Florida Gators

FSU Football: How The 'Noles Dominated The Florida Gators

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:08 p.m. ET

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Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher meets with Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain before the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

FSU football earned its fourth consecutive victory over Florida.. We take a look at how the ‘Noles dominated the Gators.

They were the SEC Least Champs they said. It was their year to end the streak they said. They were going to finally stop Dalvin Cook from running all over them they said.

None of those things happened Saturday night as the FSU football rolled the Florida Gators again.

The FSU defense played lights out and the No. 5 offense in the country worked the No. 5 defense in the country for 31 points.

FSU football continues their reign as State Champions of Florida, and it looks like more rings will be ordered to the dismay of everyone else.

Let’s take a look at how the ‘Noles dominated Saturday night.

Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) runs the ball past Florida Gators defensive lineman Cece Jefferson (96) during the first quarter at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line

We talked about how the FSU offensive line had to play big in one of the keys to victory for the ‘Noles earlier in the week.

Think about this, the FSU offensive line didn’t allow ONE sack to the Florida Gators all night. The offensive line also opened up some big holes for the running game to prosper.

The FSU offense had 249 yards rushing on 40 attempts which equates to 6.2 yards per carry. It is the most rushing yards the Gators have given up all season.

Dalvin Cook and Deondre Francois did most of the damage on the ground with both scoring touchdowns. Fittingly, senior fullback Freddie Stevenson also scored on a 27 yard run that put one of the final nails in the proverbial coffin.

Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end Demarcus Walker (44) chases down Florida Gators quarterback Austin Appleby (12) during the second half of the game at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Third Downs

The FSU offense had some critical third down conversions during the game Saturday night. They converted 11 of 17 third downs which is good for 64.7 percent.

That’s nearly 20 percent higher than their season average.

We’ll get to the FSU defense shortly, but wanted to mention how they dominated on third down in this portion as well.

They held the Florida offense to ZERO third down conversions on 11 opportunities. The Gators haven’t been amazing on third down conversions this year at near 42 percent, but zero conversions is as good as it gets.

Oct 1, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end DeMarcus Walker (44) and defensive end Jamarcus Robinson (11) along with defensive coordinator Charles Kelly look on during the game against the North Carolina Tarheels at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

FSU Defense

The much maligned FSU defense played lights out Saturday night as they only allowed 205 total yards on 64 plays.

That’s 3.2 yards per play ladies and gentlemen, and that’s two full yards less than Florida’s seasonal average.

The FSU defense forced three turnovers and sacked the Florida quarterback six times to increase their national leading total to 47 sacks on the season.

Aside from the six sacks, the ‘Noles had three more tackles for a loss and didn’t allow a touchdown to Florida for the second consecutive year (the touchdown scored was on special teams).

Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end Demarcus Walker (44) celebrates after the Seminoles beat the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Conclusion

It was a complete game for the FSU football team. The only concerns were on special teams where Nyqwan Murray fumbled on a punt return that created the opportunity for the Florida touchdown.

He also failed to catch a punt earlier in the game that resulted in about 15 yards of lost field position.

True freshman kicker Ricky Aguayo continues to struggle at Doak Campbell Stadium as he missed another field goal Saturday night. He was replaced by Logan Tyler.

The pro-style offense Florida plays is a good matchup for the FSU defense, and we felt good going into the game. However, I don’t think we could have anticipated that type of dominance.

We couldn’t have expected the offensive line to not give up a sack during the game either. This is a dangerous FSU football team that could be peaking as bowl season approaches.

There’s a real chance that FSU could get an Orange Bowl berth with Louisville losing to Kentucky earlier Saturday.

Stay tuned to Chop Chat for more FSU football news and analysis.