GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The present-day, coming-of-age Florida fan may not completely understand, but there was a time, a couple a decades ago, when 10-win seasons actually were taken for granted around here. In time, they were mostly taken away; too few and far between. 

But thanks to Dan Mullen, 10-win campaigns are back in vogue. 

With 11 now in the Gators' sights, as well. 

Quarterback Kyle Trask passed for 343 yards and three touchdowns and the UF defense sacked FSU quarterbacks eight times, three by senior linebacker Jonathan Greenard, during Saturday's 40-17 rout of the Seminoles at Spurrier/Florida Field, a victory that marked the program's first home win in the rivalry since Tim Tebow's swan-song game in 2009. FSU had won four straight at the "Swamp," but got turned back fairly quickly in this one, as the eighth-ranked Gators (10-2), winners of three in a row and likely bound for a New Year's Day bowl, scored 23 unanswered points spanning the first and second quarters to take a 30-7 halftime lead and roll to the win. 

UF's second straight victory in the series gave the Gators a second consecutive 10-win season, as well; the first time putting back-to-back double-digit campaigns together since going 13-1 and winning the 2008 national championship, then chasing that season with another 13-1 record. Florida, which posted nine 10-win seasons under Coach Steve Spurrier from 1991-2001, has now done so six times in the post-Spurrier era (since 2002) and is a sparkling 2-for-2 on Mullen's watch.

"Talking to our guys, talking about finishing the right way. The effort? I loved that.I thought we played with great effort," said Mullen, now 20-5 in his two UF seasons after guiding the team to its first unbeaten home season since 2016, capping it with an emotional "Senior Day" sendoff. "We've taken a huge step forward."

By winning their 10th the Gators, in turn, now have a chance at just the seventh 11-win season in program history in whatever bowl game they're dispatched to — the Orange Bowl in Miami became a very realistic destination, thanks to Auburn's upset of Alabama earlier in the day — when the postseason games are announced the evening of Dec. 8.  

"Last year was a big culture change around here, so this is just another stepping stone and building block," said Trask, the fourth-year junior who completed 30 of his 41 passes and did not turn the ball over. "We plan to keep it going."
 
Before the first snap from scrimmage, Florida was hit with a delay-of-game penalty. Not good, but no matter. Trask marched the Gators 75 yards in 11 plays — converting a third-and-10 on a 19-yard completion to senior wide receiver Van Jefferson and rushing for two yards on a fourth-and-1 from the FSU 21 — and finishing things with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Swain, also a senior. The play was a wideout screen that Swain snared at the line of scrimmage and dashed through three offensive linemen against three defenders and into the end zone less than five minutes into the game.  

FSU didn't blink. On the Seminoles' third play, quarterback Robert Blackman (14 of 23, 150 yards) hit wideout Tamorrion Terry (7 catches, 131 yards) on the dead run, slanting right to left, for a 45-yard catch-and-run down to the UF 14. Seven plays later, including a fourth-and-1 run of three yards by tailback Cam Akers (17 carries, 102 yards), backup QB Jordan Travis scored on a 1-yard sneak to tie the game at 7-all at the 5:59 mark. Just like UF did the series before, FSU went 75 yards in double-digit plays in just over four minutes. 

After that, FSU gained just 20 yards over the remaining 22 minutes of the half.

"We have some ballers on this team," Greenard said. 

He, of course, being among them. Before the night was out, Greenard was ringing up three of UF's eight sacks and also forced a fumble. All told, eight different Gator defenders chalked up at least half a sack, as the unit limited the Seminoles (6-6) to just 250 yards of total offense and likely didn't help FSU interim coach Odell Haggins in his bid to get the job permanently. 

"We didn't perform the way we wanted to, doing the little things right," Haggins said. "I articulated to my team: the lesson we learned tonight is bigger than football by creating great habits throughout your life."

With the game tied 7-7, UF promptly went 75 yards again, this time needing 13 plays, with sophomore tailback Dameon Pierce scoring on a 1-yard run. Along the way, Trask hit tight end Kyle Pitts for five yards on third-and-3 and got an extra 15 when safety Hamsah Nasirildeen body-slammed Pitts well out of bounds. Backup quarterback Emory Jones (47 yards passing, 37 rushing) came in and hit Tyrie Cleveland, another senior, for a 16-yard completion to the FSU 30 and was back out on the field when the Gators got inside the FSU 10 and helped finish off the drive and 13-7 lead. McPherson was wide right on the point-after, his first miss in 91 career attempts, the third-longest such streak in program history. 

Florida's defense came up with the first stop of the game, sending FSU off with a three-and-out on its second series. A 53-yard punt by Tommy Martin and fair catch by Swain started the Gators at their 15. Swain would show up at the end the drive, also. 

First, wingback Kadarius Toney took a two-handed pitch from Trask (technically a pass) then bobbed, bounced and weaved his way for a 47-yard gain to the FSU 38. Trask then dropped and found tight end Lucas Krull for a 15-yard completion, then swung one to the left flat for Swain, who ran through an arm tackle then zipped up the sideline and beat the FSU defense to the left-front pylon for 23-yard touchdown and 20-7 lead. 

The two teams exchanged punts (for UF, its first of the game) when Gators defensive lineman Zachary Carter sacked Blackman for a 13-yard loss at the FSU 11. The Seminoles then got a delay of game, pushing Martin further into his end zone into punting position. His kick went just 29 yards, but Swain muffed the catch and it was recovered by FSU at its 49-yard line. One problem: the Seminoles were flagged for an illegal formation and had to punt again. 

This one went 37 yards to a Swain fair catch. The Gators went 40 yards in five plays, aided by a face mask penalty after an 11-yard reception by Pitts. Trask finished the drive with a 13-yard scoring strike to Jefferson, pushing the Gators in front 27-7 with just over five minutes left in the half. 

Four first-half touchdowns, three by seniors. 

"These are my lifelong brothers," said senior linebacker David Reese after his "Swamp" swan-song. "I'm so happy we started a new trend [of beating FSU] and putting something toward a positive cause and getting the culture back to where it needs to be." 
 
McPherson atoned for his missed PAT (as if he needed to) by piping a 50-yard field goal, tying his career long, with 10 seconds left in the first half to send the Gators to the locker room up 30-7 and capping that run of 23 consecutive points. 

Florida State took the opening kickoff and marched to the Florida 16 where it was stopped on third down. A personal foul penalty after the play moved the fourth-down snap to the UF 31, but Ricky Aguayo kicked a 48-yard field goal to draw the Seminoles within 30-10 not three minutes into the third quarter. The Gators gladly swapped those three points for seven, as the Trask/Jones combo drove the Gators 75 yards in 11 plays (despite a 15-yard dead-ball personal foul on Pitts), with Jones hitting Jefferson for a 6-yard score and 37-10 advantage. 

Akers' 50-yard touchdown run cut the UF lead back to 20 and kept the home team on the attack, making it 37-17, but a McPherson's second field goal, a 21-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter, pushed the Gators to 40 points. 

In those four consecutive home losses in the series — under Will Muschamp in 2011 and '13, Jim McElwain in '15, and interim Randy Shannon in '17 — Florida combined for 38 points, and never gained more than 282 yards in any of them. Not only did the Gators eclipse the points, they rolled to 467 yards of offense, too. 

What's the Mullen phrase again?

Oh yes. "The Gator Standard."

The program reset the bar last season and now — with a chance at Win No. 11 in a marquee bowl as a dangling carrot — the outgoing seniors have a chance to reset it again. 

"I've been to the Outback Bowl and gone to no bowl, and then I've had the experience of playing in a New Year's Six bowl," said senior wideout Josh Hammond, part of a club that stomped Michigan, 41-15 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last December. "Once you get that experience, you kind of don't want anything less. I think it would be hard to want anything else."