Florida ran up the score late against Florida State, then added insult with a late celebration and flag planting at midfield. That set off a wave of shoving, punches, and chaos between players. Florida’s No. 88 was the most active, landing multiple head slaps during the post-touchdown celebration and again during the scuffle. He tossed a wild punch that hit no one, then later stepped on a downed player, Florida State’s No. 56. Florida State’s No. 74 appeared to throw the first actual punch, a weak jab to a Florida player’s helmet. More punches followed, including one from Florida’s No. 88 targeting another Florida State player. Coaches met after the game, with the Florida State coach clearly angry about the flag incident and the postgame behavior, calling it disrespectful. Florida’s coach apologized and tried to calm things down. Still, camera angles caught more stomping and taunting, mostly involving No. 88 again. When asked, the Florida coach said it’s not who they are, even though the behavior contradicted that. The whole thing boiled down to one team beating their rival, celebrating in loud fashion, and starting a mess that will likely linger in memory long after the game.
