Atlantic Coast

Florida eyes New Year's 6 as Florida St looks to go bowling

Published Nov. 21, 2018 5:24 p.m. ET

No. 13 Florida (8-3, No. 12 CFP) at Florida State (5-6), noon EST (ABC).

Line: Florida by 4.

Series record: Florida leads 34-26-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Florida is hoping to claim a spot in a New Year's Six bowl game, while the Seminoles are looking for a sixth straight win over the Gators. Florida State has played in a bowl in each season since 1982 and is looking to extend the streak. It's a matchup of first-year coaches as Dan Mullen and Florida have met or exceeded expectations (picking up wins over ranked teams like LSU and Mississippi State) while Florida State has struggled.

KEY MATCHUP

Florida running backs vs. Florida State defensive front. Jordan Scarlett (629 yards, 6.2 yards per carry) and Lamical Perine (643 yards, 5.6 yards per carry) combine to form a ground attack that's tough to stop. The Seminoles allowed 365 rushing yards in a loss to Notre Dame but bounced back to hold BC star A.J. Dillon to 116 yards on 37 carries last week.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Florida: DE Jachai Polite. The junior defensive end has 8½ sacks, and a one more would give him the most for a Gators player since Carlos Dunlap had nine in 2009. Polite also has forced four fumbles, which is tied for the FBS lead and his 90.3 pass rush grade is second among FBS edge players, according to Pro Football Focus.

Florida State: WR Tamorrion Terry leads the ACC with eight touchdown receptions, which is one shy of the freshman record (Greg Carr had nine in 2005). The 6-foot-4 Terry had the game-winning 74-yard touchdown reception in the win over BC last week. He has 32 receptions and his 666 receiving yards is a program record for a freshman.

FACTS & FIGURES

Florida State's five straight wins in the series is the most ever by the Seminoles. . The Gators' 21 takeaways are tied for 17th nationally, and they have scored 64 points off those turnovers. . Florida QB Feleipe Franks was intercepted three times in 2017 against Florida State, which returned one for a touchdown in a 38-22 win over the Gators. . Florida State QB Deondre Francois ranks second in the ACC in passing yardage (2,577) but hasn't completed 50 percent of his passes in his last three starts.

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