GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On Friday, the final box was checked.
Sold. Out.
Dan Mullen and his No. 22 Florida Gators (4-1, 2-1) have done their part. Same for undefeated and fifth-ranked LSU Tigers (5-0, 2-0). Now, the UF football faithful have followed suit by gobbling up all the tickets to Saturday's Southeastern Conference showdown at the "Swamp," which figures to be in state of frenzy for the most hyped home game of Mullen's first season.
The stakes are high for both teams. The Tigers, already with a statement-making neutral-site blowout of Miami and road win at Auburn as time expired, need a victory to keep place with top-ranked Alabama and that runaway freight train in the SEC West. The Gators, meanwhile, have bounced back from the disappointing Week 2 home loss to Kentucky by winning three straight, including a pair of league roadies, to pull themselves back into SEC East relevance. What happens today at Spurrier/Florida Field figures to have a huge bearing on where this 2018 season is headed — and given the volume of recruits in the house, where future seasons are headed.
[Read senior writer Scott Carter's comprehensive "Opening Kickoff" preview here]
Mullen reached out earlier in the week to ask the UF students and show up early, stay to the end and be heard. He talked about the "Swamp" returning to its glory days as one of college football's most feared venues, and now the first sellout since the 2015 regular-season finale against Florida State will be the backdrop. Tim Tebow and members of the 2008 team also will be in the house to toast the 10-year anniversary of their national title, as well as Tebow's induction into the UF Football Ring of Honor.
Oh, and you might want to stick around for the game.
Florida and LSU have played annually since the 1971 season — 47 consecutive years — and staged not only some classics along the way, but clashes of both regional and national significance.
Examples:
* 1972 — Quarterback Bert Jones, who would go on to be the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft and 1976 NFL Most Valuable Player, brought his big gun, "Ruston Rifle" arm to Florida Field. UF was a mediocre 4-4. LSU was 6-1 and ranked fifth. Final score: 3-3.
* 1984 — The Gators started the season 1-1-1, then fired Coach Charley Pell amid the storm clouds of an NCAA investigation. As it turned, LSU was responsible for one the two blemishes on UF's 9-1-1 record; a 21-21 tie between two unranked teams in Gainesville the second week of the season. Florida went on to claim the first SEC title in school history, but it was stripped by league presidents the following June due to the bevy of NCAA sanctions handed down.
* 1989 — Arden Czyzewski piped a 41-yard field goal as time expired to give UF a 16-13 win in Tiger Stadium. The next day? Gators coach Galen Hall was fired (this will sound familiar) amid the storm clouds of an NCAA investigation. The turn of events set in motion the arrival of
Steve Spurrier the next year.
* 1993 — Florida handed LSU its worst loss in the program's 100 history, a 58-3 bludgeoning at Tiger Stadium.
* 1996 — During the preceding spring and summer, coaches from around the country had flocked to Baton Rouge to pick the brain of LSU defensive coordinator Carl Reese for knowledge of how he flummoxed the Florida offense in the '95 meeting won by UF 28-10. Spurrier took note. UF was unbeaten and ranked No. 3, while LSU was 21st when the two met. Florida racked up 635 yards of total offense in a 56-13 blowout. After the game, Spurrier cautioned LSU's defensive coaches about holding future clinics on how to stop the Gators offense.
* 1997 — LSU stopped the Gators offense this time, intercepting Doug Johnson four times and handing the reigning national champions and nation's top-ranked team a 28-21 defeat that halted UF's 25-game conference winning streak. Tigers fans stormed the field and tore the goals posts down.
* 2003 — Florida was in an early season tailspin under second-year Coach Ron Zook and took a 3-3 record to Baton Rouge. LSU, under Nick Saban, was undefeated and ranked sixth. Of course, the Gators won. Chris Leak threw two touchdown passes and Matt Leach kicked two field goals in a 19-7 road win that pretty much defined Zook's bedeviling time as UF's head coach.
* 2006 — "The Jump Pass."
* 2007 — LSU converted five fourth-down plays, two for touchdowns, and Coach Les Miles lived up to his "Mad Hatter" moniker in a 28-24 defeat of the reigning national champs.
* 2010 — UF led by three with 35 seconds to go, when LSU's Josh Jasper lined up for a 52-yard field goal that would tie the game. Instead, holder Derek Helton took the snap and flipped the ball toward Jasper (See "Hatter, Mad"). The ball hit the ground, but the kicker scooped it up and ran five yards for a first down. Four plays later, the Tigers scored the game-winning touchdown in a 33-29 win that stunned the Florida Field crowd for the second of what became three straight losses that helped sow the seeds of Urban Meyer's resignation.
The UF defense stonewalls LSU tailback Derrius Guice on the game's final play for a 16-10 win in 2016 at Baton Rouge.
* 2016 — Tailback Derrius Guice was stopped cold as he tried to vault the UF defensive front on fourth-and-goal from the 1 as time expired, and the Gators escaped Baton Rouge with a 16-10 win that clinched the SEC East Division title.
* 2017 — LSU took a two-touchdown lead, then held on for a 17-16 win, the difference being a missed extra point by
Eddy Pineiro late in the third quarter. The win began a run of five straight losses for the Gators, with Coach Jim McElwain fired after the third of those setbacks.
Get the idea?
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS, with Brad Nessler on play-by-play, Gary Danielson providing analysis and Jamie Erdahl working the sideline. Replays will air Monday at 12:30 p.m. and Thursday at 1:30 a.m. on the SEC Network, plus be available on the ESPN app and
WatchESPN.com.
Click here for for a station list of the Gator IMG Sports Network broadcast, with pre-game coverage starting at 1 p.m.
Also, check out the "First & 10 Pre-Game Show," hosted by GatorVision's
Shelby Granath, coming from the field via Facebook Live on the Florida Gators page at 2:30 p.m. This week's lineup includes a chat with Mullen, potential visits from Marcus Spears (LSU alum) and Laura Rutledge (UF alum) from the "SEC Nation" crew, honorary Mr. Two Bits and 2008 team captain Louis Murphy, plus eight-time NCAA track and field championship coach Mike "Mouse" Holloway and his standout hurdles, sprint and jumps champ Grant Holloway (no relation, by the way). Look for cameos from former UF standouts Major Wright and Trey Burton, as well.
Finally, follow senior staff writers
Scott Carter and
Chris Harry on Twitter (
@GatorsScott and
@GatorsChris) for commentary and analysis throughout the game.
FloridaGators.com will have complete coverage content from the game Saturday night and fresh content Sunday, as well.
