**GAINESVILLE – Florida Ends Florida State’s Season with a 40-21 Victory at the Swamp**
If Florida wasn’t going to play football again in 2025, the Gators wanted to make sure Florida State didn’t either. A challenging year with little to celebrate ended on a high note Saturday night as Florida defeated Florida State 40-21 at the Swamp, effectively ending the Seminoles’ season.
Tailback Jadan Baugh led the way with a career-high 266 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, quarterback DJ Lagway threw three touchdown passes for the first time since the season-opening win against Long Island University.
Since that 55-0 win against an overmatched FCS opponent, the Gators (4-8) had struggled throughout a miserable season, entering Saturday as the SEC’s lowest-scoring offense. Against Florida State (5-7), however, Florida’s sophomore stars Baugh and Lagway rose to the occasion and sealed the Seminoles’ hopes for a bowl bid.
Baugh’s 266 yards marked the most rushing yards by a Florida back against Florida State since Emmitt Smith’s 316-yard performance in 1989 against New Mexico. The Swamp was packed with a sellout crowd of 90,007 fans, who savored each of Baugh’s 38 carries as the Gators secured their second straight win in the rivalry series by at least 19 points—a feat not seen since Florida defeated FSU by 20 or more points three consecutive seasons from 2007-09.
Florida State found itself on its heels all night as Baugh physically overwhelmed the Seminoles’ defense, breaking Jimmy DuBose’s 50-year-old series record of 204 rushing yards against Florida’s in-state rival.
With Baugh shouldering the load on the ground, Lagway was effective in the passing game. The Gators scored on their first three possessions, with two drives ending in Lagway touchdown passes, building an early 17-7 lead.
Following a 9-yard touchdown pass from Lagway to tight end Tony Livingston, FSU responded with a promising drive to Florida’s 20-yard line. However, Seminoles’ quarterback Tommy Castellanos fumbled the ball while being tackled by safety Bryce Thornton—one of Florida’s four sacks in the game. Two plays later, Lagway’s pass intended for Aidan Mizell was broken up by Michai Danzy and intercepted by Edwin Joseph, who returned it to Florida’s 21-yard line.
Capitalizing on the turnover, Castellanos scored three plays later on a 4-yard quarterback keeper, aided by a personal foul penalty on Florida’s sophomore linebacker Myles Graham. Despite the Seminoles’ effort, they could not maintain pressure as Florida steadily pulled away behind Baugh’s dominant running.
A rare combination of speed, size (6-foot 3/4, 230 pounds), and elusiveness, Baugh powered through with significant runs of 20 and 14 yards, setting up Lagway’s 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hayden Hansen. On Florida’s very next series, Baugh capped the drive with a 22-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 31-14.
Baugh also made a crucial play late in the game by recovering an onside kick by FSU with 3:06 remaining. This came after a 17-yard touchdown pass from Castellanos to Lawayne McCoy had cut Florida’s lead to 34-21.
But Baugh was not done. He delivered the final blow to the Seminoles with a 12-yard touchdown run with just 56 seconds remaining, concluding a spectacular night and securing Florida’s convincing victory.
With this win, the Gators not only celebrate a strong end to a tough season but also keep their archrivals from postseason play, sending a powerful statement to the state of Florida football.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/29/lorida-gators-football-florida-state-seminoles-billy-gonzales-mike-norvell-sec-acc/
