No. 16 Florida State hangs on to hold off Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4429275/trey-benson” target=”_new” rel=”noopener”>Trey Benson‘s 17-yard scoring run with 4:06 left in the game was his third touchdown of the game and gave No. 16 Florida State a 45-38 win over rival Florida on Friday night.

Benson rushed for 111 yards on 20 carries and http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4360799/jordan-travis” target=”_new” rel=”noopener”>Jordan Travis ran for 83 yards and two scores as the Seminoles piled up 228 yards on the round – the seventh straight time they surpassed the 200-yard rushing mark.

Florida threatened on its last drive in the final minutes, but Anthony Richardson’s fourth-down pass over the middle fell incomplete with 39 seconds to go.

Travis also completed 13 of 30 passes for 270 yards as Florida State (9-3) completed a sweep of its state rivals for the first time since 2016. The Seminoles routed Miami 45-3 on Nov. 5.

Florida State trailed 24-21 at the half, but opened the second half with scores on its next three drives (field goal, touchdown, touchdown) to jump in front 38-24. The Gators (6-6) answered with a pair of touchdowns, one each by Montrell Johnson and http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4685350/trevor-etienne” target=”_new” rel=”noopener”>Trevor Etienne, to tie the game with 7:41 left.

Richardson completed just 9 of 27 passes for 198 yards and three TDs. http://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/4428209/ricky-pearsall” target=”_new” rel=”noopener”>Ricky Pearsall had a career-best 148 receiving yards, including touchdowns catches of 52 and 43 yards in the first half.

TAKEAWAYS

Florida: The Gators ran for 262 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, but the passing game was non-existent for much of the second half.

Florida State: The Seminoles gave up a season-high 38 points, but made a stop on the final drive to secure their best regular season since 2016.

UP NEXT

Florida: Awaits bowl selection announcement.

Florida State: Awaits bowl selection announcement.