Florida v Arkansas, November 5th 2016

the day before Game Day!

Florida v Arkansas

1. The series goes to the Florida Gators, 9-1

The Razorbacks' sole win was in the very first matchup in 1982 on New Years Eve in the Bluebonnet Bowl, played in Houston TX

Arkansas has appeared in the SEC Championship 3x (twice was v Florida, in 1995 & 2006 - both Florida wins)

The Razorbacks are 5-3 this season with losses to: 

Texas A&M, Alabama , Auburn 

2. Call the Hogs: the infamous "Whoo! Pig! Sooie!" is thought to have started in the 1920s

3. D.W.R. Razorback Stadium - the capacity is 72,000 seats, though they have recorded over 76,000 fans before.  The stadium is named for Donald W. Reynolds, a local businessman who graduated from Missouri.

Their Field is named after Frank Broyles, their longest tenured coach in school history.

4. Assoc Head Coach Randy Shannon coached at Arkansas 2013-2014, while he was there he led a linebacker unit that helped Arkansas rank 12th in the country and second in the SEC in rushing defense (114.62).

O-Line Coach Mike Summers coached at Arkansas 2008-2009 helping lead their offense that ranked first in the SEC in scoring in 2009.

5. Player to Watch: Johnny Townsend, #19 Punter, Red Shirt Junior from Orlando

Johnny had 6 punts in the Georgia game last weekend, 3 of them were over 50 yards! He averaged 47.8 yards and consistently put us in great field position.

Florida v Georgia, October 29th 2016

the day before Game Day (better late then never)

Florida v. Georgia
the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

1. There is a dispute between the athletic departments regarding how many times the teams have met.
Florida maintains 93 meetings, Georgia claims 94.  In 1904 (two years before UF had their first football team) the Bulldogs played the Florida Agriculture College from Lake City and won 52-0.
The REAL overall series record is 49-42-2, Georgia, with the teams tying for the longest streak of 7 straight victories (Florida 1990-1996, Georgia 1941-1948)

2. The Florida v Georgia game has been played every single year since 1926 except one, 1943.
Florida did not field a team that year bc of WWII.

3. Since 1933 the game has been held in Jacksonville (except for 1994-1995, the 1995 game was when Steve Spurrier became the first to hang “Half a Hundred” on the Bulldogs in their own stadium in the Gators 52-17 win).

4. Florida has 10 Eastern Division titles while Georgia has 5 (wikipedia).

5. Player(s) to watch: The Georgia Defense is ranked #17 in the nation in stopping the run (averaging 111.1 yards per game) and held its last two opponents to a combined 92 yards on the ground (Vandy & South Carolina).
Georgia also recorded 8 sacks in those two games, lead by Lorenzo Carter with 4.

October 15th, 2016 - Florida v Missouri (Homecoming)

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The day before game day... Florida v Missouri homecoming edition

1. The all-time series record is 3-2 Missouri.
Last year was the Gators biggest margin of victory with a 21-3 win.
(Reminder Missouri (2-3) is coming off a bye-week after losing @ LSU 10/1 - other losses include Georgia (home) and their season opener @ WV)

2. Missouri's mascot is Truman the Tiger, named after US President Harry Truman, who was from Missouri

3. This weekend is Homecoming!
The first Florida Homecoming was in 1916, and in 1923 the first "Dad's Day" was celebrated.  Dad's Day was a pep rally precursor to Gator Growl, beginning in 1932

4. Notable Homecoming game, 1966
undefeated Florida v Auburn
Two games away from their first SEC title, the Gators (and QB Steve Spurrier) find themselves tied 27-27 w Auburn in the 4th... with 2:12 left in the game Spurrier enters (himself) into the game as kicker and kicks the 40 yd game winning field goal to win the game 30-27

5. Player to watch: cornerback Jalen Tabor aka TEEZ, #31
As the Gator D faces the SEC's leading passer Drew Lock, Missouri QB TEEZ says: “As a defensive back, we like teams that throw the ball. It’s high-risk, high-reward. You can get bombed and torched up or you can make some money. So put up or shut up."

October 1st, 2016 - Florida @ Vanderbilt

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the day before Game Day!

Florida @ Vanderbilt

1. The all-time series record is 37-10-2 Florida with the largest margin of victory being the 2001 game where Florida toppled Vandy 71-13.

2. Florida defense is ranked 3rd overall in total sacks with 17 trailing by only one to Michigan & Houston.

3. Flashback Friday for Vandy:
The program’s all-time leader in several statistical categories including passing yards and touchdowns, Cutler is one of Vanderbilt’s most notable NFL alums now entering his ninth season as a starting quarterback. He holds 14 franchise records for the Chicago Bears. As a senior in 2005, Cutler became the first Commodore to win the SEC Offensive Player of the Year since 1967 and was selected a few months later in the first round. He started all 45 games during his career at Vanderbilt.

4. The Gators have won the last 12 games vs The Commodores in Music City.
None of the players on the field Saturday were born the last time Vandy beat Florida at home (1988).

5. Player to watch: Ralph Webb, #7 Vandy, Hometown: Gainesville, FL (GHS)
He is ranked 2nd in the SEC in rushing behind LSU's Fournette, with 472 yards.
He has rushed for 201 yards on 40 carries in two games against UF (5.0 per carry).
Webb is tied for first with Benny Snell of Kentucky for rushing touchdowns with five and has 10 runs of 10 or more yards after the first contact, one more than Fournette.

September 24th, Florida@ Tennessee

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The day before game day... Florida v Tennessee rivalry week


1. Last week, North Texas finished with only 53 total yards, the fewest allowed by a Florida defense ever, and the Offensive Line has only allowed one sack this season.

2. The Florida v Tennessee Series is 26-19 Florida, current winning streak 11 (FLA).
No one has ever tweeted about Tennessee beating Florida bc Twitter didn't exist in 2004.

3. The Florida-Tennessee rivalry is a hot one, maybe because there have only been two times since 1955 that both teams were unranked going into the game.
This is not one of those two times.
This year #19 Florida travels to Knoxville to take on #14 Volunteers.

4. Faxgate: in 1991 it was rumored that UT assistant coach Jack Sells (who was fired for recruiting violations) had faxed UF defensive coordinator Ron Zook the Tennessee offensive game plan. Both head coaches downplayed the incident and later Fulmer admitted that UT had copies of the Gator offensive playbook too. SEC investigated and no punishment was given.

5. Player to watch: Austin Appleby #12 - from North Canton, Ohio. Appleby committed to Purdue in the summer of 2011. Before he graduated high school he was ranked by OhioVarsity.com as the #1 quarterback in the state. He started 11 games at Purdue between 2013-2015. He's a graduate student and started @ UF w immediate eligibility.

September 17th, Florida v North Texas

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the day before Game Day!

Florida v. North Texas

1. Florida HAS played North Texas before, once… and the series goes to the Mean Green in their 20-12 win over the Gators in 1947.

2. Del Rio logged the most passing yards (360) vs an SEC  opponent since 2004 (Chris Leak 322 vs Arkansas).  

Thats right, he passed more (in an SEC game) than Tebow ever did, more than John Brantley, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel and all 4 of the 2013-2015 QBs.

3. All eyes were on Eddy Pineiro, #15, as he kicked a 54 yard Field Goal against Kentucky… 

you may be wondering (as I was in the stands) what IS the current record?  

Was it Caleb Sturgis’ 56 yard bomb vs UGA in 2009? 

Thats the one I could remember.  

No. It wasn't, Sturgis has the 2nd longest Field Goal in Florida Football History… 

Chris Perkins holds the record for a 60 yard FG in a 1984 game!

Note: One of Pineiro’s kickoffs last Saturday went through the uprights… thats the distance of a 75 yard FG. Just saying.

4. Gainesville may have been named one of the top 12 Greenest Cities in the US but the Mean Green’s Apogee Stadium was the FIRST stadium to be LEED certified and is powered by three electric windmills. #GoGreen

5. Player To Watch: RB Lamical Perine #22, almost looked like Emmitt in that orange on orange #22 on Saturday.  

Perine is a true freshman from Theodore Alabama.  

He carried 17 times for 105 of the 244 total rushing yards vs UK, w his longest carry of 36 yards.  

He also had 1 TD reception. 

September 10, 2016 - FFFFFacts about Florida v Kentucky

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The day before game day...

UF v Kentucky

1. The last time that Kentucky beat Florida was November 15, 1986.

This 29 game winning streak is the longest in SEC history & currently the longest active winning streak in college football 

Things that didn't exist the last time Kentucky beat Florida:

Doppler Radar

Digital Cell Phones

AOL

Dial up Internet 

World Wide Web

MP3s

Digital Answering machine

Viagra

YouTube

Facebook

iPhone/
How did we survive?

2. Notable 0s:

Kentucky has had 0 Heismans

(We've had 3)

Kentucky has had 0 national championships

(We've had 3)

Kentucky has spent 0 weeks as #1 in the AP Poll 

(We've been there 41 weeks)

3. Florida's first SEC Championship was clinched by a 1984 win at Kentucky. 

Note: It was later stripped of course due to NCAA rule violations (106 violations specifically, thanks Charlie Pell).

Who led the charge to strip Florida of its SEC title? Tennessee. Ugh.

4. Things you didn't know about Kentucky:

Bear Bryant, THE Bear Bryant (Alabama), is the winningest coach in Kentucky football history.

5. Player to watch:

Linebacker Alex Anzalone #34... Maybe it's the long blonde hair... but this kid is going to be a defensive stud. 

He had 3 solo tackles, 3 assisted, one major pass deflection and a much needed sack in the season opener.

He's a redshirt junior from Wyomissing, PA.

and guess what... he was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll last year!

Don't forget Kentucky is BLUE so wear your ORANGE tomorrow!

2016 Florida Football is Upon us!!! 9/3/2016 FFFFacts about UF v Umass

The text you you've all been waiting for 🐊🏈🐊

(posted a few days late... but those on the text list got it right on time)

The day before game day...

UF v UMass

1.  This will be the first matchup in history between these two teams. 

The only time UMass has played an SEC team, it lost (0-3 series to Vandy). 

This year they've added South Carolina and Mississippi State to their schedule doubling their SEC appearances.

2. Reminder, the field has a new name: 

Steve Spurrier - Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium 

Bonus: OBC has come back as an "ambassador and consultant" and tomorrow as Honorary Mr. Two Bits

3. The 6s 

1906 First Florida Football team practiced on Fleming Field

1966 - Spurrier wins the Heisman

1996 - Gators win the national championship 

1996 - Wuerffel Heisman

2006- Gators win the national championship again

2016 - ?

4. UMass Minutemen - 

Pre 1948 - Statesmen or Aggies > 1948 -The Redmen > 1972 The Minutemen

The Redmen symbolized the roles Native Americans served in the history of the Commonwealth and for their "strength and fierceness in defending his lands." 

It was deemed derogatory in 1972 so the Minutemen became the mascot, chosen for its ties to the history of the Commonwealth, and instrumental role in the American Revolution. 

No one is ever happy and in the 90s the Minutemen was considered a "symbol of oppression" but no change has been made.

5. Player to know: 

Starting QB Luke Del Rio #14

Former Alabama walk on (3rd string), then transferred to Oregon State (2nd string) transferred to Florida 2015.

He's thrown 18 career passes in 3 games - one of those was a career long 52 yard pass @ Stanford... 

UMass will be his first start & first game for the Gators.

Luke is the son of Jack Del Rio, former head-coach of the Jaguars, current head-coach of the Oakland Raiders.