FSU takes down Gators in offensive shootout

Florida State and Florida, over the last decade-plus, haven’t exactly played close games.

With each program taking turns racking up successful runs, blowouts had become the norm in the series. In the last 14 meetings, only 2 games have been won by single-digit points.

That trend was bucked on Friday, with the Seminoles and Gators exchanging blow after blow in one of the most offensively explosive games in the storied rivalry. It was gangbusters from the get-go, with the squads putting up 580 combined yards at half.

Quarterback Jordan Travis, who has showcased his ridiculous athletic skillset on numerous occasions this season, had perhaps one of the most impressive games in a Seminoles uniform. Even with his receivers dropping a multitude of catchable balls, Travis got it done through the air and on the ground, scoring twice to move into No. 9 all-time for career rushing touchdowns at Florida State.

The defense struggled to keep up with the constant onslaught of Florida explosive production, allowing the Gators to rack up plenty of stats through big passes in the first half and long rushes in the second. FSU’s inability to keep Florida from producing, even when the Gators’ pass game got off the rails in the second half, kept the Seminoles from ever fully getting space to breathe.

FSU used a fantastic third quarter to surge ahead after heading into halftime trailing by three, never trailing again despite Florida tying things up a few times.

With the win, Florida State moves to 9-3 on the year, its best regular season finish since 2016. FSU also went 2-0 vs. in-state rivals for the first time since 2016.