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Friday, March 29, 2024

Gators hope to continue dominance over Seminoles

The distance between bad and worse for the Gators’ season comes down to Saturday in Tallahassee.

Florida doesn’t have much to take comfort in from its 7-4 record, but a win against No. 22 Florida State would be a warm blanket to carry UF through a trophy-less winter.

The flipside would put the final nail in a disappointing campaign, dooming Florida to a mediocre bowl game and snuffing out years of bragging rights. That’s an almost unthinkable result for the Gators, who have won six straight against their biggest rival, including all five under coach Urban Meyer, who’s 17-1 against FSU, Georgia, Tennessee and Miami.

The streak is the main focus for the game, as UF is out of the Southeastern Conference race and the Seminoles’ hopes for an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship appearance rest solely on N.C. State losing to Maryland this weekend.

“I think if you were to ask, for 99 percent of the team it’s about pride,” UF defensive tackle Terron Sanders said. “Yeah, we want to get to a better bowl game, but for the most part it’s about pride.

“We don’t want to be the team to lose to this team under coach Meyer. That’s for sure.”

But after winning the last three meetings by an average of 30 points, the Gators enter the matchup as underdogs for the first time in Meyer’s tenure.

The ’Noles (8-3, 6-2 ACC) aren’t world-beaters by any measure, but a BCS Bowl berth is still on the table if they win an ACC title. That, along with some renewed fire under first-year coach Jimbo Fisher and playing in Doak Campbell Stadium, should give FSU confidence in the face of the streak.

Meanwhile, the Gators have to find motivation without national championship or Heisman Trophy aspirations to keep alive — two factors that were present in the last four seasons.

“This year, we really have to focus on what’s at stake,” center Mike Pouncey said. “This is the biggest game of the year.”

Florida can elevate its bowl status with a victory, which would be its only triumph over a ranked team this season. And as always, there are recruits hanging in the balance.

“That question comes up every year, and it’s absolutely correct,” Meyer said. “The last few years we’ve kind of done well. But make no mistake about it, the quality of athlete on [FSU] is as good as anybody in the country.

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“That’s a key component of recruiting. They get theirs, we get ours, and there are a lot of guys on the fence right now.”

Four years ago, Pouncey and safety Ahmad Black were on that fence.

Lifelong FSU fans, the Lakeland High teammates dreamed of wearing garnet and gold until a visit to Gainesville and fellow Lakeland star Chris Rainey swayed them.

Pouncey said his mother cried when he and his brother Maurkice committed to play at Florida.

“Our whole family grew up Florida State fans,” Pouncey said. “We were up there every weekend, and they just got to like the town and the coaches. I guess that was their first love. … One weekend (visiting UF) changed our whole life.”

Now, one weekend in Tallahassee can change the perception of the Gators’ season.

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