Tallahassee, FL (Sports Network) - Florida took back bragging rights in the
Sunshine State, and possibly landed an even greater prize along with it.
Behind Mike Gillislee's 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns and 24 straight
fourth-quarter points, the sixth-ranked Gators strengthened their case for a
possible BCS at-large berth by orchestrating a 37-26 victory over No. 10
Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Gillislee's second score, a 37-yard scamper that immediately followed Florida
State's fifth turnover of the game, gave Florida (11-1) a 23-20 lead with
11:01 to go, and the Gators tacked on two more touchdowns en route to its
first triumph over the rival Seminoles since 2009.
Back from an ankle sprain that kept him out of last week's win over
Jacksonville State, Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel threw for 147 yards and a
touchdown on 15-of-23 passing to outplay counterpart E.J. Manuel, who was
intercepted three times and lost a fumble against a swarming Gators defense
that lived up to its lofty national ranking.
Matt Jones added 81 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts to complement
Gillislee's 24-carry effort as the Gators piled up 244 yards on the ground
against an FSU defense that entered the matchup ranked first nationally
against the run.
The Seminoles were yielding a scant 70.6 rushing yards per game and hadn't
allowed more than 136 in any outing this season.
Manuel finished with two rushing TDs and a passing touchdown, but completed
just 18-of-33 attempts for 182 yards for Florida State (10-2), which had a
five-game winning streak halted in its last matchup prior to next week's ACC
Championship bout with Georgia Tech.
GAME NOTES:
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