Florida 37, Florida State 26
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 24, 2012
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Florida
Temperature:
66°
Head Official:
Brad Allen
Attendance:
83429
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 6 Florida 37, No. 5 Florida State 26: Mike Gillislee rushed for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the visiting Gators dominated the fourth quarter in a game of wild momentum swings.
Jeff Driskel passed for 147 yards and a touchdown and the defense forced five turnovers for Florida (11-1), which snapped a two-game losing streak in the series. The Gators' chances for a spot in the BCS Championship Game, though, were dashed when Notre Dame defeated USC 22-13 later Saturday.
EJ Manuel threw for 182 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a pair of scores, but was intercepted three times and lost a crushing fumble early in the fourth quarter for the Seminoles (10-2).
Florida dominated the first half and took a 13-3 lead into the locker room. Florida State came alive after the break, scoring its first touchdown when Manuel hit tight end Nick O’Leary for a 6-yard score and getting some help from the defense when Bjoern Werner forced a fumble on the Gators’ next play.
Manuel busted through for a 1-yard touchdown run to give Florida State its first lead, 17-13, with 8:30 left in the third quarter. It would stretch to 20-13 before Florida began to get back into the game.
The Gators got on the board early in the fourth with a field goal and changed the entire complexion of the game on the ensuing drive, when Antonio Morrison sacked Manuel, forcing a fumble and knocking the senior quarterback out for a series. Gillislee broke through for a 37-yard touchdown on the play following the fumble and Florida went on to score 24 straight points in the fourth quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Matt Jones added 81 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries for the Gators. … The Seminoles will play Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game next week. … Manuel was evaluated for a concussion on the sidelines while sophomore Clint Trickett took over under center. Manuel did not show any signs of injury upon his return.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Florida |
|
Florida State |
Mike Gillislee
|
Player |
E.J. Manuel
|
24 |
Attempts |
12 |
140 |
Yards |
54 |
5.8 |
Avg Yards |
4.5 |
2 |
Touchdowns |
2 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Receiving
Florida |
|
Florida State |
Jordan Reed
| Player |
Rashad Greene
|
4 |
Receptions |
5 |
54 |
Yards |
65 |
13.5 |
Avg Yards |
13.0 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
0 |
Long |
0 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Florida
|
394 |
244 |
150 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2.0 |
3 |
Florida State
|
300 |
112 |
188 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
4.0 |
0 |