How to watch: Florida Gators vs. No. 5 FSU
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — A regular season of disappointment can end with a surge Saturday. If the Florida Gators (5-6) can knock off No. 5 Florida State (11-0) at The Swamp, they’ll become bowl eligible — and put an end to their arch-rival’s national title hopes. The game is at 7 p.m. on ESPN and will also be streaming on fuboTV.
“Florida State has a good football team,” Gators coach Billy Napier said. “You’ve got to be sound in what you do in all three parts of your team. Ultimately, it comes down to matchups. I think with the way they play and the way we play, there’s a key component there. There’s going to be individual matchups throughout the entire game. The attention to detail, the finish, the technique with effort, I think there’s an extra effort element to rivalry games because of what’s at stake and the emotion that comes with playing in this game.”
The Florida Gators and ‘Noles will start backup quarterbacks
Last Saturday, Florida’s Graham Mertz and FSU’s Jordan Travis — the team’s quarterbacks — each sustained season-ending injuries within a couple hours of each other. That means backups Max Brown of Florida and Tate Rodemaker of FSU have been thrust into starting roles — and the spotlight.
Here are their 2023 numbers entering Saturday’s game –
Brown: 10 of 12 (83.3%), 106 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 INT, 157.5 QB rating, 42 yards rushing.
Rodemaker: 20 of 31 (64.5%), 376 yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 INT, 219.6 QB rating, 8 yards rushing.
“Everybody understands they need to raise their level of play to help make up for Max’s experience factor,” Napier said. “But Max is definitely a different type of player than Graham, and I think there will be some elements there that could be a factor.”
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The injury to Travis, who was having a special season, is every bit as significant as you’d think. He was completing 63.9 percent of his passes for 2,755 yards, 20 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. Additionally, Travis has rushed for 176 yards and seven touchdowns — and his elusiveness in the pocket made him extremely difficult to contain.
FSU, though, seems to be as confident in Rodemaker as Florida is in Brown.
Florida’s season hasn’t gone the way those inside the program had hoped. But the chance to finish strong while ruining FSU’s perfect season is a great motivator.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of motivation that’s going into this game for sure. But inside that locker room, I think there’s just a fire burning for us, just because we need to get a win,” Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall said. “It’s about that time. It’s due time to get a win for us and for the university and the program. And I think there’s not a better week to do it than this week, especially against these guys. So I think we’re all excited for that opportunity first and foremost with all the other things, all the extra things going on behind it.”
