The state of Florida looks ready to reassert itself on the college football stage, as Miami opens the season ranked No. 10 and Florida at No. 15, while Florida State and USF also appear set for strong campaigns. It is likely the state could finish the year with three or four teams in the rankings and at least one in contention for the College Football Playoff.
CFB In Florida Week 1 Recap
USF v 25 Boise St (-5.5) W, 34-7
Fresh off a CFB Playoff appearance in the previous season, 25 Boise State looked to open up the season with a win on the road vs USF. Boise State got off to a strong start, leading 7-0 after the opening quarter. Kicker Nico Gramatica got USF started with a 52-yard field goal to open the second, and the Bulls never looked back. Quarter Back (QB) Byrum Brown led the Bulls to victory with 23-yard and 15-yard touchdown runs, running over defenders on his way in. Yet the highlight of the game was QB Locklan Hewlett, who, disguised as the punter, threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to put the bulls up 17-7. USF appears poised to be legit contenders in the American conference this season.
QB Byrum Brown #17 16/24 210YD 14CAR 43YD 2TD
RB Cartevious Norton #5 7CAR 15YD 1TD
WR Keshaun Singleton #11 5REC 93YD 1TD
LB Jhalyn Shuler #7 14TAC 1TFL 1FR
15 Florida (-45.5) v LIU W, 55-0
The No.15-ranked Gators delivered on what was promised to be a blowout game. Heisman-candidate QB DJ Lagway played elite football in his limited snaps in what is poised to be a special season for him. The Gators’ defense was stifling, holding the Sharks to just 86 total yards and forcing two turnovers. The Gators will gladly take their easy week one win amid having one of the toughest schedules in the country.
QB DJ Lagway #2 15/18 120YD 3TD
RB Jaden Baugh #13 9CAR 104YD 1TD
WR Vernell Brown Jr. #8 3REC 79YD
DB Bryce Thornton #18 2FR
Florida St v 8 Alabama (-13.5) W, 31-17
Fresh off a 2-10 2024 campaign, Florida State was in for a tough test against the number eight ranked Crimson Tide. Alabama started the game as they should, opening with a touchdown on a 17-play, 8-minute drive. However, the Seminoles would respond in a big way. With a game plan focused on a grueling run game, the Noles would score 24 unanswered points, behind rushing touchdowns from their QB, WR, and RB. Led by transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos, the Noles would end up securing the win and holding the title of upset of the week.
QB Tommy Castellanos #1 9/14 152YD 16CAR 78YD 1TD
WR Micahi Danzy #18 3CAR 56YD 1TD
DB Earl Little Jr. #0 9TAC 1TFL
UCF (-20.5) v Jacksonville St W, 17-10
While many predicted UCF to roll over Jacksonville State in their home opener, the first half wrapped up with a score of 0-0. Jacksonville State running back Andrew Paul opened the 4th quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Gamecocks and 10-3 lead with 12 minutes left in the game. However, QB Tavean Jackson led the Knights to a comeback by throwing a 39-yard and a 33-yard touchdown pass with the latter coming with only one minute left on the clock. DB Jordan Bellamy sealed the game with an interception to secure a positive but shaky 1-0 start to the season for the Knights.
QB Tayven Jackson #2 17/24 282YD 2TD
RB Myles Montgomery #22 21CAR 79YD 3REC 71yd
WR DJ Black #9 3REC 59YD 1TD
TE Dylan Wade #0 4REC 54YD 1TD
DB Jayden Bellamy #29 1INT 4TAC 1PD
10 Miami vs 6 Notre Dame (-2.5)
The No. 10-ranked Hurricanes last top 10 victory also came against the Fighting Irish, the last time they matched up in 2017. Led by Georgia transfer QB Carson Beck, Miami took a 14-7 lead into the half behind a miraculous touchdown catch from WR CJ Daniels. Miami scored early in the third quarter to take a 21-7 lead, but redshirt freshman QB CJ Carr led the Irish to a comeback and tied the game at 24 with three minutes left. The Hurricanes refused to go down, slowly marching down the field and setting up a 47-yard field goal with a minute on the clock. Kicker Carter Davis split the uprights to give the Hurricanes a 27-24 victory and a momentous win to start the season.
QB Carson Beck #11 20/31 205YD 2TD
RB CharMar Brown #6 15CAR 54YD 1TD
WR Malachi Toney #10 6REC 82YD 1TD
DL Rueben Bain #4 6TAC 1INT 0.5SAC 0.5TFL
CFB In Florida Week Two Recap
14 Florida St (1-0) (-43.5) vs East Texas A&M (0-1) W, 77-3
Fresh off the win over a top 10 Alabama team, the Seminoles continued their momentum by scoring on their first 10 drives against an inferior E Texas A&M team. Florida State’s quarterback room averaged nearly 20 yards per pass on route to gaining 730 yards of total offense. Seminole fans will be more than thrilled with their 2-0 start to the season, matching last season’s win total, as they head into their bye week.
QB Tommy Castellanos #1 8/11 237YD 3TD
RB Samuel Singleton Jr. #28 4CAR 82YD 1TD
WR Duce Robinson #0 5REC 173YD 2TD
DB Earl Little Jr #0 2Tac 1PD 1INT
5 Miami (1-0) (-54.5) vs Bethune-Cookman (0-1) W, 45-3
The No.5-ranked Hurricanes were poised to continue their strong start to the season coming in as huge favorites against Bethune-Cookman. The Miami defense held the Wildcats to under 100 yards passing and, on the ground, allowing only a single field goal. Transfer quarterback and Heisman hopeful Carson Beck only threw two incompletions after breaking the Miami record with 15 straight completions to start the game. The Hurricanes will play their 3rd game in a row at home next week as they take on a trending 18th ranked USF team.
QB Carson Beck #11 22/24 267YD 2TD
RB Mark Fletcher Jr. #4 11CAR 86YD 2TD
WR CJ Daniels #7 5REC 73YD 2TD
DB Keionte Scott #0 3TAC 3TFL
13 Florida (1-0) (-18.5) vs USF (1-0) L, 16-18
Both teams entered this week two matchup on the backs of strong week one performance. The Gators still entered the game as heavy favorites and with home field advantage, but it proved to be a different story. In a first half full of field goals, Florida took a 9-6 lead into the break. USF QB Byrum Brown broke open the scoring with a 66-yard touchdown pass to WR Keshaun Singleton. After giving up a safety to go down 15-9, star QB DJ Lagway marched the Gators down the field on the way to a Eugene Wilson III touchdown reception. USF’s Byrum Brown responded by marching them down the field and, after a pair of Florida penalties, set up Kicker Nico Gramatica with a chip shot 20-yard field goal to complete the massive road upset. After the two-point victory, USF exploded into the rankings at number 18 and knocked Florida all the way out of them.
USF QB Byrum Brown #17 23/36 263YD 1TD 17CAR 66YD
UF QB DJ Lagway #2 22/33 222YD 1TD 1INT
UF RB Jaden Baugh #13 18CAR 93YD
UF WR Eugene Wilson #3 7REC 60YD 1TD
USF WR Keshaun Singleton #11 2REC 75YD 1TD
UF EDGE Tyreak Sapp #94 5TAC 2TFL 1SK
USF DB James Chenault #9 3TAC 1INT
UCF (1-0) (-37) vs North Carolina A&T (0-1) W, 68-7
The Knights bounced back after a shaky week one win by completely dominating North Carolina A&T. UCF RB Jaden Nixon opened the game with a 96-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff for UCF’s first kick return touchdown since 2017. The Knights had three other 60 plus yard touchdown plays in route to a 68-7 win over the Aggies. UCF will take their 2-0 start to the season and head into their bye week to prepare for a tough test against the UNC Tar Heels.
QB Tavien Jackson #2 12/21 189YD 3CAR 1YD 2TD
QB Jacurri Brown #11 5CAR 106YD 2TD
RB Jaden Nixon #5 4CAR 156YD 2TD
DT Rodney Lora #94 3TFL 1FR 1TD
CFB In Florida Week 3 Preview
(2-0) (-18.5) 4:30ET
The newly ranked Bulls have arguably the best resume in the country this season, with two ranked wins over Boise State and the Florida Gators. They have another tough task ahead of them, coming in as 3 possession underdogs on the road against a top-ranked Miami team that has a top 10 win of their own and has a +45-score differential in just two games. The Hurricanes look to add another ranked win to their resume and prove once again to be a top team in the country.
Florida (1-1) vs 3 LSU (2-0) (-8.5) 7:30ET
Coming off a defeating loss to USF, which has many fans calling for HC Billy Napier’s job, the Gators face another tough test on the road against an elite LSU team. The Gators cannot afford more letdowns, having five top 10 matchups left on their schedule. However, it will take a near perfect showing for Florida to pull off the rivalry win on the road in Death Valley.
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