Florida State Falls to UF

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida State football team suffered a 40-21 loss at Florida on Saturday evening in Gainesville.

The Seminoles (5-7) had 407 total yards of offense, 240 passing and 167 rushing, while the Gators (4-8) had 440 yards, 272 on the ground and 168 through the air. FSU averaged more than 14 yards per completion and forced one turnover that led to seven points.

Quarterback Tommy Castellanos was 17-for-28 passing for 240 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He added a team-best 77 rushing yards on 19 attempts with a touchdown.

Wide receiver Lawayne McCoy led the team with six catches for 110 yards, both career-high totals, and he and wide receiver Micahi Danzy each had a touchdown reception.

With his third touchdown catch of the season, along with his three rushing scores in 2025, Danzy becomes the first FSU player since 2019 with three receiving and three rushing touchdowns in a single season and just the second wide receiver, joining Peter Warrick in 1999.

Wide receiver Duce Robinson had 60 receiving yards, including a game-best long of 44, to move up to No. 9 on FSU's single-season list. He concludes the year with 1,081 receuving yards.

Defensively, linebacker Stefon Thompson led the team with 10 total tackles and was one of four players with 0.5 sacks. Defensive back Shamar Arnoux had a team-best six solo tackles. Defensive back Edwin Joseph had an interception in the second quarter, his third of the year and fourth of his career.

Florida took a 3-0 lead on its first possession of the game with a 23-yard field goal just over five minutes into the game. UF made it 10-0 with a five-yard touchdown pass to end an 11-play drive on its next possession.

FSU answered with a touchdown of its own to cut the deficit to 10-7 on the next drive. Castellanos' 13-yard pass to Danzy on third down capped the nine-play, 75-yard drive that took 4:10 and began with a 12-yard rush and a 13-yard completion by Castellanos. The score came with 13:39 left in the half.

The Gators then extended their lead back to 10, at 17-7, with a touchdown on the ensuing drive. A nine-yard pass concluded the eight-minute drive with 5:38 on the clock in the second quarter.

The Seminoles drove to the Florida 20 on their next possession, but a fumble turned the ball over. However, two plays later, Joseph picked off the pass at the 43 and returned it 21 yards to the 22.

That set up a quick touchdown for Florida State to trim the deficit to three at 17-14 with 1:11 remaining in the half. Castellanos ran it in from four yards out to punctuate the quick four-play, 21-yard drive in just 49 seconds.

The FSU defense forced a punt before time expired on the half.

A pair of sacks helped force a three-and-out on UF's opening drive of the second half. The Gators scored on their next drive, a three-yard touchdown pass, to make it 24-14 with 9:47 left in the third quarter. The score came at the end of the three-play, 40-yard drive.

Florida extended the lead to 31-14 on a 22-yard rushing score. With just under three minutes remaining in the quarter, it ended an eight-play, 58-yard drive. A 54-yard field goal with 7:38 remaining in the game made it 34-14.

The Seminoles answered with a touchdown, a 17-yard completion from Castellanos to McCoy with 3:07 on the clock. Making it 34-21, the 11-play, 83-yard drive in 4:26 was kept alive by an 18-yard pass from Castellanos to McCoy on 4th-and-11. The duo set up the score with a 27-yard completion one play before.

Florida State attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by Florida. A 12-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left made it 40-21 after a two-minute drive. The Seminoles drove down the field in the final minute, but an interception ended the game.

Team Stats

Tommy Castellanos

Players Mentioned

Shamar Arnoux

Tommy Castellanos

Micahi Danzy

Edwin Joseph

Lawayne McCoy

Duce Robinson

Stefon Thompson

Florida State University Athletics