Tyrie Cleveland dropped to a knee in the south endzone, hand to his head and just, stopped. Van Jefferson, Tre Grimes, Kadarius Toney and linebacker James Houston squatted to offer a quick word to Cleveland but the receiver didn’t lift his eyes, instead he focused on the debuting blue paint in the endzone and took a deep reflective breath. He had taken his time leaving Steve Spurrier Florida Field and stepping out of that endzone meant stepping off the field for the last time as a player. Stepping out of the endzone meant his four years as a Florida Gators, years that saw bleak downfalls and steady rises marked by magical moments that will forever tie his name to perpetual memories—it meant it was all over. So he waited. “Before I left the field I just wanted to look around and look at the stadium, look at the people there, soak it all in,” said Cleveland. “I was getting emotional on the bus ride so you know just coming to the stadium, just walking down and Gator walk and seeing all the people, I just tried to hold it all in but when I got in the locker room, little tears started coming out…[So] I was just taking a moment [in the endzone] to thank God for the opportunity to be at the University of Florida. It's been a long ride, been a long journey for me. A lot of ups and downs, but I stayed strong and true to myself. I was just grateful to play here.” Senior receiver Josh Hammond wasn’t far behind. “You kind of soak it in a little bit, you realize that it's the last time and you kind of just want to take every step a little slower than normal, kind of visualize it just a little bit more and just take a deep breath and realize that you're walking off for the last time." It was a night intended to be soaked in; on Senior Night as the Gators honored 22 guys who helped reshape the program, the No. 7 Florida Gators defeated Florida State 40-17 in a game that UF had a stronghold on from opening kick. It was the first time the Gators had defeated the Seminoles in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 2009. After a Senior Day ceremony that rattled the stadium with cheers from the 89,409 in attendance, the Gators trotted out their four senior receivers—Van Jefferson, Josh Hammond, Freddie Swain and Tyrie Cleveland—to start. It was a tip of the hat from head coach Dan Mullen on what he called a near perfect night for a class that believed in him during the program shift. “Ooh, I’m pretty critical, so a lot of little things we could have done better. But you know for our seniors, I think it went really well. Got touches, and we made a concerted effort. I know it’s always a big deal, I really love what our four senior wide-outs have done this year and that’s why I made a concerted effort, they all played on the first play of the game so they could go get that start, they officially start that first play of the game. Just the unselfishness of a lot of guys on our team, but I was pleased a lot of those guys had big nights.” The Noles had won the toss and elected to defer, putting the ball in the hands of an offense that has averaged 420 yards and 33 points per game. The Gators immediately made them pay. Following a Kyle Trask quarterback keeper to move the chains on 4th down, Trask (30-41, 342 yards, 3 TDs) tossed a screen to senior Freddie Swain (5-62, 2TDs). The guy teammates call the alpha dog in the locker room took the pass and cut through the Noles defense like hot butter and scampered in for the 19-yard touchdown. At 61 degrees with a sticky humidity creating an atmosphere unique to Florida, everything about the night seemed scripted. So was the Noles first drive and it put the Gators defense back on their heels for a moment. James Blackmon (14-23, 150 yards) hit Tamorrion Terry on a 45-yard post that flipped field position quick. Using a rotating quarterback, FSU pushed forward in the redzone with Jordan Travis and the freshman quarterback was able to push in for an answering touchdown. That is where the Noles script ended. “They had a couple of trick plays when we first came and we settled down,” admitted linebacker David Reese (six tackles) “They had a good script coming into the game because every offense has a select script of plays they run fast. We handled the script after that, settled in, and pretty much had a good day.” The day was only getting started for the Gators and their seniors. Following a Dameon Pierce score to make it 13-7 (Evan McPherson missed his first P-A-T as a Gator) a classic Kadarius Toney sweep that broke approximately 128 tackles—slight conjecture—and picked up 47 yards, then Trask went to Swain again. The Ocala native broke a defensive backs ankles towards the sideline, stayed in bounds and roped the line to pay-dirt. Before the half would end, Trask got other seniors involved with a toss to the back of the endzone to Van Jefferson (5-48, 2TDs). As fireworks erupted from the south endzone, Jefferson did a dance to the sidelines, accompanied by half his team that had sprinted from the benches to the pylon to celebrate with one of their leaders. On the defensive side, Jon Greenard—playing his last game in the stadium the Louisville transfer had always dreamed of making it to—had three sacks. Todd Grantham’s unit had eight total on the night, bringing their season total to 46 which is 4th in FBS. It’s the most a Gators defense has had since tallying 50 in 1997. On the last one of the night, seniors Adam Shuler and Luke Ancrum brought down Blackmon. Greenard grabbed his teammates and pointed up into the stands, smiling at their success and showing them the fans doing the same. These are the moments the team will remember. Each guy has had their play, their iconic Mick Hubert call; but it’s the opportunity to watch their teammates that meant the most of their final night in the Swamp. “Guys understand it’s the start of a new journey, the start of a next year. We wanted to make sure we leave a mark on the last game. I think we were very successful in that,” said Greenard. The defense held Florida State to 250 total offensive yards and 5-14 on 3rd down. "I wanted Tyrie to score the kick return. That was probably my favorite moment, I wanted him to score that so bad,” laughed Hammond about Cleveland’s 40-yard return. “Then he caught the screen and almost scored on that one too. But those were kind of exciting and KT [Kadarius Toney]. Imma miss that, watching him play, it's very electrifying, you don't see that often. I've never seen it before until I met him, he's one of a kind and I'm gonna miss watching him play a lot." "I think they mean a lot to this team,” commented Trask, a redshirt junior who has already clarified he will return for his final season. “A lot of those guys I came in with and it's kind of a very humbling experience just to know that this is their last game in the Swamp and it made me cherish every single moment. I couldn't be more proud of how this class went out with their last victory in the Swamp.” Added Cleveland of the groups bond, “It’s like no other. Through the ups and downs we always try go motivate each other. Just keep our head and just going through practice, just working hard, working on our craft and outside of football, just linking up, just being with each other.” Each of these men accepted the responsibility of rebuilding a program, something that Mullen admitted on Saturday was humbling to him. They boldly took up the call to become the standard bearers and fought through the growing pains that required. In the process, they finished with a 10-win regular season, state champs with wins over Miami and Florida State to bookend the season and undefeated in The Swamp. As Cleveland rose from the endzone and turned towards the tunnel, his fellow seniors flanked him. Lamical Perine jogged over, having just completed his last victory lap around the stadium and Jon Greenard, who had unabashedly let tears fall during his own victory lap, took a slow step into the locker room doorway. No one was ready to leave and no one is ready to see them go.

First off, it started out on a good note. As a tribute to the senior receivers whose profound leadership enhanced this team, Dan Mullen put them all in the starting lineup: Freddie Swain, Josh Hammond, Tyrie Cleveland and Van Jefferson. By halftime two of them combined for three touchdowns. This looked like an offensive slugfest. Both teams drove for scores on their opening touches and FSU was full of razzle dazzle, wasting no time to get inside the 5-yard line where Jordan Travis punched it in for the tying score. Now it was up to the Gators to hold serve so Dan Mullen brought in Emory Jones who made key runs and a throw on the ensuing 11-play 75-yard scoring drive. Dameon Pearce knocked it in for the touchdown but kicker Aaron McPherson had a rare miss and it was 13-7. This set up a special moment Gator fans have been awaiting months for: Seeing Kadarius Toney cut loose. Back from injury only a few weeks and used only sparingly, Toney hauled in a Trask pass and high-stepped it between two defenders, juked-stepped right and lit the crowd afire as he almost broke it for a touchdown and he scampered 47 yards. It looked like it was going to be more. Two plays later senior Freddie Swain took a bailout pass from Trask and turned it into a ballet down the sideline for a 23-yard touchdown. That 20-7 margin became 30-7 at the half on a beautiful 13-yard pitch and catch from Trask to Jefferson. And then McPherson atoned somewhat for the missed PAT with a career- long 50-yard touchdown. This was only half time, but Gator fans had seen enough to assure them there would most assuredly be a 10th win this season, coming at the expense of a bitter rival.

The No. 11 Florida Gators (9-2, 6-2) will take on the Florida State Seminoles (6-5) this evening, looking for a chance to notch their first 10 win regular season since 2015. The Gators are also looking for their first win in the Swamp over FSU since Tim Tebow’s senior day in 2009. Before kickoff, let’s take a quick look at a few last things to remember. ONE THING TO REMEMBER As mentioned, the Gators haven’t beaten the Noles in the Swamp in a decade. There were the Jameis Winston years and the Jim McElwain years, neither of which were particularly good news for Florida’s ability to defeat FSU. But during those years, Florida more often than not found themselves with offenses that ranked below 100 in the FBS, with more questions than answers at a majority of the positions; and twice, with a head coach that was fired before making it to the regular season finale. This is now the position the Noles find themselves in after going 6-5 (thus far) and seeing Willie Taggart fired. The Gator players spoke this week about remembering that mindset and how dejecting it can be. While they don’t expect Florida State to come in and just lay down, these older Gators do know first hand the difficulty that comes with playing in this situation. Said senior receiver Josh Hammond, “It definitely sucks. You never want to lose your coach, especially halfway through the season and then have to go through that change, and you know, a bunch of questions going through your head because you don’t know what’s next, what’s going to happen after the season. I definitely know how they are feeling. They are definitely kind of just wanting to get over with it. I think we were kinda getting to that point, wanting to get it over with and see what was next for our future.” ONE FSU PLAYER TO WATCH Cam Akers is the Noles entire offense. The junior has over a thousand yards rushing already (1,042) with 13 touchdowns and averages 4.87 yards per carry. For comparison, the next closest rusher has 297 yards. That rusher—Khalan Laborn—is now suspended for today’s game for a violation of teams rules. The Gators defense—which effectively stopped Georgia’s D’Andre Swift earlier in the season—know that keeping a helmet on Akers is key. “Cam Akers is an unbelievable back. That's a guy we're going to have to stop, stop the run with, make them beat us passing,” says linebacker David Reese. Adds BUCK Jon Greenard, “Cam, that's a ballplayer. I have nothing bad to say about him or the running backs they got over there. They've got some really good players over there despite the season they're having…it's kind of hard for one person to tackle him. But if we get there, you've got to wrap him and everybody rally to the ball. But we've got to be physical. He's a good back. We're ready for him, though. We're ready." ONE LAST PREDICTION The saying goes—and players mentioned several times this week—that all the record books are thrown out for rivalry games…but that was supposed to be the case last season as well and Florida ran roughshod over the Noles. Every time Florida has hyped up a game the last two season, the Gators have capitalized and won (LSU, Auburn, etc). With Percy Harvin serving as Mr. Two Bits, the Noles scrambling to find any sort of offensive groove and the Gators looking to send out a senior class that has meant everything with a win, I don’t see Kyle Trask, Jon Greenard or the Gators letting this one slip away. FLORIDA 42-17

Memories fade, names are forgotten but legacies can live on forever. The legacy that a team leaves within a football program is what creates the ebbs and flows of the school’s history. It’s what separates blue bloods from bottom tiers. It’s what makes champions. The legacy of the 2019 Florida Gators senior class has been one of resilience, unselfishness and a determination to match the legacies of those that have come before. "To be able to even play with a group of guys like this, the guys are pretty good in that room. We got athletes all the rooms. Just to be able to step on the field with those guys and to say we have had an impact, it’s pretty good,” says senior receiver Freddie Swain. This class came in under Jim McElwain’s second year as head coach. They were a part of the SEC Championship followed by the dismal 4-7 season. They transitioned to upperclassmen under an entirely new coaching staff and were tasked with not only holding a team together but setting a new standard. They succeeded. “These guys have faced lots of different adversity throughout their career coming here,” remarks head coach Dan Mullen. “Different head coaches, some ups and downs but you know, personally for me, you’re looking at guys that when I got here a couple of years ago, asked them to buy-in to a certain way of doing things and…the guys bought into it. That’s a big thing for me. I told them right from the beginning that we’ll be successful at some point. The sooner everybody buys in, the sooner we’ll be successful, and those guys bought in and we’ve had some success.” The success came in a 10-win season in 2018, topped with a New Years Six Peach Bowl win over Michigan. The team has a chance to reach the vaulted number now in the regular season with a win on Saturday against FSU. If they follow it with a bowl win, that would give Florida their first 11-win season 2012 when Will Muschamp’s team went to the Sugar Bowl. The success came in an offense that jumped more than 60 spots in the FBS statistical rankings for scoring, a defense that found their way back into the Top 15 thanks in part to three shutouts and a team that railed off 10 straight wins (over 2018 and 2019) along with a chance to go undefeated at home this season and a good opportunity to beat FSU in the Swamp for the first time since 2009. And it came thanks in large part to the willingness by a class of guys to commit to outworking everything they had ever done previously. That’s what Josh Hammond hopes lives on. “I just hope that we're remembered for, I guess, the leading class that kind of helped turn this program around. I think my freshman year we were kind of a dominant program and then we dipped my sophomore year. Last year I think we really made that turn just to bring this university back to like national prominence. “I think a lot of that had to go with this senior class buying into Mullen's program, doing everything the right way, working as hard as we can, getting other guys to work as hard as we can to be successful and put ourselves in the position that we're in.” “No quit, play with resilience,” adds linebacker David Reese. “Just a team, a group of guys that came in here together and had a chance to turn this program around. I feel like it’s been a minute since we have had back-to-back 10-win seasons. I just want to try and make something special.” Even with a group who had a SEC Championship appearance their freshman season, these last two season are what have shaped them and in turn shaped the imprint they leave on this program. At least, that’s how receiver Tyrie Cleveland feels. "Being in this program these last two years taught me to fight harder, depend on my teammates more and just have each other's back and not worry about the outside noise. Coach Mullen brought that energy back in this program and the future is bright for Florida.” The Gators had dreams of a championship this season, of taking a veteran filled roster, getting over the Georgia hump and having a legitimate shot at the playoffs. For a moment, that dream looked like it had realistic tinges. A loss to Georgia for the third year in a row meant the championship would have to wait at least another year. But the bounce back from the loss to beat Vanderbilt 56-0 and run over Missouri set an example that BUCK Jon Greenard hopes the younger players carry forward. “We didn’t get the result we wanted in the end part but just the bond that we have, and still gonna possibly win 10 games is gonna be a huge thing for us. So to do that is major cause to try to get 10 wins in this league is very difficult. So we done our part and hopefully we, it rubbed off on the younger guys to keep the tradition going, hopefully just build up more than what we did this year and they can just take this in and go to the offseason and hopefully get the result they want next year.” In essence, this more than anything else is the definition of a legacy. Whatever happens in the future for the Florida Gators may not come directly at the hands of guys like Jon Greenard, Freddie Swain and this 2019 senior class but it will comes because of them, because of what they’ve done and what they created. Memories fade, names are forgotten but legacies live on forever. The 2019 senior class has created a legacy of which they can be proud and for which the Florida Gators are better for.

By BUDDY MARTIN GatorBait Editor My how the mighty have fallen. We are almost looking through a glass darkly at a once-dadgum great college football rivalry between Bobby’s Free Shoes U. teams and the HBC’s Fighting Danny Wuerffels. Whatever happened to the greatness of Florida vs. Florida State? Ah, those were the days my friend when the Gators and ‘Noles reeked with swagger, streaking around ball yards with jet-like speed and lighting up scoreboards as if they were Christmas trees. That is, whenever they weren’t overshadowed by name-calling, finger-pointing, leg-twisting, late-hitting quarterback smackdowns at the echo of the whistle. At times, got downright nasty. The kind of WWE cage match stuff that people pay a premium price to view these days. And we loved it! First of all, who the hell ever heard a whistle echo? Yet all that all added to the spicy flavor of a combustible rivalry that every year became must-see TV around Thanksgiving and sent tremors through the top five college football rankings. FSU had the better of it – Bobby Bowden went 7-4-1 vs. Steve Spurrier-- but the sweetness of the 52-20 head-to-head BCS championship win in Sugar Bowl was the most cherished. That’s how Spurrier sees it, and chooses to remember that fateful day, Jan. 3, 1997 when Florida won its first national championship. “They may have won more times, but we won the one that counted,” the HBC said in his book, Head Ball Coach: My Life in Football. First, Florida had to get the Sugar Bowl rematch after the loss in Tallahassee -- No. 1 UF losing 24-21 to No. 2 FSU in only the fourth time two unbeatens had met in a regular season finale. The HBC said he had a good feeling despite having lost the last meeting with both starting offensive tackles injured. After watching the game film Spurrier determined FSU had hit his quarterback between 30-36 times – many of them late “echo of the whistle” hits. He railed on it, loud and clear, to the media. It was prime motivation for the Gators. “I got a feeling we're going to be half of it hanging on Bourbon Street in the wee hours of the morning,” he had predicted, Yet he also knew a lot of things had to fall their way to win the title after losing to the ‘Noles. “Three teams had to lose and we had to beat Alabama and FSU back to back to win it all. And that's what happened,” he recalled. “We count our blessings all the time for that to rematch. That's the way it worked out.” Our selective memories choose a variety of scenarios, experiences, recollections and feel the impact of emotions that resulted from them. You have to appreciate the challenge at hand for Spurrier, so no wonder he clings to that national title game as his sweetest memory. “Eleven of the twelve years that we played them when I was coach here, they were in the top five in the nation,” he said this week. “A lot of times they were number one, but always in the top five. And we were almost always were in the top 10 …sometimes the top five.” In a rare, magnanimous compliment to the ‘Noles, Spurrier also acknowledged Bowden’s success: “Bobby Bowden really had his team rolling up there in Tallahassee.” Oh for those days again, as FSU limps into The Swamp with an interim (so far) coach as a 17-point underdog in the 64th edition of what some people are referring to as “The Sunshine Showdown.” Yeeecchhh! What is it, a beach party or a football rivalry? Back in the ‘90s Florida-FSU was THE college football rivalry. The winner of the 12 games played for five national championships. Back then I could have made a case for it being more important, bigger and better than Ohio State-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma and Auburn-Alabama rivalries. Today, sadly, it’s not even the biggest game of the day, or night. I’m old enough to have been sitting in the stands as a college sophomore when on the very first kickoff of the first-ever game in 1958 Bobby Renn nearly returned it for a touchdown. Thanks to the back-pedaling Jimmy Dunn, who was smaller than 90 percent of all college quarterbacks, Renn was dragged down to a sigh of a relief from the fans. The Gators went on to win that game, 21-7. Seven years later, the Seminoles beat the Gators for the first time, 16-7. In 1964 two stars were born on the Steve Tensi-to-Fred Biletnikoff connection. Spurrier didn’t start and came on for Tommy Shannon in the second half, as scheduled. “They had a good team that year. And that was a fun game,” Spurrier recalled. “We're down 13 to nothing. We went right down the field, scored in the fourth quarter. It was 13-7. And one of the assistant coaches told Coach (Ray) Graves we should onside kick. And we had about eight minutes left. So they got the onside kick and then they made a field goal. Pretty much put it out of range.” Spurrier said the kicker was “(Les) Murdock” (correct). And he added: “And then later found that that was his sixth year of playing college football. So he wasn't even eligible. But anyway, they'd beat us. And that was their first victory.” (Perhaps accurate, but uncorroborated.) So where does the Florida-FSU rivalry stand today? Let’s be honest here. After playing huge rivalry game for 61 years, memories have dimmed a bit about its glory days. Some people never knew. Some people don’t care. And others have moved on to Georgia or even LSU because of the SEC competition. In fact even, Dan Mullen kinda low-keyed it in his Monday presser, with a conversation like this: Q: Did you catch some of Tim Tebow’s final game at Swamp in 2009? Mullen: “I wasn’t concerned about that at all. I was celebrating an Egg Bowl win. I probably had official visits on campus, I’m sure, whatever we were doing in recruiting. I wouldn’t have even had any idea of what was going on in that game to be honest with you.” Q. Hard to believe that was the last time UF won against FSU in the Swamp? Mullen: “No idea about that.” Q. You didn’t realize the Gators haven’t won in 10 years in The Swamp against them? Mullen: “No. I know we won last year. I know they lost the year before because I was watching the year before. You know, I was taking some phone calls. I knew they lost that one. I was just watching to see what the team looked like.” Q. What did you think? Mullen: “You know, I did have family in town flipping to different games. Nah, I don’t know. Whatever. I don’t remember what I was doing 10 days ago.” Q. All I was saying, that’s a pretty big gap, right? Mullen: “Yeah, it seems that way. They’ve had some really good teams come through in that time frame. I guess you look back in that time frame, Florida has kind been down a little bit and they’ve had a couple of good teams so I guess you could see why that happened.” C’mon Coach Mullen, you can do better than that! Read up on it! Or go down the hall and talk to Spurrier. Think Egg Bowl x 100.

TIME TO SEND A LOUD AND CLEAR MESSAGE Florida fans are happy to joke that the distance between Gainesville and Tallahassee is 150 miles and 250 SAT points. Saturday night, Dan Mullen needs to send a loud and clear message to recruits throughout the state and the Southeast that the distance between an ascending Florida (9-2) program and a Florida State (6-5) program that seems to have lost its direction is even greater and widening by the minute. A Florida win will give the Gators a 10-win season and all but ensure a second consecutive New Year’s Six bowl game appearance. Win the bowl game and the Gators will have 21 wins in the last two seasons while playing in the Southeastern Conference. Florida State, on the other hand, has won 11 games in the last two years playing in the weakest top to bottom conference in the country (the ACC) and is currently projected to spend its holidays preparing for a trip to exotic Detroit to play in something called The Quick Lane Bowl. With Mullen in charge, Florida is the picture of stability. From the first day he set foot on campus as the head ball coach, he’s set the Gators on a path of regaining their place among college football’s truly elite programs. Mullen wants to be at Florida and has made it perfectly clear he’s here for the duration. Meanwhile Florida State is that dumpster fire that rages because someone keeps tossing on cans of gasoline. When Florida made the smart choice by hiring Mullen, FSU hired Willie Taggart, who managed to get himself fired 19 games into a five-year contract. While contemplating what went wrong, Willie and family will have to squeeze by on $17.8 million of buyout money. That shows another contrast in the Florida and FSU programs. When Florida fired its previous coach and hired Mullen, it didn’t even blink at the buyout because the program is prospering, more so now that Mullen has football fast tracking to the championship level. Raising the money for the Taggart buyout was a struggle for an FSU athletic department wrestling with declining revenues and tens of thousands of empty seats at Doak Campbell Stadium. Making matters worse for the Seminoles, they’ve reached out to several high profile coaches to replace Taggart only to get their hands slapped. The Brothers Stoops have already said no thankee and FSU shot blanks in their efforts to entire James Franklin, Matt Campbell and Matt Rhule to leave their successful gigs for a chance to compete for second place in the same division as Clemson. Mike Norvell is a guy they would like but he’s not committing to anything until after the American Athletic Conference Championship Game and if he’s 12-1 after that one, he’s going to the Cotton Bowl. FSU desperately needs a head coach in place before the Early Signing Date, so draw a red line through Norvell’s name, too. It is clearly a case of Down and Out in Tallahassee for Florida State and that is exactly where Mullen needs to keep the Seminoles. Would he kick a rival while it’s struggling to regain its footing? You darn right he would and should Saturday night! The Sayer Says Sooth: The strategy for the Gators is simple. Defensively, make life miserable for FSU quarterbacks James Blackman and Alex Hornibrook. The Seminoles have allowed 36 sacks this season, which ranks #122 nationally. Cut loose Jonathan Greenard and Florida’s other fast, talented pass rushers. Offensively, the strategy is keep Kyle Trask’s jersey clean. The Seminoles give up a whopping 273.8 passing yards per game so if Trask has time to set his feet, then the senior foursome of Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, Freddie Swain and Josh Hammond are going to have a chance to catch a lot of passes and leave The Swamp with a big win over FSU. I like it FLORIDA 37, FSU 17. GATOR HOOPS: BUILDING ON THE CHARLESTON MOMENTUM As encouraged as he is about Florida’s three-game run to the championship of the Charleston Classic, Mike White knows the Gators (5-2) are just now starting to figure things out, especially on the offensive end. White is quick to mention “we’ve got so far to go, especially on the offensive end” but he did indeed like what he saw in Charleston, when the Gators hit a collective 50.3% in the three wins over St. Joseph’s, Miami and Xavier along with 40% from the three-point line. “It starts with making shots,” White said Wednesday. “Sometimes basketball is as simple as whether it goes in or not. It’s going in more for us. We’re executing better. Our tempo is better. Certain guys are growing in confidence.” Prior to Charleston, the Gators were struggling on the offensive end but playing well defensively. The good defense continued in Charleston – St. Joseph’s, Miami and Xavier all scored in the 60s – the shots began to drop. Noah Locke, who was just 5-22 from the three-point line in the first four games, was 8-16. Keyontae Johnson, who was the tournament MVP with 49 points and 24 rebounds in the three games, was 20-33 from the field. Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored 34 points with 21 rebounds in the last two games and Andrew Nembhard had 39 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists in his three games. The Gators will be tested tonight by a tall Marshall team (Thundering Herd starts three 6-9s across the front line) that will be playing for the first time in more than a week. For the Gators tonight’s game (9 p.m., SEC Network), will be Florida’s last until next Saturday when they will face Butler in Indianapolis. White says, “We hope to win, but most importantly we got to continue to grow.” THE SEC SOOTHSAYER (College Football Playoff rankings) Friday’s game Missouri (5-6, 2-5 SEC) 35, Arkansas (3-8, 0-7 SEC) 14: The NCAA denied Mizzou’s appeal to go to a bowl game, so the Tigers will take it out on Vanderbilt this week. Vandy really has nothing to play for, but Mizzou can avoid a losing season with a win so that will be the incentive to play well, at least well enough to win. Saturday’s games #2 LSU (11-0, 6-1 SEC) 38, Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3 SEC) 24: LSU is trying to act like this is a normal game, but it’s payback for last year’s seven overtime affair in College Station. The Aggie defense put the clamps on Georgia last week but in its wildest dreams Georgia isn’t anything close to the offense they will see Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Jeaux Burreaux will nail down the Heisman Trophy with another 300-plus yards and three or four more touchdown passes. #4 Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC) 31, Georgia Tech (3-8) 7: This one should be over by halftime. Georgia Tech is really bad and while Georgia has struggled offensively, it won’t get much resistance from Tech Saturday. The biggest concern for Kirby Smart is getting some reps for his first team troops and then getting them on the bench injury free ahead of next week’s SEC Championship matchup with LSU. #5 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) 27, #15 Auburn (8-3, 4-3 SEC) 24: Alabama needs help to get in the College Football Playoff. Beating a ranked Auburn will help and doing it decisively it would certainly help even more although Bama will need Georgia and Utah to lose as well. As for Auburn, what happens if Alabama lowers the boom and wins by three or four touchdowns? Will that be the end of the Gus Malzah era? And if it’s a close call loss, will the boosters still call for his firing? This is going to get juicy. Tennessee (6-5, 4-3 SEC) 30, Vanderbilt (3-8, 1-6 SEC) 13: This game has blowout written all over it. The Vols have found a groove and settled in to become a decent football team while Vanderbilt gives the appearance of a team that is mailing it in. Win or lose, the Vols have clinched third place in the SEC East. Clemson (11-0) 49, South Carolina (4-7, 3-5 SEC) 14: Unless someone spikes the Clemson Gatorade with Valium, this one will be over by the end of the first quarter. Clemson played the first half of the season bored but awakened from its slumber and now is starting to look like that team nobody wants to play in the College Football Playoff. SEC BASKETBALL STUFF Thursday’s games Harvard 62, Texas A&M (3-2) 51 Iowa State 104, Alabama (2-4) 89 Friday’s games Temple vs. Texas A&M (3-2) in Orlando #17 Tennessee (5-0) vs. Florida State in Niceville, FL UAB at #9 Kentucky (5-1) Missouri State at LSU (4-2) Ole Miss (5-1) vs. Oklahoma State in Brooklyn, NY GOOD QUOTES FOR FRIDAY From my old friend Tom Archdeacon, the superb columnist of the Dayton Daily News, on the NCAA suspension of Chase Young, who borrowed money (and paid it back) from a longtime friend to buy a plane ticket so his girlfriend could come to see him play in the Rose Bowl: “The loan wasn’t done to help him get to Ohio State and he paid it back over the summer. And now he has paid a penalty. The hypocrisy of the NCAA comes to light in this situation. Had he come from a wealthy family, his parents or grandparents could have paid for the girlfriend’s trip without anyone turning a head. The rules are skewed for the rich.” Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated on Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and perceptions that he can’t win the big one: “Jim Harbaugh does not have a big game problem. He has an Ohio State problem, and so does every other team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have just been that good. They are 39-4 in the league since Harbaugh returned to Ann Arbor. No team has beaten them more than once. When Ohio State is focused and motivated, Ohio State wins – and against Michigan, Ohio State is always focused and motivated. In 2016, Harbaugh was one play away from beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten and probably making the playoff. If Michigan wins that game, which went into overtime, the entire conversation around him is quite different.” From Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated on Joe Burrow’s lifetime dream to be a quarterback at Nebraska only to be snubbed by the Cornhuskers twice, once coming out of high school and the second time when he decided to transfer from Ohio State: “Burrow went to Ohio State instead, where he sat on the bench for three seasons. When he decided to transfer as a redshirt junior, Nebraska, mired in a dismal stretch, could have landed him again. The Cornhuskers passed. When asked about Burrow at the time, Nebraska coach Scott Frost said, ‘You think he’s better than what we got?’” RANDOM THOUGHTS: Mississippi State (6-6, 3-5 SEC) became bowl eligible Thursday night with a 21-20 win over Ole Miss. The win was secured when Ole Miss receiver Elijah Moore was flagged for excessive celebration after scoring a touchdown with four seconds to go, cutting the MSU lead to a single point. Forced to kick the extra point from the 25, the ball sailed wide right, giving MSU the win and guaranteeing its 10thstraight bowl appearance … In case you missed it, Tate Martell, who has never thrown a pass at Miami since transferring from Ohio State and hasn’t played since a couple of snaps while playing wide receiver in week six, has taken a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. Smart money says he transfers again, this time to a D1AA team ... The Conference USA West Division could wind up in a three-way tie with Louisiana Tech, UAB and Southern Miss all finishing with 6-2 records. In the last week the league has revised its tiebreaker at least two times.

He literally gives away the shirt off his back. And he feeds needy families for Thanksgiving. By AINSLIE LEE GATORBAIT Staff Writer Forty-five minutes south of The Swamp behind a wooden picket fence sits Freddie Swain’s childhood home. Cars parked in the driveway don Florida Gator embellishments – including personalized license plates that read “SWAIN.” Freddie’s nephew, MJ, answers the door with a mouthful of left-over Halloween candy as Freddie’s mom, Brenda Geromel, shooshes their barking dog into a back bedroom. And while all of this is typical for the Ocala household, the scene on the back porch isn’t so frequent. Just beyond the sliding glass door leading to the porch is a set of table and chairs piled high with grocery bags and boxes of food. Boxed stuffing and canned cranberry sauce littered Geromel’s back porch. And while her family of four children and three grandchildren, is large, it isn’t large enough to need that much food. But the food isn’t for them. In fact, they don’t even know who the food is for. “He has a foundation, the Freddie Swain Foundation – as you can see,” Geromel said, gesturing over her shoulder to the mountain of groceries. “And we already delivered five dinners to the high school. And tomorrow we do five to North Marion Middle School and five to Evergreen (Elementary).” The Thanksgiving feasts are hand delivered by Swain who entrusts the school administrators to get them into deserving hands. According to Sonja Christmas, a health science instructor at North Marion High School, the school will use recommendations received from teachers and the school’s social worker to hand select the families in need of Swain’s donation. Christmas, who has been at North Marion for 11 years, was everything but shocked when the current Florida Gator showed up at his alma mater with five frozen turkeys in tow. While Christmas never actually taught Swain, she was fortunate enough to watch him progress as a North Marion Colt in his four years of football. As a member of the school’s quarterback club and a leadership instructor, Christmas says Swain has the correct answer to the biggest question North Marion asks its student-athletes: What do you want your legacy to be? “What he is doing now is just a continuation of what he did as a student,” Christmas said. “It speaks volumes of his upbringing. He wants to do as much as he can while he can.” Before delivering the second batch of meals to North Marion Middle School, Swain stopped by the house of his childhood friend, Desmond Carson. “Freddie had come to my house just to stop by and see my family – who loves him like family,” Carson said. When Swain told Carson where he was headed next, Carson asked if he could tag along. After all, Carson was no stranger to Swain’s outreached hand. “He’s the person who asked if you want to go get food,” Carson recalls. “And I’d tell him, ‘I don’t have money for food.’ and he’d say, ‘I didn’t ask if you had money for food. I asked if you wanted to get food.’” While Swain has, without question, made his mark on the Ocala community, the receiver’s spirit of generosity has extended northward into Gainesville since his arrival to campus four years ago. Geromel has a friend in Gainesville who works at one of the gas stations that Swain frequents. And one day, she got a tearful phone call from her. “She called me crying and said Freddie just made her day and some other guy’s,” Geromel said. “He took the shirt of his back and his shoes and gave him to the (homeless) guy and gave him a couple of dollars to get whatever needed.” “He also went where his girlfriend’s mom works, at a nursing home and gave the guy in there – a big Gator fan – gave him the same thing, his shoes, shirt … right off of his beaten back.” Earlier this month, following Florida’s loss to Georgia, Geromel and her family got to get a quick bite to eat with Swain – who, by the way, led the Gators in receiving that day with 91 yards, a touchdown and eight catches. “We were in Subway and we ordered our food and the guy behind us ordered his. And he (Freddie) was like, ‘I’ll pay for his, too.’” Swain’s older sister, Christina Frazier, says that her youngest brother comes by it honestly: “Being with my mom and grandparents, they’ll do anything for anybody, so I guess him seeing that, that’s probably where he got it from.” The only thing Frazier can hope for now is that some of her brother’s attributes rub off onto her eight-year-old son, MJ, who wants to play football for the Gators when he gets older. “I did a good job, I guess,” Geromel laughed. “With the help of my mom and my dad and everybody else who helped me.” A lot of hands go into raising and developing the character of a child. And regardless of who was involved in Freddie Swain’s upbringing, it’s clear that the lesson of being unselfish was taught often. Ahead of every game, Swain and fellow senior receiver Josh Hammond trot out to the logo for the coin-toss. Swain and Hammond, who are joined by fellow senior David Reese II, watch the coin being launched launch, wait on a decision to be made, shake hands and head back to the Florida sideline. However, one of them will take their place on the bench, while the other gets to play the first offensive series. “It’s kind of funny, the two guys that play the same position are two team captains, Freddie and Josh,” Dan Mullen said earlier this month. “They play the exact same (position) … One question I can’t answer for you is how many games either one of them have started this year. I would have no idea.” To answer Mullen’s hypothetical question, Swain and Hammond have each started five games this season with neither Swain nor Hammond starting against Towson. Nonetheless, not starting a game is pretty uncharacteristic of a senior captain. But with a deep receiver corps dripping with talent, occupants in the Gator’ receivers’ room learned quickly that their unselfishness would be just as important as their route running. And that lesson was one that wouldn’t require much teaching for one of Florida’s receivers. In four years at Florida, Freddie Swain has been a constantly evolving piece of that talent in Florida’s offense. In an ode to his unselfishness, when fellow receivers Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes transferred into the Florida football program, Swain never feared a decrease in reps. If you go back to his hometown of Ocala, Florida and ask those who know him best, the words “Freddie” and “selfish” are never found in the same sentence. And come this Holiday season, 15 Ocala families will learn exactly why that is. And now, as Thanksgiving approaches, so does Swain’s final regular season game as a Gator. As fate would have it, if Swain and Hammond keep up with their rotation, No. 16 will jog out to midfield and instead of finding himself on the sideline during the opening offensive snap, he will line up in the slot. But knowing Freddie, starting the game won’t matter much to him anyways. “I ain’t ever been selfish,” Swain said earlier in November. “I don’t really mind whatever’s meant to be. I tell guys all the time, ‘Whatever’s meant to be is whatever’s meant to be.’ So, if it’s meant for me to catch the ball and then score with it, then that’s what it’s meant to be.”

TAKING THE NEXT STEP There is that old saying that if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be what you’ve always been. In so many words, that was what Dan Mullen was telling the Gators immediately after Florida stuck it to Michigan in the Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl back in January. “That was the message, if you thought what we did last year was good enough to do the exact same thing, don’t expect us to be any better,” Mullen said at his Monday press conference. The challenge this year has been to do whatever is necessary to be a better football team than Mullen’s first Gator team, which finished 10-3. The Gators (9-2) can match last year’s win total Saturday night against Florida State in The Swamp and then get to the 11-win mark in the bowl game. One more win is actually quite the accomplishment when you take into consideration the number of injuries the Gators have had to battle through. “You look at the adversities we’ve had to face this year, with injuries and other things we’ve had to face,” Mullen said. “You look at how guys have bought in to what we’re doing and bought in and believed in that and really the confidence they have and the expectations they have to go win games. There’s a lot of guys on our sideline who expect to win the games. I don’t know that that was the case the year before.” Getting to 10 regular season wins and then adding the 11th in the bowl game is very important, particularly when considering the state of the football program at FSU and Miami. The Seminoles and Hurricanes are barely bowl eligible. Meanwhile, Florida, with a win over FSU, will be going to its second straight New Year’s Six bowl game while the Seminoles and Hurricanes are likely headed to some exotic location such as Shreveport. With a win over FSU Saturday night, Florida will make a statement that will resonate with recruits: The Gators aren’t going to simply spin their wheels and stay in the same place they were. They’re going to make progress and create distance between themselves and everyone else in the state of Florida. THE SEC SOOTHSAYER Thursday’s game Ole Miss (4-7, 3-4 SEC) 30, Mississippi State (5-6, 2-5 SEC) 28: Mississippi State’s suspect defense is going to have all sorts of issues with the Ole Miss running game and that will bring State’s nine-year string of bowl appearances to an end. They probably won’t fire Joe Moorhead if he loses to Ole Miss, but they wouldn’t beg him to stay if Rutgers offered him the job either. SEC FOOTBALL STUFF (College Football Playoff rankings) #5 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC): Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and defensive linemen Phidarius Mathis and Raekwon Davis have all practiced this week and are expected to play in Saturday’s Iron Bowl game. Saturday: at #15 Auburn (8-3, 4-3 SEC) Arkansas (3-8, 0-7 SEC): There is an outbreak of mumps on the campus in Fayette Nam. Montaric Brown and Deon Edwards didn’t travel with the team to LSU last weekend due to an unspecified illness. Arkansas will not confirm if it was due to mumps. Friday: vs. Missouri (5-6, 2-5 SEC) in Little Rock #15 Auburn (8-3, 4-3 SEC): Defensive end Marlon Davidson on facing Alabama starting QB Mac Jones: “I feel like we’re going to wake him up.” Saturday: vs. #5 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) #4 Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC): Leading receiver Lawrence Cager suffered an ankle injury in practice and could miss the Georgia Tech game. Saturday: at Georgia Tech (3-8): Kentucky (6-5, 3-5 SEC): Kentucky faces a Louisville team that has trouble stopping the run (183 yards per game, 261 last week vs. Syracuse). That bodes well for the Wildcats who are averaging more than 254 yards per game on the ground and have run for 1,462 yards in their last four. Saturday: vs. Louisville (7-4) #2 LSU (11-0, 7-0 SEC): Safety Eric Monroe returned to practice Wednesday after a one-day absence. Saturday: vs. Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3 SEC) Missouri (5-6, 2-5 SEC): Missouri lost its appeal to the NCAA to have its one-year bowl ban lifted. Friday: at Arkansas (3-8, 0-7 SEC) in Little Rock South Carolina (4-7, 3-5 SEC): On 107.5 The Game in Columbia Wednesday, athletic director Ray Tanner said Wednesday, “Will Muschamp is our football coach and I expect him to be our football coach for a long, long time.” Saturday: vs. #3 Clemson (11-0) Tennessee (6-5, 4-3 SEC): HBC Jeremy Pruitt denies an ESPN report that he pressured his training staff with the way they handled injured players. Pruitt said Wednesday, “The athletic training staff has always reported to the athletic director.” Saturday: vs. Vanderbilt (3-8, 1-6 SEC) Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3 SEC): Has anyone in the country faced a tougher schedule than the Aggies? When they face LSU Saturday they will have played the (College Football Playoff rankings) #2 (LSU), #3 (Clemson), #4 (Georgia) and #5 (Alabama) teams in the country. Saturday: at #2 LSU (11-0, 7-0 SEC) Vanderbilt (3-8, 1-6 SEC): The Commodores beat D1AA East Tennessee State last week which prompted HBC Derek Mason to say, “Coming off the win I think these guys have confidence.” Saturday: at Tennessee (6-5, 4-3 SEC) COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: EDITION 14 (Thursday edition due to Thanksgiving college football scheduling) Extinct Species List Chris Ash, Rutgers: Tap the brakes on the Greg Schiano train has left the station. Apparently the fan base is in near revolt forcing admin back to the table to try to reel in a deal with Schiano. Stay tuned. Willie Taggart, Florida State: They have whiffed on Team Stoops, Parts I and II, and Mike Norvell has Memphis in the AAC championship game, plus if he wins that and is 12-1 he’s got a New Year’s Six bowl. He doesn’t want to abandon his team so there is every good chance he’s going to say thankee but no thankee as well. Odell Haggins might end up being the permanent head coach by default. Chad Morris, Arkansas: One of the more famous Arkansas alums – Barry Switzer – wants Mike Leach. That would be a very smart move but is Arkansas smart enough to make it? Bob Davie New Mexico: This program is an absolute train wreck. Probably the smart thing to do would be hire someone who runs a funky offense like the service academies. Tony Sanchez, UNLV: A name to watch for this open job is Kalen DeBoer, the offensive coordinator at Indiana, who had a terrific offense in the Mountain West at Fresno State in 2017-18 and who made the Hoosiers fun to watch in 2019. He won three NAIA national championships at Sioux Falls. On Life Support Clay Helton, Southern Cal: This is going to get interesting. Alums and boosters want (a) Urban Meyer and if that fails (b) James Franklin but Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, who’s one of the best reporters in all of college football, says the new school prez and AD are leaning heavily toward retraining Helton, understanding that going 8-4 with all these injuries is quite an accomplishment. Mike Bobo, Colorado State: The Fighting Bobos are about to go 4-8 after Boise State does its excellent imitation of a runaway train and flattens them Saturday. Everybody likes Bobo, but he isn’t winning enough Phil Montgomery, Tulsa: Tulsa is favored to beat ECU Saturday. Will a last game win, a win over ECU and playing a lot of teams close save a school that really doesn’t have buyout money? Bobby Wilder, Old Dominion: Win or lose the final game against Charlotte, Wilder will be trying to figure out what’s next in life. Endangered Species List Mark Dantonio, Michigan State: He’s due a $4.3 million longevity bonus on January 15 and then he would make another $4.3 coaching the team next year. Nobody is happy with that. Frank Wilson, Texas-San Antonio: It’s possible that he’ll be coaching next year if he beats Louisiana Tech Saturday. Possible, just not probable. Steve Addazio, Boston College: He really needs to beat Pitt to get bowl eligible. It’s going to be a close call even if BC wins this game, but a loss might make it easy for admin to pink slip Old 6-6 Steve. Kevin Sumlin, Arizona: Nobody is happy with the last two years and the direction the program seems headed. If he survives it’s because the administration thinks it’s only fair to give a coach three years to do something. Beads of Sweat Forming Charlie Strong, South Florida: If they take into account all the injuries, then Strong gets another year. If they don’t, then he’s as good as gone after getting poleaxed by UCF Saturday. Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State: While the Greg Schiano saga continues at Rutgers, Moorhead remains on the radar. If he loses the Egg Bowl, the Mississippi State folks will be very happy if Rutgers makes Moorhead an offer he can’t refuse. Saved by the Buyout and Other Teensy Details Matt Luke, Ole Miss: The new athletic director says Luke’s his coach moving forward. Some of that had to do with the buyouts, but it also had a lot to do with the new AD doesn’t want to start out with a firing. Chip Kelly, UCLA: The loss to Southern Cal sent ripples of grumbling throughout the fan and alumni base, but not enough that a megadonor would write a $9 million check. So, they’re stuck with Chip another year at least. Randy Edsall, UConn: When he goes in for his season review with the powers that be after getting kneecapped by Shirley Temple, Edsall will be able to say he doubled up last year’s win total. He did. The Huskies went from one win to two. They’re too broke to fire him. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: He’ll be back for 2020. The real reason for that he’s coming back is Vandy’s interim president would rather kick the football can down the road and led the new prez deal with a losing football program. Kilani Sitaki, BYU: The buyout wasn’t a problem. They just want to win games at the Y. Sitaki is at eight and extended until 2023 thanks to one of the weaker schedules on the planet. SEC BASKETBALL STUFF Wednesday’s games #6 North Carolina 76, Alabama (2-3) 67 Ole Miss (5-1) 74, Penn State 72 Northern Iowa 78, South Carolina (4-3) 72 Georgia (5-2) 80, Chaminade 77 Thursday’s games Texas A&M (3-1) vs. Harvard in Orlando Alabama (2-3) vs. Iowa State in Nassau, Bahamas GOOD QUOTES FOR THURSDAY Urban Meyer on how much he misses coaching football: “It used to be about an hour, hour and a half where I missed it so bad. But then I’m into this Fox college football team that I have. I’m so into some other things, whether it be business opportunities. It’s just intriguing, this other world. I’m also into my grandchildren and my wife and family, and we’re traveling and do some other cool things. I played Augusta two weeks ago. Who would ever think I would ever do that in the fall? It’s a nice life out there.” College Football Playoff chairman Rob Mullens explaining to Rece Davis of ESPN how it was Ohio State jumped LSU for the number one spot in the weekly poll: “Well, Ohio State has been a complete team and that win over Penn State was their third win currently over teams that we have in the top 19. It’s probably the complete team piece. Ohio State’s been good on both sides of the ball.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: In getting Ohio U bowl eligible, Frank Solich ensured Akron a perfect season – in reverse (0-12). They never should have fired Terry Bowden. The Little Dweeb was good for at least four or five wins every year … The NCAA denied an appeal of a 12-game suspension against Memphis freshman James Wiseman. Wiseman won’t be allowed to play again until January 12 … Kentucky’s already thin frontcourt will be down a man for the next 3-4 weeks after grad transfer Nate Sestina broke his wrist. Sestina was averaging 7.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.

There was a time when Florida versus Florida State decided National Championships and shaped the landscape of the game. There was a time when Florida and Florida State not only jointly ran the Sunshine State, but they sat atop the world of college football. Over the past decade, the pendulum has swung from one to another. FSU carried the banner for much of the mid-decade, winning the 2013 National Championship and fighting for another when making the 2014 College Football Playoffs. During that time, the Gators went through two season of only four wins and three coaching changes (Urban Meyer to Will Muschamp to Jim McElwain to Dan Mullen). Now, the Florida Gators are No. 11 in the country and have a chance for back-to-back 10 win seasons with a possibility for 11 wins on the table for the Gators this season. They have a coaching staff firmly in place and a noticeable upward trajectory. The Seminoles are unranked, scraped to six wins and fired their head coach…after just a season and a half. It can be a demoralizing feeling and one of which these Gators—especially the veterans like receiver Josh Hammond—remember all too well. “It definitely sucks. You never want to lose your coach, especially halfway through the season and then have to go through that change, and you know, a bunch of questions going through your head because you don’t know what’s next, what’s going to happen after the season. “I definitely know how they are feeling. They are definitely kind of just wanting to get over with it. I think we were kinda getting to that point, wanting to get it over with and see what was next for our future.” While the Noles might be ready to just “get it over with” as Hammond explained, there is still an opportunity to make something from nothing. It’s how the Gators felt two years ago and even though FSU still beat Florida that year 38-22 in The Swamp, center Nick Buchanan remembers the Gators laissez-faire attitude that can prove dangerous to an opponent at times on the field. “Their mindset is, ‘we have nothing to lose, so why not go out there and give it everything we’ve got?’ We know they’re going to go out here and play hard. First of all, this is Florida-Florida State, so all the records, everything that you have done all year goes out the window. It’s a rivalry game. It’s going to be a war. It’s going to be a battle. I know those guys are hungry to come out here and spoil our season and come into The Swamp and get a dub, just like they have done for the past three or four times. We’ve got to go out there and play our A-game.” Florida hasn’t defeated FSU in The Swamp since 2009 in Tim Tebow’s final game as a Gator. It was also Bobby Bowden’s final regular season game as the Noles head coach. UF opened as a 17.5 point favorite over FSU for this weekend and the University of Florida Athletic Association is pulling out all the stops to make it a night to remember. The game is set to kick off at 7:30pm, it will be Senior Day and Percy Harvin is serving as the Celebrity Mr. Two-Bits during the pre-game traditional cheer. The extra emphasis put on this game by Florida means it would be that much more satisfying on the Noles end to get the win, creating their own Ron Zook type of game…something of which the Gators are well aware. “Bragging rights in the state of Florida. If they win this game, it doesn't matter what they've done all year. They're just going to basically take a W for the season,” notes BUCK Jon Greenard before continuing, “we’re going to go out there with the same mentality. We're going to continue to impose our will and make sure they feel us.” The Gators have imposed their will on a vast majority of opponents this season and made their presence felt to all, even in losses. This is more than just a rivalry game though, at least as far as the Florida Gators are concerned. It’s a chance to end the season at home undefeated, another opportunity to show the College Football Playoff committee they deserve a New Year’s Six game and an opportunity to live up to and continue to reset the “Gator Standard.” That’s the biggest difference in these two programs now. Florida State has nothing to play for but pride, and that can make a team dangerous. But the Florida Gators now have something even larger than themselves to play for. They’re representing a program that has come from the dark place in which FSU now sits and a program that has flourished under the lights once again. This is their time now and Jon Greenard assures they will use it well. "We've got to beat the heck out these boys. That's our whole mindset. It's nothing else as far as worrying about bowl game or after the game, getting rest. Our mindset is to beat the heck out of them. They're going to think the same thing. I hope they think the same thing. But that's how we're coming."

MULLEN LOOKS FOR LOUD, BOISTEROUS SWAMP SATURDAY NIGHT Dan Mullen didn’t exactly come right out and say it at his Monday press conference, but he made it fairly clear that he wants a jam-packed Swamp that is loud and intimidating. Obviously, when the decibels are at ear-splitting levels, it will make it far more difficult for Florida State (6-5) to spring the upset on the 8th-ranked Gators (9-2). The residual effect of a Swamp rocking the way it was against Auburn is an atmosphere that is not only going to be conducive to winning but will appeal to the 150 or so recruits in the South End Zone. “I’ve said it for years and years, you want to win, pack the stadium, not we win and THEN you [pack the stadium],” Mullen said. “Fans are like, ‘Hey, if you win we’ll show up.’ It actually works the other way. You show up and we’ll win. If you look at how the stadium has been this year, the excitement, the energy within the stadium for our home games has been awesome. As a result of that we’ve won and hopefully the same things continue and we have an unbelievable environment on Saturday night with a packed stadium.” As for recruiting, Mullen said, “A lot of recruits probably coming to this game because of the type of game it is. Anytime you can do that, it helps. They come. They want to see what’s the environment? What’s it like? What’s the energy within this stadium? Is this a place I want to play? I think that’s how people look at recruiting when they come to see the game. Winning will help, but a lot of our fans creating the environment will help. All of that leads to one goal, which is us trying to find a way to get a win.” SENIOR JOSH HAMMOND ON HOW HE HOPES TO BE REMEMBERED It will be Senior Day at The Swamp, which means the last home game for guys like Josh Hammond (24 catches, 307 yards, two touchdowns; 5-96, one touchdown rushing; career 84-1,099, six touchdowns receiving; 8-129, two touchdowns rushing). At the Monday press conference, Hammond talked about how he wants to be remembered as a Gator: “I just wanna be remembered as a person that always put his best foot forward. Always, you know, was willing to help others within the team and always worked his hardest every day to try to help our team to accomplish the goal of winning. And I think I’ve been able to do that within my four years here. So just excited to be able to put the Gator jersey and represent my family the way that I have been able to and win as many ball games as I could.” GATORS BACK IN TOP 25 HOOPS POLLS It’s amazing what three impressive wins in a row will do for you. Just when many in the media were ready to write off the Gators as overrated, they went to Charleston and knocked off St. Joseph’s, Miami and then 17th-ranked Xavier to improve to 5-2. Shooting was an issue in the first four games of the season but in the three wins in Charleston the Gators shot 50.3% overall from the field and 40.7% from the 3-point line. Defensively, the Gators held all three opponents to 65 or fewer points, 40% overall from the field and 25.8% from the 3-point line. When you shoot the way the Gators did and you play that kind of defense, you win a lot of basketball games. The Gators still aren’t where Mike White wants them to be, but the Charleston tournament showed what happens when the shots begin to fall. The Gators are playing very good defense that is only going to get better. Offensively, this is a team that is still finding itself so while there might be a few more games when they struggle, the struggles aren’t going to last. The Gators are 24th in the AP poll and 25th in the coaches poll. Expect them to start making the slow but steady climb back into the good graces of the people who vote in the polls and for Florida to eventually get back to a top ten ranking. The Associated Press Top 25 Poll (1) Duke 6-0; (2) Louisville 6-0; (3) Michigan State 3-1; (4) Kansas 3-1; (5) Maryland 5-0; (6) North Carolina 4-0; (7) Virginia 6-0; (8) Gonzaga 6-0; (9) Kentucky 5-1; (10) Ohio State 5-0; (11) Oregon 5-0; (12) Texas Tech 5-0; (13) Seton Hall 4-1; (14) Arizona 6-0; (15) Utah State 7-0; (16) Memphis 5-1; (17) Tennessee 4-0; (18) Auburn 5-0; (19) Baylor 5-1; (20) VCU 5-0; (21) Colorado 4-0; (22) Villanova 4-2; (23) Washington 5-1; (24) FLORIDA 5-2; (25) Xavier 6-1 The Coaches Top 25 Poll (1) Duke 6-0; (2) Louisville 6-0; (33) Michigan State 3-1; (4) North Carolina 4-0; (5) Kansas 3-1; (6) Virginia 6-0; (7) Gonzaga 6-0; (8) Maryland 5-0; (9) Ohio State 5-0; (10) Oregon 5-0; (11) Kentucky 5-1; (12) Texas Tech 5-0; (13) Seton Hall 4-1; (14) Arizona 6-0; (15) Utah State 7-0; (16) Tennessee 4-0; (17) Auburn 5-0; (18) Baylor 5-1; (19) VCU 5-0; (20) Memphis 5-1; (21) Villanova 4-2; (22) Washington 5-1; (23) Xavier 6-1; (24) Colorado 4-0; (25) FLORIDA 5-2 SEC BASKETBALL STUFF (Associated Press rankings) Monday’s games #17 Tennessee (5-0) 58, Chattanooga 46 #18 Auburn (6-0) 84, New Mexico 59 Vanderbilt (4-1) 78, Southeastern Louisiana 70 Dayton 80, Georgia (4-1) 61 Arkansas (6-0) 62, Georgia Tech 61, OT Butler 63, Missouri (4-2) 52 Tuesday’s Game Wichita State at South Carolina (4-1) SEC FOOTBALL STUFF (Associated Press rankings) #5 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC): Nick Saban on why he thinks QB Mac Jones is ready to play well on the road Saturday against Auburn: “I think the team has confidence in him … We have every confidence that he’ll be able to manage the game well and do what we need to do to be able to get the ball to the skill players we have to create balance on offense.” Saturday: at #16 Auburn (8-3, 4-3 SEC) Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC): Interim coach Barry Lunney indicated that he might start Jack Lindsey at quarterback against Missouri. If Lindsey, who was 3-4 passing for 51 yards and a TD against LSU, starts he will be the fifth QB to start a game for the Razorbacks this season. Saturday: vs. Missouri (5-6, 2-5 SEC) in Little Rock #16 Auburn (8-3, 4-3 SEC): In the win over Samford, freshman QB Bo Nix broke the school freshman record for completions and tied the freshman record for touchdown passes. For the season, Nix is 185-321 passing for 2,193 yards and 14 touchdown passes. He needs 50 yards to break the single season freshman passing yardage record. Saturday: vs. #5 Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) #4 Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC): Since throwing three interceptions in the loss to South Carolina, Jake Fromm has thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception. Fromm has completed fewer than 50% of his passes in each of the last three games while throwing six TDPs. Saturday: at Georgia Tech (3-8) Kentucky (6-5, 3-5 SEC): Monday Mark Stoops made it abundantly clear that the FSU job is not in the cards: “I think I was pretty clear, I’m really intent on being here and building this program. We have unfinished business and I’m excited about the future, so I’m pretty clear.” Saturday: vs. Louisville (7-4) #1 LSU (11-0, 7-0 SEC): Coach O talked Monday about how motivated the Tigers will be to face Texas A&M, which beat them in a marathon 7-overtime game last year: “We’re going to be sky high, but we can’t be too high to where we are committing a bunch of penalties and all that. It’s going to be an emotional game because of what happened last year, because of where we’re at – we’re 11-0, we want to finish the season undefeated.” Saturday: vs. Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3 SEC) Mississippi State (5-6, 2-5 SEC): HBC Joe Moorhead on the importance of winning the Egg Bowl game with Ole Miss: I understand the magnitude of it. President (Mark) Keenum clearly stressed that when I got the job. We’ve got to do everything we can to make sure that trophy stays put.” Thursday: vs. Ole Miss (4-7, 3-4 SEC) Missouri (5-6, 2-5 SEC): Kelly Bryant’s hamstring issues are well known but Bryant had to have his knee drained before the loss to Tennessee. The knee injury was caused by a hit taken in the Florida game. Saturday: at Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC) in Little Rock Ole Miss (4-7, 3-4 SEC): Here is the motivation for Ole Miss Thursday: Although the Rebels won’t qualify to go to a bowl game, they know if they beat Mississippi State they will break the Bulldogs streak of nine straight years of going bowling. Thursday: at Mississippi State (5-6, 2-5 SEC) South Carolina (4-7, 3-5 SEC): Running back Tavien Feaster, a Clemson transfer who graduated in 2-1/2 years, is expected to play against his old teammates Saturday. Despite missing three games with a groin injury, Feaster leads South Carolina in rushing with 625 yards (5.58 per carry). Saturday: vs. #3 Clemson (11-0) Tennessee (6-5, 4-3 SEC): QB Jesse Guarantano was thankful Monday that his teammates stood by him even when he was getting death threats and his sister was getting mean text messages from Tennessee fans after the Alabama game. Saturday: vs. Vanderbilt (3-8, 1-6 SEC) Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3 SEC): Jimbo Fisher isn’t pointing fingers at the zebras who blew numerous calls in the Aggies loss to Georgia, but admitted that Texas A&M submitted several blown calls for review to the SEC office. Saturday: at #1 LSU (11-0, 7-0 SEC) Vanderbilt (3-8, 1-6 SEC): Official attendance for the win over East Tennessee State was announced at 19,683. Photos of the stadium show less than half that actually attended the game. Saturday: at Tennessee (6-5, 4-3 SEC) GOOD QUOTES FOR TUESDAY Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated on the fact that beating Miami was very, very personal for Florida International coach Butch Davis: “Why so personal? No one wants to get into specifics, but we all know those reasons. At least three times in the last several years, the Hurricanes passed on a chance to welcome back Butch Davis as coach, the man who overcame the NCAA rule-breaking transgressions of Dennis Erickson in the late 1990s to lay the foundation for a championship won without him in 2001. Instead, Miami hired, Randy Shannon, then Al Golden, then Mark Richt, a trio that went 90-63 in 12 seasons, claimed zero conference championships and finished ranked in the top ten zero times.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter on the fact that not a single NFL team has bothered to contact Colin Kaepernick since his workout in front of seven NFL teams in Riverdale, Georgia: “The fact that the NFL tried to spark interest in Kaepernick last week, and could not, and that his reps made sure that video of the workout was delivered to every team, are just the latest signs that the chances are bleak that a team will step forward and sign him.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: Even though Rutgers, Florida State and Arkansas jumped the gun, the firing season for college football officially began Monday when UNLV fired Tony Sanchez and New Mexico pink slipped Bob Davie … Maine quarterback Chris Ferguson has entered the NCAA transfer portal and will be immediately eligible somewhere next year as a graduate transfer. Ferguson is 6-4, 230 with a big arm. In the six games before he was hurt this season he threw for 1,635 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2017-18, he threw for 4,436 yards and 38 touchdowns. He is expected to get multiple Division I offers … Cost overruns for the new Los Angeles stadium that will be home to the Rams and Chargers mean the final price tag will be in excess of $6 BILLION, which is more than the combined cost of the Cowboys, Colts and Eagles stadiums … There was a report in Monday’s Tampa Bay Times that Willie Taggart never signed his contract at Florida State, opening the door that FSU might not owe Taggart the full amount of his nearly $18 million buyout. A later report by sports business analyst Darren Rovell claims that Taggart signed the contract but Florida State did not. Considering Taggart’s agent is Jimmy Sexton, it seems more likely that Rovell’s report is the more accurate of the two, but it is another negative coming out of Tallahassee at a time when FSU needs all the publicity it can generate.

GATORS HOLD ON, WIN CHARLESTON CHAMPIONSHIP The best kind of teaching moments are the ones you get after you win. Mike White has plenty of teaching moments for the Florida Gators (5-2) after their 70-65 win over 17th-ranked Xavier in the championship game of the Charleston Classic. The Gators held a 10-point lead at halftime and expanded it to 17 right out of the gates in the second, but turnovers and some bad shot decisions helped the Musketeers get back to within three (68-65) with 1:09 to go. After a shot clock violation against UF with 32 seconds remaining, Xavier elected to play for the tie and overtime but good Florida defense on a Paul Scruggs 3-ball resulted in a rebound by Kerry Blackshear Jr., who put the game away with 7.5 seconds to go with a pair of free throws. Xavier had one last crack at the basket with three seconds left but Blackshear cleared the rebound to secure the championship for Florida. Florida should have won this game in blowout fashion. Xavier deserves credit for playing hard, forcing some turnovers and then converting at the offensive end, but the Gators made far too many silly mistakes in the backcourt against the full court press and several ill-advised shots way too early in the shot clock. And, when the shot clock wound down, there was too much dribbling and standing around instead of passing and moving to the basket. Those are teachable moments, which White will certainly try to work out in practice this week. Florida was ahead, 52-38, at the 15-minute mark in the second half when Xavier began giving the Gators fits with a full court press. Over the next five minutes, the Musketeers outscored the Gators 10-4 to cut Florida’s lead to 54-48. Florida pushed the lead back to 13 (64-51) behind a 3-point play by Keyontae Johnson and five quick points off the bench from freshman Ques Glover but again Xavier got the Gators out of sorts with a full court press and outscored UF 14-4. This time it was Florida’s defense that made the plays when it counted to give the Gators the win. Four Gators scored in double figures led by Andrew Nembhard and Johnson with 15 each. Blackshear finished with 14 to go with 10 rebounds and Noah Locke had 13 including 3-5 on his 3-pointers. The unsung hero for UF was Glover, who followed up his 11-point effort against Miami with nine against Xavier. Xavier is the seventh consecutive opponent the Gators have held to fewer than 70 points. The Gators return home to the O-Dome Friday for a non-conference matchup with Marshall (2-3). GATORS MOVE UP TO #8 IN AP, COACHES POLLS The off week worked out well for the Florida Gators. While formerly #6 Oregon and #8 Penn State lost, the Gators didn’t have to do a thing to move up to #8 in both the Associated Press and Coaches top 25 polls. The Gators were ranked #11 in the previous AP poll, 10th in the Coaches. The top five teams remained the same in both polls. The biggest movement Oregon and Penn State, both of whom dropped out the top ten. The Associated Press Top 25 (1) LSU 11-0; (2) Ohio State 11-0; (3) Clemson 11-0; (4) Georgia 10-1; (5) Alabama 10-1; (6) Utah 10-1; (7) Oklahoma 10-1; (8) FLORIDA 9-2; (9) Minnesota; (10) Michigan 9-2; (11) Baylor 10-1; (12) Penn State 9-2; (13) Wisconsin 9-2; (14) Oregon 9-2; (15) Notre Dame 9-2; (16) Auburn 8-3; (17) Memphis 10-1; (18) Utah 10-1; (19) Iowa 10-1; (20) Boise State 10-1; (21) Oklahoma State 8-3; (22) Appalachian State 10-1; (23) Virginia Tech 8-3; (24) Navy 9-2; (25) Southern Cal 8-4 The Coaches Top 25 (1) LSU 11-0; (2) Ohio State 11-0; (3) Clemson 11-0; (4) Georgia 10-1; (5) Alabama 10-1; (6) Utah 10-1; (7) Oklahoma 10-1; (8) FLORIDA 9-2; (9) Minnesota 10-1; (10) Baylor 10-1; (11) Michigan 9-2; (12) Penn State 9-2; (13) Oregon 9-2; (14) Wisconsin 9-2; (15) Notre Dame 9-2; (16) Auburn 8-3; (17) Cincinnati 10-1; (18) Memphis 10-1; (19) Boise State 10-1; (20) Iowa 8-3; (21) Oklahoma State 8-3; (22) Appalachian State 10-1; (23) Virginia Tech 8-3; (24) Navy 8-2; (25) Southern Cal 8-4 SEC FOOTBALL STUFF (Associated Press Rankings) LSU (11-0, 7-0 SEC): The Tigers are the only team in college football with a 4,000-yard passer (Joe Burrow, 4,014), a 1,000-yard rusher (Clyde Edwards Helaire, 1,146) and two 1,00-yard receivers (Ja’Marr Chase, 63-1,260; Justin Jefferson, 1,037). Next Saturday: vs. Texas A&M Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC): In its four wins over ranked opponents – Notre Dame, Florida, Auburn and Texas A&M – the Bulldogs haven’t scored more than 24 points. They have 21 and 19 in the wins over Auburn and A&M. Next Saturday: at Georgia Tech (3-8) Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC): Mac Jones was 10-12 passing for 275 yards and three touchdowns. In his two starts this season, Jones is 28-34 for 510 yards and six touchdowns. Next Saturday: at Auburn (8-3, 4-3 SEC) FLORIDA (9-2, 6-2 SEC): The Gators rank #5 nationally in sacks (38) and are tied for second in interceptions (15). That’s in 11 games. In 13 games last year the Gators had 37 sacks and 14 interceptions. Next Saturday: vs. Florida State (6-5) Auburn (8-3, 4-3 SEC): Auburn will be without safety Jamien Sherwood for the first half of the Iron Bowl matchup with Alabama. Sherwood was ejected in the third quarter of Auburn’s 52-0 win over Samford. Next Saturday: vs. Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) Texas A&M (7-4, 4-3 SEC): Jimbo Fisher has a legitimate complaint about the officiating in the Aggies’ 19-13 loss to Georgia. His receivers were mugged and the zebras absolutely refused to throw their yellow hankies. On Georgia’s only touchdown pass, receiver George Pickens yanked the facemask of A&M corner Debione Renfro right in front of the zebra but there was no call. Next Saturday: at LSU (11-0, 7-0 SEC) Tennessee (6-5, 4-3 SEC): The Vols started the season 1-4 but they are 5-1 since with the only loss to Alabama. Now that they are bowl eligible the boosters aren’t holding bake sales and car washes to raise the money for a buyout. Next Saturday: at Vanderbilt (3-8, 1-6 SEC) Kentucky (6-5, 3-5 SEC): Responding to questions about his turning down an offer to become the next HBC at Florida State, Mark Stoops said, “This is where my heart is. This is where I want to be … so I’m going to be at Kentucky.” Next Saturday: vs. Louisville Missouri (5-6, 2-5 SEC): The Missouri meltdown continued. The Tigers have lost their last five games and have fewer than 300 yards of offense in all five losses, which has boosters and alums calling for the firing of offensive coordinator Derek Dooley. Next Saturday: at Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC) South Carolina (4-7, 3-5 SEC): In their last five games with Clemson – all losses – the average margin of defeat is 23.4 points. Next Saturday: vs. Clemson (11-0) Ole Miss (4-7, 3-4 SEC): The first thing new athletic director Keith Carter did was announce that he’s “so excited about Coach (Matt) Luke” and “excited about where the future is headed.” Next Saturday: at Mississippi State (5-6, 2-5 SEC) Mississippi State (5-6, 2-5 SEC): Now that a deal to bring back Greg Schiano as the HBC at Rutgers has fallen through, it’s expected Rutgers will make a run at Joe Moorhead, who seems to be a far better fit in the northeast than he is in Mississippi. Next Saturday: vs. Ole Miss (4-7, 3-4 SEC) Vanderbilt (3-8, 1-6 SEC): Ke’Shawn Vaughn went over the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. With 139 yards in the win over East Tennessee State, Vaughn has 1,015 yards. Next Saturday: vs. Tennessee Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC): In their 11 games so far this season, the Razorbacks have given up at least 400 yards nine times and at least 31 points eight times. Against LSU Saturday night, the Hogs allowed 612 yards and 56 points. Next Saturday: vs. Missouri SEC BASKETBALL STUFF Sunday’s games FLORIDA (5-2) 70, #17 Xavier 65 #9 Kentucky (5-1) 86, Lamar 51 LSU (4-2) 96, Rhode Island 83 Mississippi State (6-1) 81, Coastal Carolina 56 Monday’s games Georgia (4-0) at Dayton Chattanooga at #20 Tennessee (4-0) Arkansas (5-0) at Georgia Tech Butler vs. Missouri (4-1) in Kansas City Southeastern Louisiana at Vanderbilt (4-1) #19 Auburn (5-0) vs. New Mexico in Brooklyn, NY ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL What a touching moment at Washington State where the late Tyler Hilinski was honored on Senior Night. The entire senior class that was recruited to Washington State with Hilinski walked out together when Hilinski’s name was called out and then they embraced the Hilinski family. If the rumors are correct, then Clay Helton’s firing is a done deal, but Helton has ensured the school will look silly by going 5-1 the second half of the season for an 8-4 finish in a season plagued by injuries. Ohio State (11-0) beat Penn State (9-2) by 11 but it should have been a blowout. The Buckeyes fumbled away a touchdown and then gave the Nittany Lions 17 points in the third quarter. If not for Chase Young (three sacks, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, seven QB hurries) Ohio State could have lost this one. The Pac-12 chances of putting a team in the College Football Playoff got very complicated Saturday night when unranked Arizona State upset then sixth-ranked Oregon, 31-28. That’s Oregon’s second loss but the Ducks will still make the Pac-12 Championship Game where they likely face a once-beaten and 6th-ranked Utah (10-1). Should Oregon knock off Utah in the championship game the Pac-12 could just about forget getting a team in the playoff. Again. Cincinnati (10-1), which has clinched its spot in the AAC Championship game, faces Memphis (10-1) on the road next Saturday. If Memphis wins, the Tigers clinch the AAC West title and they’ll face Cincinnati the following week in the league title game. Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor set a Division I record with his 12th game of 200 or more yards rushing, breaking a tie with Ricky Williams, Ron Dayne and Marcus Allen. Taylor gained 222 yards against Purdue. GOOD QUOTES FOR MONDAY From David M. Hale of ESPN on the flaws in Georgia: “As appetizers go, Georgia’s 19-13 win over Texas A&M was like a plate of nachos – perfect for picking at until there’s nothing left. What to make of the performance? Georgia’s defense looked dominant, as has been the case of most of the season. But like Notre Dame, South Carolina, Florida and Auburn, the Bulldogs couldn’t quite put an overmatched opponent away because the offense just didn’t have a second gear. Yes, Jake Fromm made some incredible throws, but there were too many missed opportunities along the way, too.” Florida International Sage Lewis after the Golden Panthers whacked Miami for the first win in school history over a Power 5 opponent: “We wasn’t even calling them the University of Miami during the week. We were calling them the University of Coral Gables. We’re the true Miami school. We have more students internationally. We did it for the university and for the world.” Coach O after LSU sleepwalked its way to a 56-20 win over Arkansas to improve to 11-0: “There wasn’t going to be celebrating for beating Arkansas. They haven’t beaten anyone in a long time.” RANDOM THOUGHTS: When the Washington Redskins ran on the field to get into the victory formation for the final snap to end their 19-16 win over the Detroit Lions, quarterback Dwayne Haskins was nowhere to be found. That’s because he was busy taking a selfie with a fan. Case Keenum had to run out on the field for the last snap … Frank Gore moved past Barry Sanders for third place on the all-time NFL rushing list. In his 15th season, Gore now has 15,289 yards. He trails Emmitt Smith (18,355) and Walter Payton (16,726) … North Dakota State is the #1 seed in the D1AA championship tournament. The Bison have won eight of the last nine national championships.