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  • The Tale Of Two Gainesvilles

    AI Graphic ESPN 30 For 30 Features The Best of Times, the Worst of Times, and the 14 Days That Made Steve Spurrier By Buddy Martin GatorBaitMedia.com It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Charles Dickens wrote that line about London and Paris in the age of the guillotine, but he might as well have been writing about Gainesville, Florida, in the fall of 1990. It was the age of wisdom — a Heisman winner coming home to save his alma mater — and it was the age of insanity, a college town that had somehow let a monster walk its streets for four straight days without a name or a face to put to him. It was the epoch of belief, because Steve Spurrier believed he could turn a probation-scarred, back-to-back-fired-coach program into a champion. And it was the epoch of incredulity, because nobody could quite believe what had just happened to five young people who should have been worrying about syllabi, not survival. It was the season of Light — Fun And Gun lights, Saturday-night lights, the first real hope Florida football had felt in a decade. And it was the season of Darkness, the kind that made students reinforce their door locks, sleep with the television on, and drive home to Tampa and Jacksonville and Miami rather than risk one more night in an apartment near campus. It was the spring of hope arriving in the shank of summer. It was the winter of despair arriving before autumn had even started. Gainesville, in short, was living through both cities at once — Dickens’s two cities collapsed into one zip code — and nobody there had signed up to be a character in that kind of story. That is the premise, beautifully and uncomfortably rendered, of ESPN Films’ new 30 for 30 documentary, “14 Days in Gainesville,” which premieres Tuesday, September 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App (ESPN Press Room). Directed by Daniel B. Levin and produced by MY Entertainment, the film draws firsthand accounts from Spurrier himself, Gators players and staff from that 1990 team, journalists who covered both stories, university leaders, law enforcement, and the Gainesville residents who lived through all of it. Executive producer Joe Townley described it as “the powerful story of a community confronting unimaginable tragedy and how, in the midst of fear and grief, a football team helped bring people together and helped a community begin to heal." Madame Defarge’s Ledger In “A Tale of Two Cities,” Madame Defarge sits and knits, secretly recording the names of the doomed into her registry, stitch by stitch, while the city around her pretends things are normal. Gainesville had its own grim ledger being written that August, except there was no revolutionary tribunal to eventually settle the score — only a killer nobody could yet name. Between August 24 and August 27, 1990, Danny Rolling murdered five college students in Gainesville: Sonja Larson, Christina Powell, Christa Hoyt, Tracy Paules, and Manuel Taboada, four of them University of Florida students and one from Santa Fe College. Rolling — later dubbed the “Gainesville Ripper” — mutilated and posed several of the bodies, and he would not be arrested for months, meaning that for the entirety of that fall, the person responsible for the town’s fear was still out there, still unnamed, a Madame Defarge with no face. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death in 1994, and executed in 2006 — Gainesville’s own long walk to a scaffold, delivered sixteen years after the crime. Nearly 30,000 students emptied out of a city with a popolation of 85,000. Classes were disrupted. Door locks were reinforced across town. It is worth remembering, too, that this case would go on to partially inspire the 1996 slasher film “Scream” — proof that the terror of that August lodged itself deep enough in the culture to outlive the headlines by half a decade. Recalled to Life Dr. Manette, in Dickens’s novel, spends 18 years “buried alive” in the Bastille before he is finally “recalled to life” by his daughter’s love. Gainesville needed its own recalling to life that fall, and — this is the uncomfortable, honest, and ultimately unavoidable truth the documentary sits with — football turned out to be part of it. Not the cure. Not the healing itself. Just a routine. A Saturday that still looked like a Saturday, in a season that looked like nothing anyone had ever seen. Spurrier was hired away from Duke on New Year’s Eve 1989, brought home to resurrect a Florida program still climbing out of NCAA sanctions that had cost both Charley Pell and Galen Hall their jobs in consecutive scandals. He had won Florida’s first Heisman Trophy in 1966 as the Gators’ quarterback, then spent the years since building a reputation as an offensive revolutionary at Duke. His Fun And Gun offense debuted that September, days after the killings, in a town still deciding whether it was safe to go back to class, let alone back to the Swamp. Spurrier’s first team went 9-2, running the table in the SEC at 6-1. Because Florida remained on probation, the conference did not officially crown the Gators as champions that year — a technicality Spurrier, ever the unbothered iconoclast, never much respected when he counted his own titles later in life. Within six years, that same foundation produced Florida’s first national championship, in 1996, with Danny Wuerffel becoming the second Heisman winner — making Spurrier, to this day, the only Heisman winner ever to coach another Heisman winner. It Was the Spring of Hope, It Was the Winter of Despair It is tempting — too tempting, and the documentary reportedly wisely resists it — to draw a straight, redemptive line from the horror of that August to the championship banner that eventually hung six years later. That is not how grief works, and it is not how Gainesville actually experienced 1990. The fear and the football did not resolve into a tidy arc. They sat next to each other, uncomfortably, the way “it was the best of times” sits next to “it was the worst of times” in the very same sentence, refusing all season long to cancel each other out. That is the golden thread running through “14 Days in Gainesville” — not that football saved a town, because no game ever has, but that in a fall defined by locked doors and empty apartments and a killer without a name, 72,000 people found a reason to gather in the same place on a Saturday afternoon and, for three hours, believe in something other than fear. Every retrospective of Spurrier’s Florida tenure tends to open with the visor, the ego, the audacity of a Heisman winner coming home to remake his alma mater in his own swaggering image. Those chapters are earned, and Spurrier earned every one of them. But they have also flattened an original story that was never actually completly told. “14 Days in Gainesville” restores the texture. It insists on remembering that the Fun And Gun era began not in a vacuum of pure anticipation, but in a town that had just buried five of its own — a town, like Dickens’s London and Paris both, living simultaneously in its best of times and its very worst, with a football team standing, however imperfectly, in the space between the two.

  • Light up a Camel! Nostalgia, the Gators and a game with Campbell University

    (Photo by Chris Spears) By Franz Beard GatorBaitMedia.com For those of you who revel in nostalgia, a trip down Memory Lane is most appropriate. Back in 1994, the Gators began the season by hanging 70 or more back-to-back on New Mexico and Southwestern Louisiana (Now Louisiana, the former stomping grounds of the former Gator coach who is now the head honcho at James Madison). From an offensive standpoint, that ranks as the greatest start to a season in Florida football history. A week ago, the Gators scored on 10 of their 11 possessions while lighting up the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium scoreboard for 66 big ones against Florida Atlantic. Saturday (5:30 p.m., SEC Network+), the Gators should light up the Campbell University Fighting Camels for at least 60 for the best back-to-back opening of a season since that 1994 team coached by Steve Spurrier. That Spurrier team scored 538 points in 13 games. A year ago, the former Florida head coach now at James Madison called the plays for an offense that scored 259 points in 12 games. By the time the lights go out at BHG Saturday night – AFTER the game, not BEFORE like those zany Seminoles in Tallahassee – the Gators should be halfway toward last year’s point total in just two games. Everyone will leave the well-lit Swamp raving about the offense and for good reason. Jadan Baugh is the best running back in the country and every time Aaron Philo drops back to pass he has more than one wide open receiver. When you have weapons at your disposal such as Baugh, Vernell Brown III and Dallas Wilson and an equal number of talented backups the game can resemble a track meet in a hurry. The Campbell defense might end up doing a dandy impersonation of the matadors Florida A&M hired to deal with Miami Thursday night (77-7 Miami win). It is the Florida defense that is the real concern Saturday night. They had a below average effort against Florida Atlantic last Saturday night and if there isn’t significant improvement seen against Campbell, red flags will be flying and alarm bells ringing because nine SEC games loom. There is no excuse for all the missed tackles and DBs essentially giving up dink and dunk passes by playing 10 yards off the FAU receivers. That has to change this week. Something else that has to change is the pressure on the QB. Last week the Gators got occasional pressure on the FAU quarterback. The pass rush has to be relentless from the start. There is no question Florida will win this game by a wide margin. There is no question the offense will light up the Camels (No, this isn’t a TV commercial from the 1960s … “I like to light one up after dinner; helps me to relax!). The question is will the defense show marked improvement. There is that old coaching adage that the most improvement is seen from game one to game two. That needs to be seen on the defensive side of the ball Saturday night. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Let Jadan Baugh get his 150 yards, Aaron Philo 300 passing yards and turn the defense loose. Florida scores at least 60. THE SEC SOOTHSAYER Today No. 23 Missouri (1-0) at Kansas (1-0): Mizzou beat Kansas by 11 last year in Columbia. The game has been circled on the Kansas calendar ever since. The Jayhawks thought they gave away a game they should have won. Mizzou goes into this one without Ahmad Hardy, still recovering from a gunshot wound this summer. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Mizzou gets a white knuckles win. Saturday Western Kentucky (0-1) at No. 2 Georgia (1-0): This is dial-a-score. Georgia wasn’t tested in the least last week, won’t be tested this week or next week (at Arkansas). The good news for Georgia is by the time Oklahoma comes to town Kirby Smart will have had a chance to build quality depth. Kirby might be tempted to leave the first team offense in the game longer than usual to help Gunner Stockton’s stats for Heisman purposes. The Sothsayer says Sooth!: Georgia and it will be over by halftime. No. 1 Ohio State (1-0) at No. 4 Texas (1-0): This one has playoff implications down the road and intriguing matchups. There are three Heisman candidates – Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith; Arch Manning for Texas – and a lot of voters for the trophy will be watching intently. Ohio State has former NFL head coach Matt Patricia as its defensive coordinator. Texas has Will Muschamp, as good a defensive coordinator as there is in college football. Everyone left the Horseshoe in Columbus with ulcers last year when Ohio State won 14-7. This year it’s in Austin. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Arch Manning to Cam Coleman and Muschamp’s pass rush will be the difference for the Longhorns. Louisiana Tech (1-0) at No. 8 LSU (1-0): Now that LSU has backed down from Greg Sankey, suffering national humiliation and scorn, pity who’s next on the Tigers’ agenda. The country cousins from Lousy Tech will feel the wrath of Lane Kiffin in what is going to be dial-a-score for LSU. The Soothsayer Says Sooth!: If Lane Kiffin were to channel his inner B.A. Baracus (The A Team), he would say,”What you don’t realize now is I gonna kill all ya’ll.” Charlotte (0-1) at No. 9 Ole Miss (1-0): As long as Trinidad Chambliss is healthy, Ole Miss is going to score a lot of points. Offense is no problem for the Rebels, but the defense was very shaky against Louisville. The scout team defense could do a good job against Charlotte. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Ole Miss will lead by five touchdowns at halftime. Arizona State (1-0) at No. 10 Texas A&M (1-0): The first serious game for both teams after opening day cupcakes. Arizona State starts former Kentucky QB Cutter Boley. Expect him to play like this is Kentucky all over again. That Aggie defense is nasty. The offense will score just enough. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Close for a half then it will be all Aggies. No. 11 Oklahoma (1-0) at Michigan (1-0): Michigan needed a World Cup assist to beat Western Michigan last week. The game was over, but the replay crew gave extra time to the Wolverines so they could execute a Hail Mary pass to win the game. Extra time won’t help Michigan this week against Oklahoma’s smothering defense and a healthy John Mateer. The Sooners are legitimate playoff contenders. Michigan will struggle to find eight wins. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Oklahoma will make The Big House as quiet as a funeral wake. No. 12 Alabama (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC): Alabama hasn’t lost to Kentucky since 1997 back when Mike Dumbose was the head coach. Kentucky truly believes that streak comes to an end this weekend in Lexington. This could be Kalen DeBoer’s Georgia Southern (remember 2013 Gator Nation?) if Bama somehow loses. Will Muschamp will never be forgiven by Florida fans for that 2013 debacle. Bama fans won’t forgive Kalen DeBoer if he loses. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Bama will win, but it’s going to be closer than you might think. No. 18 Tennessee (1-0) at Georgia Tech (0-1): Tennessee isn’t as good as it looked in beating Furman in game one. Georgia Tech isn’t as bad as it looked losing to Colorado. The difference is going to be in the running game. Tennessee can grind away and there isn’t anything Georgia Tech can do to stop it. We still won’t know how good Tennessee is when this one is over. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: While in Atlanta, Vol fans should go up to Buckhead for some ribs and rum baked beans at Fat Matt’s, a great place to celebrate a win. Mississippi State (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0): Kamario Taylor looked like the second coming of Dak Prescott last week when Mississippi State steamrolled Lousy Monroe. He won’t put up gaudy stats against Minnesota but he has to have a good game for the Bulldogs to emerge with a win. The Bulldogs have offense, but can the defense neutralize Drake Lindsey, the Minnesota QB? The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Unless the gales of November come early, Mississippi State gets a win over a Big Ten team. Southern Miss (1-0) at Auburn (1-0): After a month of hype about the Alex Golesh offense, the Tigers threw three picks, allowed five sacks and averaged 3.17 yards per carry against Baylor. Only one of those infamous DJ Lagway moments saved Auburn from rising to crashing defeat. No such problems this week. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: If Auburn wins by fewer than 30 points it will be a sign of rough sledding up ahead. Delaware (1-0) at Vanderbilt (1-0): Delaware’s Fighting Blue Hens chose wisely for a paycheck game. Against a really good SEC team it would be over by halftime. Vanderbilt might not pull away until the fourth quarter. This will be the game when true freshman Jared Curtis takes over as the quarterback for both present and future. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Vandy, but this isn’t the Vandy of last year by any stretch of the imagination. Towson (0-2) at South Carolina (1-0): Gamecock fans should savor this one because there won’t be many wins in the future once the SEC portion of the schedule kicks in. Once the Gamecocks start playing SEC teams, the fan base will turn on Shane Beamer. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Win No. 2 for South Carolina; there might not be two more wins to be had. Arkansas (1-0) at Utah (1-0): The SEC went 16-0 in the first week of the season. Arkansas might deliver the first loss of the season. The Hogs are bad. Utah is very good. The Soothsayer says Sooth!: Utah by at least two touchdowns. GET YOUR GATORBAIT GEAR TODAY! CLICK THE LINK BELOW https://gatorbait2026.itemorder.com/shop/home/

  • Sumrall on the Florida defense: "... improve or I'm going to lose my mind trying to help them.”

    (Photo by Chris Spears) by Franz Beard www.gatorbaitmedia.com This is a get well week for the Florida defense, a chance to work out the kinks from week one while prepping for the nine-game gauntlet of SEC games. The Gators should dominate Campbell (2-0), which has a rather polished passing game and a legitimate dual threat quarterback in Kamden Sixkiller, but Jon Sumrall needs to see more focus than he saw last week against Florida Atlantic. Offensively, the Gators functioned at a very high level against FAU, but the defense gave up three touchdowns, too many yards and far too many third down conversions. “I don't think it was an intent issue, it wasn't an effort issue, it wasn't a desire issue,” Sumrall explained earlier in the week. “It was simply, man, we're young or either, in my opinion, untrained on certain spots at certain times and so we have to coach better. Our players they gotta prepare in a manner that they can go activate it on the grass on game day. It wasn't all bad, but it damn sure wasn't all good either. Okay? And so there's a ton of growth that needs to happen with our football team.” Growth is a priority this week. Better pass rush and pressure on the quarterback rank high on the priority list. In two games Sixkiller has thrown for 673 yards and three touchdowns while running for 114 yards and three more scores. He has a big arm and escapability so keeping him in the pocket is a must. Tackling must improve and the Gators can’t have the corners playing nine yards off the line of scrimmage on third and short situations. “I just think maybe we were a little too relaxed in our mindset to attention to detail at times,” Sumrall said. “Whether it was how to play a certain call, down-and-distance awareness, what the offensive split and spacing is telling me, you know, they got into condensed sets, we knew there was gonna be stick routes. Well, there's a couple times where they ran stick routes we’re like nowhere to be seen near the receiver. There's other times where you give some of that stuff up, there’s a give and take. You can't take everything away, but we do have to understand when to play more connected and more attached in coverage. And our guys are gonna improve. I promise you that. They're either going to improve or I'm going to lose my mind trying to help them.” ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC No. 12 Alabama (1-0): Starting right guard Michael Carroll is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game at Kentucky where Alabama is a 10.5-point favorite. Saturday: at Kentucky (1-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC Arkansas (1-0): Utah’s powerful running game (364 yards in the season opener) is a big reason why the Razorbacks are 12.5-point road underdogs. Saturday: at Utah (1-0), 10:15 p.m., ESPN Auburn (1-0): Cleaning up the passing game is a priority this week. Against Baylor last week, Auburn gave up five sacks and QB Byrum Brown threw three interceptions. Auburn is a 32.5-point favorite over Southern Miss. Saturday: Southern Miss (1-0), 7:45 p.m., SEC Network No. 2 Georgia (1-0): Linebacker Chase Linton (lower leg injury) is out Saturday and probably won’t be available for two more weeks. The Bulldogs are 41.5-point favorites. Saturday: Western Kentucky (0-1), 12:45 p.m., SEC Network Kentucky (1-0): This is a hot ticket item in Lexington where the Big Blue Nation believes it has a chance to score an upset Saturday against Alabama. The Wildcats, who haven’t beaten Alabama since 1997, are a 10.5-point underdog. Saturday: No. 12 Alabama (1-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC No. 8 LSU (1-0): Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavier Harris are not on the permanent LSU roster for the rest of the season. Both are weighing legal options that would allow them to play. LSU is a 35.5-point favorite to beat Louisiana Tech. Saturday: Louisiana Tech (1-0), 7:30 p.m., SEC Network+ Mississippi State (1-0): Little known fact ahead of Saturday’s road trip to Minnesota. Murray Warmath, the Minnesota coach who won the 1960 national championship, was the head coach at Mississippi State prior to taking the Minnesota job in 1954. Mississippi State is a surprising 1.5-point favorite to take down Minnesota in Minneapolis. Saturday: at Minnesota (1-0), 3:30 p.m., CBS No. 23 Missouri (1-0): Missouri’s defense will have to find a way to bottle up Kansas quarterback Isaiah Taylor, who passed for 246 yards and ran for 49 in the Jayhawks season opener. The Tigers managed only one sack in their season opening win so Taylor’s mobility is a concern. Missouri is a 5.5-point favorite over Kansas. Friday: at Kansas (1-0), 8 p.m., Fox No. 11 Oklahoma (1-0): A healthy John Mateer is one big reason Oklahoma is a 5-point favorite to beat Michigan in the Big House. Mateer, who battled through a broken hand injury last year, threw for three touchdowns while averaging 13.2 yards per attempt in the Sooner’s season opening win. Saturday: at Michigan (1-0), 12 noon, Fox No. 9 Ole Miss (1-0): Saturday is nothing more than a tuneup for LSU on September 19. The goal is to make sure no one gets hurt against Charlotte, a game the Rebels are favored by 47.5 points. Saturday: Charlotte (0-1), 7:45 p.m., ESPN2 South Carolina (1-0): Left tackle Jaccarius Peak and EDGE Dylan Stewart, who missed the season opening win over Kent State, are listed as doubtful for Saturday against D1AA Towson. 2Saturday: Towson (0-2), 7 p.m., SEC Network+ No. 18 Tennessee (1-0): Look for the Vols to pound away on the ground against Georgia Tech. Tennessee ran for 329 yards in the season opener and will be going against a Georgia Tech defense that was very vulnerable against the run in its loss to Colorado. The Vols are solid 12.5-point favorites. Saturday: at Georgia Tech (0-1), 7 p.m., ESPN No. 4 Texas (1-0): The task for defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is to neutralize the Ohio State passing combo of quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Last Saturday, Sayin completed 84 percent of his passes for three touchdowns while Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Texas is a 1.5-point favorite to take down the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes. Saturday: No. 1 Ohio State (1-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC No. 10 Texas A&M (1-0): The Aggies, who gave up only 67 yards and four first downs in their season opener will have to contend with former Kentucky QB Cutter Boley, who last week lit up Morgan State for six touchdown passes. Texas A&M is a 14.5-point favorite to beat Arizona State. Saturday: Arizona State (1-0), 12 noon, ABC Vanderbilt (1-0): There are calls for Vanderbilt to start true freshman Jared Curtis at QB after he went 7-9 passing coming off the bench in game one. The Commodores are favored by 20.5 points over Delaware. Saturday: Delaware (1-0), 4:15 p.m., SEC Network COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: SEPTEMBER 10 EDITION Extinct Species List None so far On Life Support Mike Norvell, Florida State: Not only did he lose to SMU in game one, but the electricity went out at Doak Campbell Stadium. Boosters think Norvell and the athletic director need to go but where will they get the money they need to pink slip them? Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: Losing 45-13 to Notre Dame on national television has the faithful ready to pull the plug. The next two games should be easy wins, then comes the Big Ten. The good news is no Ohio State, Indiana or Oregon. Seven wins or he’s a goner. Dave Aranda, Baylor: He’s got the defense, but he’s tied the offense to DJ Lagway and that could do him in. The next two games should be easy wins (Prairie View A&M and Louisiana Tech) but then comes the Big 12 slate. He’s got to win seven games to survive. Bill Belichick, North Carolina: The scandal involving GM Michael Lombardi has a lot of money people ready to pull the plug on Belichick. He gets an easy win this week but then gets Clemson, Notre Dame and Pitt on consecutive weekends. Mike Locksley, Maryland: After consecutive 4-8 seasons and with a Big Ten schedule looming, Locks can’t afford to lose to UConn. Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders will be competitive this year, but can they get to six wins? If they can’t, Mason is a goner. Dell McGee, Georgia State: If the Panthers go an hour north on I-75 and lose to Kennesaw State this weekend the calls to fire McGee will be deafening. Kennesaw State is in only its third year of Division I football. Bill O’Brien, Boston College: If he loses to Rutgers he might not make it until Monday. Greg Schiano, Rutgers: The athletic department debt is huge. They can’t afford to fire Schiano but they may have to because no one is going to come to the Rutgers games after losing to UMass. Endangered Species List Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: Everybody is talking as if Bama has solved its problems and will win big going forward. Perhaps they’re right, but a third straight 4-loss season might convince them otherwise. Matt Rhule, Nebraska: The Huskers are going to start the season 3-0, but they better find at least five wins in the final nine or else his seat is going to be blowtorch hot. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati: The Bearcats are 1-0 and likely win Saturday. Good start but Satterfield needs six more wins after that. Dabo Swinney, Clemson: It seems his sell-by date has expired. Because of what he’s done in the past he will get to pick the time and place of his departure, but he’s being urged to make it sooner, not later. Dave Doren, North Carolina State: He’s on very shaky ground after the Wolfpack was manhandled by Virginia. They’re tired of mediocrity in Raleigh so he needs eight or more wins to satisfy the masses.

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    Independent Florida Gators news, football, recruiting, analysis, original photography and The Buddy Martin Show from GatorBait Media. Welcome to GatorBait Media Hey Gator! Read daily articles Buddy Martin, Franz Beard, Loren Meadows, Kyle Curtis, Matt Quarterero and Photos by Chris Spears. Watch The Buddy Martin Show, Comment on our GatorBait.net Message Boards, or download our mobie app. Read More HOME Latest SHOP JOIN SIGN IN More FLORIDA GATOR NEWS The Swamp Is Lit Again. It just feels so right! And Welcome Back GatorBait! Joy is a great thing! And The Swamp was lit with it Saturday night because this one felt so right in so many ways – not the least of which was the way Jon Sumrall‘s team performed. Yes there were glitches, but it was a display of some awesome offensive fire power and it felt like the beginning of something special. Seven Decades Later, The Swamp Still Calls Me. I’m Thrilled To Be Coming Back! The Gators open tonight against Florida Atlantic as a 26.5 point favorite. And I can already feel that familiar tug. Opening Night 2026 In The Swamp: Butterflies, Belief And A New Gators Era The veterans handle them better because they know what is coming. They have run through the tunnel beneath the sign warning that “Only Gators Get Out Alive.” They have pushed past the smoke billowing from the South End Zone and raced through the Pride of the Sunshine as the fight song blares around them. Aaron Philo Doesn’t Know It, But He’s The Newest Yellow Jacket In Orange And Blue By the time Aaron Philo takes his first meaningful snap for Florida this fall, he’ll be walking a path older than most of the folks, even ancient artifacts like me in the press box. Rattlesnakes Don’t Scare Sumrall, And Neither Does His Debut As Gator Coach Ask him what a successful season looks like and Sumrall won’t bite. Vegas has the over/under at 7.5, favoring the under. The coach isn’t playing that parlor game. Buddy Blog : The Curse Of LSU's Ill-Gotten Gain, While Dawn Breaks Over The Swamp Not to go all Charles Stanley on you — though I do love his sermons — but have you ever noticed how the most perfectly orchestrated plan, the one everybody swears is a lock, has a funny habit of blowing up in the architect’s face? FLORIDA GATORS FOOTBALL NEWS Join Us THE BUDDY MARTIN SHOW

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