by Well that was fun.
Florida State No. 16 (9-3, 5-3 ACC) capped a big jump of a third season under head coach Mike Norvell on Friday with a win over the Florida Gators (6-6, 3-5 SEC) and improved by four Wins from the previous season.
The Seminoles earned every inch of the win, fighting off a lively Gators roster that was able to pull off plenty of hits on the offensive side of the ball to keep things tight throughout the game.
To break the victory, the Tomahawk Nation The employees respond to five questions below.
What was your favorite Jordan Travis piece that night?
Perry: They were all amazing, but the second game in the red zone (which wasn’t called a touchdown, it was a touchdown) was particularly impressive because he did it only has previously done so against the Florida defense. It’s a testament to Travis’s playing ability that he’s now expected to be able to string together a variety of stunning sack-dodging plays at any given time.
LastNoleOfKrypton: Is anyone going to vote against this Houdini red zone moment? child magic.
Evan Johnson: I refuse to pick one. He wasn’t perfect, but he was calm, cool, and collected and forced that FSU offense to execute.
NoleThruandThru: Yes.
Juan Montalvo III: My favorite was when Jordan beat the Gators.
Tommy Mire: I don’t really have a favorite. Pretty much every time Travis walked into the open field my jaw dropped.
Why was UF able to succeed against the FSU defense?
LastNoleOfKrypton: UF’s offensive line played a hell of a game; They were able to exploit misunderstandings in secondary school that affected both coverage and running fits.
Evan Johnson: UF has a pretty good offense, but it feels like FSU has been confused by all the moves UF has deployed and they shouldn’t have been. They had just seen a similar offense. They knew what was coming. UF also has a good OL and they played a very good game. Thankfully, Billy Napier went completely dumb coming out of the half and stopped running the ball.
Perry: Poor communication in secondary school consistently resulted in wide-open receivers, and then poor open-space pursuit angles from FSU defenders helped amplify those already big plays. For all the success Florida State has had on defense this year, runner-up in multiple matchups was a problem and almost cost FSU that game.
NoleThruandThru: FSU was hampered by their emotions in the first half, and the second half featured multiple instances of pre-snap confusion that UF capitalized on. Many self-inflicted errors on both sides of the ball, but also a great credit to the UF offensive line. They did as they pleased against the FSU line of defense for most of the night.
Juan: It seemed like a really physical play by UF disrupted FSU in the first half. They were able to recover, regroup, and show their physicality. The goal line near the stand showed what FSU could do once they settled in.
Tommy Mire: Your back hit the gaps well and doubles teams up front made huge holes to get through. Richardson’s size and ability to run were definitely evident when he saw a lane.
What did winning tell you about this team and program?
LastNoleOfKrypton: The rise becomes more pleasant with every game; I can’t wait to see who we face in the bowl game.
Evan Johnson: That they own the state for now. There’s still a lot of room for improvement, but they’ve also shown a lot of struggle. They didn’t collapse like they did earlier this season. Progress isn’t linear, but they’re certainly making progress.
Perry: That’s how it’s supposed to look. FSU ended the year on a five-game winning streak and looked like the better team in nearly every matchup this season. The team has been able to handle adversity, pressure and expectations, and given the incremental progress we’ve seen over the past few years, it must make you really excited for what 2023 could potentially bring.
NoleThruandThru: The team is still learning to manage their emotions, which is an extremely difficult balance in a rivalry game. Prepared for this, Mike Norvell constantly reminded the team to keep a mental edge and numerous players responded to him in the same way. Cameras caught Verse pointing to his head and taking responsibility for a penalty, which is a superb example of coaching ability and leadership.
Juan: This team – and I think the program – has guts. We knew this, but the first two Norvell teams, all of the Willie teams, and even Jimbo’s last few teams may have folded in this situation.
Tommy Mire: These guys play for each other and the improvement is obvious, which was noticeable even at fall camp. It’s a strong foundation for Mike Norvell to build on, and the seniors are coming out of the program at their best in a long time.
Which win was more fun – Florida or Miami?
LastNoleOfKrypton: This one was more fun; Miami was the blowout that was more satisfying.
Evan Johnson: How do you pick a favorite child? For me, a win over UF is always worth more than a win over UM. I think part of it has to do with that SEC crap you’re always here about. If FSU played in the SEC, they would be undefeated. I can say that because they are already undefeated in the SEC without even having attended this conference.
Perry: Fun for a neutral viewer? Tonight because it was just fun football. FSU fans? There was probably no sense of fun until Florida State took over the Downs to kneel the clock in the fourth. Beating down Miami and adding to an already miserable season just felt great.
NoleThruandThru: Miami was more fun, but tonight was more satisfying.
Juan: What NTT said.
Tommy MireMiami. This win caused me to not watch some games for fear that I would somehow jinx it, and the result/ending was a little too close for consolation. But hey, they started the season with a thrilling win over LSU and ended it on a similar note.
No question, just a blank space to use creative, non-explicit language to describe tonight’s umpires
LastNoleOfKrypton: You bet UF +9.5
Evan Johnson: Clearly, conferences don’t care about serving in any sport. It’s often difficult to consistently enforce rules and then you have what happened tonight. I have no words for how the referees managed this game.
Perry: Press officers are usually very reluctant to speak up when referees make calls — but across the board, from all the different outlets and teams, there was a collective display of desperation every time this crew did something. Those idiots really checked an obvious touchdown with an obvious goal, turned the score around, but then didn’t call the late hit????
NoleThruandThru: Remember when they missed an obvious game delay? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
Anyway, enough of these fools. How on earth could a recruit in Doak tonight NOT have FSU as a serious contender? Kudos to the fans for creating an electrifying atmosphere for recruits from 2023, ’24, ’25 and yes even ’26 to witness! The nation saw tonight that Doak can still rock the night away with the best of them.
Juan: No explicit language? This is B-[censored, arrested, identity wiped from the internet]
Tommy Mire: I actually heard that a fan who jumped the rails while storming the field broke his ankle and it looked very, very bad (If you happen to be reading this in your hospital bed, I hope it is She’s fine, seriously.) But I’m surprised the umpires didn’t interrupt the celebrations to check if her ankle was really broken and then gave the ground a 10-yard penalty, only to have her FIVE MINUTES LATER to undo.
Aside from the fans storming the field, it was a first for me and we had a nice view from the press box. This win was truly the happiest I’ve seen FSU fans in a long time. A very good end to the regular season.
