Mr. Napier’s Wild Ride came to an end for 2024 with a 31-11 win at Florida State. It certainly wasn’t pretty, and it was obvious that Florida had a mental letdown after the previous 2 games, but any win over the Criminoles is a good one. It was a cold night in Taliban City, but an even colder one for Criminole fans, as they contemplate their poor incoming recruiting class and the fact they are stuck with Mike NorveLLLLLLLLLL and his remaining $80M+ contract with a current buyout well above $50M. LMAO
I have been to 43 consecutive regular-season games in this rivalry, and can say that this FSU team was HORRIFIC. I mean, so bad that even though the Gator offense was struggling with a lack of focus and through some questionable playcalling, I was never worried about getting the win. This is easily the worst team they have fielded since 1973 and 1974, when they won a total 1 game over those 2 seasons and almost disbanded the program. The famous quote from “Conan the Barbarian” pleasantly came to mind……”What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.”
The Florida defense feasted on true freshman QB Luke Kromenhouk and a turnstile-like O-line all night. They racked up 8 sacks, forced 8 fumbles – recovering 5 – and only allowed 1 sustained drive the entire game until garbage time in the 4th quarter. The timing of 2 of those turnovers was devastating to the Criminoles. A strip-sack by DE Jack Pyburn led to Florida’s first score on a short field, and a botched pitch at the Gator 3-yard line on the aforementioned sustained drive took away what little momentum they had and gutted them mentally. Tyreke Sapp terrorized Kromenhouk and lived in the backfield the entire game. DTs Cam Jackson and Caleb Banks both were injured early but returned to plug the middle. The secondary really wasn’t challenged, and FSU only completed a few throws more than 10 yards beyond the LOS. At one time in the 3rd quarter, Florida was playing 5 true freshmen on defense, and even then they held up for the most part. This was essentially a controlled scrimmage for the defense – that’s how ineffective and impotent FSU’s offense was.
The Gator offense played a ‘C’ game at best. There were some poor routes run by the WRs – one leading to an interception that ended a potential TD drive. The O-line struggled at right guard with the absence of Damien George, and DJ Lagway was not as sharp as usual. He will need to work on setting his feet more often and also his arm angle when making shorter throws – it cost him an easy TD throw to Elijhah Badger early in the 3rd quarter and also led to some series-ending incompletions to open receivers. Fortunately the running game was working like it has most of the season. Jaden Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson alternated most of the first half and were effective, and Montrell Johnson effectively ended the competitive phase of the game early in the 4th quarter with his 65-yard burst for a TD and a 24-3 lead. It was fitting that he was untouched on the run, perfectly epitomizing F$U’s lost season. Florida easily could have scored 2-3 more touchdowns if it played with the intensity and focus of the previous 2 weeks, but did enough to stay comfortably ahead and close out the season on a 3-game winning streak.
Florida finishes 2024 at 7-5, with 3 straight important victories. This has led to a surge in recruiting, bringing the class ranking up from a shockingly-low 51 at the start of November to hovering around the Top 10. The Gators were able to flip a handful of 4* players (including 2 from FSU) and finally close on some others, which just shows that a lot of kids were waiting to see if Napier would ever put a winning product on the field. This finish is a complete 180 from the end of 2023, where Florida had 6 quality recruits decommit the last month of the season during a disastrous 5-game losing streak. The next step is to carry the current momentum into the first portal cycle that runs from December 9-28. Here’s hoping the alleged new commitment to increased funding for NIL yields dividends, as there are still some critical roster spots to fill at OT, DT, WR, EDGE, and S. It’s nice to see the high school recruiting improve, but none of those kids can immediately fill those roster needs in a starting role.
The Gators now await their bowl game destination and opponent. After the Playoff games, bowl games are even more dreck than ever, with many players either opting out to prepare for the NFL Draft or going into the portal and looking for a new school/opportunity. In most cases these games will be scrimmages between teams that are very different than in the regular season. The main benefit is the extra practices for the young and/or inexperienced players in preparation for spring practice, summer workouts, and fall practice. The start of the 2025 regular season essentially begins now – at least this offseason will be filled with some legitimate hope and enthusiasm for the future.
Go Gators!