Senior Day at the Swamp: Gators and Florida State Renew Rivalry
Friday, November 25, 2011 | Football
FLORIDA (6-5, 3-5 SEC) vs. FLORIDA STATE (7-4, 5-3 ACC)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26 – 7:00PM ET
BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM
BROADCAST INFORMATION | GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Pre-Game Notes (.pdf)
The Storyline…
The University of Florida (6-5, 3-5 SEC) will host the Florida State Seminoles (7-4, 5-3 ACC) Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN2) in a matchup of in-state rivals. The Gators will honor 19 seniors prior to the game as the play in their last home contest for the Orange and Blue.
Florida is coming off a 54-32 victory over Furman, which clinched a trip to a bowl for the 21st-straight year, the longest streak in the SEC and the second-longest streak in the nation. Florida State lost to Virginia, 14-13, in its last outing.
This week's meeting will mark the 56th meeting all-time in the series between the two schools. UF holds a 33-20-2 edge in the overall series, including a 20-8-1 record in Gainesville. The Gators have not lost to FSU at home since the 2003 season. UF and FSU have faced each other in the regular season finale each year since 1980.
As has been the case much of the year, Florida head coach Will Muschamp has a significant tie to the opponent. He and Jimbo Fisher have a long-standing friendship and worked together, most recently at LSU from 2001-04 when Muschamp coached linebackers and later became the defensive coordinator, while Fisher was the offensive coordinator. The two served as LSU's coordinators on the 2003 BCS Championship squad.
Setting the Stage…
As GatorZone.com Senior Writer Scott Carter points out, the Gators view a win over Florida State as a perfect way to end an imperfect season.
While 19 seniors will be honored prior to the Florida State game, only one – Dan Wenger – will be celebrating his second senior day as Scott Carter writes.
Reminding everyone that there is far more to being a University of Florida athlete than just stepping on the field, the Gators took time to give back to the community for Thanksgiving.
Follow the Gators leading up to kick, during at after the game at GatorZone.com with full coverage from Senior Writer Scott Carter. Follow on twitter @GatorZoneNews and @GatorZoneScott and on Facebook at Facebook.com/FloridaGators.
