Gator Bowl Matchup Between Gators and Buckeyes Features an Urban Twist
Monday, December 5, 2011 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They now call it the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl. The Urban Meyer Bowl might be more fitting for this year's matchup between Florida and Ohio State.
The Gator Bowl Association announced Sunday evening that Meyer's former team (Florida) and future team (Ohio State) have accepted invitations to play in the Jan. 2 bowl game at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.
It's the first meeting between the tradition-rich programs – and only second all-time – since Meyer coached the Gators to a 41-14 victory over Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game that earned Florida the 2006 national title. Meyer's return to coaching less than a year after he resigned at Florida adds a colorful backdrop to the Gators' first trip to the Gator Bowl since 1992.
Meyer's hiring was announced by Ohio State on Monday to the chagrin of many Florida fans. Meyer was in his second season at Florida when the Gators beat the Buckeyes for the national title and he led the Gators to another national championship in 2008.
It will be 366 days since Meyer coached his final game at Florida – a New Year's Day win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl – by the time the Gators and Buckeyes kick off in Jacksonville.
“We are so excited to play in front of all the Gator fans there in Jacksonville and in the state of Florida,'' first-year Florida coach Will Muschamp said Sunday night. “I don't think [the Meyer factor] will be any distraction. We've moved on. Urban did a great job in his time at the University of Florida. I'm very appreciative of what he did, but again, we've moved on and we're looking forward to playing the game.''
While it has been nearly 20 years since Florida played in the Gator Bowl, the program has a strong history in the game. The Gators' first bowl game was a 14-13 win over Tulsa in the 1953 Gator Bowl and the Gators also played there in 1958, '60, '62, '69, '75, '83 and '92. Florida is 6-2 all-time in the Gator Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have made only one appearance in the Gator Bowl, the infamous 1978 game that cost legendary coach Woody Hayes his job. Hayes was fired the day after Ohio State's 17-15 loss to Clemson for punching Clemson's Charlie Bauman after Bauman intercepted a pass late in the game to seal the Tigers' win.
Both Ohio State and Florida enter with 6-6 records and a chance to cap difficult seasons with a victory and winning record.
“I think it will be a great game, a very good matchup with a lot of national interest,'' Gator Bowl chairman Greg Smith said. “As we looked at the teams on the board, we really felt that Ohio State-Florida gave us the best opportunity [for] a great matchup. It was a unanimous vote to choose Ohio State and Florida.''
Smith cited three primary factors that sold the committed on the matchup: the likelihood of the schools' fan bases to travel, potential ticket sales and TV ratings.
He didn't mention the Meyer factor, but everyone understands what that added storyline gives the matchup.
“He was very helpful to me in my early days here at Florida as I got accustomed to the job,'' Muschamp said. “He's an outstanding football coach; he's great for college football, so I'm glad he's back.''
Muschamp replaced Meyer at Florida, and Meyer will replace first-year Ohio State coach Luke Fickell in Columbus after the game. Fickell took over when former coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign before the season amid an NCAA investigation into the Buckeyes' program.
Fickell faced numerous questions during Sunday night's conference call with reporters about the transition to Meyer and how that might impact the players. Fickell, who is remaining at Ohio State as part of Meyer's staff, isn't concerned about it being a distraction.
“I don't know that this is going to make it any more difficult for me,'' Fickell said. “I don't know that it can get more difficult. It might be a unique situation for the other people involved, but for our coaches and our players, I don't know if it's going to be much of a difference.
“We're trying to do the best job we can to end the season on a good note with all the ups and downs that we've had. I don't know if you can get any more distractions than what we've had. I think our guys are just so excited to have some clarity about what's going to happen in the future. I don't think this will be nearly as hard on them. That you're playing Florida, and all the other stuff with Coach Meyer and that's where he's come from, to me won't be an effect on our guys.''
Fickell said while Meyer's knowledge might help in some areas in preparing for the Gators, he doesn't see that being a huge advantage considering the Gators are using new offensive and defensive schemes than what they ran under Meyer.
“It's a complete new staff there obviously at Florida,'' Fickell said. “We've got to do our work. It will be a unique situation in how much Coach Meyer offers up.''
If facing their former coach isn't motivation, the Gators also have an opportunity to extend their streak of consecutive non-losing seasons to 32. Florida has not finished with a losing record since 1979. Ohio State suffered its first non-winning regular season since 1999.
Muschamp sees a pair of programs trying to regain their footing among the nation's elite.
“They went through a tough time there with Coach Tressel's situation,'' he said. “We are going through a little transition at Florida as well.''
