Let’s Dance: an extensive history lesson of the Florida-Georgia rivalry

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Gator Football

The Florida-Georgia rivalry is, in a phrase, unlike any other in college football.

Game day between the Gators and the Bulldogs has become a tradition that the city of Jacksonville looks forward to 365 days a year, and more often than not, it spawns memories that last a lifetime. For Florida, FSU or LSU may have the more hated fan base, and for Georgia, Georgia Tech or Auburn may have the more hated fan base. 

But the rivalry some call the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party does a lot to set itself apart as the nation’s greatest with several distinguishing factors.

For one thing, it’s one of a very select few neutral site rivalry games. Only Army-Navy, Texas-Oklahoma and Texas-A&M-Arkansas play annually on neutral fields. And only Texas and Oklahoma have established a history in a neutral city (Dallas) that makes it synonymous with the rivalry itself. Florida and Georgia have played in Jacksonville every year since 1996, and all but two years since 1933. Whether or not it belongs in Jacksonville forever is another question (the contract to keep it there runs out in 2025), but the fact that the rivalry has become one of Jacksonville’s most recognizable annual events puts it in a category of its own.

And that neutral site usually draws a lot of eyeballs. The winner of this game (or in a few cases for Georgia, the loser) usually goes to Atlanta. In the 28 year history of the SEC Championship Game, either the Gators or Bulldogs have represented the Eastern Division in 20 of them.

The rivalry also has the strangest quirk: the teams take turns destroying each other with frightening frequency for some 20 years or so. It’s not unusual for teams to exchange three or four game winning streaks in a series, but this rivalry has boasted some of the most unbelievable runs of dominance (by both sides) that you will ever see. It’s not a malfunction, but a feature. Florida clobbering Georgia 52-14, 47-7, 52-17, 38-7, 38-7 again, and 45-13 in the 1990’s didn’t mean the rivalry was dead or dying in the least, nor did the string of nail biters the Gators pulled out in the ensuing decade that undoubtedly had some Georgia fans believing they were cursed against the Gators. It was simply Florida’s turn to dominate. Georgia had their fun in the 70’s and 80’s, Florida dominated the 50’s and 60’s, and Georgia ruled the 30’s and 40’s (and the sporadic meetings in the 10’s and 20’s).

But the funniest fact about this rivalry is that the two schools don’t even agree on the all time series score. Florida says Georgia leads 52-43, Georgia says it’s 53-43. Why do the two disagree? How can this happen? Well, Georgia tries to claim a 52-0 win over Florida in 1904. There’s just one problem. There was no University of Florida football team in 1904. That is, unless Georgia Bulldog football fans know the history of the University of Florida better than historians, legal documents and the University of Florida itself. That win Georgia claims was actually over Florida Agricultural College- a club team. Congratulations, Georgia. Give yourselves a pat on the back.

When you add all that up, you’ve got the recipe for a one of its kind rivalry. Now, let’s break down that history.


Part I: The cause of Georgia’s series lead- 1915-1951 (Georgia 23, Florida 5 and 1 tie)

Whenever Georgia fans decide to brag about their 52-43 series lead (I refuse to even dignify them with a response when they count the 1904 non-game), and you wonder how they got that lead with Florida dominating over the last quarter century… this is how.

The Bulldogs beat Florida like a drum almost every year before most Georgia fans who bring that up were even alive. Florida owns Georgia 38-28 since 1952, or over the last 67 years. In fact, Florida owns Georgia 41-40 since 1937. If you’re a Georgia fan reading this, and you were born in 1934, congratulations, Georgia owns Florida during your lifetime. Hey, this data manipulation is fun! I feel like a Georgia fan right now!

But unfortunately, those games before 1952 did happen, were officially recognized games, do count, and are in fact legitimate. And thus, it’s only fair to recap them for the Georgia fans who are reading this. Don’t worry, Gator fans. It gets fun in a little bit. Just bear with me for now.

Georgia ripped off six straight wins to kick off the series. The teams played sporadically and in all different sorts of locations, but that didn’t affect Georgia. The Bulldogs didn’t just win the first six games, they ran hogwild in the first six games, shutting out Florida in five of them. The Gators finally got on the board in 1928 with a 26-6 rout of the Dogs in Savannah, and followed that up with an 18-6 win the following year in Jacksonville. The 26 points were merely half of what Steve Spurrier would one day hang on Georgia, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. The teams then fought to an ugly scoreless tie in 1930.

But that rough three year stretch was just a blip on the radar for Georgia, who then launched another six game winning streak from 1931-1936. Florida managed to right the ship, splitting the next four games, but Georgia merely laughed at that and engineered yet another six game winning streak from 1941-1947 (the teams didn’t meet in 1943). This stretch was particularly embarrassing because of one game that seemingly highlighted the series history to that point. The Gators may have had some of their players fighting overseas in the wartime years, but that doesn’t excuse the 75 points Georgia dropped on Florida in 1942. Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich torched the Florida defense time and again, and… well, that’s enough of that. It was bad, trust me. Let’s just keep going.

The 1948 game may have represented the turning point of the rivalry. An unranked Gator team limped into Jacksonville and fought hard for four quarters against the 13th ranked Bulldogs. Georgia survived, 20-12, and ran their streak to seven, but the Gators were getting closer. A year later, the Gators finally broke through with a 28-7 victory. Florida’s Chuck Hunsinger ran 18 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns, and the Gators carried their coach, Raymond Wolf, off the field in celebration. Georgia would respond by winning the next two games, 6-0 and 7-6. And then the Gators’ fun began.


Part II: Florida’s turn- 1952-1970 (Florida 13, Georgia 5, and 1 tie)

Here’s a little bit of trivia for Gator fans: it was Bob Woodruff who guided Florida to its first ever bowl appearance and win in 1952 following decades of ineptitude. That 1952 team won eight games, becoming just the fourth team in Florida history to do so. Why don’t you take a wild guess as to which of those eight wins meant the most?

Florida crushed Georgia 30-0 in 1952, completely turning the rivalry on its head. Never before had Florida beaten Georgia by 30 points. Never before had Florida even scored 30 points against Georgia. And never before had a Florida team so thoroughly destroyed a Georgia team in the stat book or on the field. Gator running backs Rick Casares and Buford Long combined to rush for 224 yards on 37 carries, including a weaving 77 yard touchdown run from Long, and Georgia QB Zeke Bratlowski threw three interceptions in the 30-0 beatdown.

To prove that 30-0 beatdown was no fluke, Florida beat Georgia 21-7 in 1953. Georgia won the 1954 game, but then the Gators really started to dominate.

Florida won eight out of the next nine games against Georgia, but that wouldn’t have been so bad for Georgia given their history of dominating Florida, except for one thing- six of those eight wins were one score, nail biting wins. Neither Florida nor Georgia boasted a particularly dominant team in the 1950’s, but Florida learned that it was fun to pull out close games over their border rivals on a yearly basis and break their hearts. In that nine year stretch, Florida won games by scores of 19-13, 7-6, 22-14, 21-14, 23-15 and 21-14, with dominant shutouts of 28-0 and 22-0 sandwiched in.

The funny thing was, it didn’t matter who was coaching for either side; Florida just beat Georgia regularly in the 50’s and 60’s. Like Ron Zook would do a half century later, Woodruff never really accomplished a whole lot with the Gators- except for beating Georgia two out of every three times he faced them. Woodruff was replaced by Ray Graves in 1960, and he picked up right where Woodruff left off, winning his first four Cocktail Parties. In an effort to stop the bleeding, Georgia hired Vince Dooley, but the best he could do was pull the rivalry back to an even state, winning three and tying once in the next six meetings.

One of those early Dooley wins was over Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier (they gave it out much earlier in the year back then), whose Gators entered the game with a 7-0 record, ranked #7 in the country and looking to continue their storybook season. But Georgia didn’t feel like obliging, picking off three passes from Spurrier and harassing him all day in a 27-10 victory. That loss directly cost Florida its first ever top 10 finish and SEC Championship, although the Gators did grab the SEC’s Orange Bowl bid over Georgia, who were relegated to the Cotton Bowl.

But don’t worry, Georgia fans. I’m sure Spurrier wouldn’t hold a grudge over something like that. Let’s just put a pin in that idea and come back it later.

The 1970 game, Doug Dickey’s first as Head Gator, marked the end of the Gators’ run, but not before tossing one more little birdie to Georgia. Up 17-10, the Bulldogs drove down inside the Gators’ two yard line with less than six minutes to play. All they had to do was punch it in and the game was theirs. But Gators defensive lineman Jack Youngblood had other ideas, stripping Georgia back Ricky Lake at the goal line and then grabbing the bouncing ball. Florida QB John Reaves then hit two touchdown passes to Carlos Alvarez in the final five minutes to stun Georgia, 24-17. Like, really? This is still happening? Will it ever stop?


Part III: Dooley flips the script- 1971-1989 (Georgia 15, Florida 4)

Apparently, Vince Dooley didn’t like losing to Florida very much. The 49-7 drubbing of the Gators in 1971 was a pretty good indication of that. Dooley’s Dogs duplicated that result with an ugly 10-7 win the following year, but then the Gators struck back the next year with an 11-10 win on a late two point conversion. Then things got really bad.

Despite an ugly loss to Vanderbilt a month earlier, the 1974 Gators were sniffing a national championship when they met Georgia in Jacksonville, boasting a 7-1 record and a #6 national ranking. Down 17-10, Florida QB Don Gaffney guided the Gators down the field with time running out- and scored on a QB keeper with :28 left. Dickey chose to go for two, but Gaffney’s pass to Jimmy Dubose was broken up, and Georgia had another heartbreaking win. 

The following year hurt even worse. Florida clung to a 7-3 lead with time running out, but naturally that was the one time in his life Dooley called a trick play. Bulldogs tight end Richard Appleby took the handoff on a reverse, stopped short and launched a bomb to receiver Gene Washington, who took it 80 yards for the game winning touchdown.

And then came the 1976 disaster, for which the Gators have their own coach to thank. A 27-13 lead at halftime turned into a 41-27 loss thanks in large part to Dickey’s brilliant decision to go for it on fourth and one at his own 29. Of course Florida didn’t get it, and of course Georgia scored 28 unanswered to win. That’s the kind of thing that happens when it’s your turn to run the Florida-Georgia rivalry.

However, the real low point of this stretch came in 1980. Georgia had ruined Florida’s championship dreams on numerous previous occasions, and now came Florida’s chance to ruin Georgia’s dreams. The 1980 Bulldogs came into the game with a two game winning streak in the series, a #2 ranking and an undefeated record, but trailed 21-20 with a minute remaining. That’s when Georgia QB Buck Belue hit Lindsay Scott at his own 25 yard line… who… ran… all… the… way… for the game winning touchdown. Upset averted. National championship dreams intact. And sure enough, the following January, Georgia beat Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl to claim their second national title. Not bitter about that at all. Nope.

But let’s move on to 1984. Florida had just fired Charlie Pell for committing a truckload of NCAA violations, and the SEC banned the Gators from playing in the Sugar Bowl. Luckily, the SEC didn’t say anything about Florida not being allowed to ruin Georgia’s fun. Dooley was in the twilight days of his career by now, and his 1984 Bulldogs were making one last push for a national championship, entering the game 7-1 and ranked #8. But Florida quickly put an end to that idea with an emphatic 27-0 chomping of the Bulldogs, ending Georgia’s seven game winning streak in the series. Florida held a 17-0 lead in the fourth quarter, but just to make sure there were no crazy comebacks, Kerwin Bell connected with Ricky Nattiel on 96 yard touchdown pass to put the game away (Georgia ruined season count: 1).

Unfortunately, Georgia would remember that feeling, and would reverse the Gators’ reversal of fortune the next year. The undefeated and top ranked Gators ran into a buzz saw in 1985 in Jacksonville, as Georgia ran all over the Gators. Specifically, Bulldog backs Tim Worley and Keith Henderson each ran for over 100 yards in the 24-3 Georgia win that wrecked Florida’s perfect season. (If it’s any solace to Gator fans, Florida was ineligible to win the national championship that year anyway thanks to Pell’s violations.) The Gators would reverse Georgia’s reversal of Florida’s reversal of fortunes in 1986 with a 31-19 upset over the 19th ranked Bulldogs, but Georgia won the next three.

And now we get to the part where Georgia fans may want to leave.


Part IV: Revenge is a dish best served cold, and repeatedly- 1990-2010 (Florida 18, Georgia 3)

Note to college football teams everywhere: try not to ruin your rival’s star quarterback’s dreams with something as silly as beating him in his final game against you. And if you must, definitely don’t do it to a guy who’s able to turn friggin’ Duke into an ACC powerhouse.

1990 saw the return of Steve Spurrier to Gainesville, and almost immediately upon arriving, he declared beating Georgia his number one priority. This is where we bring back that 1966 game. Georgia ruined Spurrier’s senior season. Spurrier mad. Spurrier smash. Spurrier shake off men who try to hold him back and smash some more. Spurrier tasered. Spurrier smash taser. Spurrier turn attention back to original target and smash even more until target reduced to rubble. Spurrier laugh at rubble and smash to dust.

The Head Ball Coach welcomed himself back to the rivalry with a 38-7 stomping of the Dogs in 1990. That was the Bulldogs’ first clue that they were destined for failure against this guy. The game was a modern remake of the 30-0 Gator victory in 1952; it was the Gators’ largest margin of victory ever against Georgia, and also the most points they’d ever dropped on Georgia. But neither record stood for very long, as Florida dwarfed that result with a 45-13 disembowelment of the Dawgs the very next year. 

Now that he’d gotten the art of demolishing the Bulldogs down pat, Spurrier then familiarized himself with the other main way to beat Georgia: by breaking their hearts. What turned out to be Ray Goff’s best Georgia team faced what may have been Spurrier’s worst in 1992, but the underdog Gators jumped out to a 23-7 lead and held on for a 26-24 win over the 6th ranked Bulldogs. (Georgia ruined season count: 2) The 1993 game hurt even more for the spiked-shoulders. Gator tailback Eric Rhett ran all over the Dawgs (183 yards), helping Florida build a 33-26 lead late in the game. The Bulldogs had one more shot, and Eric Zeier led the Red and Black down for the tying touchdown as time expired. Too bad Gator cornerback Anthone Lott had called timeout before the ball was snapped. Forced to try again, Zeier’s last ditch throw fell incomplete and the Gators held on.

Then came the mid 90’s. In response to Bulldog fans caterwauling about how Jacksonville is the reason they’re always losing to Florida, Spurrier’s Gators abused Georgia from 1994-1996 in three different cities. Gator Bowl renovations in preparation of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ entrance to the NFL forced the game to be played on a home and home basis for two years, which was fine and dandy with the Head Ball Coach.

First came a 52-14 swamping in Gainesville in 1994. That was bad enough.

Even worse, however, was that 1995 was the year Georgia fans finally got their wish: they were going to play the Florida Gators on their home field. That 1995 team was easily one of Florida’s five best teams ever, and one of Georgia’s worst in recent memory. So knowing what you’ve read so far in this section, what do you think happened? If you guessed “Spurrier drops what still stands as the largest sum of points ever surrendered by Georgia on its home field in the one chance he gets to ever participate in a game on Georgia’s home field,” you’re right! That’s exactly what happened! Up 45-17 with a few minutes remaining, Spurrier dialed up a flea-flicker that gained 23 yards and put the Gators at the Georgia 8 yard line, and the Gators scored on the very next play (through the air, of course) to make the final 52-17. Dozens of Gator players then took advantage of the one chance they would ever have to enjoy a tradition that those who win in Athens get to partake in: ripping up the famous hedges in Sanford Stadium and taking them home with them.

The game returned to Jacksonville in 1996, but that didn’t help either; the #1 Gators administered a 47-7 evisceration of the hapless Bulldogs en route to a national championship, welcoming new Georgia coach Jim Donnan to the rivalry and running their winning streak to seven.

Then Donnan made a mistake. His Bulldogs beat Florida in 1997. He must not have gotten the memo that he was just supposed to lay down and take the beating Spurrier dished out. Spurrier replied by handing Georgia the second 38-7 thrashing in the last decade. He then completed his unheard-of dominance over the Dogs by winning his final four Cocktail Parties. Even though they came in slightly less convincing fashion, his last three wins over Georgia were all by double digits. Besides, wins are wins, and by the time Spurrier stepped down at Florida, he’d gotten 11 of them in 12 tries. Not too shabby.

Now, let’s just sprint through the Ron Zook years and be done with them. I mean, nobody who made it this far likes Zook, right? Florida fans hate him because he reduced the powerhouse Steve Spurrier built into a consistent seven win team and picked a fight with a UF fraternity. Georgia fans hate him because he beat two top five Bulldogs teams in three years despite his clear inability to coach. Those losses to Florida cost Georgia at least one, and maybe two national championships. [(Georgia ruined season count: 3) and (Georgia ruined season count: 4)] Good. None of us really care for him. Moving on.

Enter Urban Meyer, straight off the runaway locomotive he built at Utah. The only difference between Meyer and Spurrier was that Meyer never had a traumatic experience against Georgia (yet); he simply owned them for the sport of it. His new offense struggled mightily in 2005, but that didn’t stop them from flying down the field for two first quarter touchdowns that put Georgia in a hole it couldn’t recover from in a 14-10 pseudo-upset (Georgia ruined season count: 5). Then Meyer started to figure things out in Gainesville, building a national championship team in 2006 that utilized the different skill sets of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow to perfection. The fact that Florida and Georgia were inversely successful in relation to 2005 was irrelevant, as the 2006 game played out in a similar fashion; Florida jumped out to a 21-0 lead and held on for a 21-14 win.

Apparently, Georgia coach Mark Richt didn’t appreciate getting owned by Florida very much. He also apparently didn’t like Florida very much. Thus, he orchestrated what has become one of the rivalry’s unforgettable moments in 2007: the entire Georgia bench immediately emptied out onto the field following the Bulldogs’ first touchdown and staged an impromptu Dunce Dunce Revolution in the end zone, right in front of all the Florida players. But what many people forget in recalling that game is that Florida’s defense gave up 188 yards to Knowshon Moreno and was just generally horrendous all day, getting burned for long touchdown strikes to Mikey Henderson and Mohammed Massaquoi. That all added up to a 42-30 win for Georgia, who then ran off a seven game win streak to finish the season and capped it by blasting Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl to earn a #2 final ranking.

So, expectations were sky high for Georgia entering 2008. After all, Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno were back, and now they had this highly touted freshman named AJ Green playing wide receiver. But they were in trouble the moment they stepped on the field in Jacksonville. Think: Urban Meyer was beating them despite having no personal grudge against them. Now, he had a grudge. And sure enough, Florida curb stomped Georgia by the unforgettable score of 49-10, thanks in large part to an odd onside kick that failed and a bundle of second half Bulldog turnovers. (Georgia ruined season count: 6)

But even better than the ridiculously lopsided score was the way the game concluded. All the beaten and bruised Bulldogs wanted to do after getting so thoroughly battered was run away and get out of the stadium. But Urban Meyer delayed their chances to do so by using up all his remaining timeouts, forcing Georgia to sit there and take it for that much longer. Feel free to debate which championship winning Gator coach abused the Dawgs worse.

You would think that after losing 49-10, a team would think twice about staging team-wide dance-offs in the middle of a game. Yet there were the 2009 Georgia Bulldogs, clad in black pants and black helmets, jumping up and down after a second-quarter touchdown that cut the Florida lead to 14-10 (to their credit, at least this time they stayed on the sideline). The Gators responded pretty much the same way they did the year before- by destroying Georgia and rubbing it in their faces. Of all games for Gator QB Tim Tebow to break former Georgia star Herschel Walker’s record for rushing touchdowns, isn’t the game against Walker’s alma mater the perfect game to do it? That served as a nice black eye to go with those black pants and black helmets. To be fair, though, that black eye was mainly self inflicted. Georgia turned the ball over four times, Florida said we’ll take that, thank you very much, and won 41-17.

But the final ignobility came in 2010. It turned out to be Meyer’s last year at Florida, and he said goodbye to the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in style. Georgia QB Aaron Murray doomed the Bulldogs by losing a fumble and throwing three picks, the last of which came on the first possession of overtime and spelled their demise. In came punter Chas Henry, kicking in place of injured kicker Caleb Sturgis, to try the game winning field goal. He struggled mightily as a kicker, missing what would have been the tying field goal two weeks earlier against Mississippi State, but being Florida-Georgia, he didn’t miss this one. And alas, then-Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s eye-raising prediction to Henry that “you’re gonna f*ckin’ choke!” was incorrect. Final: Florida 34, Georgia 31.


Part V: The yesteryear, present and future- 2011-present (Georgia 8, Florida 4)

2011 may have begun a new cycle in the rivalry. Urban Meyer, dearly departed, was replaced by Georgia alum Will Muschamp, and Georgia started to dominate. I didn’t think it was possible for Jeremy Foley to make a worse head coaching hire than Ron Zook, but I was so, so, so wrong.

Muschamp took the perennial national championship contender Meyer had created and made an even bigger mess of it than Zook did, going 28-21 in four seasons while Richt’s program experienced a second wind of sorts. Unlike Zook, though, Muschamp’s profound inability to coach a football team killed the Gators’ success in Jacksonville. First, Florida blew a 17-3 lead in 2011 and lost, 24-20. Along the way, the Gators gave up two touchdown passes on fourth down and a long game ending drive that melted away the remainder of the clock. But the defense wasn’t completely to blame, as totaling a pathetic 32 yards of offense in the second half probably didn’t help matters either. 

But it was 2012 that really re-introduced the Gators to the misery they used to feel in this rivalry in the pre-Spurrier years. Like they had so many times before, Georgia tried to give the game away with turnovers, as Aaron Murray again threw three picks. But unlike previous years, the Gators refused to take advantage, opting instead to display a flair for botchery that only Muschamp coached teams are capable of. Florida turned it over an incredible six times- the last of which (a Jordan Reed fumble in the end zone) directly led to their demise.

And the following year only strengthened the developing pattern. The Bulldogs jumped out to a commanding 23-3 lead at halftime; the Gators clawed their way back into the game with an explosive third quarter, but like they did two years earlier, the Bulldogs locked down on defense and salted the game away with a clock-killing drive in the final minutes. Three years. Three heartbreaking losses. #ThanksChamp.

But even Will Muschamp got his moment in the sun in the World’s Largest Cocktail Party. He was all but fired when the two teams met in 2014, a game he came into with a woeful 0-7 overall record in the rivalry (0-4 as a Georgia safety in the 1990’s, 0-3 as the Florida coach). Yet on this one magical November evening in the Gateway City, none of that mattered. Georgia scored first, but then the Gators answered with a touchdown run on a fake field goal by holder Michael McNeely. Then they scored again. And again. And again. And again. And when Georgia had waved the white flag and was ready to quit, they scored again on a 65 yard touchdown run by Kelvin Taylor. (Georgia ruined season count: 7)

Then along came Jim McElwain, and some hope that maybe it isn’t really Georgia’s turn after all. That, or maybe Treon Harris is just their kryptonite. Either way, the Gators finally avenged the devastating 2007 loss with the ultimate form of payback: they handed Mark Richt a loss that directly cost him his job and sent him packing for Miami with a blowout that easily could have been a shoutout. I’ve made pretty much all the points I want to make by simply quoting scores throughout this article, so it would be something of a letdown if I didn’t do it again here: 27-3.

(Fun fact: when I initially wrote this article back in the spring of 2016, I set it to publish at 2:33am for no reason other than I can say that I published a historical Florida-Georgia rivalry piece at twenty-seven minutes to three.)

Also in this chapter was 2016, a game that held no significance other than that Jim McElwain coached himself to a two touchdown win over Kirby Smart- a statistic that looks more and more hysterical with each passing year. There was 2017, a game that held no significance other than that the Bulldogs’ 42-7 rout was the final nail in McElwain’s coffin. There was also 2018, a game that Florida started off on the wrong foot, somehow came back and took the lead in, and then wilted down the stretch in, which all added up to a 36-17 Georgia win. And then there was 2019, a game in which Florida’s high powered offense was stuck in reverse and didn’t get going until it was too late in a 24-17 defeat.

Ah, but then there was 2020, a glorious day in Jacksonville that saw Florida fall behind 14-0 five minutes into the contest… and then explode on a 38-7 scoring run that knocked the stunned Bulldogs down for the count. Thanks to some help from Trevon Grimes and Kyle Pitts absolutely mossing various Georgia cornerbacks, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask made food of Kirby Smart’s vaunted defense by throwing for 474 yards- the second most in school history in a single game behind only Tim Tebow in the 2010 Sugar Bowl.

I could quote the score here, but fans of both teams are more likely to remember this game by a component of a car than the score, so here it is.

And last, but not least, there were the last two years. Florida wasn’t thought to even have a ghost of a chance heading into either the 2021 game or the 2022 game, although they did put up a fight for about a quarter and a half of each game. But with two minutes to go in the first half in 2021, things completely unraveled and Georgia turned a 3-0 lead into a 24-0 rout at halftime and cruised from there to a 34-7 victory; a year later, Florida managed to close a 28-3 deficit down to 28-20, but collapsed down the stretch and lost, 42-20.

That brings us to here and now. Winning three in a row from 2014-16 gave Gator fans some hope that maybe Florida was going to snap the rotating ~20 year spells each team had on each other. Then came 2017-19, which gave Bulldog fans some hope that they could be a force not just in the SEC but on a national scale for years to come. And then after the wheel route game, Georgia won the ensuing two matchups by a combined seven touchdowns and comes into this game a 14.5 point favorite.

But the betting lines, trends, and history are all secondary for now. Saturday should be another beautiful day for football in Jacksonville, a glorious opportunity for another chapter in this rivalry to be written, and a new chance for the next generation of Florida-Georgia heroes to emerge. Look forward to witnessing it with y’all. I’ll be the loud guy in orange and blue.

Author’s note: this article is updated annually to include the previous year’s results.

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Dear Dan Mullen: Show Me

Dear Dan Mullen: Show Me

The Florida Gators are set to do battle with archrival Georgia once again, but the script to this year's Cocktail Party seems eerily familiar. And the onus is on Dan Mullen to deviate from that script. Remember? Four years ago, speculation was swirling about the job...

Four star WR Jayden Gibson commits to Florida

Four star WR Jayden Gibson commits to Florida

Dan Mullen and the Gators have just picked up a commitment from wide receiver Jayden Gibson, a consensus four star wide receiver from West Orange, FL. And thus, the Gators' 2022 recruiting class is really starting to come along. Gibson announced his decision on CBS...

Gameday Tidbits: Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt

Gameday Tidbits: Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt

The Florida Gators, who are coming off a heartbreaking 13-20 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats need to bounce back this weekend in the Swamp.  Quite frankly, it should be very difficult for Florida to not bounce back against a very bad Vanderbilt football team. To put...

2022 DT Jamari Lyons commits to Florida

2022 DT Jamari Lyons commits to Florida

Florida's 2022 recruiting class got off to a fairly slow start, but has picked up some steam tonight with the addition of four star defensive tackle Jamari Lyons. Lyons, out of Melbourne and Viera High School, chose the Gators over South Carolina, Indiana, and...

Gameday: Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats

Gameday: Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats

Tonight, the Florida Gators face the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington. This will be Florida’s first true road test of the season in what should be an incredibly hostile environment.  The Gators look to continue to roll through the SEC East as they take on division foe,...

Emory Jones deserves respect. Period.

Emory Jones deserves respect. Period.

  We are now just a few days from Emory Jones’ first true road test as a starting quarterback. And though the concept is fairly obvious to some, it's not to others, so it's worth diving into in more depth: he deserves respect for how far he’s come from the...

Game day: Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Game day: Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Tonight, the Florida Gators face the Tennessee Volunteers in a primetime showdown in the Swamp. This time, the Gators look to bounce back from a narrow defeat by the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide. Though Tennessee is not the Tennessee of Old, we still expect this to be an...

Game day: Florida Gators vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Game day: Florida Gators vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Finally, the day has come! Today the #11 Florida Gators will battle the #1 Alabama Crimson tide in a matchup of epic proportions. Florida fans circled this game in anticipation since the announcement came that Alabama would once again return to the Swamp. This is a...

Florida LB Ventrell Miller out for the season

Florida LB Ventrell Miller out for the season

Florida's defense took a hit last Saturday when linebacker Ventrell Miller suffered an unknown injury in the Gators' 42-20 win over South Florida. That injury was subsequently deemed to be an elbow injury, but the exact nature- and the exact severity- of the injury...

Game day: Florida Gators at South Florida Bulls Preview

Game day: Florida Gators at South Florida Bulls Preview

Gameday is once again upon us! This time, the Florida Gators will face the South Florida Bulls in a quasi-road game where the stands promise to feature as much orange and blue as green and gold- if not more. Amidst what some people deem to be a quarterback controversy...

Five takeaways from Florida Gators’ 35-14 win over FAU

Five takeaways from Florida Gators’ 35-14 win over FAU

The Florida Gators knocked off FAU 35-14 to begin the 2021 season, but left much to be desired. So: what stuck out along the way? (Aside: I'll be keeping these "five takeaways" pieces short and sweet throughout the season in order to get more stuff written each week.)...

It’s Emory Jones’ turn. His time. And his team.

It’s Emory Jones’ turn. His time. And his team.

Photo credit: USA Today Flash back to almost four years ago, December 20, 2017. It's the day that Emory Jones signed with the Florida Gators, which planted a seed for a career that has, for the most part, remained dormant- until now. Not too long before a letter of...

Florida’s Andrew Chatfield enters transfer portal

Florida’s Andrew Chatfield enters transfer portal

Photo credit: Evan Lepak, UAA Communications Florida linebacker/defensive end Andrew Chatfield has decided to enter the transfer portal. In doing so, he becomes the third Gators defender who has logged reps at linebacker to do so this offseason after James Houston IV...

Snapshot: 2021 Florida-FSU chart

Snapshot: 2021 Florida-FSU chart

Happy Chart Day! Yep, it's that time of year again. The annual In All Kinds Of Weather tradition of "The Florida FSU chart" is back in 2021. For those who are not familiar with "The Chart," every year since 2014, I have been laying out all the dizzying array of ways...

OT David Conner commits to Florida

OT David Conner commits to Florida

Photo via David Conner Florida’s offensive line play has been suspect at best these past few years, and the Gators’ 2022 recruiting class has been somewhat stuck in reverse so far. Both of those things got a nice boost today with the commitment of offensive tackle...

LB EJ Lightsey commits to Florida

LB EJ Lightsey commits to Florida

Photo credit: Keith Niebuhr, 247Sports Linebacker EJ Lightsey (Fitzgerald, GA/Fitzgerald) has just become the newest member of the Gators' 2022 recruiting class. He announced the decision on twitter this morning. Though Florida's fan base does have a propensity to...

Florida CB Jaydon Hill tears ACL, will miss 2021 season

Florida CB Jaydon Hill tears ACL, will miss 2021 season

Photo credit: John Raoux, AP A big part of the small amount of depth the Florida Gators had in its secondary is now gone for the season, as cornerback Jaydon Hill has torn his ACL. Hill suffered the injury in practice on Sunday. Rumblings that Hill would miss the...

Four star RB Terrance Gibbs commits to Florida

Four star RB Terrance Gibbs commits to Florida

Photo via Terrance Gibbs The Gators have finally landed a top running back out of high school as opposed to the portal, as Terrance Gibbs (Winter Park, FL/Winter Park HS) has committed to Florida. Though Gibbs is only rated as a four star by both Rivals and 247Sports,...

2023 TE Mac Markway commits to Florida

2023 TE Mac Markway commits to Florida

Photo via Mac Markway Tim Brewster has landed another one for the Florida Gators, raiding the Show Me State for a Mac Markway, tight end that schools across the country wanted. Markway, a consensus four star target from St. Louis, chose Florida over Ohio State and...

ATH Jamarrien Burt commits to Florida

ATH Jamarrien Burt commits to Florida

After laying dormant for quite some time, the Gators' 2022 recruiting class is picking up some steam at last. A mere four days after Florida added a pair of commitments from linebacker Shemar James and wide receiver Chandler Smith, athlete Jamarrien Burt has joined...

Athletic four star LB Shemar James commits to Florida

Athletic four star LB Shemar James commits to Florida

Photo credit: Scott Donaldson, preps@al.com Florida's 2022 recruiting class just gained perhaps its most highly touted piece yet, as consensus four star linebacker Shemar James announced his commitment this afternoon. James- out of Mobile, AL/Faith Academy- was...

Four star DB Julian Humphrey commits to Florida

Four star DB Julian Humphrey commits to Florida

Photo via TexAgs Not even three months after poaching QB Nick Evers from the Lone Star State, Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators rode west to Texas once again and pulled out another stud in Julian Humphrey, a consensus four star prospect from the Houston metropolitan...

Underrated three star WR Isaiah Bond commits to Florida

Underrated three star WR Isaiah Bond commits to Florida

Photo via Isaiah Bond After a lull the past couple months, the Gators are making moves with their 2022 recruiting class again, this time adding wide receiver Isaiah Bond. https://twitter.com/isaiahbond_/status/1391513186566819845?s=20 247Sports credits Billy Gonzales...

Florida Gators 2021 NFL Draft primer

Florida Gators 2021 NFL Draft primer

Photo credit: Kim Klement, USA Today Happy NFL Draft Day, Florida Gators fans! Today is the day where 32 former college football stars take the first step towards making their lifelong dreams of playing in the NFL a reality. That, of course, will include former Gators...

(Unofficial) results from Florida’s NFL Pro Day

(Unofficial) results from Florida’s NFL Pro Day

Photo credit: Florida Gators Due to the cancellation of the Gators' spring football game, the Florida Gators Pro Day was the closest thing to live football we're going to get this offseason. Luckily for the fans- and much more importantly, themselves- several...

Who should replace Mike White at Florida? (2021 version)

Who should replace Mike White at Florida? (2021 version)

Photo credit: John E. Moore, Getty Images A year ago, after Mike White's coaching malpractice pushed me over the edge for good, I wrote about all the laundry list of candidates I would love to see Florida replace Mike White with. After his horrifying late game...

TE CJ Hawkins commits to Florida

TE CJ Hawkins commits to Florida

Image via 247Sports The Gators got off to a slow start with their 2022 recruiting class. But with the addition of CJ Hawkins, it's officially picking up steam. Hawkins, a tight end out of Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep, committed to Florida over South Carolina. The Gators...

Athletic OT Tony Livingston commits to Florida

Athletic OT Tony Livingston commits to Florida

Image via BuckeyePlanet.com Florida picked up a major boost for its 2022 recruiting class with the addition of Tony Livingston. Livingston, a consensus four star offensive tackle from Tampa, FL/Carrolwood Day announced his decision on twitter this evening. He also had...

2022 QB Nick Evers commits to Florida

2022 QB Nick Evers commits to Florida

Image via TexAgs.com Coaches will tell you that in every recruiting class, signing a quarterback is a need. For the Gators' 2022 class, Dan Mullen just filled that need in the name of Nick Evers, who just committed with an announcement on twitter. Evers is a consensus...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 3/2 practice

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 3/2 practice

Photo credit: Florida Gators/@GatorsFB The Gators held Day 6 of spring practice today, and as has been the case for several of the prior practices, the program decided to open it up (virtually) to the public, and streamed most of the reps live on the team's Instagram...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/26 practice

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/26 practice

Day five of full pads. (Image via Florida Gators.) For the third time this week, the Florida Gators football team held a virtual open practice, streaming most of the day's work on Instagram live for all to see. Here are all the videos I managed to capture from Friday...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/24 practice

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/24 practice

Jason Marshall vs. Xzavier Henderson: something we'll be seeing a lot of in practice for a very, very long time. (Photo credit: Florida Gators) For the second time this week, the Gator football program virtually opened its practice to the public on its Instagram page,...

Videos: highlights from Gator football’s 2/22 practice

Screenshot from Florida's practice today (via Florida Gators) Dan Mullen and the Florida Gator football team hit the field for practice today as usual. One thing that made today's practice different from a lot of the Gators' other practices, though, was that today's...

Kicker Adam Mihalek commits to Florida

Kicker Adam Mihalek commits to Florida

Image via Adam Mihalek The Florida Gators snuck in one last addition to their 2021 recruiting class at the last second: kicker Adam Mihalek. Mihalek, a local from Tampa, has announced his intentions to stay close to home and attend the University of Florida as a...

Four star 2022 DE Francois Nolton commits to Florida

Four star 2022 DE Francois Nolton commits to Florida

With the Gators' 2021 recruiting class all wrapped up, Dan Mullen and his staff have gone to work setting up their 2022 class. https://twitter.com/99_nolton/status/1357739221822418945?s=20 Francois Nolton, a 6'4, 225 lb. four star defensive end from Miami, has...

Gators land former LSU five star TE Arik Gilbert

Gators land former LSU five star TE Arik Gilbert

Dan Mullen remains undefeated in the NCAA transfer portal with the addition of Arik Gilbert. And now, a year after Florida lost unanimous All-American tight end Kyle Pitts to the NFL, the Gators may not miss a beat at that position. Gilbert, a former five star tight...

Florida Gators’ 2021 football schedule revealed

Florida Gators’ 2021 football schedule revealed

When the SEC first pieced together a twelve year football schedule rotation in 2014 that dictated which teams would play who from the other division, the Florida Gators knew that they'd be hosting Alabama as their cross-division opponent in 2021. But now, following...

Gators complete coaching staff with Jules Montinar

Gators complete coaching staff with Jules Montinar

UPDATE: Florida has officially announced Jules Montinar as the newest member of the Gator football staff. https://twitter.com/GatorsFB/status/1353802427313618945?s=20 (Initial story begins below.) With linebackers coach Christian Robinson presumably staying at...

Auburn DL Daquan Newkirk transfers to Florida

Auburn DL Daquan Newkirk transfers to Florida

DaQuan Newkirk is coming home. Daquan Newkirk has decided to return home (or close to it) for his final year of eligibility. And thus, Florida's shaky offseason took a step in the right direction. https://twitter.com/holdthat_2/status/1349757297782829056?s=20 Once a...

Florida LB James Houston to enter transfer portal

Florida LB James Houston to enter transfer portal

Best of luck to James Houston as he searches for a new home. James Houston IV, a junior linebacker from Fort Lauderdale, has told me that he will be entering the transfer portal. Houston was known for making a few of the bigger defensive plays of the last couple of...

Keyontae Johnson placed into medically induced coma

Keyontae Johnson placed into medically induced coma

Keyontae Johnson has been placed into a medically induced coma, according to the USA Today, who spoke with Johnson's grandfather. His grandfather, Larry DeJarnett said in a phone interview that his grandson was transported to Gainesville earlier today after receiving...

Florida vs Tennessee: Film Review – Defense

Florida’s 2020 season has overall been a successful one by most measures. The Gators are 8-1, ranked in the top ten in every major poll and are four wins away from securing the program’s fourth national title. But in order to obtain that national title, there’s a lot...

Several Gators listed as national award semifinalists

Florida's efforts on the field have been rewarded in the sense that the Gators now control their own destiny to SEC and national championships. But for several players, their efforts are being rewarded in more individual manners, too. Four Gators have been listed as...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 31-19 win over Tennessee

Florida didn't play especially well, but did more than enough to beat Tennessee and wrap up the SEC East for the first time since 2016. What were the major takeaways from the game? Florida simply does not have a running game Tennessee came into the game with a five...

Photo Gallery from Florida’s 34-10 win over Kentucky

As we anticipate tomorrow's road matchup with Tennessee,  let’s take one more look back at last week’s game against Kentucky. Our podcast host, Dustin Smith, happens to also be a fantastic photographer. He was at the game last Saturday, and got some great photos of...

Florida RB Iverson Clement will transfer

Florida's deep stable of running backs has just gotten a little thinner. Iverson Clement, a junior tailback from Mount Holly, NJ, has decided to transfer. He departs from Florida having carried the ball twelve times for 94 yards. He nearly scored a touchdown against...

Gators make belated Thanksgiving feast out of Wildcats

Florida was missing key pieces on both sides of the ball a week ago in a sluggish 38-17 win over Vanderbilt. The Gators got them both back today, and the result was fairly similar: Florida struggled for a half against a historically inferior divisional opponent,...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 34-10 win over Kentucky

It took awhile for Florida to get itself going, but they eventually did do exactly that and rolled away from Kentucky. What stood out in the victory? A tale of two halves Florida's offense was stuck in reverse for most of the first half, mustering a grand total of...

No. 6 Gators overcome sluggish start to run past Vandy

Florida arrived at Vanderbilt’s small stadium a mere hour and two minutes before kickoff, determined to avoid the cramped quarters in the visitors’ locker room at all costs and intent on spending as little time on the premises as they had to. Then the Gators took the...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 38-17 win over Vanderbilt

It wasn’t pretty, but Florida fought off a tough challenge from Vanderbilt and got out of Nashville with a 38-17 win. What stuck out in the victory? The defense is still a problem. Yes, Florida played better on defense after a miserable first quarter, and sure,...

Photo Gallery from Florida’s 63-35 win over Arkansas

Before we look ahead to Vanderbilt tomorrow, let's take one more look back at last week's game against Arkansas. Our podcast host, Dustin Smith, happens to also be a fantastic photographer. He was at the game last Saturday night, and got some great photos of various...

Trask, Gators run Hogwild in blowout of Arkansas

Trask, Gators run Hogwild in blowout of Arkansas

Feleipe Franks’ dramatic return to the Swamp was the story of the day when his Arkansas Razorbacks faced off against #6 Florida in the Swamp. But it was his long-time understudy, Kyle Trask, who dominated the night. Trask continued his push for a Heisman Trophy by...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 63-35 win over Arkansas

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 63-35 win over Arkansas

Florida earned its most lopsided win of the season over Arkansas, and former quarterback Feleipe Franks, 63-35. What stood out most along the way? Kyle Trask is now the Heisman frontrunner After several years of hyping up various quarterbacks as Heisman Trophy...

A Tribute to Feleipe Franks: I Will Remember You

A Tribute to Feleipe Franks: I Will Remember You

Hello again, Feleipe Franks. It's been about fourteen months since your Gator career ended in a particularly gruesome fashion. Tomorrow, we meet again. Only this time, your job will be to ruin Florida's season, not enhance it, and our job will be to make you...

Gators kick Georgia out of Cocktail Party

Gators kick Georgia out of Cocktail Party

Throughout Dan Mullen’s short tenure at Florida, Kirby Smart has had Mullen’s number.  And three minutes into their third meeting in Jacksonville, it looked like that would continue. But then Florida flipped the script and turned the game— and the rivalry— on its...

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 44-28 win over Georgia

Five Takeaways from Florida’s 44-28 win over Georgia

WE DID IT!!! Yes, at long last, Florida has gotten the Georgia monkey off its back and toppled the Bulldogs to take control of the SEC East. What did we learn along the way? Kyle Trask is officially a Heisman Trophy frontrunner He may not win the award, but he has to...

2021 OL Yousef Mugharbil commits to Florida

2021 OL Yousef Mugharbil commits to Florida

A day before the Gators take on Georgia in the Cocktail Party, Yousef Mugharbil kicked off their weekend the right way. Mugharbil, a consensus four star offensive lineman from Murphy, NC/Murphy HS, has committed to Florida. He also had offers from Penn State, Virginia...

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-17 win over Missouri

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-17 win over Missouri

Florida bounced back from a rough loss to Texas A&M three weeks ago with a statement win against Missouri. What stood out in the process? The defense isn't great, but it's getting better. Even without three starters in the secondary (and without Zachary Carter in...

For Gators, a new season begins against Missouri

For Gators, a new season begins against Missouri

Three weeks ago, Florida completed its preseason portion of the 2020 schedule with a good deal of promise, but well aware of what it had to work on. One ugly COVID outbreak and three weeks later, and the Gators begin the meat of their schedule- a seven game stretch...

2022 Safety Sam McCall commits to Florida

2022 Safety Sam McCall commits to Florida

Just as things are getting back into full swing for the Gator football team, things are heating up on the recruiting trail, too. Florida has nabbed a commitment from 2022 athlete Sam McCall, a consensus five star recruit from Lakeland, FL/Lake Gibson HS. He chose...

2021 Edge rusher Jeremiah Williams commits to Florida

2021 Edge rusher Jeremiah Williams commits to Florida

Defensive end Jeremiah Williams, a consensus four star prospect out of Birmingham, AL/Ramsay HS, has committed to Florida, giving the Gators yet another dynamic piece for their 2021 recruiting class. Signs were pointing towards Gainesville for the highly touted edge...

Florida-Missouri game postponed to October 31

Florida-Missouri game postponed to October 31

According to multiple sources close to the team, the Florida-Missouri game scheduled to take place on October 24th will now be pushed back one week, to Halloween on October 31st. In All Kinds of Weather first reported yesterday that the game was extremely likely to be...

Florida-LSU game postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak

Florida-LSU game postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Florida-LSU game scheduled for this Saturday is going to be postponed. An announcement could come as early as Wednesday afternoon. The news comes less than 24 hours after an outbreak of COVID-19 within the Gators' football...

COVID-19 outbreak places Florida-LSU game in jeopardy

After just three games, the novel coronavirus that has wreaked havoc on pretty much everything in 2020 appears to have found its way into the Gator football program. And predictably, the COVID-19 outbreak has thrown up a blockade in front of the season. A few days...

Texas A&M forces Florida to address defensive issues

Texas A&M forces Florida to address defensive issues

Throughout the game on Saturday in College Station, Florida seemed to be one step ahead of Texas A&M. Until they weren't. And then it was too late to do anything about it as the Florida program trudged off the field following a familiar fate- a loss to Jimbo...

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-38 loss to Texas A&M

Five takeaways from Florida’s 41-38 loss to Texas A&M

Florida suffered its first loss of the season against Texas A&M today, an ugly 41-38 setback that’s far more irritating than damaging— but one that exposed a great deal of Gator shortcomings. What stood out in particular? (Spoiler alert: a lot of them are...

Imperfect Gators outlast South Carolina to start 2-0

Imperfect Gators outlast South Carolina to start 2-0

The various struggles the Florida Gators have endured on defense didn’t matter too much in their first two games against Mississippi and South Carolina. They might in their next game. And they almost certainly will later in the season. Kyle Trask tossed four touchdown...

Clemson RB Demarkcus Bowman to transfer to Florida

Clemson RB Demarkcus Bowman to transfer to Florida

The Lakeland-to-Gainesville pipeline has continued, albeit via a detour. Demarkcus Bowman has chosen to transfer to Florida. Mere days after announcing his decision to enter the transfer portal, Bowman told Gators Territory of his decision. Bowman, a former five star...

Trask’s career day propels Florida past Mississippi

Trask’s career day propels Florida past Mississippi

Dan Mullen returned to the place he once called “The School Up North” in his new set of colors for the first time. And he provided that school up north with a first class education in just how lethal his new offense is. Kyle Trask went wild, completing 30 of his 42...

Five takeaways from Florida’s 51-35 win at Ole Miss

Five takeaways from Florida’s 51-35 win at Ole Miss

The Gators opened their 2020 season with a somewhat convincing 51-35 victory over Ole Miss in Oxford. In doing so, Florida knotted the all time series score against the Rebels at twelve wins apiece. Here are my five initial takeaways from the game: Kyle Trask is...

2020 Gator football position preview: secondary

2020 Gator football position preview: secondary

Our position previews of the 2020 Gator football team conclude today with a look at the defensive backfield. Can the unit colloquially known as "DBU" move forward without CJ Henderson? Previously previewing: quarterbacks | running backs | wide receivers | tight ends |...

2020 Gator football position previews: linebackers

2020 Gator football position previews: linebackers

The penultimate piece of our position preview segment takes us to the Florida linebackers- a unit that was very good in 2019, but will look a bit different in 2020. Let's get right into it. Previously previewing: quarterbacks | running backs | wide receivers | tight...

2020 Gator football position preview: defensive line

2020 Gator football position preview: defensive line

Having completed our offensive position previews, today we move to the defensive side of the ball. And as is the case everywhere in the SEC, it starts up front. Previously previewing: quarterbacks | running backs | wide receivers | tight ends | offensive line The...

2020 Gator football position preview: offensive line

2020 Gator football position preview: offensive line

Fresh off our preview of Florida's tight ends, our 2020 Gator football position preview rolls on with a look at perhaps the key to the entire team: the offensive line. Last year, was so-so a year ago in pass protection, but really let the team down in the ground game....

2020 Gator football position preview: tight ends

2020 Gator football position preview: tight ends

With kickoff just around the corner, our position by position previews of the 2020 Gator football team are about to start hitting the presses rapid-fire. Having already published our previews on Florida's quarterback, running back and wide receiver rooms, the first of...

2020 Gator football position preview: wide receivers

2020 Gator football position preview: wide receivers

Having previously broken down Florida's quarterbacks and running backs, our position preview segment moves along today with a look at Florida's receivers. It's a unit that lost four of its top playmakers from 2019 (Van Jefferson, Freddie Swain, Josh Hammond and Tyrie...

2020 Gator football position preview: running backs

2020 Gator football position preview: running backs

After a bit longer of a gap between position breakdowns than I intended, the series rolls on today with a look at Florida's running backs. What do the Gators have in stock in their RB room this year? The leader: Dameon Pierce The leading returning rusher from 2019 has...

Snapshot: the 2020 Florida-FSU chart

Snapshot: the 2020 Florida-FSU chart

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor and privilege to present to you, the 2020 Florida-FSU chart. Many of you already know what I'm referring too. For those who don't, "The Chart" is an annual In All Kinds Of Weather tradition that compares the Florida Gators...

2020 Gator football position preview: quarterbacks

2020 Gator football position preview: quarterbacks

With kickoff at long last in sight, it's time to break down the 2020 Gator football roster, position by position. Who's back, who's going to start, how good are they, and so on. Man, it's great to finally be talking about that again. So with that said, let's start...

Gators learn four of ten kickoff times for 2020 season

Gators learn four of ten kickoff times for 2020 season

Three of Florida's first four games of the 2020 season carry the potential to be broilers. The Gators' season opener against Mississippi in Oxford on September 26th will kick off at noon, and air on ESPN. The following week, Florida will return home and again play in...

#GreatestGatorEver Sweet 16 bracket breakdown

#GreatestGatorEver Sweet 16 bracket breakdown

Having announced the tentative plans for the schedule of the remainder of the #GreatestGatorEver fan voting tournament (update; the tournament resumes tomorrow on twitter and Instagram stories), it's time to refresh our memories regarding the final sixteen contestants...

#GreatestGatorEver tournament schedule update

#GreatestGatorEver tournament schedule update

For those who have been keeping track of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament, the excitement level has reached yet another all time high, as it does with the completion of each round. For those who haven't, it's not too late to be introduced to the event. Here's (a very...

Gators’ 2020 football schedule unveiled

Gators’ 2020 football schedule unveiled

At long last, the Florida Gators 2020 football schedule has been released. Here it is, in full. Florida Gators 2020 football schedule Week Date Opponent 1 9/26 @ Mississippi 2 10/3 S CAROLINA 3 10/10 @ Texas A&M 4 10/17 LSU 5 10/24 MISSOURI 6 --- BYE 7 11/7...

Four key Gators sit out first fall practice

Four key Gators sit out first fall practice

For the time being, it looks as though the SEC is going to give its college football season a go in 2020. But at least for today's inaugural practice, the Florida Gators football team launched its fall season down four critical pieces. As first reported by Sports...

DT Desmond Watson commits to Florida

DT Desmond Watson commits to Florida

Florida had been suffering through a bit of a lull on the recruiting trail earlier this month, a period that was low lighted by Clinton Burton flipping his commitment from Florida to Boston College. But if the past couple of weeks didn't vault Florida out of that rut,...

Gators flip OL recruit Jake Slaughter from FSU

After a bit of a lull on the recruiting trail, Florida has suddenly picked it up over the course of the last week. Last Saturday, safety Donovan McMillon committed; less than 48 hours later, receiver Marcus Burke followed suit to rev the engine a little bit on a 2021...

Top Jacksonville WR Marcus Burke commits to Florida

Top Jacksonville WR Marcus Burke commits to Florida

The Gators' 2021 recruiting class got a boost Saturday with the addition of Donovan McMillon. Today, Dan Mullen & Co. built on that momentum with the addition of receiver Marcus Burke. https://twitter.com/CERTIFIED_MB4/status/1285296008747003904?s=20 Burke, a...

Safety Donovan McMillon commits to Florida

Safety Donovan McMillon commits to Florida

Clinton Burton out, Donovan McMillon in. McMillon, a borderline three/four star safety from McMurray, PA/Peters Township High School, has committed to the Gators. The move provides Florida fans with a bit of relief following the decommitment of fellow defensive back...

#GreatestGatorEver tournament set to heat up

#GreatestGatorEver tournament set to heat up

Welcome to the part of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament where things really start to get interesting. For those who are just catching wind of the tournament, a quick explanation of how it works. Created with the goal of deciding the greatest Florida Gator athlete of...

Gators announce six new positive COVID tests within football program

UF confirms 11 positive COVID-19 cases since April

The University of Florida has acknowledged that eleven different positive tests for COVID-19 have taken place since April. The news comes a week and a half after the announcement that no returning Gator football player had tested positive. From Florida senior...

2021 CB Jordan Young commits to Florida

2021 CB Jordan Young commits to Florida

It may be one of the slowest times for sports in recent memory, but the inverse has been the case in the world of Gator football recruiting. 2021 cornerback Jordan Young (Tampa, FL/Gaither) has committed to Florida. A consensus three star prospect with offers from...

Kamar Wilcoxson re-commits to Florida for a third time

Kamar Wilcoxson re-commits to Florida for a third time

Kamar Wilcoxson is back on the Gators' commitment list- and he says this time, it's for good. https://twitter.com/KamarWilcoxson4/status/1274100941369806850?s=20 I think at this point, most Gator fans are familiar with who he is, and if you're not, I'll explain why I...

Safety Dakota Mitchell commits to Florida

Safety Dakota Mitchell commits to Florida

It probably got lost in the news of yesterday’s news that the Florida band will stop cueing up the “Gator bait” chant due to the term’s racist history, but while Florida football lost a ritual, it gained a commit. Safety Dakota Mitchell (Winter Park, FL/Winter Park)...

Gator baseball pitcher Tommy Mace to return in 2021

Gator baseball pitcher Tommy Mace to return in 2021

Tommy Mace has just pulled perhaps the biggest offseason surprise in the world of Florida Gator athletics. Mace, the ace of the Gator baseball pitching staff, has decided to return to Gainesville for another season after going undrafted in the MLB Draft. Per...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 15 Regional

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 15 Regional

The sixteenth and final Regional of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament gets underway later tonight. Thus, our Regional previews conclude with a look at the 15 Regional: The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1)...

Lorenzo Lingard granted immediate eligibility for Florida

Lorenzo Lingard granted immediate eligibility for Florida

Happy birthday, Lorenzo Lingard. Florida's newest running back addition has announced on twitter that his waiver to be able to play in 2020 has been granted: https://twitter.com/d1champ99/status/1266464118950723584?s=20 Florida's running back room wasn't bad to begin...

#GreatestGatorEver tournament set to heat up

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 2

The penultimate Regional of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament is just about set to get underway. As is customary by now, let's acquaint ourselves with the sixteen player field a little more first. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 10 Regional

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 10 Regional

Round one of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament is drawing to a close. Today, we take a look at the third-to-last of the sixteen Regional brackets to be played: the 10 Regional. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.)...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 7 Regional

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: 7 Regional

We are officially three quarters of the way through of the first round of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament. Tomorrow morning, we begin the first round of the fourth quarter of the bracket- the 7 Regional. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order...

Class of 2021 RB/WR Charles Montgomery commits to Florida

Class of 2021 RB/WR Charles Montgomery commits to Florida

Charles Montgomery will be suiting up in orange and blue on Saturdays. On an instagram live feed, Montgomery announced that he was choosing Florida over Maryland. A consensus four star prospect out of Seffner, FL/Armwood, Montgomery also had offers from Alabama,...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 14

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 14

Time to complete the upper right hand corner of the #GreatestGatorEver bracket with the 14 Regional. Y'all know the drill by now; let's get to it. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Kelly Barnhill (softball,...

Florida unveils plan to bring athletes back to campus

Florida unveils plan to bring athletes back to campus

Photo credit: University of Florida COVID-19 has pretty much shut down college athletics since it made its way over to the United States a couple of months ago. Now, the first steps are being taken to see their resumption. Earlier today, SEC school presidents have...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 3

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 3

Up next in our #GreatestGatorEver tournament is the 3 Regional. Before voting gets underway, let's take a closer look at the field. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Al Horford (basketball, C/F-...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 11

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 11

Eight Regionals down, one underway, and seven more to go in Round One of our #GreatestGatorEver tournament. Next up is the 11 Regional. The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Jack Youngblood (football, DE/DT/K-...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 6

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 6

We're halfway through the opening round of our summer long #GreatestGatorEver tournament. Now, we shift to the right side of the bracket, and start at the top with the 6 Regional, which gets underway tomorrow morning. The bracket Regional participants (Players are...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 12

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 12

The eighth and final Regional on the left half of the 256 player #GreatestGatorEver tournament is set to get started tonight. Another way of putting that: after tonight's 12 Regional voting, we will officially be halfway done with the opening round of this summer long...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 5

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 5

Our #GreatestGatorEver tournament rolls on today with Round one of the 5 Regional. As was the case for the previous Regionals and will be for all ensuing Regionals, let's take this opportunity to refresh our memories regarding what, exactly, the sixteen players in...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 13

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 13

With the 4 Regional of the #GreatestGatorEver tournament currently winding down, it's time to preview the Regional it's paired with in the Sweet 16: Regional #13. The 13 Regional bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.)...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 4

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 4

Our #GreatestGatorEver bracket is set to continue tomorrow with the opening round of the 4 Regional. Let's get to know that 4 Regional: The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they appear on the bracket.) (1) Emmitt Smith (football, RB-...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 9

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 9

Our #GreatestGatorEver bracket is set to continue later today with the opening round of the 9 Regional. With voting in the 8 Regional closing soon, let's familiarize ourselves with said 9 Regional: The bracket Regional participants (Players are listed in order they...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 8

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 8

Our #GreatestGatorEver tournament is off and running. Voting for the opening round of the 1 Regional has been completed; the 16 Regional is underway and will wrap up this afternoon. Shortly after its conclusion, the 8 Regional will get underway. So, let's get to know...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 16

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 16

Yesterday, voting began in our #GreatestGatorEver bracket in the 1 Regional. Today, voting will continue with the 16 Regional, but before the polls open, let's preview the field and refresh our memories on the players' accomplishments. The bracket Regional...

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 1

#GreatestGatorEver bracket breakdown: Regional 1

Voting for the #GreatestGatorEver bracket begins this afternoon. In the name of eliminating potential recentism in the voting, I thought I'd set the stage by previewing each Regional before the voting gets underway. Today, we'll take a look at Regional 1, which of...

2021 guard Kowacie Reeves commits to Florida

2021 guard Kowacie Reeves commits to Florida

Mike White's 2021 recruiting class is off to a great start. Kowacie Reeves (Macon, GA) has committed to Florida. Reeves, a highly sought after four star, also earned offers from North Carolina, Texas, Auburn, Georgia and Seton Hall, among others. This commitment might...

Introducing the Greatest Gator Ever bracket

Introducing the Greatest Gator Ever bracket

Part of what has helped fans make it through a long, frustrating quarantine is the abundance of fan polls on social media. In particular, 64-team, March Madness themed brackets that allow fans to vote on the winner of each matchup in each round have captured a lot of...

Michigan F Colin Castleton transferring to Florida

Michigan F Colin Castleton transferring to Florida

Colin Castleton is coming home, and Florida is adding some more frontcourt depth for the future- potentially even next season. Castleton, who spent the last two seasons at Michigan, will be transferring closer to home and joining Mike White's Gator basketball squad....

Recapping the Gators’ weekend in the 2020 NFL Draft

Recapping the Gators’ weekend in the 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft has just concluded, and once again, the Florida Gators were very well represented. Below is a list of all the selections from Florida. Click on the player names for further analysis on what they bring to their new teams. Florida Gators in the 2020...

How Dan Mullen fixed a broken Gator football program

How Dan Mullen fixed a broken Gator football program

What was a fractured program less than 30 months ago needed a hero to put it back together. In Dan Mullen, Florida found that hero. This is the story of the toxic culture he walked into, how he went to work taking it apart, and how he's replaced that toxic culture...

Tebow, Spikes, James inducted into UF Hall of Fame

Tebow, Spikes, James inducted into UF Hall of Fame

Three members of the Florida Gators' 2008 football team- universally regarded as one of the best in college football history- are finally getting the ultimate recognition they deserve- spots in the UF Hall of Fame. Explosive kick/return man Brandon James posted a...

Scottie Lewis to return for sophomore year

Scottie Lewis to return for sophomore year

Florida’s basketball team got a sort-of-but-not-really-surprising boost today, as shooting guard Scottie Lewis announced that he will be coming back for his sophomore season. Lewis, a ridiculously athletic kid from southern New Jersey, arrived in Gainesville last fall...

The “Kyle Trask Emory Jones” debate: why not both?

The “Kyle Trask Emory Jones” debate: why not both?

The "Kyle Trask Emory Jones" debate is in full swing. Yes, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has, among other things, lengthened college sports fans' offseason, the fanbase-wide argument regarding who should be the starter at the most important position of...

Coronavirus abruptly ends 2019-20 NCAA athletic season

Coronavirus abruptly ends 2019-20 NCAA athletic season

Photo credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images UPDATE 5:10pm: although it feels wholly logical to assume that college baseball and softball are over for 2020, the language in the two released statements- from the SEC and NCAA, and which you can read below- left one pair of...

TE Nick Elksnis commits to Florida

TE Nick Elksnis commits to Florida

Tight end Nick Elksnis (Jacksonville, FL/Episcopal) has announced his decision to be a Gator, thus netting Florida its first commitment of its Junior Day weekend. In doing so, Elksnis effectively flips from Penn State, from which he decommitted last week....

2020 Florida Gators’ Junior Day visitors list

2020 Florida Gators’ Junior Day visitors list

The Gators' second Junior Day event in Gainesville is upon us, and it's important to keep an eye on because more often than not, Florida uses it to add members to its list of commits. This time around, the chances of the Gators doing so are increased appreciably-...

Four star TE Gage Wilcox commits to Florida

Four star TE Gage Wilcox commits to Florida

Congratulations to Gage Wilcox. You, sir, have just become the first commit for Tim Brewster. Wilcox, a four star tight end from Tampa's Jefferson High School in the Class of 2021, committed on an Instagram Live video, as captured by twitter user @CurtisK421....

Florida takes step forward by throttling LSU

Florida takes step forward by throttling LSU

Photo credit: Florida Gators Maybe this is another mirage, the latest peak in a dizzying array of sine waves for Mike White’s Gator basketball team. Or maybe, after we all erroneously thought this team had turned the corner several times before, this is the game that...