TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Two streaks ended emphatically Saturday in Tallahassee and the balance of power in college football may have shifted in the Sunshine State.
The No. 11 Florida Gators' resounding 41-14 win at Florida State ended a five-game losing streak to the rival Seminoles and ended their record 36-season run of bowl game appearances.
On a dreary, overcast day at Doak Campbell Stadium, Gators' quarterback Feleipe Franks threw three touchdown passes to give him 23 this season, tailback Lamical Perine had a career-long 74-yard touchdown run to highlight a 129-yard day and pass rusher Jachai Polite had 2.5 sacks and forced his fifth fumble of the season to spearhead a swarming defensive effort by the Gators.
UF coach Dan Mullen's first meeting with FSU's Willie Taggart showed how quickly the fortunes of each program have reversed a season after each school underwent unexpected coaching changes. Mullen's Gators (9-3) ended the day with 536 yards _ their third straight game with more than 532 yards. Meanwhile, Taggart's Seminoles (5-7) managed just 293 yards, their fourth game with fewer than 300 yards.
Mullen's squad now will wait to find out its postseason plans next Sunday while FSU's first losing season since 1976 leaves Taggart searching for answers.
After dominating the game but holding just a 13-7 lead heading into the locker room, the Gators took control of the game to open the second half.
UF started with six straight running plays, culminating with a 12-yard run by Franks, to reach the FSU 32. A 16-yard completion to Trevon Grimes moved the Gators into the FSU red zone for the fourth time.
Unlike the previous three trips inside the Seminoles 20, UF found the end zone _ this time with an assist from FSU defensive back Stanford Samuel III. Following last week's comeback win against Boston College, Samuel guaranteed a Seminoles' win Saturday.
But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Samuel on a failed third-down conversion by the Gators, gave UF the ball on the FSU 5. Two plays later, Franks connected with Josh Hammond for a 3-yard touchdown to complete a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
After the teams traded three-and-out possessions, Polite forced a third-down fumble of FSU quarterback Deondre Francois on the Seminoles' 22. Franks threw a 22-yard touchdown pass on the next play to sophomore receiver Trevon Grimes. It was among several highlights for Grimes, an Ohio State transfer who finished with a career-high 118 yards on five catches.
A 4-yard touchdown run by Francois did cut the cut the Gators' lead to two scores, at 27-14, with 4:16 remaining in the third quarter. From there, Francois, a redshirt junior from Orlando, would throw two interceptions while UF's offense continued rolling along.
Franks found Van Jefferson for a 38-yard touchdown pass after Jefferson faked an FSU defender out of his shoes. Tailback Jordan Scarlett added a 9-yard touchdown run for the Gators' final points.
The Gators held a slim 13-7 lead following a first half filled with missed opportunities.
The Gators grabbed a 13-0 lead, highlighted by Perine's long touchdown run.
But UF left nearly as many points on the board. The Gators scored just six points on two Evan McPherson field goals during three trips inside the FSU red zone. On the Gators' first trip inside the FSU 20, the Seminoles stopped Franks for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the 2.
Allowing FSU to hang around proved costly.
The Seminoles had managed just 42 total yards and had five three-and-outs in six possessions when they took over with 7:35 remaining in the first half. FSU punter Logan Tyler was getting ready to enter the game yet again until an 11-yard run on third-and-10 by Francois.
The Seminoles' first third-down conversion of game and ignited their languishing attack. Francois followed with three straight completions totaling 54 yards, the final a one-handed catch by sophomore tailback Cam Akers for a 15-yard touchdown to cut UF's lead to 13-7.
The Seminoles would never get closer to the Gators, whose 26-point win is their largest margin of victory in the series since 2009.
