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<p>Quincy Wilson, right, tackles Dalvin Cook during Florida's loss to Florida State on Nov. 26, 2016, in Tallahassee.</p>

Quincy Wilson, right, tackles Dalvin Cook during Florida's loss to Florida State on Nov. 26, 2016, in Tallahassee.

TALLAHASSEE — Austin Appleby never saw Josh Sweat coming.

With the FSU linebacker breathing down his neck, Florida’s quarterback was hit from behind. The ball flung loose into the hands of DeMarcus Walker.

Two handoffs later, running back Dalvin Cook slashed past UF defenders and strutted into the end zone.

Just as Cook often slipped away from defenders in the No. 13 Gators (8-3) 31-13 loss to the No. 15 Seminoles, so did Florida’s distant shot at a College Football Playoff berth Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium.

And for a fourth straight year, Florida fell to Florida State.

Heartbroken,” senior defensive lineman Joey Ivie said. “Obviously we all really wanted this win. The right things didn’t fall in place.”

The Cook show didn’t take long to kick off.

His 17-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter netted Florida State a lead it never relinquished.

And for much of the night, Cook punctured UF’s defense.

The junior, who’ll likely be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, tallied 153 yardson 26 carries.In three career games against Florida, Cook has amassed 480 yards and three touchdowns and ran for more than 140 yards in each contest.

That running back is pretty darn good now,” UF coach McElwain said, “about as good as I’ve seen in a lot of ways.”

The Gators kept the Seminoles (9-3) at bay in the second half by trading field goals, but FSU pulled away in the third quarter.

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Florida capitalized on a Chauncey Gardner interception, the first of the freshman’s career, on an Eddy Pineiro41-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-6.

But the Seminoles quickly answered back when quarterback Deondre Francois found Travis Rudolph deep over the middle of the field for a 46-yard touchdown.

Florida’s secondary, which stifled Francois for much of the game until the score, finally snapped and gave up the big play. Cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson, who each entered with three or less pass breakups, combined for six against the Seminoles.

An 11-point deficit seemed insurmountable to a Florida offense that struggled after its first drive, one that resulted in no points.

And in the fourth, FSU put the game out of reach.

Fullback Freddie Stevenson took a third-and-one carry 27 yards for a touchdown, boosting Florida State’s lead to 24-6.

The Gators did, however, receive late contributions from another secondary member: Marcell Harris.

In what may have been his best game as a Gator, the redshirt junior safety accounted for Florida’s lone touchdown and led the team with 11 tackles.

Harris recovered a Nyqwan Murray fumbled punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to bring UF within 11.

Minutes later, the Orlando native dropped his shoulder on a scrambling Francois, forcing a fumble.

“The guy’s a good player,” McElwain said. “He plays his tail off and cares. We have a lot of those guys.”

But as it did much of the night, Florida’s offense struggled and couldn’t muster a meaningful drive to capitalize.

After the game, McElwain and players were already looking forward to redeeming themselves against Alabama next weekend in the SEC Championship game.

“You know as a competitor you tear off the rear view mirror and go forward,” McElwain said. “Our team will be ready.”

Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @pinakk12

Quincy Wilson, right, tackles Dalvin Cook during Florida's loss to Florida State on Nov. 26, 2016, in Tallahassee.

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