Jadan Baugh, who\u2019s been the linchpin of the Gators\u2019 offense all of 2025, rushed for 266 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries.<\/p>\n
\u201cJadan Baugh ran like somebody was trying to kill him all night,\u201d Gators offensive lineman Jake Slaughter said. \u201cI think we played pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the second quarter, he eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, becoming the first Gators running back since Kelvin Taylor to reach the millennium mark, which is widely accepted as the standard of a good tailback.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing something right,\u201d Baugh said. \u201cBeing in a category with those guys is just amazing. I don\u2019t think I can wrap my head around it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the first drive of the game, Baugh set the tone for his performance with a 21-yard run to the left side of the field. However, he exploded in the third quarter in particular and churned four rushes of 10-plus yards, eventually finding the end zone on a 22-yard halfback toss.<\/p>\n
DJ Lagway also had one of his better performances of his sophomore year. He finished with 168 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The sophomore tossed a 5-yard touchdown on a slant pass to J. Michael Sturdivant on the second drive of the game. Lagway also found tight end Tony Livingston toward the end of the first half for a 9-yard touchdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve come so far,\u201d Lagway said of his progress in 2025. \u201cI\u2019m just thankful to be able to play football today.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, even as Florida\u2019s offense found spurts of success, Florida State kept up, almost solely relying on quarterback Tommy Castellanos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Castellanos ran and tossed a touchdown in the first half and had the Seminoles trailing 17-14 going into the locker room. He finished with 240 passing yards, two touchdown passes and an interception along with 19 carries for 77 yards and a rushing touchdown.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the Gators broke away in the second half behind Baugh\u2019s phenomenal outing on the ground. He finished with 155 yards in the second half.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have that, it\u2019s an easy day at the ballpark,\u201d Lagway said. \u201cI\u2019m excited for him, his future.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Gators\u2019 final offensive play of the year, Baugh broke three tackles for a 12-yard touchdown run. Florida ended the contest by intercepting Castellanos on the final play of regulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Florida will head into the offseason with a multitude of questions left to answer. The Gators are in the midst of a coaching search, which will undoubtedly shake up Florida\u2019s current coaching staff and play a factor in players\u2019 decisions to return to the program.<\/p>\n
The transfer portal opens Jan. 2 and will remain open for 15 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org<\/a>. Follow him on X @lukeadrag<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.\n <\/p>\n Luke Adragna<\/p>\n Luke is The Alligator’s Sports Editor and is a senior sports journalism student. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his cat named Pete and going down a rabbit hole of niche professional athletes (shoutout Charles Sims).<\/p>\n ![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ee76ab81-bdd7-4b48-844f-6b9301991cbe.sized-1000x1000.jpg\")
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