Overview
The 66th edition of the Sunshine Showdown will take place under the Friday night lights of the FSU high school stadium known as Doak Campbell Stadium at Ron Zook Field. The Gators are 37-26-2 all-time against the Noles in a rivalry that dates back to 1958. The Gators have won the last 3 after dropping the previous 5.
FSU season results through week 12
The Noles have a signature win over the current #7 LSU team, but they have not beaten a ranked team or higher FPI team this season.
Florida season results through week 12
The Gators have a signature win in week 1 over #7 Utah (currently #13), but have not beaten another ranked team this season. Florida did beat Texas A&M as a road underdog. The Gators have been playing many career bench-warmers lately, so I would not expect big performances this late in the season.
The Gators have started to look like a complete team in weeks 10 and 11, but were struggling with new personnel–most notably at receiver.
Statistical comparison through week 11
The Noles are clearly a better team in year 3 under Mike Norvell. Florida is in year 1 of its rebuild and it shows.
Prediction
The Noles will be favored by 5 and are expected to win 36-30. According to the weekly Football Power Index, the Noles have been a better team than the Gators throughout most of the season and they have not suffered many major injuries. Florida still lags FSU in most metrics, so it will take a breakthrough performance by the Gators to pull off the upset.
The 66th edition of the Sunshine Showdown will take place under the Friday night lights of the FSU high school stadium known as Doak Campbell Stadium at Ron Zook Field. The Gators are 37-26-2 all-time against the Noles in a rivalry that dates back to 1958. The Gators have won the last 3 after dropping the previous 5.
FSU season results through week 12
The Noles have a signature win over the current #7 LSU team, but they have not beaten a ranked team or higher FPI team this season.
Florida season results through week 12
The Gators have a signature win in week 1 over #7 Utah (currently #13), but have not beaten another ranked team this season. Florida did beat Texas A&M as a road underdog. The Gators have been playing many career bench-warmers lately, so I would not expect big performances this late in the season.
DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | W-L | HIGH PASS | HIGH RUSH | HIGH REC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sat, Sep 3 | vs 7 Utah | W 29-26 | 1-0 (0-0) | Richardson 168 | Richardson 106 | Pearsall 67 |
Sat, Sep 10 | vs 20 Kentucky | L 26-16 | 1-1 (0-1) | Richardson 143 | Johnson Jr. 62 | Henderson 50 |
Sat, Sep 17 | vs South Florida | W 31-28 | 2-1 (0-1) | Richardson 112 | Johnson Jr. 103 | Shorter 33 |
Sat, Sep 24 | @ 11 Tennessee | L 38-33 | 2-2 (0-2) | Richardson 453 | Richardson 62 | Shorter 155 |
Sun, Oct 2 | vs Eastern Washington | W 52-17 | 3-2 (0-2) | Richardson 240 | Pearsall 76 | Shorter 75 |
Sat, Oct 8 | vs Missouri | W 24-17 | 4-2 (1-2) | Richardson 66 | Johnson Jr. 86 | Shorter 20 |
Sat, Oct 15 | vs LSU | L 45-35 | 4-3 (1-3) | Richardson 185 | Richardson 109 | Shorter 71 |
Sat, Oct 29 | vs 1 Georgia * | L 42-20 | 4-4 (1-4) | Richardson 271 | Etienne 53 | Henderson 110 |
Sat, Nov 5 | @ Texas A&M | W 41-24 | 5-4 (2-4) | Richardson 201 | Johnson Jr. 100 | Pearsall 65 |
Sat, Nov 12 | vs South Carolina | W 38-6 | 6-4 (3-4) | Richardson 112 | Johnson Jr. 161 | Douglas 53 |
Sat, Nov 19 | at Vanderbilt | L 24-31 | 6-5 (3-5) | Richardson 400 | Johnson Jr. 32 | Reynolds 165 |
The Gators have started to look like a complete team in weeks 10 and 11, but were struggling with new personnel–most notably at receiver.
Name | Stats | Inactive |
---|---|---|
Justin Shorter WR | 29 REC, 577 YD, 19.9 YPC, 2 TD | 11/5, 11/12 |
Ricky Pearsall WR | 24 REC, 448 YD, 18.7 YPC, 3 TD | 11/19 (half) |
Xzavier Henderson WR | 38 REC, 410 YD, 10.8 YPC, 2 TD | 11/19 |
Daejon Reynolds WR | 11 REC, 244 YD, 22.2 YPC, 2 TD | 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/8, 10/15, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12 |
Keon Zipperer TE | 13 REC, 177 YD, 13.6 YPC, 1 TD | 10/29, 11/5, 11/12 |
Caleb Douglas WR | 8 REC, 150 YD, 18.8 YPC, 2 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/8, 10/15, 10/29 |
Trent Whittemore WR | 4 REC, 87 YD, 21.8 YPC, 0 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 10/8, 10/15, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 11/25 |
Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman WR | 2 REC, 28 YD, 14.0 YPC, 0 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 10/8, 10/15, 11/5, 11/12 |
Montrell Johnson Jr. RB | 11 REC, 64 YD, 5.8 YPC, 1 TD | |
Dante Zanders TE | 9 REC, 54 YD, 7.1 YPC, 0 TD | 9/3 |
Trevor Etienne RB | 7 REC, 31 YD, 4.4 YPC, 0 TD | |
Ja’Quavion Fraziars WR | 4 REC, 50 YD, 12.5 YPC, 1 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 10/8, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 11/19, 11/25 |
Kahleil Jackson WR | 2 REC, 43 YD, 21.5 YPC, 0 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 10/8, 10/15, 10/29, 11/19, 11/25 |
Marcus Burke WR | 4 REC, 30 YD, 7.5 YPC, 0 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 9/24, 10/15, 10/29 |
Lorenzo Lingard RB | 2 REC, 22 YD, 11.0 YPC, 0 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 10/8, 10/15, 11/19 |
Nay’Quan Wright RB | 1 REC, 14 YD, 14.0 YPC, 0 TD | 10/15, 11/19 |
Jonathan Odom TE | 2 REC, 6 YD, 3.0 YPC, 1 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 10/8, 10/15, 10/29 |
Jordan Pouncey WR | 2 REC, 4 YD, 2.0 YPC, 0 TD | 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 10/8, 10/15, 10/29, 11/5 |
Statistical comparison through week 11
The Noles are clearly a better team in year 3 under Mike Norvell. Florida is in year 1 of its rebuild and it shows.
Team Stats | Florida | FSU |
---|---|---|
Points Per Game | 31.9 (#42) | 34.0 (#29) |
Points Allowed Per Game | 26.9 (#74) | 18.1 (#13) |
Total Yards | 438.9 (#31) | 477.1 (#16) |
Yards Passing | 213.2 (#86) | 263.5 (#38) |
Yards Rushing | 225.7 (#11) | 213.6 (#16) |
Yards Allowed | 421.0 (#105) | 293.6 (#11) |
Pass Yards Allowed | 249.8 (#95) | 155.0 (#2) |
Rush Yards Allowed | 171.2 (#95) | 138.6 (#54) |
Prediction
The Noles will be favored by 5 and are expected to win 36-30. According to the weekly Football Power Index, the Noles have been a better team than the Gators throughout most of the season and they have not suffered many major injuries. Florida still lags FSU in most metrics, so it will take a breakthrough performance by the Gators to pull off the upset.