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Gameday Central: Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gators

FSU’s 74% winning percentage since 1976 is the 4th-highest in the nation

By FrankDNole

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 29 Florida State at Louisville Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Florida State Seminoles are in Gainesville to face off against the Florida Gators, with the 12-noon kickoff televised on ESPN. The Seminoles (5-6) are once again the road underdog this week versus the 5-6 Gators as they match up for the 65th time.

This year’s Sunshine Showdown, with the winner becoming Bowl eligible, will break a 20-year tie between the Noles and Gators in a rivalry that is evenly split with ten wins apiece since 2000. The all-time series dates back to 1958 with the Gators owning a 36-26-2 lead.

Both teams have enjoyed significant winning streaks in the series, with Florida claiming six-straight over FSU from 2004-09, while the Seminoles won five-straight vs. the Gators from 2013-17.

According to DraftKings, Florida State is presently a 3-point road underdog vs. Florida, with the over/under set at 59 points.

Join us here in each quarter-by-quarter thread, and show your support while sharing in all the emotions, the excitement, and the frustrations, that being a NOLE is all about.

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Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gators Game Threads:

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HOW TO WATCH:

ESPN @ 12:00 p.m.

STREAM:

ESPN, Hulu, FuboTV

LISTEN:

Seminole Radio Network

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Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gators

Pre-Game Coverage from Tomahawk Nation

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Game notes via Seminoles.com

  • Florida State has won five of its last seven games, the program’s most wins over a seven-game stretch since winning five of the last seven games in 2017. FSU’s five wins since the start of October are tied for 3rd in the ACC, trailing only the six wins by Coastal Division champion Pitt and Clemson.
  • Mike Norvell is 16-4 (.800) in the month of November as a head coach.
  • The Seminoles have converted 29 consecutive Red Zone trips for a total of 174 points, the longest active streak in the country and the 4th-longest streak in 2021 (via ESPN Stats & Info). It is also the program’s longest Red Zone scoring streak since converting 31 straight across the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
  • FSU was 1-for-1 with a touchdown in the Red Zone against Louisville, 6-for-6 against Syracuse, scoring four touchdowns and two field goals, 3-for-3 at North Carolina with three touchdowns, 6-for-6 against UMass with five touchdowns and one field goal, 1-for-1 at Clemson with a touchdown, 2-for-2 with two touchdowns against North Carolina State, 6-for-6 with three touchdowns and three field goals vs. Miami and 4-for-4 with three touchdowns and one field goal at Boston College.
  • FSU ranks 1st in the ACC and 11th in the country with a 71.8 Red Zone touchdown percentage this season (28-of-39).
  • FSU ranks 3rd in the ACC and 9th nationally in Red Zone defense, allowing a score on 70.0 percent of drives that reach the Red Zone. Florida State held opponents to 6-of-12 (.500) Red Zone conversions in October, the best defensive stop rate in the ACC and 2nd-best defensive stop rate in the country.
  • Since the start of October, Florida State ranks 2nd in the ACC in total defense and pass defense, allowing an average of 359.4 total yards and 207.0 passing yards per game, and 4th in the conference in scoring defense with an average of 23.9 points per game allowed.
  • Florida State has recorded at least one interception in seven straight games, the program’s longest streak since 2007. Via ESPN Stats & Info, it is the 3rd-longest streak in the nation this season. The Seminoles rank 2nd in the ACC with 11 interceptions and 17 total takeaways in 2021.
  • FSU’s average of 7.3 tackles for loss per game ranks 10th in the nation. The Seminoles have four games with at least 9.0 tackles for loss, their most 9.0 TFL games in a season since registering five in 2017.
  • Florida State is tied for 13th in the country with six plays of at least 60 yards this season and tied for 18th with three plays of at least 70 yards. FSU’s three rushing plays of at least 60 yards and two rushing plays of at least 70 yards both rank 1st in the ACC and are tied for 6th and 7th nationally, respectively, while its four rushing plays of at least 50 yards are tied for 4th in the conference and 18th in the nation.

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