Overview
The 67th edition of the Sunshine Showdown will take place under the lights at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2023. Both teams will be starting backup quarterbacks after having season-ending injuries to both Graham Mertz and Travis Jordan last week. Special guest and Hall of Fame inductee Tim Tebow will be in attendance. The Gators are 37-27-2 all-time in a rivalry that dates back to 1958. The Gators lost last year after winning three consecutive games. The Noles are favored by 10.5 in the Swamp with an over/under of 50.5. FSU has an 81.6% chance of victory.
FLORIDA OVERVIEW
The Gators are on a 4-game losing streak and are in desperate need of a win to gain bowl eligibility. To exacerbate the problem, the Gators will be starting Max Brown for the first time due to Graham Mertz's injury sustained in the 3rd quarter against Missouri. Ricky Pearsall needs 52 yards to eclipse 1,000 yards. The Gators have not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Taylor Jacobs had 1,088 yards and 8 TD in 2002. Carlos Perez was the number two receiver that year with 591 yards, and Kelvin Kight was number three with 511 yards.
Billy Napier is 11-13 (6-10) at Florida as he winds down his second season. Prior to his arrival at Florida, Napier was #11 in wins after going 51-25 (27-5 Sun Belt), trailing only Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Luke Fickell, Jim Harbaugh, Ryan Day, Josh Heupel, and Kirk Ferentz.
FSU OVERVIEW
The Noles are undefeated and have a 45-24 victory over #5 LSU on their resume. FSU will be starting junior Tate Rodemaker of Valdosta, Georgia. Rodemaker has seen plenty of live action against Louisville '22 (6/10 109 YD 2 TD, 197.6 RAT), Florida '21 (1/2 7 YD, 0 TD), and some mop-up against Duke, NC State, Jacksonville State, and #12 Miami in '20 (17/29 130 YD, 0 TD 3 INT 75.6 RAT).
Mike Norvell is 29-16 (19-13) in his 4th season at FSU. He was 8-13 (6-10) in his first two years at FSU.
COMPARISON
No need to stare at the statistics. The Gators are a horrible football team. This team is 4 plays away from being 7-5, but they are also 1 play away from being 4-7. All the models would have the Noles winning the Battle of the Backups by 10.5 and it is hard to debate that Vegas prediction. I predict a 14-27 loss for the Gators, which will mercifully save us from watching the Gators lose in a bowl game and will make my wife happy that she gets to pile onto the honey-do list a little earlier. Sigh. Somebody kick me.
The 67th edition of the Sunshine Showdown will take place under the lights at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2023. Both teams will be starting backup quarterbacks after having season-ending injuries to both Graham Mertz and Travis Jordan last week. Special guest and Hall of Fame inductee Tim Tebow will be in attendance. The Gators are 37-27-2 all-time in a rivalry that dates back to 1958. The Gators lost last year after winning three consecutive games. The Noles are favored by 10.5 in the Swamp with an over/under of 50.5. FSU has an 81.6% chance of victory.
FLORIDA OVERVIEW
The Gators are on a 4-game losing streak and are in desperate need of a win to gain bowl eligibility. To exacerbate the problem, the Gators will be starting Max Brown for the first time due to Graham Mertz's injury sustained in the 3rd quarter against Missouri. Ricky Pearsall needs 52 yards to eclipse 1,000 yards. The Gators have not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Taylor Jacobs had 1,088 yards and 8 TD in 2002. Carlos Perez was the number two receiver that year with 591 yards, and Kelvin Kight was number three with 511 yards.
Billy Napier is 11-13 (6-10) at Florida as he winds down his second season. Prior to his arrival at Florida, Napier was #11 in wins after going 51-25 (27-5 Sun Belt), trailing only Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, Luke Fickell, Jim Harbaugh, Ryan Day, Josh Heupel, and Kirk Ferentz.
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | W-L | HIGH PASS | PASS RAT | HIGH RUSH | HIGH REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Aug 31 | @ 14 Utah | L24-11 | 0-1 (0-0) | Mertz 333 | 137.0 | Etienne 25 | Pearsall 92 |
| Sat, Sep 9 | vs McNeese | W49-7 | 1-1 (0-0) | Mertz 193 | 197.1 | Johnson Jr. 119 | Pearsall 123 |
| Sat, Sep 16 | vs 11 Tennessee | W29-16 | 2-1 (1-0) | Mertz 166 | 151.0 | Etienne 172 | Wilson III 44 |
| Sat, Sep 23 | vs Charlotte | W22-7 | 3-1 (1-0) | Mertz 284 | 200.6 | Johnson Jr. 63 | Pearsall 99 |
| Sat, Sep 30 | @ Kentucky | L33-14 | 3-2 (1-1) | Mertz 244 | 167.0 | Johnson Jr. 42 | Pearsall 62 |
| Sat, Oct 7 | vs Vanderbilt | W38-14 | 4-2 (2-1) | Mertz 254 | 170.1 | Johnson Jr. 135 | Boardingham 99 |
| Sat, Oct 14 | @ South Carolina | W41-39 | 5-2 (3-1) | Mertz 423 | 157.2 | Johnson Jr. 50 | Pearsall 166 |
| Sat, Oct 28 | vs 1 Georgia * | L43-20 | 5-3 (3-2) | Mertz 230 | 149.8 | Johnson Jr. 82 | Pearsall 99 |
| Sat, Nov 4 | vs Arkansas | L39-36 OT | 5-4 (3-3) | Mertz 282 | 141.9 | Etienne 80 | Wilson III 90 |
| Sat, Nov 11 | @ 19 LSU | L52-35 | 5-5 (3-4) | Mertz 311 | 145.9 | Etienne 99 | Pearsall 103 |
| Sat, Nov 18 | @ 9 Missouri | L33-31 | 5-6 (3-5) | Mertz 183/ Brown 56 | 161.8/ 174.1 | Johnson Jr. 85 | Pearsall 72 |
| TOTAL | 326 PF - 307 PA | Mertz 2903 YD/ Brown 106 YD | Mertz 157.8 RAT/ Brown 157.5 RAT | Etienne 710/ Johnson Jr 710 | WR Pearsall 948/ WR Wilson 502/ TE Boardingham 289 |
FSU OVERVIEW
The Noles are undefeated and have a 45-24 victory over #5 LSU on their resume. FSU will be starting junior Tate Rodemaker of Valdosta, Georgia. Rodemaker has seen plenty of live action against Louisville '22 (6/10 109 YD 2 TD, 197.6 RAT), Florida '21 (1/2 7 YD, 0 TD), and some mop-up against Duke, NC State, Jacksonville State, and #12 Miami in '20 (17/29 130 YD, 0 TD 3 INT 75.6 RAT).
Mike Norvell is 29-16 (19-13) in his 4th season at FSU. He was 8-13 (6-10) in his first two years at FSU.
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | W-L | HIGH PASS | PASS RAT | HIGH RUSH | HIGH REC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Sep 3 | vs 5 LSU * | W45-24 | 1-0 (0-0) | Travis 342 | 203.0 | Benson 47 | Coleman 122 |
| Sat, Sep 9 | vs Southern Miss | W66-13 | 2-0 (0-0) | Travis 175 | 125.2 | Benson 79 | Coleman 48 |
| Sat, Sep 16 | @ Boston College | W31-29 | 3-0 (1-0) | Travis 222 | 167.7 | Hill 42 | Wilson 105 |
| Sat, Sep 23 | @Clemson | W31-24 OT | 4-0 (2-0) | Travis 289 | 140.2 | Benson 25 | Wilson 94 |
| Sat, Oct 7 | vs Virginia Tech | W39-17 | 5-0 (3-0) | Travis 170 | 162.0 | Benson 200 | Wilson 54 |
| Sat, Oct 14 | vs Syracuse | W41-3 | 6-0 (4-0) | Travis 284 | 135.6 | Toafili 93 | Coleman 140 |
| Sat, Oct 21 | vs 16 Duke | W38-20 | 7-0 (5-0) | Travis 268 | 150.3 | Travis 62 | Wilson 58 |
| Sat, Oct 28 | @ Wake Forest | W41-16 | 8-0 (6-0) | Travis 359 | 177.3 | Benson 55 | Benson 100 |
| Sat, Nov 4 | @ Pittsburgh | W24-7 | 9-0 (7-0) | Travis 360 | 154.3 | Benson 97 | Douglas 115 |
| Sat, Nov 11 | vs Miami | W27-20 | 10-0 (8-0) | Travis 265 | 143.7 | Benson 80 | Wilson 82 |
| Sat, Nov 18 | vs North Alabama | W58-13 | 11-0 (8-0) | Rodemaker 217 | 94.1 | Campbell Jr. 78 | Bell 59 |
| TOTAL | 441 PF - 186 PA | Travis 2,755 YD/ Rodemaker 376 YD | Travis 154.5 RAT/ Rodemaker 219.6 RAT | Benson 743 YD/ Toafili 322 YD/ Hill 181 YD | WR Coleman 615 YD/ WR Wilson 532 YD/ TE Bell 465 YD |
COMPARISON
No need to stare at the statistics. The Gators are a horrible football team. This team is 4 plays away from being 7-5, but they are also 1 play away from being 4-7. All the models would have the Noles winning the Battle of the Backups by 10.5 and it is hard to debate that Vegas prediction. I predict a 14-27 loss for the Gators, which will mercifully save us from watching the Gators lose in a bowl game and will make my wife happy that she gets to pile onto the honey-do list a little earlier. Sigh. Somebody kick me.
| FLA | FSU | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Offense | #40 4677YD 6.23YPP 40TD 425.2YPG | #17 4969YD 6.83YPP 53TD 451.7YPG |
| Total Defense | #91 4363YD 6.67YPP 36TD 396.6YPG | #24 3554YD 4.94YPP 22TD 323.1YPG |
| Strength of Schedule | #4 | #50 |
| Turnover Margin | #97 4 FUMREC/ 3INT/ -4TOM | #7 7FUMREC/ 8INT/ +10TOM |
| Missed Tackles | 104 | 108 |
| Penalties | #86 71PEN 505YD | #94 74PEN 706YD |
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