Instant reactions to Florida football's win vs FSU Seminoles

It took five games, but Florida football finally got its first win of the post-Billy Napier era on Saturday evening against its biggest in-state rivals, the Florida State Seminoles, with a 40-21 victory in the Swamp.

The Gators' triumph not only prevented the program from reaching a nadir not seen since the end of the 1970s but also prevented their Tallahassee compadres from playing in the postseason — a curse already imposed on the Orange and Blue with its 4-8 finish.

It has been a brutal fall for the Gator Nation, but at least they can celebrate with one final with a strong dash of schadenfreude. After the final horn, the Gators Wire crew offers their respective instant takeaways in Good, Bad and Ugly format just below.

Aidan Gallardo

GOOD: Jadan Baugh reaches the 1,000-yard mark

Now, bear with me here. At the time I’m writing this, I don’t know whether or not my fellow guys at Gators Wire have Jadan Baugh in their “good” from the game but I mean, how can I ignore him? The sophomore running back needed 96 yards today to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.

Well, it was sweat-free because Baugh cleared that number by halftime. He ended up rushing for over 200 yards tonight and I’d be happy to crown him the MVP for Florida this season. What a way to cap off his stellar 2025 campaign.

BAD: Where was this all season?

The Gators played like a completely different team than we’ve been accustomed to all season long. Now I don’t know if playing Florida State had anything to do with it or if they knew that the Seminoles were a win away from bowl eligibility. I have no clue. But the Orange and Blue came into this game with one thing in mind: make a statement. And they did just that.

Why have we not seen a performance like this this season? I get that FSU isn’t exactly the best team out there, but I’m talking in terms of energy. Florida was flying all over the field today in a way that hasn’t been really done all year. Rivalry games bring that out sometimes, I guess.

UGLY: 2025 Season

Yes, this was a great win. Yes, it was something to feel good about for Florida heading into the offseason. But let’s not forget about what a complete failure this season has been for the Orange and Blue. No one expected the Gators to be this abysmal. We knew they had the toughest schedule in the country for the second consecutive year, but to finish the season well below bowl eligibility was certainly not what I had in mind.

There were some positives, like Baugh’s incredible sophomore season, but the negatives really outweighed those bright spots. From lengthy injury reports week after week to DJ Lagway’s regression after a great freshman season, 2025 was one of the worst seasons for the Florida football program.

Now, we’ll see how much different next year will be in terms of personnel and coaches, but I think that 2025 was officially rock bottom for the Gators.

David Rosenberg

GOOD: Everything.

Riding Baugh all night not only made history, but it opened the passing game up in a way we've rarely seen this season. It's unfortunate that it comes in the final game of the year, though. Baugh will get talked about enough, though, so I'm shouting out the defense, too. A week after looking lost on every drive against Tennessee, the Florida defense looked elite. Four sacks, four pass breakups, three hurries and a forced fumble.

This is the Gators team we should have seen all year, and it made a big difference for DJ Lagway. Without the weight of the world on his shoulders, Lagway threw three touchdowns and had a 154.2 rating. With both he and Baugh being sophomores, the plan next year should be simple. Run the ball, and let Lagway breathe. He'll have his best receivers healthy again, too, assuming everyone doesn't leave in the transfer portal.

BAD: That mass exodus is coming.

Even though the future is bright now for Florida's offense, the coaching change could burn it all to the ground. There's a very real world where Dallas Wilson, Eugene Wilson III and Jadan Baugh leave for the transfer portal.

Several more key players are departing the program due to graduation or the NFL draft. Retention of the talent that Billy Napier couldn't figure things out with is paramount for whoever the next head coach is. But that's a mighty tall order with the way Florida has sunk over the last five years.

UGLY: Florida State.

This was supposed to be a competitive game between bad teams. When you get dominated by a 3-8 (now 4-8) team, things have to be going wrong. One reason the 'Noles fell behind is that they couldn't trust their special teams unit.

Going for it on fourth down never paid off, and when FSU did kick it went wide right. Momentum is a hell of thing, and Florida needed this win to have some optimism going into the offseason

Adam Dubbin

GOOD: Obviously, beating their biggest in-state rival and cock-blocking them from the postseason is something for the Gator Nation to celebrate. It also represents Billy Gonzlaes’ first (and probably only) win as a head coach in five tries.

This section would not be complete without a mention of Baugh, whose efforts were the backbone of Florida’s victory. There is always the danger of leaving through the transfer portal, but hopefully, he comes back to the Swamp next year to build his NFL draft resume.

BAD: Lagway’s interception was one of those picks that you cannot really blame on the passes, as it took an unlucky bounce off the receiver. But that turnover opened the door for FSU’s touchdown ahead of halftime and made the game closer than it should have been.

The Gators could have put things out of reach with at least a field goal before the 20-minute horn, but instead, the sophomore’s turnover erased what could have been. Alas, it really did not account for much in the final tally.

UGLY: It has been a long while since this rivalry game has had any relevance, and this game was a continuation of that disappointing trend. Maybe I am putting a yellow onion on my belt here, but this matchup used to mean something.

Maybe it is less ugly and more sad, but I miss the days when this game was a key player in the national championship, much less the College Football Playoff.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football: Instant reactions to Gators' win vs FSU Seminoles