Gators end season with romp of FSU, rightful claim to state supremacy

TALLAHASSEE — On a 45-degree north Florida night, the 180-degree evolution of the 2024 Florida Gators was completed.In an autumn of ebbs and flows, calm and chaos, fits and starts, the Gators transitioned from feeble to foundering to formidable. A team no one wanted to acknowledge in early September became a team no one wanted to play in late November.And in the wake of Saturday night’s 31-11 triumph against fumble-prone FSU, they can make a reasonable claim to being the state’s best team. Granted, Miami can offer a sound rebuttal by virtue of its 10-2 record and season-opening romp of Florida in Gainesville, but ask yourself:How would a rematch play out, now that Miami’s defense has been exposed and its aura quashed (two losses in its last three games) even as the Gators (7-5) have been rejuvenated by a rookie quarterback?“Yeah,” coach Billy Napier said when asked if he feels the Gators can play with anyone in the country right now. “Put the ball down. I mean, we’ve played all the good teams. We know what they look like. .... I wouldn’t bet against us is what I would say.”The mojo surrounding Napier’s bowl-bound team is as prevalent as the cigar aroma wafting from the Gators' locker room late Saturday evening. Even on a night when its offense was far from optimal, Florida still dominated, seizing early momentum and never relinquishing it.The Gators sacked FSU true freshman Luke Kromenhoek eight times and converted five ‘Noles lost fumbles into 17 points, extending their streak of games with at least one takeaway to nine. Offensively, quarterback DJ Lagway was mostly pedestrian (14 of 22, 133 yards, two TDs, one INT) but still provided a few breathtaking snippets.“I thought defensively we were really lights out,” said Napier, whose team recorded season-highs in sacks and tackles for loss (14).“I think we didn’t have our fastball on offense. I think it was evident there we had some missed opportunities, and I do think it could’ve been worse is what I would say. ... Obviously, across the board there I think we’ll look back at it and we’ll see that we’ve got to play better around the quarterback. But in general, good ball.”To be sure, Lagway’s surrealism was overshadowed by his team’s opportunism before a modest Doak Campbell Stadium audience of 55,107.The third sack Kromenhoek sustained came from his blind side. The hit by edge rusher Jack Pyburn jarred the ball loose, and D’Antre Robinson recovered at FSU’s 14. Two plays later, Ja’Kobi Jackson trotted into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown and 7-0 Florida lead.While that turnover set the game’s tone, a microcosm of the ‘Noles’ night came late in the third, when a 13-play, 68-yard drive ended when Kam Davis mishandled a simple backfield toss by Kromenhoek that George Gumbs recovered at the Gators 7.Six plays later, Gators senior Montrell Johnson dashed up the middle for a 65-yard TD, eclipsing the 3,000-yard mark for his career in the process.“It’s a disappointing end to an awful season,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “That’s the best way I can put it.”Then there was Lagway. On his signature play of the night, he found himself in the grasp of 330-pound defensive tackle Darrell Jackson when his pocket collapsed but somehow broke free. He rolled right and found Chimere Dike for a 17-yard gain.“I kept churning,” he said. “I felt kinda like pushed off of him, so I pushed off him back. My helmet was all screwed up, I really couldn’t see (Dike). I just threw it to a spot. He was there.”The drive ended when Lagway’s deep ball — in the vicinity of two confused Gator receivers — was intercepted by Azareye’h Thomas in the corner of the end zone. But on his next possession, Lagway went 4 of 4 for 60 yards, hitting Dike across the middle for 25 yards to the FSU 2, setting up his 4-yard scoring toss to Marcus Burke that gave Florida a 14-0 lead.Meantime, the ‘Noles (2-10) ended their worst season in a half-century with an eye toward 2025.Hours prior to Saturday’s kickoff, UCF confirmed embattled coach Gus Malzahn had resigned amid reports he’d become Norvell’s offensive coordinator. Norvell didn’t confirm Malzahn by name but indicated an announcement was forthcoming.Whether he also has settled on his quarterback for next fall remains uncertain.In a de facto audition for the 2025 starting job, Kromenhoek (15 of 28, 140 yards; 32 rushing yards) showed flashes of his own athleticism and escapability while being steadily harassed.Kromenhoek was complicit in at least three of FSU’s five lost fumbles, leading FSU’s lone scoring drive late in the fourth quarter.“This is getting fixed,” Norvell said. “It’s going to be an immediate, fast fix. And we are going to make sure that every person that’s a part of this program is all in in that process for what is necessary to go be better.”The Gators' process, once maligned, is making noticeable strides.“We have some momentum, but there is lots of work to do here to get to where we want to go,” Napier said. “But it’s good to have some momentum here, and oviously we need to carry this over to prepare for the bowl game.” Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls • • • Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram , X and Facebook .

Gators end season with romp of FSU, rightful claim to state supremacy

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