GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jacob Pugh and Levonta Taylor turned takeaways into touchdowns and helped Florida State beat in-state rival Florida for the fifth consecutive year, 38-22 Saturday.
Pugh returned a fumble 16 yards for a score in the first quarter, and Taylor returned an interception 18 yards for another in the second. Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks was responsible for both costly turnovers.
"As a group to many turnovers," said Gators interim head coach Randy Shannon. "Two of them went for touchdowns and then another one gave them field position and another opportunity to score. Twenty-one points off of turnovers, you can't win games that way."
The Seminoles (5-6) didn't need much more against offensively challenged Florida, which ended the season by losing six of its final seven games.
The Gators (4-7) actually lost twice Saturday since former Oregon coach Chip Kelly picked UCLA over Florida. The Gators had targeted Kelly to replace Jim McElwain, who was let go last month following a lopsided loss to Georgia.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin, school president Kent Fuchs and several other Florida executives met with Kelly last week in New Hampshire, but failed to secure a deal. Kelly then interviewed with UCLA and seemingly snubbed Florida.
The Gators will now renew their search efforts, potentially targeting UCF's Scott Frost. Frost has the 13th-ranked Knights (11-0) undefeated and playing in the American Athletic Conference championship game next week against No. 17 Memphis.
Florida State, meanwhile, moved a step close to becoming bowl eligible for the 36th consecutive year. The Seminoles can extend their NCAA record by beating Louisiana-Monroe next Saturday at home.
"We put ourselves in position to keep 40 and 35 alive which is extremely important to all those kids and everybody that's ever played here and will ever play here," said Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher. "It would be very easy to look past something like this. I'm very proud of our guys in that regard. Our guys competed very hard and we're blessed to be a part of this great rivalry."
If FSU plays like it did against Florida, it should have no problem making the postseason once again.
The Seminoles made Franks look silly most of the day, sacking him five times and forcing four turnovers. They would have returned his third interception for a touchdown, but linebacker Matthew Thomas inexplicably slid before the goal line and was ruled down at the 1. Thomas also was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for celebrating, so the Seminoles got the ball at the 16.
James Blackman connected with Auden Tate for a 3-yard score six plays later, making it 38-16 and sending many of the 89,066 fans on hand to the exits.
Blackman completed 10 of 21 passes for 128 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.
Franks was 18-of-39 passing for 184 yards, with two touchdowns and three picks.