Florida vs. Florida State score, takeaways: No. 5 Seminoles rally past Gators to remain in playoff hunt

Seminoles running back Trey Benson was the star of a game featuring a pair of backup signal-callers

By David Cobb

Nov 26, 2023 • 1 min read

Yards were hard to come by for FSU as it adjusted to life without longtime starter Jordan Travis, who was lost for the season in last week's win over North Alabama. But touchdown drives of 90 and 75 yards bookending halftime helped support the Seminoles, who began to flex defensively in the second half.

Florida State sealed the victory late with a 26-yard scoring run from Trey Benson, who accounted for all three of the Seminoles' touchdowns on the ground. The game-clinching drive was aided by a targeting penalty on Florida's Jaydon Hill that temporarily knocked FSU quarterback Tate Rodemaker out of the game.

Defensively, the 'Noles forced three consecutive three-and-outs during the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth, and then put an exclamation point on the win with a late interception of Florida quarterback Max Brown by Kalen DeLoach.

Florida State has won 18 straight games and two of the last three against the Gators
The Seminoles have won 20 in a row against unranked foes, dating back to a 2021 loss against Florida
Florida, which has lost five straight games (three vs. top-10 teams), will miss a bowl for the first time since 2017

CBS Sports was with you throughout the game providing live updates, highlights and analysis. Keep it locked here as we will provide takeaways below shortly.

No ad available

Live updates

Seminoles defense delivers

Though the performance came with the obvious caveat -- Florida was relying on backup quarterback Max Brown -- the Seminoles' defensive performance still stood out as brilliant. After reaching FSU territory on two of their first three possessions, scoring on two of them, the Gators mustered just three points over their final eight possessions. Those possessions included five punts -- all on three-and-outs -- a missed field goal and an interception. The Gators mustered just three first downs in the second half.

The Seminoles finished with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss with Jared Verse leading the charge with 2.5 sacks. On a night when the FSU offense produced a season-low in yardage and tied a season-low in points, the 'Noles showed they could win a defensive slugfest.

Overcoming a cacophony of errors

For much of the first half, anything that could go wrong for Florida State, did go wrong. Among the most significant examples was an unnecessary roughness call against free safety Akeem Dent on the first play of the second quarter. With Florida facing a third-and-goal from the Seminoles 10-yard line, Dent came untouched on a blitz and wrecked an unsuspecting Brown. But Dent was penalized for the hit, turning a would-be field goal attempt into a first-and-goal for the Gators. Two plays later, Johnson scored on a 5-yard run to put Florida up 7-0. The call enraged Florida State coach Mike Norvell, but it wasn't the last bad break of the quarter for FSU.

Faced with a fourth-and-6 at its own 29-yard line on the ensuing possession, Florida State took a massive gamble with a fake punt. The play appeared destined for big gain until it was whistled dead for delay of game against the Seminoles. The miscue forced FSU to actually punt, which went poorly as well. The kick traveled just 16 yards and fluttered into the stands, setting up the Gators in excellent field position. They capitalized for a field goal to make it 10-0.

From there, a safety added to the 'Noles misery and put them down 12-0 before the momentum began to flip with a 90-yard touchdown drive to close the second quarter.

Gifts from the Gators

Florida offered gifts to Florida State in the form of critical penalties on two of FSU's three touchdown drives. With Florida State struggling to generate any positive momentum offensively after four fruitless possessions to begin the game, UF's Jamari Lyons was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected for spitting in the face of an FSU offensive lineman. Without the penalty, the Seminoles would have been facing a second-and-12 at their own 24-yard line. Instead, the penalty gave the 'Noles a first down at the 39-yard line. It proved to be the spark Florida State needed as it marched 10 plays and scored on a 1-yard Benson rush with 26 seconds remaining in the first half to make the score a manageable 12-7 entering the locker room.

The Gators were also penalized three times on Florida State's game-sealing scoring drive, hampering an otherwise strong defensive effort with the game hanging in the balance. First, Jaydon Hill was called for pass interference on second-and-13 early in the drive. Hill was then flagged again for the targeting call on Tate Rodemaker. Had Hill and teammate Bryce Thornton merely let Rodemaker slide, FSU would have faced a fourth-and-4 from Florida's 48-yard line. In all likelihood, the Seminoles would have been forced to punt. Instead, they were given a first down at Florida's 33-yard line.

Four plays later — after an offsides penalty against Florida — Benson commented the outcome with his 26-yard touchdown run. In total, UF was penalized eight times for 90 yards while Florida State committed only five penalties for 22 yards.

Florida State wins it

Final: Florida State 24, Florida 15

No. 5 Florida State rallied from an early 12-point deficit to beat rival Florida 24-15 on the road and cap an undefeated regular season. In a battle of backup quarterbacks filling in for injured stars, the Seminoles came up with just enough offense to keep their College Football Playoff aspirations on track entering next week's ACC Championship Game showdown against Louisville. The final score will show a two-possession victory and Florida State covering the spread. But it was closer than that as FSU needed a late third-down conversion from Trey Benson to seal it. Benson took it 26 yards to the house for his third touchdown of the game. If Florida had come up with a stop there, it could have been a much different story.

Potential dagger

Trey Benson just ran 26 yards for a touchdown on third-and-3 to put Florida State ahead 24-15. That might be a dagger as the struggling Gators offense is now down two possessions with under three minutes remaining. That was Benson's third touchdown of the game and it capped a 66-yard scoring drive for a gritty FSU squad that was forced to navigate three crucial plays with third-string quarterback Brock Glenn thrust into action.

Brock Glenn sees action for FSU

True freshman Brock Glenn checked in for Tate Rodemaker following the targeting penalty against Florida on Rodemaker's slide and got three plays of action. The four-star prospect from Covington, Tennessee appeared briefly in two games this season, and he got a few reps last week in the win over North Alabama. Last week, he was No. 3 on the depth chart. All of the sudden, he was playing in the fourth quarter of a rivalry showdown against Florida with FSU's unbeaten record hanging in the balance.

Rodemaker absolutely clocked

Tate Rodemaker took off running on third-and-14 and gave himself up with a slide roughly 3-4 yards short of the sticks. But he was absolutely rocked by a pair of Florida defenders, prompting flags to immediately fly for targeting. That was an easy call, and it's going to extend FSU's drive in a critical situation. The hit was unnecessary because letting Rodemaker slide would have set up a fourth down. Now, the health of Rodemaker is a question for FSU.

Florida State's defense makes a stand

That was Florida State's most impressive defensive possession of the night, and it came at just the right time as Patrick Payton sacked Max Brown on a third-and-16 play to force a Florida punt. That marks three straight three-and-outs for the Gators, who are suddenly backed against the wall while trailing 17-15 with under six minutes remaining. A touchdown here from Florida State would put that one out of reach, but nothing has come easy against the Florida defense tonight.

Keon Coleman punt return sets up FSU

Florida State is back ahead 17-15 after a 19-yard field goal from Ryan Fitzgerald. Keon Coleman returned a booming punt 34 yards to establish Florida State in great field position at its own 43-yard line. FSU then faced a fourth-and-3 at the UF 34-yard line and Rodemaker hit Ja'Khi Douglas for a 10-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Also key on that series was a pass interference call on Devin Moore as he defended Johnny Wilson on a deep ball. That was a bailout type of play for the Seminoles, who have struggled throwing the football downfield.

Tight game heading to the fourth

End 3Q: Florida 15, Florida State 14

Florida's defense has rediscovered its mojo as this rivalry showdown heads to the fourth quarter. After allowing consecutive touchdowns to close the first half and begin the third quarter, the Gators have forced consecutive quick punts from the Seminoles. Tate Rodemaker is out of rhythm and down-to-down run gains just aren't there for the Seminoles. This one still feels destined for a wild finish. Something to watch as UF tries to gain some separation: Running back Trevor Etienne is receiving attention in the medical tent. He's got 43 yards on 10 carries tonight while Montrell Johnson Jr. is up to 105 yards on 16 attempts.

Have yourself a day, Crawshaw

Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw is averaging 57.7 yards on his three punts after unleashing a 68-yard boot for a touchback just now. Considering that his counterpart for FSU has a 16-yard punt on his ledger for the night, the Gators are winning the punting battle. They are also winning on the scoreboard 15-14 as we surge late into the third quarter of a game that feels destined to come down to the wire.

Florida's defense is back

Florida State's run of consecutive touchdown drives just ended quite emphatically as the Seminoles went three-and-out and wound up in a fourth-and-24 against their own goal-line following a huge sack from Desmond Watson. That play, combined with a delay of game, set the 'Noles way behind the chains. Rodemaker took a shot for Keon Coleman on third-and-24 but Jason Marshall Jr. had excellent coverage. That's the version of Florida's defense we saw for most of the first half.

Gators make a nice response

Florida responded to FSU's quick touchdown drive with a score of their own as Trey Smack just converted a 37-yard field goal to put the Gators back ahead 15-14 with 5:58 left in the quarter. Florida went with a heavy dose of the run on that drive, but there was one key pass play. Max Brown hit Ricky Pearsall for a 17-yard gain to the UF 40-yard line on third-and-12. Not only did that play help the Gators avoid a three-and-out, and it finally got Pearsall involved on Senior Day. He's Florida's leading receiver, but that was his first grab of the day.

Florida State strikes to start the third

Trey Benson just ran 36 yards up through the left side — tiptoeing down the sideline — for a touchdown to give Florida State its first lead of the game on the opening series of the third quarter. The Seminoles appeared on that series to have retained the offensive rhythm they generated at the end of the first half. Keon Coleman made his first grab for a gain of 24 yards, and Rodemaker also hit Johnny Wilson for a nice 12-yard gain. It's now 14-12 Florida State.

Second half key for FSU to rally

Florida State gets the football to start the third quarter, and it's imperative that the Seminoles establish the run after netting just 13 yards on the ground in the first half. Trey Benson picked up 16 yards to jumpstart Florida State's touchdown drive and Lawrence Toafili added a 16-yard carry of his own on that drive. But on a down-to-down basis, FSU really struggled to generate positive plays on the ground in the first half against a UF defense that played one of its best halves of the season.

Timeout almost backfires on Mike Norvell

Half: Florida 12, Florida State 7

Florida seemed content to run out the clock on the final 30 seconds of the first half, but Mike Norvell decided to get cute and use one of his three timeouts. Montrell Johnson made him pay with a 52-yard gain to establish the Gators in field goal range. However, the Gators were called for holding on the next play, which pushed them back a bit. Subsequently, Trey Smack missed a 52-yard attempt on the final play of the half. Tensions are high in this rivalry showdown as the Seminoles weathered the storm of a rough start.

Florida State stays in it

Almost nothing went Florida State's way in the first half, but the Seminoles are still in it after finally making a touchdown drive to draw within 12-7 to close the second quarter. The series was aided by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on Florida's Jamari Lyons. From there, Tate Rodemaker hit Jaheim Bell for a 29-yard gain over the middle to establish the Seminoles in Florida territory. Lawrence Toafili then ran for a gain of 16. Trey Benson capped the series on a 1-yard touchdown run with 26 seconds remaining. FSU gets the football to begin the third quarter. That was a 10-play, 90-yard drive over 3:36, and the Seminoles needed it desperately.

Jamari Lyons ejected

Florida second-team nose tackle Jamari Lyons was just ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct when he got up and spit in the face of a Florida State offensive lineman. That was just the second penalty against the Gators and it helped inject some life into FSU's drive.

Florida dominating defensively

Florida just sacked Tate Rodemaker in the end zone for a safety to make it 12-0 with 5:08 remaining in the first half. Princely Umanmielen and Derek Wingo were in on the stop as the Gators continue to dominate defensively. An excellent 62-yard punt from Jeremy Crawshaw set that play up, as did a -4-yard run from Trey Benson on first down. The 'Notes are down bad early without Jordan Travis. On the ensuing kickoff, Trevor Etienne returns it 29 yards to give the Gators excellent field position.

Trading punts in the second quarter

Florida State finally picked up a first down, but it couldn't stack two together and ended up punting again. Tate Rodemaker is just 3 of 7 for 24 yards and the Seminoles have totaled 16 yards on three possessions. Rodemaker had Keon Coleman on a second-and-8 play but was a tad late letting go of the football. As a result, Devin Moore had time to come up and break up the pass. After the punt, FSU subsequently picked up a stop, too. Florida toyed with going for it on fourth-and-1 from its own territory before punting it back to the Seminoles.

Florida takes the points

Billy Napier faced a tough decision with Florida in a fourth-and-1 from the FSU 18-yard line. He opted to take the points, and Trey Smack delivered with a 35-yard field goal. The Gators were gifted excellent field position and couldn't fully capitalize. But if you'd offered the Gators a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter, they'd have taken it in a heartbeat. The FSU offense hasn't found a rhythm and the Seminoles have caught all the bad breaks so far. Big sequence coming up as the Seminoles will get the football for a third time still seeking to move the chains for the first time.

Another horrific break for FSU

You could hardly have scripted a worse start for Florida State. After its second straight three-and-out to start the game, Mike Norvell went for a fake punt on fourth-and-6 at his own 29-yard line. It worked to perfection as the punter easily had the first down. But the 'Noles failed to get the snap off and were whistled for delay of game. Then, Mastromanno was pressured on the actual punt and it traveled just 16 yards. Florida will take over at FSU's 40-yard line with all the momentum as rain begins to fall at The Swamp.

Brutal call against FSU

Akeem Dent came up the middle on a DB blitz and wrecked Max Brown on third-and-goal. But Dent was called for unnecessary roughness on the hit, which gave the Gators a first-and-goal. Florida capitalized on the second chance and scored the game's first points with a 5-yard touchdown run by Montrell Johnson Jr. a few plays later. Brown made huge completions to Kahleil Jackson and Hayden Hansen to bring the Gators in the red zone. From there, he hit Trevor Etienne to set up a first-and-goal. The controversial sack call came a couple plays later. If Florida wins, FSU fans will never forget that call.

Scoreless after one

End 1Q: Florida State 0, Florida 0

Florida did an excellent job of controlling the football in the first quarter as the Gators dominated time of possession (13:37) and helped get redshirt freshman quarterback Max Brown in a rhythm. Brown looked poised as a runner and thrower in leading the Gators into FSU territory on both UF drives. Ultimately, the Seminoles came up with some big tackles for loss to mitigate the damage. As the second quarter arrives, the Gators are facing a third-and-goal. Florida is thin on the offensive line and Billy Napier is having to scheme around that as the Seminoles tee off on the inexperienced Brown. Nonetheless, it's been mostly very encouraging stuff from Brown thus far.

Gators came to play defensively

What a start for the Florida defense, which forced a three-and-out on Florida State's first possession as the Gators corralled Trey Benson for a loss of 11 yards on second-and-6. From there, Mike Norvell was taking no chances with Tate Rodemaker on a third-and-17 play deep in FSU territory. A nice punt from Alex Mastromanno traveled 47 yards, giving UF the football at its own 30-yard line. Good start for both defenses coming up with huge tackles for loss on opposing running backs.

Max Brown makes some plays on first series

Florida's Trey Smack missed a 48-yarder wide right to cap Florida's first series after Trevor Etienne was taken down for a loss of 9 on third-and-4. That was a disheartening ending to an otherwise encouraging first possession for the Gators. Max Brown hit Eugene Wilson III on a crossing route for 16 yards as the Gators faced a third-and-6. Then, Trevor Etienne tumbled across midfield for a 7-yard pickup. From there, Brown converted a couple more third down plays. First, he picked up a third-and-1 with his legs while making an RPO read. Faced with a third-and-10 a few plays later, Brown dropped one in perfectly to Wilson along the sideline for a 15-yard gain. To no avail, the Seminoles got off the field without allowing a point.

Here we go

Florida State won the toss and deferred. Florida will get the football first as Max Brown makes his first career start in a huge moment. If some of the in-state rivalry games from earlier in the day have been any indication, we're in for a treat here. Alabama just survived Auburn in an absolutely wacky Iron Bowl. Kentucky upset No. 10 Louisville on the road and No. 4 Washington is in a battle with Washington State.

Florida vs. Florida State prediction, picks

Florida is playing for bowl eligibility against an arch rival at home after nearly beating a highly ranked Missouri team on the road last week. Beyond the motivation of extending their own season, the Gators will also be inspired to derail Florida State's College Football Playoff aspirations. With both starting quarterbacks out injured in a game with such high stakes, this one is destined to get weird. Look for the Gators to be in it until the end ... and maybe even win outright. Pick: Florida +6.5

Rally around Rodemaker

Florida State checked in at No. 5 in the most recent College Football Playoff Rankings, falling down one spot as Washington claimed the coveted No. 4 slot. As the 11-0 Seminoles prepare for their regular-season finale against rival Florida on Saturday in The Swamp, they are doing so without star quarterback Jordan Travis, who suffered a season-ending injury in last week's win over FCS North Alabama.

While the College Football Playoff Selection Committee insists the Seminoles' drop has more to do with Washington's superior resume, it's undeniable that Mike Norvell's team now faces the most critical turning point in a dream 2023 season without one of the most decorated players in program history.

As Florida State turns to Tate Rodemaker, CFP hopes for Seminoles hinge on Cardale Jones-esque performance

Chip Patterson

Last year's epic battle

If the meeting is anything like last year's game, this could go down as one of the top games from Rivalry Week. The Seminoles escaped with a 45-38 win behind a huge game from Travis and a late defensive stand in the final minute. Gators QB Anthony Richardson's heave to the end zone fell incomplete with 39 seconds left, turning the ball over to Florida State on downs and effectively ending the highest-scoring game of the rivalry's storied history.

1 of 2