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Josh Pate breaks down Florida’s regular season finale against rival Florida State
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Florida will head to rival Florida State for the last contest of the regular season aiming to avoid a losing streak. Vanderbilt upset visiting Florida 31-24 last weekend, while Florida State ranks No. 16 in the CFP with an 8-3 overall record.
Add it all up and 247Sports’ Josh Pate is predicting a double-digit victory for Florida State in the annual rivalry game.
"They're playing the kind of team, potentially, where (Anthony) Richardson can go off and they still lose, and I don't think Florida fans are used to thinking that."@LateKickJosh breaks down Friday's game between Florida (+9.5) and Florida State ? pic.twitter.com/SaQ2daGpzy
— 247Sports (@247Sports) November 24, 2022
Pate is effusive in his praise for Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has passed for 2,351 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for 613 yards and 9 scores.
However, Pate believes Florida State will still win even if Richardson puts up an insane stat line. Florida State is riding a 4-game winning streak, with all the victories by at least 25 points.
“Anthony Richardson is the most dynamic player in this game. If Anthony Richardson goes off, you think to yourself if you’re a Florida fan, ‘Well if he goes off, we win the game, right?'” Pate said. “They’re playing a pretty good team this Saturday. And they’re playing the kind of team potentially where Richardson can go off and they still lose…That’s called might not matter energy. I think Florida State’s got that right now.”
Florida leads the Sunshine Showdown 37-26-2 all-time vs. Florida State, with 3 consecutive victories in the series. Florida edged Florida State 24-21 last season in Gainesville.
Florida-Florida State is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Friday and will be televised on ABC.
