Michigan, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and, most recently, Eastern Kentucky.
If FSU’s retooled offensive line can continue to gel and open up holes for running backs Dalvin Cook and Karlos Williams, this won’t matter, as FSU’s run game has been a little more than formidable as of late.
It would seem that the run game won’t exactly be the only thing that matters against Florida on Saturday. There is a lot to like when matching up FSU’s offensive tools against Florida’s secondary.
More from Chop Chat
- FSU football: Q&A with Clemson experts at Rubbing The Rock 2023
- FSU football: 3 reasons Noles beat Clemson, two reasons they lose
- FSU football: QB Brock Glenn out with an injury for ‘a few weeks’
- FSU football: Which TV announcers will call Clemson game?
- FSU football: Is Jared Verse ready to make an impact versus Clemson?
Awareness of sophomore cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III will be critical for quarterback Jameis Winston, as Hargreaves ranks second in the SEC in pass breakups, with 12 on the season. What makes this even more respectable is that Florida has actually played just ten games this season due to the cancelation of its season opener against Idaho.
There’s a high likelihood that we could see the ‘Noles come out firing in this one from the start, knowing that being complacent against this Florida squad could come with great consequence. Look no further than the Georgia Bulldogs, who lost a 38-20 shocker to the Gators after sitting on a 7-0 lead through a quarter of play.
When the Gators have the Ball:
Florida’s putrid passing offense checks in at 105th. To put this into perspective, they are just one spot above Vanderbilt in this category and four spots above Wake Forest, which just recently beat Virginia Tech 6-3 in double overtime.
Despite these struggles, the Gators are very efficient on drives that do make it inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. In fact, Florida’s offense ranks second in the SEC and sixth nationally in red-zone efficiency. The Gators have gotten inside the red-zone 39 times and came away with points on 36 of those trips.
Given the ailing passing attack, the Gators’ bread and butter this season has been carrying the pigskin through the tackles. Ask Georgia.
If the ‘Noles can have success stuffing the run on early downs, it will make it that much harder for the Gators. The amount of yards the Gators churn out drops consistently with each down. To wit:
| Scenario | G | Att | Yards | Avg. | TD | Long | 1st | 10+ | 20+ |
| All Plays | 10 | 441 | 1971 | 4.47 | 21 | 65 | 100 | 61 | 15 |
| First Down | 10 | 204 | 1065 | 5.22 | 7 | 65 | 30 | 32 | 8 |
| Second Down | 10 | 155 | 662 | 4.27 | 10 | 44 | 38 | 21 | 4 |
| Third Down | 10 | 72 | 210 | 2.92 | 2 | 29 | 27 | 7 | 2 |
| Third Down, 1-3 To Go | 10 | 38 | 107 | 2.82 | 1 | 12 | 24 | 2 | 0 |
| Third Down, 4-6 To Go | 6 | 11 | 11 | 1.00 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Third Down, 7-9 To Go | 6 | 9 | 7 | 0.78 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Third Down, 10+ To Go | 9 | 14 | 85 | 6.07 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Fourth Down | 5 | 10 | 34 | 3.40 | 2 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Triumph against this potent running game early will be one of the keys to a Florida State victory.
That said, this should be an interesting matchup Saturday, as the ‘Noles will challenge the Gators with the most efficient red-zone defense that Florida has seen all season long. With 41 attempts inside the 20-yard line, FSU’s opposition has only scored 29 times.
Special Teams
The ‘Noles should be fully aware and cautious of the danger that lurks in kickoff or punting situations. Expect kicker Robert Aguayo to be putting it through the end-zone with each kickoff, as redshirt senior Andre Debose is a serious threat in the return game. Furthermore, it would seem punter Cason Beatty will be attempting to avoid outkicking his coverage as well, in light of the threat that Debose presents on special teams. Debose is one of the better returners in the nation, with five career touchdown returns, including a 63-yard punt return against the LSU Tigers this season.
Final Thoughts
While the Gators do give any defense a lot to think about with their explosive rushing attack, they are nowhere near the team that Florida State saw just a week ago in Boston College. The ‘Noles should have many more opportunities on offense against Florida, considering that the Gators don’t dominate time of possession much like Boston College did last week against FSU.
If Florida State comes out firing in this one and is able to build up a significant lead like Missouri did against Florida, then the Gators will be forced to air it out. This seemingly won’t work very well for them. It feels that this type of performance is overdue for the ‘Noles, considering their consistently tight games. Execution will be key, though. With the game being broadcasted on ESPN and the eyes of the nation again on Tallahassee, there is a golden opportunity for the ‘Noles to garner some respect they rightfully deserve.