Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Classes started a week ago, but there's just something about that first week of the fall semester with a football game waiting on the back end. 

Yes, like this week. 

"You can kind of smell it in the air," Florida coach Jim McElwain said Monday. "Opening weekend."

The 2016 season kicks off Saturday night when the No. 25 Gators face Massachusetts in what is sure to be an emotional and nostalgic affair under the lights at the "Swamp." The game not only will set in motion Year 2 of the McElwain era, but serve as the official dedication of the most iconic name associated with UF athletics, as the program's home venue officially is renamed "Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium." 

Spurrier, who returned to UF in late July as ambassador and consultant for athletics, won the 1966 Heisman Trophy playing quarterback for the Gators and then returned to his alma mater as head coach in 1990, guiding the program to a record of 122-27-1 over 12 seasons, including six Southeastern Conference championships and a national title while compiling a staggering 68-5 record in the house he dubbed the "Swamp" in 1992. 

A large contingent from the Spurrier family and a slew of his former players will be on hand for a pregame ceremony and unveiling of the new stadium name. 

As McElwain might say (and often does), that's pretty cool.

"I think it'll be special for him and a fitting tribute," the current coach said of the former one. 

And then some football will be played. 

Nine months after putting the wraps on a 2015 campaign highlighted by 10 wins and an SEC East Division crown but low-lighted by three straight lopsided defeats to end the season, the Gators will do some unveiling of their own in introducing fourth-year sophomore Luke Del Rio as the starting quarterback. 

Del Rio, the son of Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, took a circuitous route to get here. As a top QB prospect in Colorado, he had a prior relationship with McElwain, then head coach at Colorado State, that helped land him at Alabama, where McElwain previously served as offensive coordinator. After one year with the Crimson Tide, Del Rio transferred to Oregon State, where he threw 18 passes (hitting eight) as a redshirt freshman in 2014, only to transfer again after that season to reunite with McElwain upon his move from CSU to UF. 

He sat out last season per NCAA transfer rules but his time has arrived after winning an offseason duel with Purdue graduate transfer Austin Appleby. 

"I'm not really focused on how I'm going to feel or what it's going to be like," Del Rio said of his return to real, live action. "I'm just going to take that as it comes. Really looking forward to playing football with my teammates. That's kind of the biggest thing I'm looking forward to."

In turn, Florida fans hope they can look forward to an offense of big plays and lots of points. That's not what the Gators were last year; at least, not after starting quarterback Will Grier was suspended for the season after the sixth game — with the team 6-0, by the way — and promptly went into a tailspin under the direction of the diminutive and limited Treon Harris.
 
UF finished the season ranked 111th out of 127 FBS programs in total offense (334.0 yards per game), 112th in rushing (126.9 ypg) and 87th in passing (207.1 ypg), while losing the final three games — albeit against No. 10 Florida State, No. 2 and eventual national champ Alabama and No. 19 Michigan — by a combined score of 97-24. 

The exit left quite a sour taste in a lot of Gators' mouths.  

"I'm still hurting, that's all I can say," McElwain allowed. "That was miserable, I'll leave it at that. And I'm sorry you had to go through it, too." 

In UMass, the Gators face a program with a long-standing tradition in the Division I-AA ranks, including the 1998 NCAA title. In 2012, the Minutemen moved up to FBS class and have struggled to a 8-40 mark over their four major-college seasons, including a 3-9 record in 2015, the first under Coach Mark Whipple. They return eight starters (four on each side of the ball) from that squad but must replace quarterback Blake Frohnapel, who hit 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,919 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. When they faced No. 6 Notre Dame early last season, the Minuteman cranked out 450 yards of offense, including 148 on the ground. 

Whipple was the coach of that team, as well as the UMass coach in '98 when he led the program to its national title. Eventually, Whipple went to the NFL for three seasons, including a stint as Pittsburgh quarterbacks coach when Ben Roethlisger was winning the Super Bowl during the '05 season. 

McElwain, though, spent little time Monday discussing the upcoming opponent. 

"Really, it's about us, in everything that we try to do and try to accomplish," he said.

The Gators enter the season relatively healthy, with the season-ending knee injury to reserve offensive lineman Antonio Riles their lone major hit. The status of wideout C.J. Worton (foot) and tight end DeAndre Goolsby (hamstring) will be evaluated during practice this week. 

UF, however, will have to make do minus a couple veteran players, as well as some talented freshmen; and not because of injury. Junior cornerback Teez Tabor and sophomore tight end C'yontai Lewis will sit out the game following preseason suspensions due to conduct at practice. Tabor and Lewis were removed from team activities for several days, but reinstated for practice last week. They're expected back for the season's second game against Kentucky. 

Freshmen wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells are also suspended over conduct issues, but sophomore Antonio Callaway, UF's top playmaker and SEC leader in yards per catch last season, will play in the game, McElwain said. 

"No matter who you line up on the field, we have a whole bunch of playmakers on offense," junior slot receiver Brandon Powell said. "I mean, it's just going to be scary for teams to try to stop us with the lineup that we do have. That's just something that we're going to put on display this weekend."

For sure, the initial baseline for several areas on the team — the battle to be the bell cow at running back; pecking order at wide receiver after Callaway; play of the offensive line; depth at linebacker — will be established as Florida tries to win its 27th consecutive season opener, the longest such run in FBS. 

"I think the key is playing fast, being sound in what you do and making sure that you're able to adjust to whatever comes up. That's the exciting thing," McElwain said. "For us, being able to open up at the 'Swamp' … there's something special about that place."
 

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