Give him the Baugh! Jadan Baugh runs wild in Florida's 40-21 victory over rival FSU

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — If Tulane's Jon Sumrall is Florida's next head coach, he should make keeping Jadan Baugh a priority.

Baugh ran for a career-high 266 yards and two touchdowns — the second-most rushing yards in school history — and Florida denied rival Florida State a chance to become bowl eligible with a 40-21 victory Saturday in the Swamp.

“I always try to go out and play my hardest because you never know who's watching,” Baugh said. “Your first impression is your last impression.”

This one will linger. The sophomore carried 38 times, punishing the Seminoles all night, and finished with the program's most yards on the ground since Emmitt Smith tallied 316 against New Mexico in 1989. His last touch was a 12-yard TD scamper on a fourth-and-3 play with less than a minute remaining in which he broke two tackles.

Baugh said interim coach Billy Gonzales told him to slide and not score. His response: “Don't do me like that.” No one complained after he put an exclamation point on a dominant performance.

“Jadan Baugh ran like somebody was trying to kill him all night,” center Jake Slaughter said.

DJ Lagway added three touchdown passes for the Gators (4-8), who ended a four-game losing streak, won for the first time since firing coach Billy Napier in mid-October, and provided a final glimpse of what many thought they could be this season.

Florida State (5-7) played its first game since announcing coach Mike Norvell would return next season. But the Seminoles lost for the seventh time in nine games and failed to extend their season. They also lost to Florida for the fifth time in the last seven meetings.

Baugh had a lot to do with the latest one. He became the first Florida player since 2004 to top 200 yards rushing against the ’Noles.

“We came into (the game) saying that's a guy you have to stop. For him to have that kind of production is a complete failure,” Norvell said.

Equally impressive, Baugh became the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Kelvin Taylor in 2015. Baugh became the 10th player in school history to top the single-season milestone, joining a list that includes Smith, Fred Taylor and Errict Rhett. Baugh is the first underclassman since Smith in 1987 to accomplish the feat.

Lagway, Baugh and others put on a show in the team’s season finale — an audition of sorts for Florida’s next coach. After missing out on Lane Kiffin, the Gators have targeted Sumrall as Napier’s replacement and could make it official as early as Sunday.

Sumrall would remain with the Green Wave for next week’s American Conference title game and through the College Football Playoff, if Tulane gets a berth.

Florida State trailed from the second possession and never posed a threat. Thomas Castellanos threw for 240 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. He also led the team with 77 yards rushing and a score and a lost fumble.

Florida State: The Seminoles are 7-18 since winning the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2023 and getting snubbed by the College Football Playoff selection committee. Norvell has vowed to make changes heading into 2026, but FSU is essentially in the same position Florida was at the end of last season — with a coach on the hot seat and facing long odds.

Florida: Lagway, Baugh and a defense that finished with seven sacks could be building blocks for the next regime.

Florida State: Norvell has to find a quarterback and determine what quick fixes he can make to make the Seminoles more consistently competitive in 2026.

Florida: The Gators expect to have their next head coach soon. And even though it appears to be another guy from the Group of Five, they have to hope for better results than Napier's failed tenure.

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