Florida vs. Florida State: Postgame Grades from the Gators' Win vs. Seminoles

The Florida Gators managed to score 24 fourth quarter points to bounce back and defeat the Florida State Seminoles by a final score of 37-26. 

The Gators managed to force five turnovers throughout the game and rack up 244 total rushing yards in order to overcome one of the nation's best defenses.  The Gators as a team bounced back from a dismal third quarter to return to form in the fourth and keep their BCS National Championship Game hopes alive.

Let's take a look at the Gators' final postgame grades and evaluations.

Quarterback

Overall Game Grade: B

Jeff Driskel returned from an ankle injury to have a tremendous first quarter while leading the Gators to an early lead.  Driskel did a great job of staying in the pocket and being selective when it came to running.  He started the game by going 6-for-8 passing for 33 yards and finding four different receivers on the opening drive.

The second quarter saw Driskel complete two third-down passes on the Gators second drive, the second of which went to tight end Jordan Reed for 21 yards.  However, besides an 11-yard pass to Frankie Hammond, Driskel did not have any other completions in the second quarter.

Driskel had a difficult time getting anything going for the Gators in the third quarter, although the team struggled as a whole to start the second-half.  Driskel turned the ball over after Bjoern Werner essentially took the ball from him on a play in which the quarterback tried to pull the ball back on a handoff.

The fourth quarter saw Driskel, who appeared to be slowed by his ankle as the game went on, complete just one pass.  However, the pass went to Quinton Dunbar for a 14-yard touchdown and increased the Gators lead.

Driskel was slowed down by the Seminoles defense and his ankle as the game went on, but managed to rush for 31-yards on a third-down play in the first quarter.

For the game, Driskel completed 15 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.  On the ground, Driskel was not effective but came through for the Gators with his arm and spread the ball around to six different receivers.

Driskel may have been slowed in one aspect of his game, but his efficiency in the passing game, combined with the Gators success in the run game, was enough to lead the Gators to their first win against the Seminoles since 2009.

Running Backs

Overall Game Grade: A+

Going up against one of the nation’s best defenses and having any type of success would have been difficult enough, but the Gators ground game managed to wear down the Seminoles as the game went on and pick up 244 total rushing yards.

Mike Gillislee eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season as he ran for 140 total yards and two touchdowns.  Gillislee powered the Gators rushing attack all game before being sidelined with an injury midway through the fourth quarter.  However, he managed to have a 37-yard rush that went for a touchdown prior to the injury, and benefited greatly from the mix of play-action calls throughout the first-half.

Following Gillislee’s injury freshman Matt Jones came in to have his highest rushing total of the season.  Jones ran for 81 yards and a 32-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win for the Gators.

Trey Burton, Omarius Hines and Loucheiz Purifoy also got into the action for the Gators as they picked up 132 more rushing yards than the Seminoles.

With Driskel’s ankle limiting his effectiveness on the ground, the Gators received a huge boost from their running backs.  However, they may have even surprised themselves with how much success they had running the ball against the Seminoles defense and dominant defensive line.

Wide Receivers

Overall Game Grade: B+

Jeff Driskel completed passes to six different players while passing for 147 yards, and two of these players included wide receivers Quinton Dunbar and Frankie Hammond.

Dunbar caught four passes for 25 yards, including a fourth quarter touchdown pass from Driskel.  Dunbar had three catches on the Gators opening drive, helping to set-up a field goal and early lead.  Dunbar has now caught two touchdown passes in his last three games.

Hammond had three catches for 26 yards, including a third down catch from Driskel to keep a second quarter drive alive and set-up an eventual field goal.  Hammond’s performance saw him have his highest amount of receiving yards in the last eight weeks.

In addition to Dunbar and Hammond, Gillislee came up with two catches for 22 yards, and Trey Burton also had a catch. 

The Gators started the game by calling 15 run plays and 13 pass plays, creating a great mix that helped to wear down the Seminoles defense and set-up the run game.  However, it was Driskel’s success hitting his receivers that allowed the run game to eventually lead the team.

The Gators only passed for 150 yards, but Driskel had his most passing yards in his last three games, and averaged 6.4 yards per completion against the Seminoles.

Tight Ends

Overall Game Grade: A

Jordan Reed continues to lead the Gators in receiving, and had the longest reception of the game against the Seminoles.

Reed caught four passes for 54 yards, giving him over 500 receiving yards on the season.  Reed twice caught 21-yard passes to help the Gators convert on third-down.

Senior Omarius Hines also had two catches for 20 yards.  The game was Hines’ third straight with multiple catches and at least 20 receiving yards.

Offensive Line

Overall Game Grade: A-

The Gators offensive line turned in a solid performance against a Seminoles defense that features the ACC’s leaders in sacks.  One player, Cornellius Carradine, was held in-check before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an injury.  The line did, however, struggle to contain Bjoern Werner throughout the game.

Werner was able to get to Driskel and came away with a turnover in the third quarter. 

Driskel was sacked four times, one of which came after Chaz Green was beat on a play by Werner.  However, given Driskel’s style of play, it is difficult to keep him upright for a full game.  The line did a great job of giving him time in the pocket and Driskel trusted his protection, especially on the Gators opening drive.

As the Gators used their play-action calls to establish the run game, the offensive line’s performance was even more important for giving Driskel time to throw, and it did just that.

As for the run game, the offensive line was able to pave the way for 244 total yards.  Led by Xavier Nixon, the offensive line was able to create openings for Gillislee to pick up 140 rushing yards as the Gators had a tremendous running performance.

Defensive Line

Overall Game Grade: A-

The Gators were able to sack Seminoles quarterback EJ Manuel twice, but Manuel still had enough time to throw for 182 yards.

Despite the low sack total, the Gators were still able to hold the Seminoles to 112 total rushing yards, with Manuel picking up 54 yards and two touchdowns, Devonta Freeman rushing for 37 yards and James Wilder, Jr. adding 13 more yards.

Dominique Easley came up with a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter that led to a Gator touchdown on a rush by Gillislee.

Sharrif Floyd also had a key sack on a drive that eventually stalled on fourth-down for the Seminoles, before the Gators got a late touchdown from Jones to seal the win.

The Gators only had half the amount of sacks that the Seminoles had, but their ability to limit the run game and force Manuel to throw into the team’s talented secondary helped lead to the defense forcing four turnovers in the game.

Linebackers

Overall Game Grade: A

The Gators linebacker unit featured multiple players who came up with huge plays, starting with Jelani Jenkins’ second quarter interception.

The interception was the second of the game, and came on Manuel’s first pass after the Gators had gone up 13-0.

Jon Bostic also was in on key plays, while Darrin Kitchens forced a fumble on special teams.

Antonio Morrison and Lerentee McCray also combined on a sack that eventually led to a fumble recovery by Dominique Easley.

The Gators allowed a few big runs and big pass plays, but for the most part played like one of the nation’s best defenses.

Even after allowing 17 points in the third quarter, despite being given poor field position to work with, the defense was able to respond by not allowing any scores in the fourth quarter until Manuel’s rush as time expired. 

Defensive Backs

Overall Game Grade: A

Pick a player.

Matt Elam had a first quarter interception and was in on key plays.  Marcus Roberson had a third quarter interception and also had his presence felt on the field, despite being called for a questionable pass interference call in the fourth quarter.

Jabari Gorman and Loucheiz Purifoy also were in on plays, as the Gators proved to have one of the nation’s best secondary units.

EJ Manuel was able to throw for 182 yards, but only averaged 5.5 yards per completion.

Besides a scoring outburst in the third quarter, the Gators secondary helped keep the Seminoles out of the end zone in the first-half, and didn’t allow a score in the fourth quarter until Manuel’s late rush.

Special Teams

Overall Game Grade: A

Caleb Sturgis, a Lou Groza award finalist, was perfect on field goals and extra points.  Sturgis was able to hit from 39-yards, 45-yards and 32-yards.

Kitchens forced a fumble on a kickoff, and Roberson had a 50-yard punt return.

These performances help make up for Kyle Christy’s 39-yard punt with hardly any hangtime in the third quarter that was returned 26-yards to the Gator 25-yard line.  This led to the Seminoles picking up their first touchdown of the game and starting a scoring outburst that gave the team the lead going into the fourth quarter.

Coaching

Overall Game Grade: A

Head coach Will Muschamp and coordinators Brent Pease and Dan Quinn guided the Gators to a win over their in-state rivals, and also kept the team’s slim BCS national title hopes alive.

The play calling throughout the first-half, including the mix of run and pass plays and the use of play-action plays to set-up the run game wore down the Seminoles defense and didn’t allow them to find a rhythm. 

The play calling turned away from the run game in the third quarter, but went back to it with the game on the line and Driskel’s ankle seemingly slowing him down late.

Defensively, the Gators played a tremendous game.  The Seminoles’ two third quarter scores came after a poor play by special teams and a turnover by Driskel gave the team great field position, giving the Gators defense minimal room to work with as the drives started.

However, the defense was able to bounce back and keep the Seminoles out of the end zone for much of the fourth quarter, while the play calling on offense led to three more touchdowns.

The Gators needed tremendous play calling to get past the Seminoles and one of the nation’s best defenses, and they got just that while also setting themselves up for a BCS bowl game.