Jadan Baugh scores one of his two touchdowns in a career performance Saturday night against Florida State. (Photo: Madi Gemme/UAA Communications)
That's The Baugh Game: Gators Pound Seminoles To Close Season
Saturday, November 29, 2025 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — They jumped and hugged and clapped and did what winners of a rivalry game do. The joy that comes with a victory, a rarity for the Gators this season, made a long-awaited return on a crisp Saturday night.
Florida (4-8) capped a tumultuous season that included the midseason firing of head coach Billy Napier, who was replaced by interim coach Billy Gonzales, with a 40-21 victory over Florida State (5-7) in front of an enthusiastic sellout at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The Gators pounded the Seminoles into submission thanks to the powerful running of sophomore tailback Jadan Baugh, who rushed for a career-high 266 yards on 38 carries. Baugh scored on touchdown runs of 22 and 12 yards in a performance that will go down as one of the most impressive in the rivalry's 67-year history.
"Jadan Baugh ran like someone was trying to kill him all night," said senior center Jake Slaughter. "Anytime, as an offensive lineman, you run the ball like we did tonight, you take pride in games like this. It's a lot of fun. Great way to go out."
Baugh set the tone on Florida's first drive when he carried four times for 31 yards, setting up a 23-yard field goal from Trey Smack and an early lead. He kept going and going, his 266 yards the second-most in program history, trailing only the 316-yard outing Emmitt Smith had in a victory over New Mexico in 1989.
Gators interim coach Billy Gonzales celebrates his first career victory on Saturday night. (Photo: Madi Gemme/UAA Communications)
Afterward, after Slaughter helped dump a bucket of Gatorade on Gonzales after the longtime assistant's first career win, Baugh carried a sign around the field with "Baugh Game" scribbled on it. Baugh carried 38 times and put an exclamation point on the victory with his 12-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds remaining.
"Shoot, Coach told me don't score. He told me to slot," Baugh said. "I'm like, 'Coach, don't do me like that. We don't like them guys.' I feel like it was good for our team to just score at the end of the game."
His teammates and the sold-out crowd definitely enjoyed the moment, relieved Florida's four-game losing streak was over with a second consecutive victory over the Seminoles. The Gators avoided the program's first nine-loss season since 1979, and in doing so, prevented FSU from becoming bowl eligible.
Gonzales, with a wet towel draped around his neck, credited the Gators for continuing to fight as losses piled up late in the season. Following Napier's dismissal, Florida lost to Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee before breaking through with a feel-good win to send Gonzales out a winner.
"What an unbelievable day for our seniors," Gonzales said. "They're a special group. They continue to keep this team together. I'm super, super proud of this team. Obviously, it didn't start the way we wanted to in the first couple games. I'll tell you what, the way we finished today, it was the first time in my opinion we played a complete game — offense, defense, special teams."
Florida cranked out 440 yards of total offense, with Baugh accounting for all but six of the Gators' 272 rushing yards. Quarterback DJ Lagway finished 15 of 24 for 168 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and the defense bent but didn't break after the Seminoles closed to within 17-14 on quarterback Jordan Castellanos' 4-yard run with 1:11 remaining before halftime.
The Gators responded with 17 unanswered points on a 3-yard scoring pass from Lagway to tight end Hayden Hansen, Baugh's 22-yard run, and Smack's 54-yard field goal.
They could finally relax. They could finally breathe. They could finally block out the noise and enjoy one last celebration as a team.
In the coming days, Florida will announce the hire of its next head coach after a month of uncertainty and rumors regarding Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and several other candidates, including Tulane's Jon Sumrall and Washington's Jedd Fisch.
None of that mattered as the Gators roamed around the field to take pictures with fans, coaches and teammates after their first win since a homecoming victory over Mississippi State on Oct. 18 in Napier's final game.
"The season didn't go how we wanted it to," Lagway said. "It's been a hard year. I feel like we clicked offensively. We ran the ball at will. I feel like just a great day at the park."
Florida players celebrate their victory over Florida State with fans at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night. (Photo: Jordan Perez/UAA Communications)
As years pass and fans and media view the Gators' win over Florida State on Saturday from a distance, Baugh's performance is what they will remember most.
He entered Saturday's game needing 96 yards to become Florida's first 1,000-yard rusher since Kelvin Taylor a decade ago. He took care of that milestone in the first half, carrying 18 times for 101 yards by halftime.
He continued to run through Seminoles in the second half, never showing signs of slowing down in eclipsing his previous career high of 150 yards in the victory over Mississippi State last month.
"What a workhorse," Gonzales said. "Offensive line did an incredible job giving him the opportunity to make those holes and continue to run."
A sophomore from Atlanta, Baugh was a consistent piece of an inconsistent team. His performance Saturday was his fourth 100-yard game of the season, and he ran for more than 90 yards in two other games.
As others appreciated the context of what he did against FSU, Baugh said he needed more time to digest what transpired. He spoke to reporters afterward, clutching the ball he carried on the second-quarter run that put him over 1,000 yards.
"I don't think I can wrap my head around it yet," he said.
Gonzales, who has been at UF during national championship seasons and disappointing ones such as this, had no such problem.
"We talked about being able to feed him in the offense," Gonzales said. "For us to win, we had to run the ball. Put the ball in one of our best players' hands — not the best player on the team — but one of the best players in the country.
"He's elite."
In the end, he made the final statement of the season for the Gators: Baugh Game.
