GAINESVILLE — The Florida–Florida State rivalry died Saturday night at The Swamp, and the body barely twitched.
Oh, sure, technically the game was played. The helmets clacked. The bands played. The mascots waved. And, yes, the Florida Gators, behind bulldozing running back Jaden Baugh’s 266 rushing yards, ended their nightmarish season with a dominating 40-21 victory over Florida State — if you want to call surviving this mudslide of a football season a victory of any sort.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, with our neighbors and with whatever football gods we deeply wronged over the past decade: this season’s edition of the once-mighty rivalry felt more like two abandoned shopping carts drifting toward each other in a Publix parking lot.