A perfect time for payback
Tired of losing to FSU, No. 11 Gators look to end 5-game series skid
GAINESVILLE — Growing up near Mobile, Ala., running back Lamical Perine felt that the Iron Bowl was the gold standard among rivalry games.
After two losses to Florida State, the junior is all in on the GatorsSeminoles series.
Perine hopes his teammates are as tired of losing as he is and ready to snap a five-game skid against the Seminoles when the teams square off at noon Saturday in Doak
Campbell Stadium.
“It’s just something you really should just have in your head, ‘Dang, I’m tired of getting whupped, you feel me?’ ” Perine said. “It’s either you’re going to man up and try to fight back or you’re just going to keep being beat up on the ground. What do you want to choose?”
There’s a good chance the No. 11 Gators are going to have to dig deep at some point Saturday against Seminoles.
UF (8-3) has enjoyed a nice turnaround season under Dan Mullen and is favored by four points — the first time since 2009 the Seminoles have been underdogs in the game.
Meanwhile, FSU (5-6) looks to salvage Willie Taggart’s disappointing inaugural season and keep alive their record 36-year bowl streak.
Mullen is well aware a win against their rival Gators would give the Seminoles and their fans something to remember during an otherwise forgettable season.
“Every year it's huge,” Mullen said. “You're talking in-state rivalries. I mean, you're talking a lot of neighbors against neighbors. You go to the grocery store; you want to