Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.
Recommended Videos
Jaguars get hammered in Detroit, draft talk officially begins
The Jacksonville Jaguars have played two of the top three offenses in the NFL this season, Kansas City and Philadelphia, but neither of those teams torched the Jaguars’ defense the way Detroit did on Sunday.
It was an ugly all-around performance for the Jaguars’ defense, who gave up the following in a 40-14 loss:
- A season-high point total
- 31 first downs
- 437 yards of total offense
- 337 yards of passing
- 36:50 of possession time
- 0 forced punts
It was certainly not the way Jacksonville wanted to build on the momentum of a thrilling last-second win over Baltimore the week prior, and it officially killed any thoughts of the Jaguars making a late surge for the postseason.
Now at 4-8 and with two games left against the Titans, one against the Jets and one against the Cowboys, it looks like it’s time for the Jaguars to focus on draft positioning.
Florida State to play bowl game in Orlando
Bowl selections were announced on Sunday, and not only will Florida State appear in a bowl game for the first time since 2019, the Seminoles will play in a bowl game in the state for the first time since appearing in the 2016 Orange Bowl.
The Seminoles will head down to Orlando to play in the Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma on Dec. 29, which should be a win for both the bowl game and fans who don’t have to have a big travel budget.
That won’t be the case for Florida, which will play in the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon State.
Central Florida falls to Tulane in rematch, loses out on New Year’s Six game
It couldn’t have been a more disappointing finish to the season for Central Florida, which lost 45-28 at Tulane in the American Athletic Conference championship game.
It was a stark contrast to the first game between the teams at Tulane on Nov. 12, won 38-31 by Central Florida.
The Knights had to play the game at Tulane instead of at home following a stunning loss at home to Navy on Nov. 19, and couldn’t repeat its earlier win at Tulane.
While Tulane earned a New Year’s Six bowl bid against USC in the Cotton Bowl, the Knights will finish their season in the Military Bowl against Duke on Dec. 28.