A Block Party Long Overdue at The Swamp

Gators defensive linemen Jonathan Greenard, left, and Adam Shuler celebrate on a victorious night for the Gators. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)

A Block Party Long Overdue at The Swamp

Sunday, December 1, 2019 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Sometimes you get exactly what you want and what you need. The Florida Gators sure did on Saturday night at sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

They wanted a win at home against rival Florida State in the worst way. Got it. They needed an impressive performance and some other games Saturday to go their way to improve their bid for a second consecutive New Year's Six Bowl berth. Got that, too.

The party started early and ran late. If you were anywhere in the vicinity of the Swamp, you saw the lights and heard the fireworks in No.8-ranked Florida's 40-17 stomping of the Seminoles.

"Good day for us out there,'' Florida head coach Dan Mullen said.

He can say that again.

First, the streak is over. The Gators ended a decade of home futility against their rivals from Tallahassee in convincing fashion. They scored on their first drive and didn't let up, taking a 30-7 lead at halftime.

The Gators had lost four consecutive home games to Florida State, a streak that started in 2011 and often forced fans to head for the exits early. How bad was it? Florida scored 38 points total in the four losses. Three different UF coaches tried to end it. It was the worst home stretch for the Gators at home against a single opponent since an 0-4-1 span against LSU from 1978-86 before Florida Field was nicknamed the Swamp.

"We wanted to go out right and we did,'' senior receiver Tyrie Cleveland said.

Next, the Gators improved their chances of a second consecutive New Year's Six bowl as Mullen became the first coach in school history to win 10 games in each of his first two seasons. Coupled with Alabama's loss to Auburn and Minnesota's loss to Wisconsin – both teams opened Saturday in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings with the Gators sitting at 11th – it's logical to expect Florida to move up considering that its biggest win of the season was over Auburn.

If it does, that bolsters UF's bid significantly. The Gators will have to wait until Tuesday night to find out how much the events of Saturday impacted the rankings in the eyes of the CFB Playoff Selection Committee.

Mullen pushed along the conversation at his postgame press conference.

"We're 10-2, we've played a tough nonconference schedule, going out to … aggressively schedule two Power 5 teams nonconference," Mullen said. "There's a lot of teams not doing that. I don't know the discussions that happen in the room and all that stuff. But résumé-wise, I think we have a pretty solid résumé to be a top-10 team."

Wherever the Gators end up, they took care of business against the Seminoles and interim head coach Odell Haggins. Florida rolled up 467 yards of total offense, recorded eight sacks and committed only three penalties while the Seminoles were flagged 13 times.

It was an Orange & Blue night in every way.

Afterward, the Gators hung around a little while extra to soak it all in, especially the team's 22 players honored on "Senior Night."

They didn't just participate, many of them dominated.

Graduate transfer Jonathan Greenard had three sacks and a forced fumble. Receivers Freddie Swain and Van Jefferson each had a pair of touchdown receptions. Cleveland had four catches and a 40-yard kickoff return. Josh Hammond had a 31-yard catch. Lamical Perine took a short toss from quarterback Kyle Trask and took it 30 yards. David Reese, Luke Ancrum, Adam Shuler and Jeawon Taylor all made plays for a UF defense that limited FSU to 250 total yards.

When it was over, they took a final look around knowing they played a vital role in Florida's turnaround the past two seasons. For the four-year seniors, they played in the SEC Championship Game as true freshmen in 2016 and suffered a losing season as sophomores. Since Mullen arrived, they have 20 wins in 25 games.

The only blemish Saturday was the sight of Swain, who scored on 19- and 23-yard touchdown catch-and-runs in the first half, in street clothes afterward because of an injured knee. Mullen said they took him out for precautionary reasons in the second half and hope to have him available for the bowl game.

Otherwise, it was a senior-flavored victory by design. Swain, Jefferson, Cleveland and Hammond combined for 17 catches, 193 yards and four touchdowns.

"I really love what our four senior wideouts have done this year and that's why I made a concerted effort, they all played on the first play of the game," Mullen said. "I was pleased a lot of those guys had big nights."

Gators everywhere had much to be pleased about on a celebratory night at the Swamp.

Days after FSU's last visit, a 38-22 victory and school-record fifth consecutive in the series, Mullen was introduced as UF's head coach. After nine years away at Mississippi State, the Gators' former offensive coordinator was brought back to restore order.

In his four seasons as offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, the Gators never lost to FSU. They won two national titles. In Mullen's first season, the Gators snapped their losing streak to the Seminoles with a 27-point win at Doak Campbell Stadium.

They brought the party home Saturday, closing out a tumultuous decade in the Swamp with their first home win over the Seminoles since Tim Tebow's final game.

They had more than 89,000 helpers. Mullen made sure to tip his visor for their role in a perfect home season.

"Crowd was unbelievable,'' he said. "Gave us that home-field advantage. That was really special."