Florida Gators Football: Five Keys To Defeating Florida State Seminoles

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Oct 29, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Lamical Perine (22) runs with the ball as Georgia Bulldogs safety Quincy Mauger (20) attempted to defend during the second half at EverBank Field. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Win Third Down

The Florida State Seminoles have suffered three losses during the 2016 college football season. One of the common themes in all three of their losses was the Seminoles’ inability to consistently stop the opposition on third down.

The Florida Gators have been erratic on the offensive end of the ball, but they’ll need to step up on third down in Tallahassee.

During Florida State’s 37-35 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels, UNC was 9-of-13 on third downs. In the other two losses, the Clemson Tigers went 7-of-17 and the Louisville Cardinals were 5-of-10 in third down situations.

During those three games, the Seminoles went 4-of-13, 4-of-12, and 2-of-13 on third downs—a telling set of statistics.

The way to beat Florida State is in line with the way to beat most teams: stop them on third down and convert when it’s your turn to do so. Florida will need to do exactly that in Tallahassee, which may be tough considering it went 4-of-13 on third downs against LSU.

If the Gators can move the chains and keep its own defense on the sidelines, then victory will be a realistically attainable goal.

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