TALLAHASSEE — One by one, Florida football players lit victory cigars following UF’s 31-11 win over rival Florida State on Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Offensive linemen Austin Barber and Brendan Crenshaw-Dickson returned to the field postgame, puffing the sweet-smelling smoke into the night sky. Both raised their fists towards Florida Gators fans who remained in the stands on a chilly, late-November night.
Not only did UF snap a two-game losing streak to the rival Seminoles, but the Gators (7-5) also clinched their first winning season since 2020 and first winning campaign in three seasons under head coach Billy Napier.
It seemed improbable when Florida started the season 1-2 following a 33-20 home loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 14, when rumors swirled that Napier wouldn’t last the full season as UF’s coach.
“Midseason, that is when it all kind of came together,” Napier said. “Think the players did a good job of kind of putting their blinders on in the first month, and didn’t allow excuses, didn’t allow blame, you know, and really just went back to work.”
Now, Florida finds itself in position to close with a top-10 recruiting class on National Signing Day next week, with a promising quarterback, D.J. Lagway, who improved to 5-1 as a starter and has posted wins over rivals LSU and FSU as a true freshman.
“It means a lot to the future of this program,” said Florida senior running back Montrell Johnson Jr., who surpassed 3,000 yards for his career with a 65-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. “Just going there with these guys, myself included have set the platform to stand up for the guys in the future to go out and make this program great again.”
After early National Signing Day, Florida will prepare for its first bowl trip since 2022 and have a busy offseason in the transfer portal. UF’s current three-game win streak matches its longest under Napier, last achieved from Sept. 9-23 last year against McNeese, Tennessee and Charlotte.
Beating FSU represents another step in UF’s attempt to revive a program that struggled in its first two seasons under Napier.
“It was just like relief off my back,” Florida defensive end Tyreak Sapp said. “Two years, losing to these guys. It was a great group of guys they put together. They finally put the team. It’s always going to be a challenge. It’s a rivalry game. We don’t like them, and they don’t like us. So, for the last two years, this has been sitting on us.”
Sapp did his part, recording two of UF’s eight sacks as the Gator defense held an opponent under 17 points for the third straight game.
Offensively, Lagway wasn’t asked to do much, but did enough, completing 14 of 22 passes for 133 yards with two TDs and an interception. Florida led just 7-0 until Lagway connected with receiver Marcus Burke, putting UF up 14-0 with 25 seconds left in the first half.
“We didn’t have our fastball on offense,” Napier said. “You know, I think it was evident there. We had some missed opportunities.”
Lagway went back to Burke after a miscommunication with Burke and receiver Chimere Dike led to his lone interception earlier in the second quarter.
“It was huge for me to come back to Burke because he felt like he let everybody down,” Lagway said. “It was a team effort. We just all had to get on the same page. It’s so great to go back to him on that route and get that touchdown.”
The 6-foot-3, 239-pound Lagway will be used as a recruiting tool for transfers as much as anyone, as he’s shown both poise and big-play ability in leading UF’s offense through six starts and 12 games this season.
“I’m definitely going to be involved in the transfer portal and the recruiting class but the biggest thing is keeping the guys that we have here,” Lagway said. “That’s the biggest thing. Just making sure that everyone’s locked in and we can add and build on this momentum we have at the end of the season.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
