Florida fans didn’t need much encouragement on Monday night. Florida State handed them the opening with a delay that turned a primetime game against SMU into a punchline before the ball was ever kicked.
FSU was supposed to host SMU under the lights, but there was one glaring issue: the lights wouldn’t come on. The game was pushed back nearly two hours and didn’t finally get going until around 9:15. Once it started, the Seminoles were competitive for a while before SMU finished them off with a last-second field goal.
Still, the football ended up feeling secondary to the embarrassment of the delay. The optics were ugly enough that it barely would have surprised anyone if you had said a Power Four program was the one unable to get its stadium lights working - and that school was FSU.
Florida fans wasted no time with the jokes, and the theme was obvious. The line making the rounds was that FSU was so broke it forgot to pay its power bill. That kind of ridicule came fast and loud while the Seminoles sat in the dark.
Florida offensive line coach Phil Trautwein also took a shot on social media, pointing out that The Swamp’s lights were turned off for a very different reason. He wrote, “These lights were off so the 90,000+ fans in attendance could enjoy the amazing halftime drone show. 🐊🐊 https://t.co/Uj3pYUeIlS”
The whole mess reflected badly on the ACC too. FSU is still one of the league’s biggest brands, along with Miami, Clemson, UNC, and Duke.
This would have been a bad look anywhere, but it felt especially damaging coming from a school that is supposed to be one of the conference’s standard-bearers. Instead, no one seemed shocked that it happened in Tallahassee.
It also landed at a strange moment, with FSU and Clemson having spent the offseason trying to find a way out of the ACC. Instead, both programs ended up becoming the conference’s biggest embarrassment over the weekend.
Florida fans, though, don’t get to play the sympathy card for long. There are plenty of real FSU supporters frustrated with the direction of the program and wanting things to stop operating like a Mickey Mouse opperation. But as a fanbase, they’ve also celebrated like crazy after beating a 6-6 team and complained loudly when they were left out of the playoffs.
And if Monday night said anything about the Mike Norvell Era, it’s that the end may be coming soon in Tallahassee. For FSU fans, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
That is, assuming they can turn it on.
In Other News...
Floridas New Kicker Brings A Backstory Gators Fans Will Love
Patrick Durkin arrived at Florida with a rsum that goes well beyond the usual transfer pitch. The Gators new kicker came over from Tulane as a scholarship player for the 2025 season, following coach Jon Sumrall and special teams coordinator Johnathan Galante, and he has already made an impression in offseason workouts with his strength and commitment. It is the kind of addition special teams coaches like to point to, especially when a player has already shown he can handle pressure and earn his way onto the field.
Durkins path has not exactly been smooth. A hip injury delayed his freshman season, but he worked back, played key games for Tulane and eventually earned American Conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors. For Florida, that backstory matters because it suggests more than just a leg with range, it suggests a player who has had to fight for every step and brings a level of edge and maturity the Gators will be counting on when the fall arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Sumrall Is Giving Florida Fans A Whole New Feeling
Florida fans got a fresh look at Jon Sumralls approach this week when the program released a behind-the-scenes video of his pregame speech before the FAU game. The clip put his energy and intensity front and center, offering a glimpse of the kind of edge he is bringing to the sideline and why his style has already stood out around the program.
Sumralls enthusiasm has quickly become part of the conversation because it feels like such a different tone from the one Florida had before. For a fan base that has been waiting to feel more connected to what is happening on game day, that kind of visible fire can go a long way in shaping the culture and giving supporters something new to rally around. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Blowout Said A Lot About The Gators On Both Sides
Floridas lopsided win over FAU offered more than just a comfortable final margin. It gave a clearer look at an offense that was efficient, methodical and more consistent than the box score alone might suggest, especially when measured against the kind of underlying metrics that separate real progress from empty production. The comparison to a 2014 game against Eastern Michigan helps frame it, but this one stood out because Floridas attack generated a better success rate and stronger expected points added than that earlier performance.
FAU also did its part to make the game more informative, since its offense graded above the national average and avoided looking like pure window dressing. That matters for Florida because it suggests the Gators were not simply cruising against a lifeless opponent, but against a team that showed real competence of its own. The bigger takeaway is still unfolding: Floridas offense looked legit, and so did enough of FAUs work to make the blowout feel like evidence rather than illusion. [Read more 🡒]