Gator Tailgating

The Top 5 Most Underrated Gators

Ben — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:28:48 -0400

We always hear about Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes in the media for good reason. Yet there are a whole host of Gators who are vital to the team, but don’t get as much publicity. These rankings are merely for fun and hopefully they can help give a little exposure to some guys who truly deserve it. A national championship team isn’t made up of a few guys, it’s made of an entire roster of guys that must all be on their game. Read More »

Reliving the 2008 Championship Season: Miami Hurricanes

Rusty — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:19:29 -0400

GatorTailgating.com will be doing a series over the next couple of weeks that contains the highlights from each of the Gators victories in 2008. With summer being so uneventful for football fans, besides the random Lane Kiffin foul-up, we thought it would be fun to re-live the road to the 2008 BCS Championship.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy one of the greatest seasons Gator Football has ever known.

Opponent Preview: Charleston Southern

Ben — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:32:41 -0400

It's only 66 days until the Gators take on Charleston Southern and it is so close, yet so far away. Charleston Southern was 7-5 last year losing 52-7 to Miami (FL) and a respectable 38-27 against Miami (Ohio). The Bucs won the last four games of the year and showed improvement throughout. Read More »

On Offense: There is a QB battle between transfer Andrew Trudnowski and Junior A.J. Toscano. Trudnowski played better in the spring game throwing for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. However Toscano was commended by the coach for his outstanding play throughout spring practice, so look for a tight race when fall practice starts. Neither will be able to do too much against the Gator secondary in the swamp.

2009 Gator Class on Campus & Is Percy Sick Again?

Rusty — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:39:34 -0400

As Summer B classes begin at the University of Florida, so has the college life for the 2009 incoming freshman class of the football team. What has become an almost annual tradition for Meyer's Gators, every incoming freshman seems to be qualified academically and is ready to begin the summer workouts with Mickey Marotti. The only Gator signees unable to qualify academically since Meyer arrived in 2005 were Brian Ellis (2005) and Dee Finley (2008). Dee Finley has since attended prep school and is included in the 2009 class. Read More »

What is Going on with Calathes and the Gator PG Situation?

Ben — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:50:05 -0400

Nick Calathes signed last month withthe Greek professional team Panathinaikos, but he was still eligible for the NBA draft. Some mock drafts had Calathes going as high as the mid-20’s picks in the first round despite his wish to play professionally in Greece. Calathes was selected in the second round with the 45th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves; who then traded him to the Dallas Mavericks for a future second round pick. Read More »

Reliving the 2008 Championship Season: Hawaii

Rusty — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:36:02 -0400

GatorTailgating.com's Monster Garage: The Big G

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:37:55 -0400

GatorTailgating.com will be hosting a series of weekly articles on Tailgating vehicle creations from fans across the country who have taken their pre-game festivities to the next level. We hope this inspires some of you Gator fans to build your own Tailgating Creations.

For the last 15 years, Stephen Gay has been showing his love for the Green Bay Packers by sporting his converted 1966 Dodge Camper. This lifelong resident of Green Bay turned that old camper into one of the most storied tailgating vehicles around, simply known as the "Big G." This famous tailgate machine has even starred in a Campbell's Soup commercial and an NFL Films presentation. Its allocates are incredibly hard to beat considering the fact that the "Big G" has been featured in numerous news and web publishings throughout the country. Read More »

The SEC Continues Dominance Over Major Sports

Ben — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:43:28 -0400

LSU defeated Big 12 foe Texas Wednesday night to claim the 2009 college baseball national championship. They defeated the top-seeded Longhorns 11-4 in a decisive game 3 rubber match. They were led by do-everything star OF Jared Mitchell who hit a three-run homer in the contest to lead the Tigers. Mitchell also played football for the Tigers, but will sign with the Chicago White Sox who drafted him with the 23rd pick in the MLB draft. LSU only dropped one game in the entire postseason, losing to Texas in game two of the championship series.

LSU’s win reminds us that the SEC dominates all three of the major college sports. While this was the SEC’s first title since LSU won it in 2000, LSU won five titles between 1991 and 2000 in addition to this years. The SEC has also had a team in the final series three out of the past five years. Read More »

Some New Sights in the Gators' Locker Room

Rusty — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:12:01 -0400

Meyer being the best in the business at motivating his team, has added some new items to the walls in the Gators' locker room. Having a daily countdown to the rivalry games with Tenneessee, Georgia, and the "Team Out West" keeps them reminded of what's ahead of them in 2009.

Suprisingly, Meyer has added a new rivalry to Florida's already long list, with the addition of the LSU Tigers. With LSU being the 2007 National Champion and the only team on the annual schedule to beat Meyer as much as he has beat them (2-2 record), it doesn't come as much of a surprise. Read More »

Is Florida Really the #5 Sports School in the Country?

Ben — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:38:59 -0400

The Gators have dominated the headlines in numerous sports over the past few years, yet are only ranked #5 in the NACDA Director’s Cup. The Stanford Cardinal picked up their 15th straight title as the overall best sports school in the nation based on every intercollegiate sport. Michigan was second followed by Southern California and North Carolina. The standings weight every sport equally and include obscure sports like water polo, rowing, and fencing.

Stanford scored big in men’s water polo, men’s gymnastics, women’s rowing, and cross country among others. They consistently win the cup because of their strong overall program, despite struggling recently in football, basketball, and baseball. Schools like Michigan were able to pick up points in sports like ice hockey that SEC schools wouldn’t even dream of having. We have to keep in mind that this award is the for the best overall sports school in the nation, not just the most successful in the big three. Read More »

The Most Important Gator

Rusty — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:41:39 -0400

When you first read the title of this article, you immediately thought of Tim Tebow. If not, it was Urban Meyer, the new Offensive Coordinator Steve Addazio, Charlie Strong, Brandon Spikes, or possibly even incoming freshman Andre Debose. All of those would be incorrect though. The most important Gator this summer is none other than Mickey Marotti, the strength and conditioning coordinator.

With the Gators coming off of an outstanding National Championship season and returning 11 starters on defense and the Heisman-winning Senior Quarterback on offense, they have one thing to fear: Complacency. Read More »

SEC Fall Preview: The South Carolina Game Cocks

Ben — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:44:20 -0400

Steve Spurrier has made the South Carolina program into a winning one, but he has yet to bring them to the elite status that he had planned to. Last year, the Gamecocks were a respectable 7-6 after losing to Iowa in the Outback Bowl. The head ball coach thinks this is the most talented team he has had and is looking to make a run this season. Read More »

GatorTailgating.com's Monster Garage: First Class Tailgaters

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:53:13 -0400

If owning and operating a tailgating vehicle is the equivalent of running a company, then The First Class Tailgaters, a tailgating group backing the Tennessee Titans, are the equivalent of a conglomerate. They aren’t just equipped with a simple tailgating van. They operate a tailgating van, trailer, mobile bar, rolling gadgets, and a container kitchen. Yes, they converted an old ocean-shipping container into a complete commercial kitchen. Read More »

Pressure and Time: The Gators are in the Crosshairs in 2009

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:37:48 -0400

"Geology is the study of pressure and time." Pressure and time. For all fans of "The Shawshank Redemption" you may remember this line. It's one of those ones that has always stuck with me. I was once again reminded of this line when I got to thinking of the impeding college football season. I think it's the perfect way to encapsulate what the study of Florida football will be in 2009. Tons of pressure on this team and lots of time to think of all the ways it can go wrong. But, who has the most pressure on them this year? As far as coaches and players go, I see a few who are bearing a huge weight this off-season. Read More »

SEC Fall Preview: The Tennessee Volunteers

Ben — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:33:26 -0400

Tennessee ‘s new head coach Lane Kiffin has been grabbing all of the headlines this offseason in the SEC and while it may come as a surprise to many he does actually have athletes who play the football games. Last year under Phil Fulmer the Vols finished a dismal 5-7(3-6), the low point being the loss at home to Wyoming. The Vols have had 11 players leave the team since January including two starters which really won’t help their cause this year. We shall see if Lane Kiffin can back up all the talk when the Vols have to go on the road to play all three of the best teams in the SEC (Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss). Read More »

Show Meyer the Money: College Football's Biggest Conundrum

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:32:54 -0400

There are plenty of great coaches in college football like Pete Carroll, Bob Stoops, Jim Tressel, Les Miles, and Nick Saban, but the fact that Urban Meyer is the only coach to win two BCS titles and makes less than all the aforementioned coaches is absurd.

Meyer is a relative “bargain” for the University of Florida; the third highest-paid coach in the Southeastern Conference though he’s won two national championships in three years.

The fact that Meyer (between $3.25 million and $3.49 million) earns less than Alabama’s Saban ($3.75 million) and LSU’s Miles ($3,751,000) isn’t appalling as Saban has paid his dues as a head coach in the NFL and NCAA, and LSU had to up the ante after the University of Michigan threatened to steal one of the best coaching picks in recent years in 2007. Read More »

SEC Fall Preview: The Georgia Bulldogs

Ben — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:11:16 -0400

The Georgia Bulldogs never lived up to the hype of last year’s number one preseason billing by most publications. Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford didn’t dominate as expected and the offensive line suffered some major injuries. This year they will have a different look without their two franchise names and probably won’t challenge Florida for the SEC East crown. Read More »

Urban Meyer & Second Chances: The Marty Johnson Story

Rusty — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:20:33 -0400

After reading a write-up by a journalist calling Coach Meyer out for allowing Ronnie Wilson, Jacques Rickerson, and Jamar Hornsby back on the team after their first run-ins with authorities, I had to write this story. The journalist was trying to make the case that if Meyer had been stricter the first time around with those 3 players, the latter charges that occurred because of those 3 wouldn't have happened. He also made the case that if the team had seen the needed discipline in regards to those players instead of letting them work their way back on the team; the team wouldn't have as many arrests either.

The media and sports bloggers are trying to paint this arrest record over the past three years as if Meyer doesn't care about his players or the trouble they get into as long as they keep winning. They couldn't be farther from the truth. Read More »

SEC East Fall Preview: Kentucky Wildcats

Ben — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:04:23 -0400

Rich Brooks has turned Kentuck from SEC East cellar dweller into a consistent winning program. He has won a bowl game each of the last three seasons and produced NFL players. It took Brooks a little while to get things rolling in Lexington, but it doesn’t look like they will revert back to their losing mentality as long as Brooks is there. Despite getting blown out by the national champion Gators, the Wildcats were close in the rest of their six losses, losing by four to Georgia and three to Alabama. Read More »

Urban Meyer vs. Pete Carroll: Who's #1?

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:00:35 -0400

Who’s the best coach in America? Both coaches have won national championships, produced Heisman Trophy winners, and decimated their team’s biggest rivals. It’s definitely close, with both coaches claiming two national titles and winning percentages above 80 percent.

Meyer supporters will point to Florida’s dominance in the mighty Southeastern Conference, which has taken the last three BCS titles. Carroll’s supporters will argue that his dominance of the Pac-10 and seven straight BCS bowl appearances are unmatched. Read More »

GatorTailgating.com's Monster Garage: The Huskie Mobile

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 10:13:00 -0400

Justin believes he is quite possibly Northern Illinois University's Football Team's biggest fan, and who are we to doubt him. After all, he has constructed not one but two tailgate fan vehicles, and has not missed a single game since the Silicon Valley Bowl game in 2004! Justin started things off simple. Like most fans, he began by flying flags off his car, he even added an actual NIU helmet to the top of the flagpoles. But unlike most fan and like us super fans, he felt he could do more. That was when the Huskie Mobile was born. Read More »

SEC East Fall Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores

Ben — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:53:56 -0400

Vanderbilt went 5-0 to start the year off last season, but lost five of their last six regular season games. They rebounded beating Boston College in the Music City Bowl and finishing a respectable 7-6. Coach Bobby Johnson is extremely underrated and does a great job of getting the most of his players. It is pretty tough to win in the SEC at a school where a lot of guys can’t even get accepted due to the extremely high academic standards, but Johnson has turned Vandy from a laughingstock to a solid SEC program. Read More »

Top 5 Hits in Gator Football History

Rusty — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:11:53 -0400

5. Monty Grow unloads on WVU's Studstill in the '94 Sugar Bowl

This game was supposed to be ugly. West Virginia was undefeated and wanted to play an undefeated Nebraska team for the National title, but instead were sent to the Sugar Bowl to play the SEC Champion Gators. The Gators had played a fairly decent season, but weren't in the National Championship picture at all. Inorder for West Virgina to have any chance at all at a piece of the title, they would have to dismantle Florida and hope for other things to happen as well.

Instead, the Gators came out on fire to defeat West Virginia 42-7. The video is of Monty Grow's hit, and then Lawrence Wright's beautiful INT return for a touchdown.

4. Lawrence Wright on Tennessee's Joey Kent in '95 Read More »

Florida Baseball’s Best Recruiting Class Forced to Deal with the Draft

Ben — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:37:53 -0400

The University of Florida baseball team ended their season Sunday, but head coach Kevin O’Sullivan has kept very busy as he will try to convince his top signees to attend UF and spurn the rich signing bonuses offered by the MLB. His recruiting class includes anywhere from 8 to 10 of the nation’s top players depending on what rating service you look at. Read More »

Top 5 Moments in Recent Gator Football History

Rusty — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:53:27 -0400

Due to it being offseason and missing football so much, I thought it might be fun to relive some of the more recent great moments in Gator football history...thanks to youtube. Enjoy and feel free to add your agreements/disagreements to the comments section below.

5. Earl Everett sacks OSU's Troy Smith in '06 BCS Championship

Ohio State came into this game pre-named the 2006 National Champions, thanks to ESPN Herbstreit and Corso. All they had to do was beat the lowly Gators who had no chance at defending Troy Smith and the great Ohia State offense, much less scoring on their stout Big Ten defense.

The opening play seemed to open the flood gates and prove the sportscasters right as they scored on the opening kickoff. From there out, it was all Gators though. The Gators answered with a Leak to Baker touchdown, but the defensive ends were the MVPs of the game. They were all over Troy Smith all night. This is the play that really pumped up the defense as the Bucks realized nothing would stop the Gators from coming after their hiesman-winning quarterback.

Gator Baseball Season Ended by Southern Miss

Ben — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:15:37 -0400

The Gator baseball team was eliminated from the NCAA tournament after losing game two by the score of 7-6 to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. After dropping game one 9-7 the Gators had to win last night to force a deciding game three, but things weren’t meant to be as the Golden Eagles won and advance to the College World Series in Omaha.

Things looked good early for Florida as freshman Preston Tucker powered a homer over the right field fence in the first inning. Southern Miss answered when leadoff hitter Bo Davis smashed a home run over the outfield stands and into the parking lot. The Gators tacked on one in the second and then exploded for four runs in the third behind a two-RBI outfield single by sixth-year senior Brandon McArthur.

Gator starter Nick Maronde left after pitching three innings and only giving up one run. Greg Larson could only manage one out in the fourth before the Gators brought in their middle relief stalwart Tony Davis. Read More »

Kiffin Keeps Racking up Recruiting Violations

Rusty — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:43:02 -0400

What is it about Kiffin and recruiting violations? Is he trying to beat the rest of the SEC for recruiting violations combined? Until this week, he had five self-reported secondary recruiting violations, and his sixth occured this morning on ESPN.

In an attempt to steal the popular store's slogan of "See a softer side of Sears", Kiffin invited ESPN's Outside the Lines into his football complex at the University of Tennessee, his football offices, and his home to show his softer side. It was a public relations stunt to a different side of Kiffin from the personality that has raised such a ruckus nationwide. Read More »

GatorTailgating.com's Monster Garage: The Seahawks HawxBox

Rusty — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:03:35 -0400

The Hawx Box is a 1987 Ford E350 Short Bus that was originally used by the Toppenish School District. A few guys (Loren Ellingson, Garth Conner, Tim Scheuffele and Dan Bruhn) went on Craigslist.org and found this fixer upper and decided that she needed to be flipped. Read More »

The Gators are Two Wins way from Omaha

Rusty — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:50:08 -0400

The Gators will play a Super-Regional Tournament in a best-of-three series for the rights to go to the CWS in Omaha this weekend. Their opponent is the #19 ranked Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi (38-24).

The Eagles are a surprise in this tournament coming from a #3 seed in the regional tournament in Atlanta by defeating Georgia Tech and Elon. They are playing with a lot of heart and motivation because of this being their coach's last season. Corky Palmer, Southern Miss' head coach, has announced his retirement effective at the end of this year. The Eagles have won 10 of their past 13 games and seem to be a team with their minds' set on going to Omaha for their coach. Read More »

Has Florida Taken Miami's place as the 'Thug U'?

Ben — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:23:57 -0400

The Janoris Jenkins arrest has brought to light the fact that Gator players have been in the news more than usual lately for breaking the law. From the Cam Newton laptop incident to backup Marquis Hannah’s recent arrest we have been hearing about how awful the Gators are lately from the media at-large. While the trend is a bit disturbing, whatever happened to due process and innocent until proven guilty? The first report never gets the real story as it truly happened because the muck-racking, news-starved media has nothing better to do than search police blotters and do their best to sensationalize the story as much as possible.

Columnist Dave Hyde recently wrote a story in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about how Florida should be labeled the new Thug U, or university known for its football team being a bunch of criminals. This comparison is completely unfounded and mostly ridiculous. Read More »

Former Gator John Brown Commits to Kiffin and Tennessee

Rusty — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:32:20 -0400

John Brown was one of those recruiting busts that everyone wondered what happened. He was a game-changer on the high school playing field and was rated a 5-Star Defensive Lineman by Scout and Rivals. He was the third-best DL recruit in the nation his senior season and played on the Lakeland squad along with Chris Rainey, Ahmad Black, and the Pouncey Twins.

Everything seemed like the perfect fit for Brown and the Gators, noting his teamates committing to Florida and Gainesville's proximity to Lakeland. Also, Florida had a huge hole to fill on the defensive line when he committed to the Gators following the 2007 defensive debacle, which opened up lots of possible playing time if he lived up to analysts' predictions. That would never have the chance to happen though, as he never played one down for the orange and blue. Read More »

Gator Softball Comes Up Short of National Title

Ben — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:38:12 -0400

The #1 ranked Florida softball team’s quest to win a national title came to an end Tuesday in Oklahoma City at the hands of the Washington Huskies. The Gators lost last night 3-2 after losing 8-0 Monday night. Senior Stacey Nelson was once again not her usual dominating self giving up the three runs after one of her worst performances of the year on Monday. Whether the hype caught up to the Gators, or Washington was just the better team- this was a tough loss to swallow. Read More »

Gator Softball Faces Elimination Tonight in Omaha

Rusty — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:33:42 -0400

No one saw it coming. The Gator Softball team was on a 29-game winning streak, had just hit a grand slam to get past Alabama and into Omaha, and seemed to be the hottest team in the country. They had their ace pitcher, Sr Stacey Nelson, manning the mound to start the series against Washington and everything seemed to be ready to continue their winning ways. Then, it all fell apart Monday night.

"It’s a game of highs and lows and I’ve never seen this team this low," said Coach Tim Walton.

Certainly, no one else has either. This team has never gotten man-handled in all phases of the game like Washington did to them. At least, not since Waltontook the program over. Read More »

Florida Gator Cornerback Janoris Jenkins Arrested

Mike — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:49:13 -0400

Florida freshman All-SEC cornerback Janoris Jenkins was arrested early Sunday morning for the misdemeanor charges of affray and resisting arrest without violence according to the Gainesville Sun. Apparently, Jenkins thought someone was attempting to steal his chain. When the police officers arrived onseen, they ordered the crowd to stop fighting. Jenkins did not comply, and hit another person in the head.

The officer then drew out a Taser and told the group stop. At that point, Jenkins hit another person in the head, police reported. The officer then used the Taser on Jenkins. Jenkins was hit with one cycle from the Taser, but afterward he stood up and ran away.

Jenkins was arrested shortly afterwards. For more information see the original Gainesville Sun article here Read More »

It was a Good Night on the Diamond for Gators

Ben — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:34:56 -0400

Last night was a good night for the Gators on the diamond. The baseball team trounced Miami 16-5 to advance to the super regional and the softball team advanced to the College World Series Final on a two out bottom of the seventh grand slam to win 6-5 over Alabama.

The women advanced to their first ever Women’s World Series Final in Oklahoma City despite superstar pitcher senior Stacey Nelson struggling a bit. She gave up an uncharacteristic 4 earned runs, but sophomore Stephanie Brombacher came in and struck out 4 batters in two innings of work to keep the Gators in the game. In the bottom of the seventh the bases were juiced with two outs when senior All-American Ali Gardiner came up to bat. She took a 2-1 pitch over the fence for a game winning walkoff grand salami. The women advance to play the Washington Huskies in a best of three series starting tomorrow night at 8pm. Read More »

Gator Baseball Defeats Miami, 8-2

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 31 May 2009 10:37:08 -0400

Behind 7.1 strong innings from senior left-hander Stephen Locke (Tampa, Fla.) and a four-run third inning, top-seeded Florida (41-20) downed second-seeded Miami (Fla.) (37-21), 8-2, in a winner’s bracket game at the NCAA Gainesville Regional on Saturday night at McKethan Stadium. Locke (5-2) held the Hurricanes to six singles and two runs (zero earned), with three strikeouts and a walk. The southpaw was supported by a balanced offense that totaled 10 hits, three doubles and a solo homer by junior Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.), who was 2-for-5 and scored twice. Read More »

Gator Baseball: Regional Wrap-ups Day 1

Ben — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:33:35 -0400

Game 1- Miami 9 Jacksonville U 4

This scorching heat didn’t do anything to slow down Miami’s bats against the JU dolphins during the regional opener. The 1pm start led to a sweat and sunburned filled three hours at Mckethan Stadium yesterday afternoon. Jason Hagerty started the scoring with his first of two homers in the first inning to put the Canes up 1-0. Miami starter Travis Miller cruised through 4 innings scattering 3 hits and was curiously taken out at the top of the fifth inning. Reliever David Gutierrez then pitched two scoreless and got some help from Yasmani Grandal’s 2 RBI double and Chris Hermann’s two run homer. That put the Canes up 6-0 at the start of the seventh. Jim Morris’ second curious pitching decision backfired when Michael Rudman replaced Gutierrez. Rudman and the next pitcher Rene Guerra gave up four runs in the inning and let JU right back in the game. JU wouldn’t score again and Miami would close things out with closer Kyle Bellamy who was dominating as usual. Miami chose not to pitch ace Chris Hernandez and luckily their bats came around to power them past the Dolphins. The decision looked like it might come back to haunt the Canes, but it may work out as Miami now has their ace for game 2 today. Read More »

Gators Host Regional Tournament: Opponent Breakdowns

Ben — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:28:06 -0400

The Gator baseball team has been hot the second half of the season and despite only garnering one victory in the SEC tournament they earned the right to host a regional. The Gators are the #1 seed and will take on #4 seed Bethune-Cookman. The Miami Hurricanes are seeded #2 and will take on the #3 seed Jacksonville University. The Tournament is a double elimination format with the first game, Miami versus Jacksonville, getting underway Friday at 1pm. Florida and Bethune-Cookman play Friday at 6pm at McKethan Stadium, which will be the site of all regional games.

Breakdown of Possible Gator Opponents

#4 seed- Bethune-Cookman College Wildcats

Bethune-Cookman started off slow with a tough schedule due to facing some talented opposition, but rebounded and dominated the MEAC in route to the conference title. Early in the season they lost 6-3 to a good San Diego State team in California and had to face super-prospect Stephen Strasburg. More than half of the roster hails from the talent rich island of Puerto Rico and they proved they can play with the best after taking two of three from Miami. Read More »

Guide to LSU Tailgating in Baton Rouge for Gators

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:22:00 -0400

GatorTailgating.com is doing a series of articles on where and how to tailgate at all of the Gator Football away games. This article details where and what to look out for in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the the game against the LSU Tigers. Go Gators! Read More »

SEC Meetings: Coaches Reprimanded by Slive

Rusty — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:06:24 -0400

After an offseason unlike any other in the SEC, Commisioner Mike Slive gave a passionate speech about coaches needing to be careful what they say on Wednesday at the Spring Meetings. The reason for the speech was clear: New Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, who needs no introduction to Gator fans, has popped off at the mouth about Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, and Les Miles in a way like no other coach ever has before coaching his first game. Also, not to be outdone in one-liners, Spurrier was on Slive's mind as well for his questioning of Kiffin's recruiting calls before officially being named as Tennessee's head coach.

Although the media was shut out of the event, the news of the intensity of the speech made it's way around the meeting quickly. Read More »

Spring Practice Wrap-up: Ole Miss Rebels

Ben — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:01:28 -0400

GatorTailgating.com's Ben Petitto will be doing a series covering each SEC Team's Spring practice. This is the fifth installment of the series on the Ole Miss Rebels.

The Ole Miss Rebels enjoyed immediate success in Houston Nutt’s first year as head coach. In 2007 they won three games and none in the SEC. Last season they won nine games and beat a Texas Tech team that was in contention for a national title most of the year. This was their first winning season and bowl game since Eli Manning was a senior. In the process, Jevan Snead became one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and their defensive line was arguably the best in the nation. Read More »

Top 10 Player Matchups for Gators Football's 2009 Season

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:16:05 -0400

The defending champion Florida Gators are bringing back a roster packed full of returning starters from both their 2006 and 2008 championship squads. The Gators enter the 2009 season as odds on favorites to reclaim their title. Expectations are higher than ever with a whirlwind of anticipation surrounding the coming season.

With no shortage of teams looking to stifle the dreams of Gator Nation, we take a closer look at the Top 10 most anticipated and intriguing matchups which could make or break the coming season for the defending champs. Read More »

Nick Calathes Leaving Gators for Panathinaikos

Ben — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:00:00 -0400

Reports have confirmed that Gator basketball guard Nick Calathes will sign a contract with European basketball powerhouse and Greek champion Panathinaikos. He will forgo his junior and senior seasons at the University of Florida to become a professional basketball player. The contract will give Calathes 1.1 million dollars in salary, a car, housing, and also pays for his taxes. Calathes parents are from Greece and his brother Pat, former St. Joseph’s star, plays in the Greek league currently. Calathes also played as a part of Greece’s u-20 national team. Read More »

What's Going On With the Gator Offensive Line?

Ben — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:04:40 -0400

The offensive line gelled at the end of the season to lead the Gators to their second national championship in three years. Phil Trautwein, Jason Watkins, Mike Pouncey, Maurkice Pouncey, and Carl Johnson made up the stellar line that allowed Tim Tebow and company to break out in the second half of the season. None of these guys were dominant as individual lineman as compared to an Andre Smith or Michael Oher, but they were great as a unit and every guy knew their responsibilities. The line lost two starters in Watkins and Trautwein, and were the only other unit to lose any starters from last year’s team other than the wide receivers (Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy). Read More »

GatorTailgating's Monster Garage: The Ravens' Game Time Bus

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 23 May 2009 08:15:32 -0400

Spring Practice Wrap-up: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Ben — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:31:56 -0400

GatorTailgating.com's Ben Petitto will be doing a series covering each SEC Team's Spring practice. This is the fourth installment of the series on the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Mississippi State’s Sylvester Croom experiment is over, it is unfortunate that the first African-American head coach was not able to produce a winning program. Yet, I tip my hat to Mississippi State for giving a chance to a great guy in a time when fans and boosters have unfairly not allowed another get a chance. How Charlie Strong is not a head coach may be one of the biggest mysteries (or tragedies) in sports. But the matter at hand is former Gator offensive coordinator Dan Mullen. He takes over a program that has averaged two wins in the SEC the last four years. Mullen has a tough task ahead of him- recruiting to Starkville isn’t exactly like recruiting to say Gainesville. However, he seems to be taking the right steps. He hasn’t gone the Chizik and Kiffin route and has hired Matt Balis, former Florida strength and conditioning assistant during the 2006 national championship season. He could be as vital as any member of the staff, similarly to Mickey Marotti at Florida. Read More »

Is Lane Kiffin Assembling A New Version of the 'Dirty Dozen?'

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:34:24 -0400

Lane Kiffin seems to be skirting the boundaries of normality when it comes to running a college football program. First, Kiffin trash talks and makes unfounded accusations of cheating toward rival coaches.

Then, he goes about building his team by throwing out common sensibilities and allowing certain, shall we say, characters, to attend the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship.

His staff also reflects his "screw-the-rules approach" to college football.

To start with, he brings in Ed Orgeron as his chief of staff, so to speak. Coach "O" is a man who was accused of domestic violence in Florida and battery stemming from a bar fight in Louisiana. He was said to have ripped his shirt off while coach at Ole Miss and challenged anyone on the team to take him on.

Kiffin then decides to allow Daniel Hood, who participated in the rape and sodomy of a 14-year-old girl, to join the Volunteers, and now the Volunteers are trying to reel in Robert Marve. Read More »

Spring Practice Wrap-up: The LSU Tigers

Ben — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:55:28 -0400

GatorTailgating.com's Ben Petitto will be doing a series covering each SEC Team's Spring practice. This is the fourth installment of the series on the LSU Tigers.

2008 was a bit of a down year for Les Miles and the LSU Tigers after winning the 2007 national championship. They had the ingredients on defense, but their lack of offense really stifled their overall performance. In 2009 they look to QB Jordan Jefferson to step up and compliment their stellar running game in order to put up the offensive numbers needed to compete in the SEC. Their defense will be solid as always and could be one of the best in the league if a few key players step up. Read More »

Is the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Moving Indoors?

Rusty — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:27:30 -0400

Georgia Coach Mark Richt on Florida-Georgia in Jacksonville: "When people ask me the question, ‘Do you really think [Jacksonville] is a neutral site?’, I say, ‘No, it’s not neutral.’ When you play in the state of Florida every year - we fly, they drive; it’s hotter for us, it’s cooler for them. It’s played in a stadium that [was once called] the Gator Bowl..."

Richt's statements were made at a Booster club meeting in Columbus, Ga and have re-ignited serious debate regarding whether the game location is fair to Georgia's football team. The game was first played in Jacksonville in 1915 and has been played every year in Jacksonville since 1933, besides a 2 year home and away stint in 1994-95 for the stadium conversion. The Gator Bowl was tore down and rebuilt into the Jacksonville Jaguars home field, now known as Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Read More »

Head to Head: Gators RB Jeff Demps vs LSU RB Trindon Holliday

Ben — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:50:15 -0400

Over a gray and rainy weekend, two of the fastest football players ever (based on 100 meter times) competed in the 2009 SEC Outdoor Track & Field championships at Percy Beard Track in Gainesville. Jeff Demps (RB Florida) and Trindon Holliday (RB LSU) both competed in the 100 meter and 4x100 meter relay races. Holliday won the 100 meter final and became the SEC champion with a personal best of 10.01 seconds. Demps anchored the SEC champion Gator 4x 100 meter relay team that won with a time of 38.74. The #1 nationally ranked Gator Men’s Track and Field team finished second overall to the Arkansas Razorbacks who dominated the distance events to capture the overall SEC title. The Gator women won the SEC title in a dominating performance. Read More »

The Best Quote For Gator Football Since Tebow's Speech

Rusty — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:13:38 -0400

"Urban Meyer is moving to South Bend, Indiana to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame."

That is what many in the media are dying to release on the front page of their sports sections. Basically anyone that doesn't wear orange and blue, and especially those wearing navy and gold, would die to hear that news story. People across the country are tired of the University of Florida winning championships and they believe Urban Meyer leaving would reduce Florida back down to the recent memories of 8-5 seasons and trips to the Outback Bowl.

In spite of the pipe dreams of all the opposing fans and coaches wishing Urban would leave for his "dream job," it isn't going to happen anytime soon. After making a comment on a Miami radio show that he has since regretted because of the media firestorm that went on, Meyer has consisitently announced his plan to build a dynasty at the University of Florida and to watch his children graduate from high school in Gainesville. He also loves recruiting close to home (primarily in-state) rather than nationwide like he'd have to do at Notre Dame. Read More »

GatorTailgating.com's Monster Garage: The Unsupervised Bus

Rusty — Sat, 16 May 2009 10:23:12 -0400

GatorTailgating.com will be doing a series of weekly articles on Tailgating vehicle creations from fans across the country who have taken their pre-game festivities to the next level. We hope this inspires some of you Gator fans to build your own Tailgating Creations.

When you think of tailgating universities, you can't help but list LSU as one of the top schools in the nation. The cajuns have always done two things well: cook and party. Fortunately, tailgating includes both of them, which is why it is never okay to pass up a road trip to Baton Rouge.

One of the tailgating groups in Baton Rouge is the "Unsupervised" group, which got it's name from a bunch of friends and significant others going out on the town together every now and then for 'unsupervised' night's out. What originally started as a night out parying eventually began to include tailgating for LSU games, a flag football team, a softball team, and even a volleyball team. Read More »

Spring Practice Wrap-up: The Auburn Tigers

Ben — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:43:23 -0400

GatorTailgating.com's Ben Petitto will be doing a series covering each SEC Team's Spring practice. This is the third installment of the series on the Auburn Tigers.

New Auburn Head Coach Gene Chizik has big shoes to fill after Auburn’s former coach, Tommy Tuberville, was released last year after a ten year career (going 110-60, including a perfect 13-0 season in 2004). Chizik was only 5-19 as a head coach of Iowa State and has a great deal to prove before Auburn can justify hiring him. Tommy Tuberville’s last season was certainly disappointing (5-7), but he did not have the talent that he had in past years to compete in the SEC. Tuberville was a great coach and had beaten the Florida Gators twice in a row- something not too many other coaches can say. Read More »

Shane Matthews vs. Coach Meyer: Both Sides of the Story

Rusty — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:33:50 -0400

Many Gator fans have already heard about Meyer stating at a Gator Club meeting that "You're either a Gator or you're not a Gator, its real simple," when talking about former players not being loyal to the program. It has been widely assumed that Meyer was talking about Shane Matthews primarily, if not solely.

Many media outlets have released stories about the “feud” and numerous opinionated blogs have been written about the situation as well. This article will attempt to shine light on the two opposing points of view to allow you to form your own decision and open your eyes to the larger picture. Read More »

Tennessee Coach Kiffin's SEC Antics Beginning to Backfire

Ben — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:30:20 -0400

New Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin's SEC antics are beginning to backfire. Kiffin’s newest controversy started when he insulted the school and the entire city of Pahokee, Florida after signing star wide receiver Nu’Kesse Richardson inhis 2009 recruiting class. Richardson was originally committed to become a Gator and was thought to be in the running against Andre Debose to replace Percy Harvin's position. Read More »

Gators' Offseason Workouts will Fend off Complacency

Rusty — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:50:06 -0400

The Gators are coming off a 2008 National Championship season and are returning 19 of 22 starters, including all 11 on a defense that dominated the #1 ranked Oklahoma high-powered offense. You would think the offseason workouts wouldn't be that strenuous. The team has the talent, training, togetherness, and all of the other factors to create a repeat championship; so why not cruise through the offseason so not to have any major injuries? Read More »

Spring Practice Wrap-up: Arkansas Razorbacks

Ben — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:00:00 -0400

GatorTailgating.com's Ben Petitto will be doing a series covering each SEC Team's Spring practice. This is the second installment of the series on the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Arkansas Razorbacks had a down year in 2008 after losing running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to the NFL. They struggled to run the ball and were near the bottom on every defensive category. In Coach Bobby Petrino’s second year, the Razorbacks look to turn things around with 8 starters back on offense and 9 on defense. Unfortunately, they have one of the hardest schedules in the nation- so, while they may be a better team, it might not show in their record. Read More »

Gator Tailating's Monster Garage: PantherFanz Tailgate Bus

Rusty — Sat, 09 May 2009 10:22:45 -0400

It's hard to believe a group with such a great tailgating setup as the PantherFanz group of Charlotte, NC could come from such humble beginnings. When you see the 1979 full-size International School bus and the way it's been fabricated specifically to fit their tailgating needs, you would think this group had been tailgating for decades.

That is just not the case though. In 1996, when the Panthers opened their first season as an NFL franchise, most of the group was tailgating throughout the parking lot surrounding then-named Ericsson Stadium with coolers of beer and camping supplies. A few had been tailgating before, but none had experience that would even dream up what would be happening about 10 years later. Since that day, not only has the PantherFanz group came together to tailgate, but they have become the scene of the best tailgate party for Panther's games hands down. Read More »

Spring Practice Wrap-up: Alabama Crimson Tide

Ben — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:22:15 -0400

GatorTailgating.com's Ben Petitto will be doing a series covering each SEC Team's Spring practice. This is the first installment of the series on the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Coming off Alabama’s best season in recent memory (despite the shellacking by a disciplined Utah team), Nick Saban will look to continue winning big games in the SEC after going 8-1 in the conference last year. Don’t forget last year Alabama was beating Florida for three quarters before Tim Tebow and the Percy Harvin-less Gator rushing game took over to come back and secure a 31-20 victory. Saban lost a number of big-time players from his Western Division championship team, but a lot of playmakers are back; especially on defense. Saban’s recruiting domination of the state of Alabama is beginning to pay dividends and it looks like Alabama will be around the top of the SEC West for a long time. Read More »

Rumor: Cam Newton to Transfer to Tennessee?

Mike — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:40:00 -0400

Insider Tennessee sources are indicating that Florida’s former backup quarterback, Cam Newton, has contacted Lane Kiffin’s staff at Tennessee, and that Tennessee has made an offer. Read More »

Meet the SEC's Newest Funniest Coach Contender: Gene Chizik

Ben — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:15:41 -0400

Auburn's new coach, Gene Chizik, has decided to challenge Lane Kiffin for the strangest recruiting tactics in the SEC. Two weeks ago, Auburn's “Tiger Prowl” spent four days parading around the state of Alabama. With stretch Hummer limos bearing Auburn flags and magnets filled with assistant coaches dressed like they were going to a bowling tournament, the stunt looked more like a gimmick to try to sell Sham-Wows or Snuggies. Read More »

Questions Abound in SEC at Quarterback Postition

Rusty — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:01:40 -0400

The SEC was the king of college football in the defensive category last year, but there are a lot of questions about who will be leading some teams on the other side of the ball going into the fall. Last year, a lot of people wondered if the defenses of the SEC were really that good, or if the offenses were just having a down year. Read More »

2009 Gator Football Single Game Tickets on Sale Now!

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:01:02 -0400

The University of Florida Ticket Office will start the sale of Florida football single home-game tickets for all Gator fans, and will accept orders for away-game tickets from all eligible UF football season ticket holders starting Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at 9 a.m. Read More »

Post Spring: The Top 25 in College Football

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:05:34 -0400

The NFL draft is done, and all the spring games are over, who makes the pre-pre-season top 25 in college in football?

The Best Beer Pong Table Ever

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 03 May 2009 15:45:59 -0400

Conduct a search on youtube for "Best Beer Pong Table Ever," and you will end up with over 38,000 results. It seems that most beer pong table creators out there ultimately believe that their “work of art” is numero uno. Well, step aside because I think we may have found one that truly has earned the right to be in the conversation for "Best Beer Pong Table Ever!" Read More »

Percy Harvin Hospitalized in Atlanta

Rusty — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:11:50 -0400

According to the Minnesota Viking's Brad Childress and ESPN, Former Gator and first-round draft pick Percy Harvin has been hospitalized with "extreme dehydration and virus" in Atlanta.

Harvin began to feel ill Thursday morning and started vomiting at Atlanta's International airport. He was treated by medics in the terminal area and taken to the nearby hospital. He was en route to Minnnesota for the rookie's mini-camp that is taking place this weekend.

Tests have confirmed that the swine flu is not part of the problem and that, if everyhting goes well, he will be released in the next 24 to 48 hours to go back home. It has been confirmed he will not be going to Minnesota and attempting to attend the mini-camp reguardless of when he is released from the hospital. Read More »

Clarifying What A "Spread" Offense Entails

Year2 — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:48:45 -0400

While reading the excellent interview Bruins Nation had with Rick Neuheisel, I came upon the final question of part one. It basically was, “Hey Rick, what do you think of the spread offense?”

Neuheisel ends up giving a fairly long and winding explanation of why he chooses a pro style offense rather than a spread scheme. I’m going to chop it up into mincemeat for a second to illustrate a point:

“The key to the spread offense, and the reason why its successful, is that it adds an extra player. It diminishes the need for great offensive linemen, because you’ve got a little longer because you are always in the gun…

“The problem at UCLA is that you have to beat the Trojans. And it’s also the benefit at UCLA, because when you beat them, you’re going to be among the nation’s elite. So you have to be a physical offense...

“I was the benefactor of a type of spread offense, even though it was an option offense, it’s the same math in terms of the quarterback’s [being] a runner…

“There were some components of the spread offense in what we did last year. We got into the old wildcat stuff…”

The picture of the spread offense that Neuheisel paints is one that involves a running quarterback, the shotgun as the exclusive setup, an offense that isn’t physical, and the wildcat formation.

Basically what he described is the Rich Rodriguez/Urban Meyer style offense (except for the part about the spread not being physical). However, that’s not necessarily what a spread offense is. Read More »

A Final NFL Draft and Free Agent Wrap-Up

Year2 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:56:39 -0400

In the end, 3 Gators got drafted and 4 more found jobs as free agents:

Percy Harvin, 1st round to Minnesota
Louis Murphy, 4th round to Oakland
Cornelius Ingram, 5th round to Philadelphia
Phil Trautwein to St. Louis

Jason Watkins to Houston
James Smith to Cincinnati
Kestahn Moore to Denver

It was a bit disappointing, all things considered. I had heard that Murphy and Ingram each had the potential to go as high as the second round. I never expected to see them have to wait until the fourth and fifth rounds to go. Read More »

Seminoles Are No Longer a Gator Football Rival

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:39:42 -0400

I am sure the debate of rivalries will continue for some time. It's what we college football fans will do until the season starts. The four months between spring games and the start of fall practice are probably the worst period in a college football fans' life.

Because we don't have much to entertain us in this respect, we turn to the analysis of our chances for the following year and making profound statements on what our rivals are looking like and who (if anyone) can beat us in the upcoming year.

For those of us who know the intensity of the Florida/Florida State rivalry, we normally circle this early or as soon as we get the schedule. It's always the last regular season game of the year and used to always have some type of title implications involved for one of the two teams. Read More »

Vol Tailgating: Out of a Garbage Truck

Rusty — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:36:55 -0400

I'm not really sure how I feel about this, but it was something I surely couldn't pass up posting about. I thought making a bus into a tailgating machine was an amazing idea, and still do. As a matter of fact, GatorTailgating.com is working on a partnership to have a bus for the 2009 season if everything falls into place.

But, only a group of Tennessee Volunteer fans would get the idea to convert a retired Garbage truck into a tailgating machine! Don't get me wrong. If you can get past the sherbert-like orange paint job that reminds me more of state prisoners than of football, it's an awesome rig. They've installed grills, a 52" flat screen Television, a DVD player, built in beer taps, slide out coolers, and more.....but I just can't get past the fact that it was a GARBAGE TRUCK. Especially the fact that Knoxville, TN is one of the hillbilly capitals of the world, it's just too steretypical in spite of the fact that it was done so professionally. Read More »

Ingram's Journey Wasn't Perfect, But it Worked Out

Rusty — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:29:34 -0400

It should have been different. There shouldn't have even been a reason to hang around the phone on the second day of the draft, other than to answer the congratulation calls that didn't get through on Saturday. Cornelius Ingram is everything you want out of an NFL player; athletically gifted, good character, team-first mentality, strong morals, great attitude, well-rounded at his position, and even willing to put in the extra time (by not foregoing his SR season) to better himself for the league. Read More »

Vikings: Percy is Worth the Risk

Rusty — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:41:46 -0400

The Minnesota Vikings just couldn't do it. They knew that Percy had played in the spread, which doesn't translate well into a pro style offense. They knew about the injury problem Percy had in college. They knew that there were questions about whether he would play running back, wide reciever, or kick returner in the NFL. Mostly, they knew about the failed drug test at the combine. They knew about all of those problems that were supposed to drop Harvin out of the first round, but they just couldn't pass him up. Read More »

Orange & Blue Debut 2009 Tailgating Recap

Rusty — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 10:02:19 -0400

Let me start off by saying that I am so proud to be a part of Gator Nation. Not only did we have more in attendance at our spring scrimmage than other schools have at regular season games(like the school out west), but we had people going all out like it was really game day for the pre-game too. There were grills, tents, tailgating, food, drinks, and everything that makes Gainesville special on game day in the fall. Everyone seemed to be trying to soak up every last bit of football and tailgating that could be had before the next 5 months of boredom that lead us into fall.

I can't lie though. When the day began, I was a little worried. Pullng into the parking lot a little after 7 a.m. and seeing no action on campus other than the sprinkler system being on was a little bit of a downer. I'm used to pulling onto campus on gamedays when every serious tailgator is doing exactly what I'm doing....fighting for the perfect spot and warming up the grill. Read More »

Gator Football Team Vists the White House

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:37:48 -0400

The national champion Florida Gator Football team visited the White House today. They were invited late last week and actually showed up for this American tradition.

That tradition being if you win a national championship of any sort you get invited to White House to visit with the President. I have never found a team collegiate or professional that was not excited about this luxury. This luxury that comes along with being a champion and this year was no different. The Gators were excited to meet the president. Read More »

Beer Pong for More Than Bragging Rights

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:11:17 -0400

You would be wise to win this game of Beer Pong.

Picture This: It's Saturday morning and you are enjoying some beers, steaks, and cigars before heading into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Then, you notice the tailgating group next to you playing a friendly game of beer pong.

Wrong…

This group of tailgaters plays their Beer Pong tournament style. There are teams of 2, with 4 teams playing. If you lose two games you are out. Yeah it sucks to lose but in the end you had a good time. The key word there is HAD.

It turns out the winner of the tournament not only gets bragging rights but also gets to decide which of their friends will be wearing the opposing teams’ t-shirt and/or cap into the stadium. Read More »

A Follow-Up on Tim Tebow's Throwing Motion

Year2 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:45:39 -0400

Earlier, I put up a post about why people say Tim Tebow has a slow release. It used frame-by-frame analysis from the telecast of the national title game. I lamented the fact that I don’t have professional, high speed video equipment to make more precise judgments.

Little did I know, someone who was reading does.

I got an email from Bryan Conrad, an engineer at a biomechanics lab in Gainesville. Among many other things, his lab studies sports-related topics such as golf swings and quarterback throwing motions. He had some insights from that side of the business and graciously allowed me to reprint them here. Read More »

Analyzing Tebow's "Slow Release"

Year2 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:15:27 -0400

One of the major complaints about Tim Tebow by those who say he won't make it in the NFL is that he has a slow release. This critique is related to the charge that he has poor mechanics.

I am not a trained coach, but I believe I can show you at least what armchair NFL GMs see in him that causes the real scouts to fret.

I will compare him to Sam Bradford, a guy who was said to be a surefire top-five pick in the draft if he had come out. Read More »

Gator Basketball Names Pitino as New Assistant

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:48:20 -0400

University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan filled the vacant assistant coach position on his staff Monday, landing Louisville assistant Richard Pitino, son of Donovan-mentor and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.

“I’ve known Richard his whole life. I feel like we’re getting a terrific recruiter, basketball coach and person. We’re also getting somebody that also understands our program and system because of the similarities between what we do and what Louisville does. I’m grateful to Coach Pitino for allowing me to help Richard continue to grow and develop as a coach. “ Pitino has spent the past two years as an assistant at Louisville, helping the Cardinals to the No. 1 overall seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and back-to-back Elite Eights. Read More »

Orange & Blue Game Shows Off Gators Football Team's Depth

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:00:05 -0400

While Tim Tebow and most of the other UF starters spent Saturday's Orange and Blue game on the sidelines, John Brantley gave Gators fans a glimpse of the future.

Brantley threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns on the day and led the Orange squad to 31-21 victory.

“I was a little nervous coming into the game, but the coaches reminded me that it’s just like practice,” Brantley said. “It felt good to come out and get all the reps.” Read More »

Tailgate with GatorTailgating.com for the Orange and Blue Game!

Rusty — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:36:42 -0400

Javascript is required to view this map.

Looking for a tailgate party to hit up for the Orange and Blue game? The GatorTailgating.com crew is now tailgating at the near the corner of University and 17th St. We're right across from the Swamp Restaurant.

We’ll have a huge banner, TVs, Stereo Equipment, food, and, of course, drinks! Donations are appreciated to cover the cost of the food. This week, Gabe is...

Orange & Blue Debut: What to Look For

Rusty — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:45:45 -0400

Last year, everyone went to the Orange and Blue game with one thought in their minds, "How good will our defense be?" That question was answered, but not until the actual season rolled around. The year before that, it was "How good will Tebow be at leading the offense every down?" He answered by winning the Heisman Trophy in his first year leading the offense full-time. This year, the questions are a little bit less obvious due to the return of the whole defense and Tim Tebow. Don't be fooled though. There are questions, and we're going to list them for you so you can watch outfor them at the game. Read More »

Striking Gold: What Scott Loeffler Brings to the Gator Quaterbacks

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:22:40 -0400

Tim Tebow may be an NFL quarterback after all. After many naysayers (I'm looking at you Mel Kiper) who said that the only way Tebow will see the field on the pro level is at tight end or fullback, the man who may prove all them wrong has arrived. This man is no other than Scott Loeffler, the renowned QB coach who coached numerous Michigan quarterbacks to the NFL including Tom Brady, Chad Henne, and Brian Griese. Read More »

Although he spent last season trying to teach Dan Olversky, or whatever his name is, to not step out of the end zone for a safety to seal a loss, Loeffler is on campus at UF and has already earned high praises for his teachings. Tebow as well as backup John Brantley, who is playing as well as ever, have noticeably improved on their throwing abilities. For one, I think you'll be saying goodbye to those wobbly Tebow passes and get used to him throwing spirals. Tebow has shown much more zip on his throws and although he still has a slow release, I can see his NFL prospects improving dramatically.

Tailgating in Lexington, KY for the Kentucky Game

Rusty — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:00:02 -0400

GatorTailgating.com is doing a series of articles on where and how to tailgate at all of the Gator Football away games. This article details where and what to look out for in Lexington, Kentucky for the Kentucky Wildcats. Go Gators! Read More »

Top 10 Greatest Gator Football Performances Since 1990

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:08:33 -0400

Is there really any reason to go back before 1990 to talk about the Gators' greatest performances? I don't think so either.

Ever since Steve Spurrier arrived in '90, the University of Florida has been on the map. And has dominated too.

From Danny Wuerffel to Keiwan Ratliff to Tim Tebow, great players have come through Gainesville and provided memorable plays and performances for the Florida faithful and the college football world.

Here are the top-ten performances, in this writer's opinion, over the last 19 years. Read More »

Can Percy Break the UF Wide Reciever Curse?

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:19:59 -0400

As the NFL draft approaches, University of Florida receiver Harvin appears to be a lock to go in the 1st round. Over his three years at Florida, Harvin abused defenses for 1,929 yards and 13 touchdowns as a receiver, and then to add insult to injury, he also carried the ball 194 times for 1,852 yards and 19 scores.

His most distinguishing attributes are his rare speed and great hands, and there is no denying that he is a menace in the open field with his absurd acceleration and cutting ability.

There were some questions about his route-running, but he helped alleviate those concerns with his Mar. 19 pro day while catching everything thrown at him within a reasonable vicinity.

Oh, and as far as the relative incidental factors that are sometimes overlooked like work ethic, instincts, field awareness and blocking, yeah he scores pretty high on that stuff too. Read More »

Tampa Bay Gator Club to Host 2009 Golf Tournament

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:14:33 -0400

Friday, May 1st, 2009, our friends at the Tampa Bay Gator Club will be holding their annual scholarship golf tournament to benefit scholarships for the University of Florida! It is a premier event and is being held at the beautiful Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club. They have Wings Gone Wild providing Wings Gone Wild Girls; Red Bull and Grey Goose will provide drinks on holes; Reeves Motors is sponsoring 3 Hole in Ones, including a $10,000 hole, among others. Cigar City Magazine is sponsoring a complimentary cigar and magazine for every player. Lunch and an awesome awards dinner are included, featuring a Prime Rib buffet.
Read More »

The First 2009 Season Tailgate: Orange & Blue Game

Rusty — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:02:08 -0400

GatorTailgating.com will be hosting a Tailgate party to kickoff the 2009 season right beside University Avenue in front of the Library West before April 18th's Orange and Blue game. It it just across the street from the parking lot where Burger King used to be. (The map is attached below.) At the tailgate, the Master chef, Gabe, will be grilling up some Kabobs as we listen to some tunes, enjoy some Bourbon Meyers, and kick off 2009 in style! Read More »

Coach Addazio is Hoping OL Injuries Develop Depth

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:19:48 -0400

With so many offensive linemen missing due to injuries this spring, the Florida coaching staff is trying to look at the bright side.

It's giving a group of young players extra opportunity to grow and learn, which hopefully will pay dividends in the fall.

"One of our big goals is to establish depth up front, so that's going to come from our young players,'' UF offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Steve Addazio said. "And with the injuries those young players are getting some big-time depth.'' Read More »

Spikes Sets Sights on Third Championship

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:06:43 -0400

When quarterback Tim Tebow and linebacker Brandon Spikes announced they'd stay at Florida for their senior seasons, the Gators became a favorite to win their third national title in four years.

That chance was part of what brought them back, and they’ve been talking about it all through spring practice.

“We just talked about getting a three-peat,” Spikes said. “We have the whole defense back and you win championships with the defense. So we have a great chance of doing it.”

Spikes’ math is a little off, as he forgot about the 2007 season that ended with a Capital One Bowl loss instead of a championship. But it’s fitting that he considers that as a lost season—an anomaly wedged between titles.

That year started much like the 2009 season will, with Florida coming off a championship, but the team suffered. There weren’t enough leaders, and coaches say there was a sense of entitlement throughout the squad.

Read More »

Eight Tips to Get Your Girl Excited About Tailgating

Tamaralea10 — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:56:36 -0400

Hello fellow Gator fans! I am honored to be in the position of guest columnist for Gator Tailgating this morning. As one of two Mrs. GatorTailgating’s, I am surrounded by Gator Football, Gator Games, Gator Tailgating, Gators on the DVR… not that I mind, of course, since as a Gator grad and former Student Ticket Office rep, my heart bleeds orange and blue like the rest of the GT family. Read More »

Guide to Buying & Building a Tailgating Machine

Rusty — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:25:01 -0400

Although the thought of buying and building a tailgate vehicle may seem absurd to some (Although, I'm not sure who!), it can seem like a worthwhile expense in the quest for the world's greatest tailgate party. However, shopping for a vehicle that will strictly be used to tailgate befor Gator games is a bit different from buying your standard Honda Civic. Below are a couple points to consider when shopping and planning for the mega-beast of tailgating: Read More »

Moody Happy About I-Formation in Spring Practice

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:05:48 -0400

Maybe UF coach Urban Meyer isn't excited about the prospects of the I-formation in Gainesville, but one of his running backs is.

Meyer said earlier this week that the I-form may not last long for the Gators due to a lack of depth at tight end and fullback, but running back Emmanuel Moody is enjoying the new package.

“It definitely excites me, because it’s just another way to get the ball to the running back,” Moody said. “I feel like one of the reasons they did it was to give the running backs a head of steam so we can use our vision more.”

Moody excelled in a pro-style offense as a freshman at Southern Cal and earned Pacific-10 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year honors, but adapting to the spread wasn’t an easy task in his first year at UF.

Moody tallied 417 yards and one touchdown on 58 carries last season — still a better yards-per-carry average than he notched at USC — but he was never a primary option in the rushing game.

He said he’s comfortable in the spread now and looking forward to playing more freely, without having to think as much as he did in 2008. Read More »

Florida's Aaron Hernandez Will Play Vital Role In Upcoming Season

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:23:42 -0400

With the loss of Percy "No Mercy" Harvin and Louis Murphy, the Gators are in need of some consistent talent in the passing game.

Fortunately, Urban Meyer doesn't have to look far.

Florida's Tight End, Aaron Hernandez, has the ability to make great plays. In his sophomore season, Aaron collected 34 catches for 381 yards, and 5 touchdowns.

Gator fans can't forget the infamous Tebow to Hernandez shovel pass that helped lead to a win in the SEC championship game last season. Florida was down early in the fourth quarter 20-17, when Tebow looked at Hernandez to make a play on third down. Read More »

Lane Kiffin admits Layla is a Gator

Rusty — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:01:47 -0400

That's right Gator fans. The coach that has given us so many laughs since becoming the head coach at the University of Tennessee released a secret that won't be too appreciated in Big Orange Country. Layla Kiffin is a Gator Alum. Even better than that, she is also the daughter of former Gator Great John Reaves. Read More »

Tailgating in Starkville for the Mississippi State Game

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:02:54 -0400

GatorTailgating.com is doing a series of articles on where and how to tailgate at all of the Gator Football away games. This article details where and what to look out for in Starkville, Mississippi for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Go Gators! Read More »

Orange Country Choppers: The Steps and Story of Building the OSU Tailgating Bus

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:25:38 -0400

Don’t you just love when things work out in an almost perfect fashion? The owners of “BOBBY the Bus” sure do. You see, after a night game, the group was sitting around on ice chests and folding chair talking about how they could step up their tailgating efforts. The group, which is comprised of three families, continued talking when a school bus, painted purple and green with a deck on the roof, drove right by them. Eureka! The very next day there was an ad in the paper stating that the Oklahoma City School District was having an auction with buses being included on the auction block. Some things are just meant to be. The bus was purchased for $700 six days later.

In hopes of debuting the bus at the 2003 Cotton Bowl, the group had to work tirelessly for two straight months. It was decided that they wanted a deck on the back, but wanted to retain the functionality of the rear lights, windows, and door. So they simply cut off the back clip Read More »

10 Reasons Why the Gators Will or Won't Repeat Next Year

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:07:02 -0400

These lists are projections as reasons why the Gators will or won't repeat as National Champions next year. This isn't a projection as to if they will or won't, because we aren't even through Spring Training yet and there is no need to jinx them. They're just projections of reasons why one or the other might happen, because inevitably one or the other will. Feel free to add your comment if you agree or disagree! Read More »

The Top 10 Reasons the Gators Will Repeat

The unusually easy SEC scheduling. Florida Gators really only have two tough task on the road this year: a road game to Miss State and to LSU. Yes, I said MSU, Dan Mullen knows the Meyer system better then anyone in the country, and teams in Miss love to spoil our seasons. The only other tough one is Georgia in Jacksonville.
The return of the top linebacking core in the nation. While this could be disputed, they were ranked second by sporting news last year and USC's starters went to the pros.
Their defense lead the sec in sacks, interceptions, and ppg in the SEC last year...and that whole defense is back and better then ever.
Charlie Strong did not get a new job...enough said

Calathes Declares for NBA Draft without an Agent

Rusty — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:55:24 -0400

The star Point Guard that has lead the Gator basketball team for the past two years is taking the next step to the NBA....most likely. He has declared for the NBA draft and is projected to go late first or early second round, but he has not hired an agent. Not selecting someone to represent him for the NBA allows him to return to the University of Florida should he not like what things are shaping up like in NBA projections as the draft comes closer.

“I spoke with coach Donovan (on Sunday) night and told him of my intentions,” Calathes said in a statement. “(He) was nothing but supportive, (and he) told me he’d do whatever he could to help me and my family make an educated decision.” Read More »

Spring Training: Week One Review

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:14:03 -0400

The Offense

Florida is experimenting with a fast-paced, uptempo offense. It is partially a result of seeing Kevin Wilson's Oklahoma offense in the national title game and partially a result of seeing Kevin Wilson's Northwestern offense in 2001.

I took a look at pace earlier this offseason, and I projected that the Gators would have scored about 55 a game last year if they played at Oklahoma's pace.

Urban Meyer may or may not have seen a similar figure from his stats guys, but he seems most interested in the way that an uptempo offense disrupts defenses.

The other big difference is that Tim Tebow will be taking some snaps under center. Tebow says it's happening because it's the way Scot Loeffler is influencing the offense, while Meyer says it's happening to get Tebow more comfortable with it since he'll have to do that in the NFL. It's not that one is wrong and one is right, since the offense has always been a team effort under Meyer. Read More »

Many have pointed out that packages with the quarterback under center existed in Meyer's offense in 2005 and 2006 when Chris Leak was running the show. That is true, and the I-formation is

Complacency Hopefully Not an Issue for 2009 Gator Football

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:21:53 -0400

After winning the National Championship in 2006, Florida coach Urban Meyer described spring practice the following year as one of the toughest ever.

Unfortunately for the Gators, what Meyer meant by tough was not tough on the players, but tough on the coaches.

Meyer and his staff struggled to keep the team focused and looking to better themselves, as attitudes and a sense of entitlement abounded throughout the Gator locker room, as a result of their BCS National Championship. Read More »

Spring Football Practice Begins

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:35:05 -0400

It's that time of year again.

It has been less than three months since the Gators beat Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game, but already I have begun to wither away.

Recruiting battles and signing day gave me a quick fix, but even that left me wanting more. September, to me, is like Christmas to an 8-year-old.

Lane Kiffin even made me more excited. I was starting to get bored of thrashing Tennessee, but this year's beat-down will be savored.

There are several things that I will be looking for this spring: Read More »

Penn St & UConn End Both Gator Basketball Season's in One Night

Rusty — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:25:29 -0400

Tuesday night was not Florida's night for basketball, made evident by a loss in the Men's National Invitation and the Women's NCAA Tournaments. The Gator Boys were outsized and outdueled by Penn State's Jamelle Cornley down the stretch as the Gators had no answer for his inside presence. Cornley, who came into the game listed as questionable, answered that question with an unstoppable performance which included 23 ponts for the Senior Forward.

The Gators made runs late, as they have many times this year, but just couldn't close it out. The Gators got within 1 point (44-43) in the second half, but allowed Penn State to have an 8-0 run after Calathes' free throws that pulled the game so close.

A little later, Florida pulled within 3 points (61-59) with just over 2 minutes left in the game, but proved once again they didn't have the gusto to finish the comeback with a victory. They let Penn State go back to their bread and butter from earlier in the night, the inside game, and let them close out with a 9 point victory (71-62). Read More »

Pre-Spring SEC Eastern Division Power Rankings

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:08:42 -0400

How's it going SEC fans? I know the pain of the off-season. Nothing to do but work and obsessively follow recruiting. Also, you don't have the excuse of watching the game to not go to chick flicks or other stuff of that feminine nature with your girlfriend.

Plus with all of the SEC teams out of the Men's Basketball tournament, I figure I would help you guys out by giving a pre-spring practice rankings of all the teams in the SEC.

Although the Gators were the third consecutive national champion from the SEC, the conference suffered somewhat of a down year thanks to the colossal collapses of Auburn and Tennessee, and the disappointing year that Georgia had. Anyway, 2009 looks to be one of the best years this conference has had overall in a while. Read More »

FSU's President Loses His Cool at Press Conference About Bobby Bowden

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:20:33 -0400

I’ve posted some of the highlights from T.K. Wetherell’s press conference earlier today but this warrants its own space. Toward the end of the presser, Wetherell, who had mostly maintained his calm for more than 30 minutes, began to, well … lose it a little. Not sure if that’s an accurate description, so we’ll let you decide.

Here’s the first instance of Wetherell gone loopy: He was talking about Bowden and, inevitably, some of Wetherell’s focus turned to the notion that Bowden wants to stick around because of a desire to retire the most victorious coach in major college football history. Read More »

Wetherell had said that wasn’t the reason why Bowden wanted to stay and then, at about the 33-minute mark of this press conference, Wetherell says: “Now, we understand all the rest of it. We’ve heard [Sentinel columnist Mike] Bianchi over there saying, well hell, 31 wins don’t count anyway because they were at some [dipstick] school …”

Gators Blow 'Canes Out of O'Dome

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:56:09 -0400

Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) had 21 points, sophomore forward Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and the Gators beat in-state rival Miami 74-60 in the second round of the NIT on Friday night in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

Florida (25-10) improved to 18-1 at home this season, tying a school record for home wins, and advanced to the tournament quarterfinals. The top-seeded Gators will host No. 2 seed Penn State on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN. Read More »

Walker to Start 2nd Straight Game Against Miami

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:48:47 -0400

UF coach Billy Donovan shook up the starting lineup in the Gators' opening game of the National Invitation Tournament, giving freshman Erving Walker the nod over Chandler Parsons.

Both players scored in double figures, and Parsons registered just his second double-double of the season.

“Coming out of the SEC tournament, it was pretty obvious that Chandler could be playing a lot, and I was trying to help him a little bit,” UF coach Billy Donovan said.

Parsons went for 17 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Jacksonville.

“Maybe being in a lot less pressure-, stress-related role is something he is a lot more comfortable with,” Donovan said. “He did play well yesterday.”
Read More »

Gators Beat Jacksonville to Play In-State Rival

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:05:23 -0400

Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) broke out of a shooting slump with 19 points, sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) added 17 points and 14 rebounds off the bench, and Florida beat Jacksonville 84-62 Wednesday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in the opening round of the NIT.

The Gators played one of their best first halves of the season. They shot 63 percent from the field, were 6-of-9 from 3-point range and had a 21-point lead at the break.

Florida (24-10) extended the lead to 26 early in the second half on freshman guard Ray Shipman's (Miramar, Fla.) dunk, and then coasted the rest of the way.

Lehmon Colbert led Jacksonville (18-14) with 11 points and six rebounds. Read More »

Gator Basketball's First Shining Moment

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:20:20 -0400

Growing up my entire life rooting for the University of Florida, my first real March Madness memories and moments began with them making the NCAA Tournament.

The first one was vague, because I was young.

In 1994, any Florida Gator fan will remember the Final Four and immediately associate that memory with one man: Grant Hill.

I was at my grandparents’ house for the game, wearing a Final Four t-shirt my dad bought me earlier in the week, as I watched Hill take over the game scoring 25-points and leading a Duke 13-point comeback to beat the Gators 65-60. Read More »

Meyer Hoping to Keep Gators Focused During Spring Training

shanksta13 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:57:53 -0400

After winning the National Championship in 2006, Florida coach Urban Meyer described spring practice the following year as one of the toughest ever.

Unfortunately for the Gators, what Meyer meant by tough was not tough on the players, but tough on the coaches.

The results were evident in the Gators' 2007 season. Read More »

After suffering a disappointing four loss season, the Gators entered spring practice in 2008 with a new vigilance. Players competed harder than they had ever competed, hoping to erase the memory of the disappointing year.

Gator Basketball Left Out of Dance, but #1 Seed in NIT

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 06:49:52 -0400

The University of Florida has accepted an invitation to play in the National Invitational Tournament and will host an opening round game on Wed., March 18, at 8 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center against Jacksonville University.

The Gators finished the 2008-09 season 23-10 overall, and posted a 9-7 Southeastern Conference record. Florida enters post-season play after defeating Arkansas, 73-58, in the first round of the 2009 SEC Tournament, before falling short to Auburn, 61-58, in the second round of the league tourney at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

Florida is making its second-consecutive NIT appearance after reaching the semifinals of the NIT last season at Madison Square Garden. Read More »

The Raiders put University of Tennessee on Notice

Year2 — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 10:01:55 -0400

"As you are undoubtedly aware, Mr. Kiffin is involved in arbitration with the Raiders. Not withstanding the fact that Mr. Kiffin must have told you about the pendency of this proceeding, we want to put you on notice of it, and the University's involvement in some of the underlying facts."

The Raiders have been feuding with Lane Kiffin since before they fired him near the beginning of the 2008 NFL season.

The team believes that Kiffin broke NFL rules, breached his contract, and "induced" assistant coach James Cregg to breach his contract by leaving before the end of the season to work at Tennessee.

CBS Sports managed to get a copy of a letter the Oakland Raiders sent to the University of Tennessee, and the quote right at the beginning is in it. It details the team's list of grievances against Kiffin, but that's not all. Read More »

Gator Basketball falls to Auburn in Second Round of SEC Tournament

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:45:45 -0400

Sophomore Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) tallied a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the Gators were edged, 61-58, by Auburn in the second round of the 2009 SEC tournament Friday.

The Gators (23-10) had a shot to tie on the final possession, but Auburn’s Quantez Richardson blocked Erving Walker's (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 3-point attempt just before the buzzer. Walker finished with 14 points and two assists on the night. Read More »

Gators Beat Hogs & Advance to Second Round

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:38:16 -0400

Junior Dan Werner (Middletown, N.J) notched his fourth career double-double, the first this season, as Florida defeated Arkansas, 73-58, in the first round of the 2009 SEC tournament Thursday from the St. Pete Times Forum. The Gators improved to 23-9 on the season, while the Razorbacks fell to 14-16. With the win, Florida advances to take on the No. 2 seed from the Western Division, the Auburn Tigers, Friday.

Werner tallied a season-high 13 rebounds in Florida’s efforts, his third career double-digit rebounding effort, while chipping in 15 points.

The Gators headed to the locker room with a slight advantage at the half, 29-26, only shooting 33.3 percent from the field, but emerged in the second half with a 53.6 percent effort to top Arkansas’ 46.0 percent. UF held steady from the charity stripe, hitting 15-of-17 (88.2) percent to propel its efforts, forced 16 turnovers and rallied for 11 steals. Read More »

Torrey Davis No Longer Part of Gator Football Team

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:40:44 -0400

According to various sources, five star junior defensive tackle and potential starter, Torrey Davis, is no longer part of the Gator football team.

Davis is the DT that made the play of the game during the 2009 BCS National Championship game, stopping Oklahoma at the 2 yard line on 4th and goal with 1 yard to go. He will forever be remembered as a Gator for that one play.

Davis was a very promising player but he did not make the grade on class or conduct. Read More »

Meyer gets His Point Across about Kiffin with Few Words

Rusty — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:35:58 -0400

In all of the drama surrounding Lane Kiffin's comments last month about Meyer cheating, no one ever was able to obtain any direct quotes or thoughts from the victim himself, Coach Meyer. He remained silent regarding the subject and refused to discuss it with different media outlets.

Until last week, there was no new news about "Kiffin-gate" whatsoever. That is, until Gabe of GatorTailgating.com broke the news that the UF coaching staff had printed and posted different quotes from Lane Kiffin around the Heavener complex to motivate the football team during workouts and Spring practice. (As a side note, here is some of the response to the article on VolNation.com's forums.)

Now, we've found out that Andrew Carter of the Orlando Sentinel caught up with Meyer to ask him about his feelings regarding Kiffin-gate. He didn't exactly open up to Carter, but we think it might sound eerily similiar to Meyer's answers on a previous controversial topic about an SEC rival disrespecting his team. Read More »

Hornsby Never Deserved Another Chance

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:43:26 -0400

By Burton DeWitt

This is good news. Well, it's bad news, but for me it's good news. I've never believed in second chances, at least not when you do something this unethical. Now I have a second story to back me up.

No, I'm not talking about Michael Vick. Sure, what he did was wrong, bad, evil, sure, but it never once made me question if he were human. Sick, demented, yes, but at least a little bit human. Just a little bit.

But Jamar Hornsby is not human. At the very least, I wish he were not. I don't want him in my species. I don't want him on my planet. That may sound harsh, that may sound evil, but it's not. Not after what he has done.

Hornsby had quite a few run-ins with authority even before he stole a dead girl's credit card and tried to use it. Quite a few.
Read More »

A Brief Look at the History of Tailgating

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 06:35:08 -0400

Tailgating is a time honored tradition that likely dates back to the earliest days of sporting events, though football usually comes to mind first for most people. Nothing amps up the anticipation of an impending matchup between fans’ favorite teams like hours of tailgating partying before the actual sporting event even takes place. It is food, family, friends, fun and socializing on a scale that is utterly incomprehensible to anyone who is not familiar with or a fan of outdoor sporting events.

So how did tailgating become such a huge tradition? Well, if you examine the some of the earliest documented historical events, you may find that although modern tailgating most likely has its roots in college football, it may date back to the mid 1800’s - think Civil War. You probably would not think that a war would be anyplace to throw a party, but it appears that is exactly what happened at the Battle of Run in 1861. Supporters of the Union showed up with baskets of food and enthusiastically cheered the soldiers on by shouting, “Go, Big Blue!” This may be a bit disconcerting, but apparently it is a documented historical event. Read More »

Follow up to the Heavener Football Tour + Vol Fan Comments

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:55:18 -0400

What really surprised us about the our “Inside the Tunnel: 2008 Additions to UF's Heavener Football Complex” article is the amount of attention coming from the state of Tennessee. We've had over 8,000 unique visits to that article within just three days! A fair amount of those visits are being directed our way from our friends over at VolNation, and at VolQuest. The issue, of course, is the Lane Kiffin quote posted in the tunnel:

"I’m really looking forward to embracing some of the great traditions at the University of Tennessee, for instance the Vol Walk, running through the T, singing Rocky Top all night long after we beat Florida next year. It will be a blast" - Lame Kiffin

Our good friends at VolNation have a lively 7 page forum thread on the topic, and we thought it would be fun if we posted some selected comments. Enjoy! Read More »

Gator Basketball's NCAA Tournament Hopes Stay Alive!

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:35:44 -0500

Phew! Hurdle No. 1 has been overcome. Two more wins, and I think the Gators squeak into the tourney!

By beating the Kentucky Wildcats in the O'Dome today, the Gators' faint hopes for getting into the NCAA Tournament are still alive. After losing three straight to LSU, Tennessee and at Mississippi State, the Gators finally came through today in a must-win game.

However, I hope the NCAA Selection Committee just sees the box score and didn't actually watch the game, because it was a sloppy, offensively stagnant game played by two teams that were desperate for a win—and desperate for any semblance of an offense to show up.

Read More »

Inside the Tunnel: 2008 Additions to UF's Heavener Football Complex

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:37:49 -0500

Putting the Heaven in "Heavener"... Last week, Gator Tailgating was given the opportunity to explore the nucleus of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium’s newest addition, the Heavener Complex. Around this time last year GatorTailgating.com gave you the latest and greatest on this addition, and we’re here to do it again.

UF has made some changes to the shrine since it was built a little over a year ago. When you win another national championship, an additon is a necessity. Below, there are some pictures of things you may have seen, and some new... but all of it is impressive. So follow us deep into what few have ever seen. Read More »

Gator Football Team Celebrates BCS Title in Nole's Backyard

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:56:27 -0500

The University of Florida National Championship football team was recognized on Thursday by Governor Charlie Crist and members of the Senate and House.

Head Coach Urban Meyer, linebacker Ryan Stamper (Jacksonville) and quarterback Tim Tebow (Jacksonville) joined Athletic Director Jeremy Foley and University President Bernie Machen to represent Florida’s most recent national championship team. The Gators defeated Oklahoma, 24-14, on Jan. 8, 2009 in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game to claim the school’s third football national championship. Read More »

What Money Problems?

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:26:33 -0500

They were sitting there when you first pulled into the lot. They were still sitting there when you entered the stadium. And… they were still sitting there when you exited the stadium.

Um, hello? Did someone have one too many at the tailgate and forget about the game?!? Why drive all the way down to the stadium only to never step inside the stadium?

Now I get it…if only Bush and Obama were this smart with a budget! Read More »

Gators & Vols: Two Sports, Two Bitter Rivalries

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:44:45 -0500

Many rivalries have come and gone, but one rivalry that has intensified in recent years is Tennessee vs. Florida. And not just in one sport.

The Florida Gators have held the Tennessee football team down for quite a while. The series, played yearly, has been decidedly in the Gators favor since 1994. Under three coaches during that span Florida has defeated Tennessee 11 of 15 times.

Steve Spurrier owned Philip Fulmer even during the Peyton Manning years, as Manning never defeated the Gators. The Vols did, however, break through against the ‘visored-one’ twice in that span; both times landing the Vols squarely into national title contention. Then came Ron Zook, who went 1-2 against the Big Orange during his short tenure from ’02-’04. Since 2005, when Urban Meyer took over the Florida program, the Vols have not defeated the Gators.

And if you really want to get technical about it; only one game since that ’05 season has even been close; the 2006, 21-20 defeat at Neyland Stadium. In ’05, ’07, and ’08 Florida has outscored the Vols 105-33. Read More »

Do You Miss Tailgating? Buy the iTouch or iPhone.

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:39:24 -0500

It just seems that it gets better and better for tailgaters who use an iPhone (or iTouch). We have told you about a number of iPhone applications that would appeal to tailgaters such as the iBeer, Beer Pong Challenge, Last Call, iBreath, or even Pour 1 Out. Now comes along an Apple iPhone application that allows you to play a variety of traditional Tailgate Games right on your iPhone. The games included in this app are cornhole, Blongo Ball (Ladder Golf), washers or horseshoes. Check out the video demo.

Gator Basketball Loses to Vols, Again.

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:26:18 -0500

Florida sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) scored a game-high 20 points but the Gators couldn’t overcome Tennessee’s torrid first-half shooting as the Volunteers held on to win 79-75 on Sunday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

Tennessee (18-10, 9-5) shot 65 percent from the field in the first half, including 7-for-9 from behind the arc, on their way to a 45-33 lead at the break. Read More »

Florida (21-8, 8-6) made it close, though. The Gators trailed 59-43 midway through the second, but used a barrage of big shots down the stretch to make it 75-72 with one minute left. But Scotty Hopson tipped freshman guard Erving Walker's (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tying 3-point attempt with 37 seconds left.

The Running of the Urinals: A Great New Tailgating Tradition

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:37:25 -0500

That's right. The "Running of the Urinals" is the new tailgating craze. Basically, it involves a long row of port-o-potties, a good sized crowd with a lot of beer cans to throw, and one brave individual (or one enhanced by liquid courage) who dares to try the run.

Is it better than flip cup? No. Better than beer pong? Not even by a mile. But, it's definitely more fun for the spectators than both of those put together. How can you not enjoy watching an inebriated guy (or gal....don't want to be sexist here) running across the tops of urinals all while having full beer cans (and some bottles) flung at his (or her) head? That's just plain good ol' entertainment! It is a waste of perfectly good alcohol for all those that missed the "runner," but it isn't for the ones that hit him. Those are worth their weight in gold.

Here's a couple more highlights of the "Running of the Urinals" at other sites. ENJOY! Read More »

Quarterback Play is the Key to SEC Football

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:16:11 -0500

In the SEC, no one position is more critical to a team's success than the QB spot. They are the generals, directing their teams down the field, making the quick decisions that make or break every play.

While so much credit is given to other skill positions like running back and wideout, it is impossible to ignore the impact that the quarterback has on the ability for a team to win games. Look at the records for the SEC:

SEC EAST:

Florida—Led by junior quarterback and 2007 Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow, the Gators played their way to an SEC title and a BCS National Championship.

Georgia—With Junior Matthew Stafford under center, he racked up nearly 3,500 yards passing and 25 TDs, leading UGA through a rough injury season to 10 wins.

Vanderbilt—They played several people at quarterback and threw for only 14 TDs as a team. Read More »

Gator Basketball Falls Short at LSU, 81-75

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:10:21 -0500

After leading at the half, the Gators lost a close game to No. 18 LSU, 81-75, Tuesday from the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge. Senior Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) led Florida with 16 points, hitting two treys in the last 14 seconds of regulation, as UF moved to 21-7 overall, 8-5 in SEC play.

Three other Gators scored in double digits, including sophomore Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) with 15 points, and sophomores Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) and Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.), with 12 points each. Read More »

Florida took a 41-37 advantage into the locker room at the half, but allowed LSU to work itself back into the lead midway through the second half. The Tigers trailed 56-53 before going on a 14-2 run to take control of the game. LSU’s Marcus Thornton hit 6-of-11 from behind the arc to lead the charge for the Tigers, contributing 32 points.

10 Signs you have TWS (Tailgating Withdrawal Syndrome)

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:37:37 -0500

Every year towards the end of February, millions of people around the United States are affected by TWS (Tailgating Withdrawal Syndrome). The Bowl Games ended in January and even the NFL's season is now completed. Baseball is a couple of months away and NASCAR doesn't come back in our immediate area until July. The important thing is not to panic. The first step is to try and clinically diagnose it before we jump to conclusions.

How do you know if you are suffering from TWS?

Here are 10 sure signs you're suffering from it.

10. You watch the sun come up over Ben Hill Griffin Stadium from your tailgating spot and wonder where everyone is. Read More »
read more

GT.com's Top 10 Pictures of the 2008 Season

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:31:58 -0500

We would like to congratulate the winners and participants of GT.com's Annual Pic of the Year Contest. All of the pictures below were uploaded by members of GT.com throughout the season. If you'd like to be in the contest for this coming season, don't forget to upload your pictures after gamedays! Now, on to the fun!

10. (Uploaded by MadenBrazil) There aren't too many pictures that allow you to fit a finger, the shocker, and a tongue in the ear all at one time. This one did it and for that, it gets the #10 position.

Gator Basketball Remains Unbeatable in O'Dome

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:29:30 -0500

As the Gators encountered two must-win games at home this week to stay viable for the tournament, they took care of business as needed. The first win earlier in the week against Alabama and the second coming Saturday against Vanderbilt. The Gators needed this momentum booster after suffering a demoralizing loss to Georgia on Valentine's Day and before they travel to Baton Rouge to face the mighty Tigers on Tuesday night. The Bayou Bengals are 11-1in SEC play and sit atop the conference poll. Saturday was all business with the Rowdy Reptiles giving the Gators the spark they needed to get the win.

Erving Walker scored 17 points off the bench, Nick Calathes added 14 and Florida beat Vanderbilt 82-68 Saturday to remain tied atop the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. Read More »

Tailgating for Rowdy Reptiles at Today's Gator Basketball Game

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:45:17 -0500

Shooting contests, music, free food and a chance to win Best Buy gift certificates are just a few of the items that will highlight pregame festivities for the Rowdy Reptiles outside of Gate 3 of the O’Connell Center on Saturday prior to the Vanderbilt game.

Beginning at 11 a.m. a basketball goal will be set up outside Gate 3 and shooting contests with the Rowdy Reptiles will be held with some lucky winners walking away with gift certificates to Best Buy.

There will be a pre-game cookout where Rowdies can take advantage of free burgers and hot dogs, while a bounce house will also be placed outside of Gate 3. Read More »

Office Tailgating: A New Dimension to Casual Fridays!

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:15:13 -0500

Offseason. No football and no tailgating. You sit in your cubicle or office and start to realize how empty your life actually is. Despair no longer, office worker! GatorTailgating has the solution: Office Tailgating®!

Offices are perfect locations for your standard tailgate. You have a parking lot. You have a patch of grass to set up horseshoes or ladder golf. Best of all, by the time Friday rolls around, you and your fellow office mates are ready for the weekend. Start it off early with a tailgate. Pull your car up, fire up the grill and turn on the music.

Follow these steps to make your first office tailgate a success: Read More »

Top Ten Places to Tailgate after Football Season Ends

Sweet G — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:12:42 -0500

Now that football season is officially over, I've seen quite a few long faces and people moping around wondering what to do with their tailgating supplies. A lot of folks plan to put them in storage for the next 6 months. Don't do that! Just because football is over doesn't mean tailgating is over. Here's my list of the best reasons to tailgating throughout the year. Read More »

NASCAR – Daytona has the 500 and the Pepsi 400 and there will be thousands partying like it’s their last day on Earth. RVs, trucks, couches, and more fill the place up for more than a week of craziness.
CONCERTS – no matter what kind of music you like it will sound better on a full stomach. I’ve even seen video of people tailgating at the Opera. (No they were not doing keg stands and eating Beer Can Chicken though) Jimmy Buffet concerts are the ultimate tailgate party.
NBA / ARENA FOOTBALL – this can be tricky because venue rules may vary but it’s worth a shot. Arena Football starts on St. Patrick’s Day so you know that’ll be a fun party.
MLB – The Rays made it to the World Series last year, and they're only 2 hours from Gainesville. Why not make the short drive to get rid of that TWS (Tailgating Withdrawal Syndrome)?

Cocktail Hour: Drinks of SEC Teams

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:40:37 -0500

Here is our menu of SEC Drinks. Any and every one of them can get you at the righttime if you aren't careful. Bottoms up! Read More »

The Les Miles Martini for the James Bond style of guy who is cool under pressure. Drink this and you’ll “Have A Great Day.”
The Nick Saban Manhattan, the no-nonsense businessman’s drink. Great for afternoon meetings and taking care of business.
The Steve Spurrier Margarita. It has that Jimmy Buffet Florida Keys feel to it. Just kind of hanging out and seeing what the wind blows in after after playing a round of golf.
The Urban Meyer "Bourbon Meyer". It will surprise you. It tastes like a nice sweet tea but will hit you fast and overwhelm you quickly.
The Houston Nutt Long Island Iced Tea. The drink is stronger than the name indicates; if you don’t watch out, it will knock you on your butt.

Into the Future: Florida Gator Football 2010 Schedule Released

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:24:09 -0500

The 2010 Florida Gator Football Schedule is officially released. The schedule looks significantly tougher than the Florida Gator football 2009 schedule, and should rank as one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

Out of Conference Schedule Pick Ups: In addition to an away game at FSU, The Gators will play the USF Bulls, who were ranked at various times during the 2007 and 2008 college football seasons. To my knowledge, this will be the first time the two teams meet, and is sure to be an exciting game. UF will also take on Division AA powerhouse Appalachian State, who suprised everyone in 2007 by beating #5 Michigan. Read More »

Top 5 Gator Football Plays of All-Time

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 06:37:12 -0500

As I continue to bask in the glow that is the success of University of Florida athletics over the last three years, I recently wondered to myself what were the BIG MOMENTS over the last 20 years in Gator athletics. So, I've put together a list below. Feel free to comment and add your favorite plays as well!

No. 5: Wuerffel to Doering against Kentucky—Sept. 1993

This was the play that started the Danny Wuerffel legacy at Florida, as the redshirt freshman QB threw a touchdown to sophomore receiver Chris Doering with three seconds left in the game to overcome Kentucky on the road in 1993. I was a UF student at the time and was watching this game at a party where everyone went from anxiety-stricken to pure joy and relief—all in one play.

This single play caused Spurrier to bench Terry Dean and give Wuerffel his first ever start the following week against Tennessee. The decision to play Wuerffel enabled the Gators to get to the SEC Championship game that year, where they beat Alabama. When it was all said and done, Wuerffel went on to win four consecutive SEC championships, a national championship, and a Heisman Trophy. But it all started with this miraculous play. Read More »

Story

Georgia Tops Gator Basketball 88-86

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:59:16 -0500

Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) notched his third career triple-double, the third in UF history, against Georgia, but the Bulldogs won an 88-86 decision Saturday from Stegeman Coliseum to bring Florida to 19-6 overall (6-4 SEC) this season.

Calathes scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 13 assists as Georgia won its first conference game of the season. Four other Gators scored in double-digits Saturday afternoon, including senior Walter Hodge (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico), who scored a career-high 22 points after hitting a career-high 6-of-8 shots from behind the arc. Sophomore Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) chipped in 11 points, while sophomore Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) and freshman Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed 10 each. Read More »

GT.com's 2008 Highlight Video

Rusty — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 09:37:00 -0500

If you tailgated with us this year, you will probably find yourself in this video somewhere. It is a compilation of videos throughout the regular season that were taken by a couple different members of the site. If you tailgated with us last year but didn't see yourself in this video, it is your own fault. You may want to cut loose a little more at the tailgates next year. Sorry guys, but eating food and watching everyone else get crazy just doesn't make the cut!

FYI, We will be creating an all-inclusive tailgating 2008 video later this month. This will not just be GT.com tailgate parties, but anyone who submits their videos on our website. If you have any videos from you and your friends tailgating that you would like included, just post them in our videos section and I will get them.

Tailgating Tips from Benjamin Franklin

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:52:21 -0500

Although he was never President of the United States, Benjamin Franklin is renowned as one of the greatest Americans in our history. We all know him as an author, printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat. But did you know he was a tailgater? Actually he probably never attended a tailgate party but it does not mean we as a tailgating nation can not learn from his knowledge and famous quotes. So here are eight things tailgaters could learn from Ben Franklin…

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it” - This could also be deemed, “one bad apple will ruin the whole barrel”. You could be tailgating in the same spot for the past 10 seasons but a lapse in judgment could cost you your reputation. Getting too drunk, being abusive to the opposing teams’ fans, being rude to your neighbors will tarnish your good name for a long time. It will take a lot of apologizing and generous sharing of your grill to get in the good graces of those around you. Read More »

The Worst Keg Stand. Ever.

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:11:38 -0500

null - Watch more free videos

What else can be said about this other than it must have been a Tailgater from Georgia? Just make sure to use your hands when you do a keg stand, or you may be the next idiot on the front page of GT.com for your stupidity.

Gator Basketball Falls Short at Rupp, 68-65

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:50:02 -0500

Gator sophomore Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) tallied a career-high 33 points, but Florida fell shy to Kentucky, 68-65, in a game that was decided in the final seconds of the contest Tuesday evening in Rupp Arena.

Tied at 65 all with five seconds left, Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks hit a trey that gave the Wildcats the three-point advantage. Calathes was unable to convert on three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt during Florida’s next possession. Read More »

Lame Kiffin Strikes Again: Two Recruiting Violations at UT

Rusty — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:20:24 -0500

You can do what Tennessee's new coach, Lane Kiffin, did in the SEC. You can come in and call out the reigning SEC and National Champion head coach. You can steal his recruit, say he cheated, and brag about how you told the recruit to lie to everyone too. You really can, but only on one condition....

You can't be wrong.

Even more importantly than that, you can't be guilty of cheating yourself! That's right. Not only did Kiffin make a fool of himself, his staff, and his team by calling Meyer a cheater and then finding out that what Meyer did wasn't wrong at all. As if that alone wasn't bad enough, then his school has to self-report 2 recruiting violations yesterday! I really don't know that this story can make Kiffin look like any more of a tool. Read More »

Lady Gators Beat 2-Time Defending National Champion Lady Vols

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:27:24 -0500

Senior Florida guard Sha Brooks ( Jackson, Tenn.) scored a game-high 29 points and the No. 11/13 Gators notched just their third all-time victory against No. 12/17 Tennessee with a thrilling 66-57 victory on Sunday in front of 8,060 fans in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

The win marked the Gators’ fourth this season against a ranked opponent and, more importantly, it kept Florida atop the Southeastern Conference standings. The Gators’ current streak of seven consecutive league victories sets a new school record. Read More »

Bacon Explosion: Possibly the Greatest Tailgating Recipe Ever!

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:05:05 -0500

To start off this recipe, I will warn you that this is not for those on a diet. Unless your goal is to have a quadruple heart-bypass surgery before the age of 50 and to gain as much weight as you can and still wear fit into jeans (which people have told me that judging by my diet, I should), this food concoction is not for you. It is a mixture of a ton of bacon (judging by the name, I'd say this is obvious. I do have to leave it in here for any fans from the School out West that might be visiting), a lot of sausage, and many other unhealthy but very tasty ingredients. If the recipe is too much work, don't worry. You dont have to live your whole life without trying it. Gabe, GT.com's Master Chef, will be doing a couple of these next football season. Just make sure to stay tuned in our forums to be able to know what game it will be at.

Let me put one last warning here. This recipe is as addictive as crack cocaine. Unless you like the thought of being woken up by your tailgating buddies at 4 in the morning to be asked to make "that amazing bacon thing we ate at your tailgate party," I suggest you keep this to yourself. Gabe, All I can say is I'm sorry. That call at 3:30 am was totally inappropriate. I promise to control my munchies better next time! Read More »

Kiffin's Wrong Move: Don't Mess with Urban

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:43:02 -0500

When Dr. Grimm, a.k.a. Al Davis first hired Lane Kiffin as head coach, I liked the move. It was good to see a young face pacing the sidelines in the NFL, as the coaches tend to be older.

Also, Lane wasn't one of those recycled so-called "commodities" like Norv Turner or Wade Phillips.

One thing we know about Davis is that he isn't shy about firing someone who doesn't go along with his program.

With all of his emphasis on himself, maybe he should just coach from upstairs to avoid all of the walking and intensity being on-field provides.

Then again, he probably already does.

As in many coaching "marriages" of recent times, Davis decided to let Kiffin go, saying he was "disloyal" and "not fit to coach the Raiders." Read More »

Lane Kiffin: The SEC's New Drama Queen

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:59:37 -0500

New men joining the SEC Fraternity of Head Coaches are usually a bit reserved when discussing their brethren. Most try and not make enemies of men who can make their lives miserable. Unkind words are blatant shows of disrespect.

Apparently, that is not Lane Kiffin's style. This weekend punctuated not only his lack of respect for his fellow coaches, but his lack of understanding of college football etiquette, and his blatant stupidity. Yes, Lane Kiffin boldly and publicly showed just how unfit he is to be a head coach in the college ranks and his total lack of intelligence.

In a public statement, with cameras rolling, knowing full well that every word would be scrutinized, he said, "Just so you know, when a recruit's on another campus, you can't call a recruit on another campus," ... "I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him" Read More »

Meet Your Gator Football 2009 Recruiting Class

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:38:26 -0500

Nick Alajajian
Offensive Line
6-4 • 280 • Freshman, H.S.
Naples • Naples

A true freshman who enrolled at UF in January of 2009... PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Participant in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl...Ranked as the fourth-best offensive tackle in the 2009 class by Rivals.com and ranked as a five-star recruit by Scout.com...Helped lead Naples High School to a 16-0 record and 2007 Class 3A State Championship...Gave up only one sack in the entire 2007 season...Three-year starter for Naples...Missed six games in his senior season due to an ankle injury... Received Marco Island YMCAâ€™s Male High School Athlete of the Year in 2008...Selected to MaxPreps 1st All-American Team...Claims biggest strengths are his footwork and agility...Chose Florida over FSU, Miami and Georgia...Coached by Bill Kramer. Read More »

National Signing Day is Here! Will the Gators Reload?

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:35:27 -0500

A victor of two of the previous three National Championships, the Florida Gators have been founded upon simple principles under head coach Urban Meyer.

Those unique philosophies haven't varied annually in terms of recruiting, and things aren't looking any different on 2009's National Signing Day.

The basic fundamental in Urban Meyer's mind for producing National Championships is good defense, special teams, and speed. Speed is already prevalent in a class that already contains two 5-star players and 10 4-star players. Read More »

Gator Basketball Team Avenges Buzzer-Beater to South Carolina

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:09:01 -0500

Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) scored 22 points, sophomore forward Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) added 19 and Florida held on in the closing minutes to beat South Carolina with a 97-93 victory on Tuesday night in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

Six players scored in double figures for the Gators as they avenged a disheartening loss two weeks ago in Columbia. Florida lost the previous meeting mostly because of two missed free throws in the final seconds. The Gamecocks returned the favor in the rematch, finishing 10 of 22 from the stripe. Read More »

GT.com's Top Ten Super Bowl Commercials of 2009

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:19:51 -0500

If you want to be able to know what people are talking about when they're "standing around the water cooler" today, I advise that you read this article and watch the videos. Everyone knows that the first couple days after the Super Bowl are filled with conversations about the funniest commercials more than the actual football game itself. Sure, the catch was amazing, as was the Cardinal's fourth quarter comeback, but really. We all know that pro football has nothing on college. So, let's start the countdown of the top 10 Super Bowl Commercials of 2009.

10. Cash4Gold.com's "Ed McMahon" - Everyone has seen the stupid Cash4Gold.com commercials where they show people putting all their jewlery in a little envelope and getting a thousand dollar check back in the mail for $200 worth of jewlery. Finally, they've made it interesting. By making fun of well-known and widely reported celebrity financial hardships (Ed McMahon and M.C. Hammer), the commercial came off funny, although it wasn't hilarious. That's why it sneaks in at number 10 on our list.

Ten Most Annoying People at a Super Bowl Party

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:51:02 -0500

If you are a football fan or not, chances are you have been to a Super Bowl party once or twice in your lifetime. Most people are there to watch the game, have some food and socialize. For some people, this is their opportunity to demonstrate just how annoying they can be. So here are the 10 most annoying people you will meet at a Super Bowl party.

The “This Party Sucks Compared to the One Two Years Ago” Guy – This jerk has seen it all and more than likely hosted the biggest Super Bowl bash in all of history. He’ll constantly drone on and on how much more fun this other Super Bowl party he went to a few years ago had way hotter girls, a buffet table as long as a football field, flat screens in the bathrooms, the marching band from the local college and a midget tending bar. No matter how much fun this Super Bowl party is, he has seen better. He will top any experience bar none. The only way to compete with this guy is to see how far he will go to continue his charade. Make mention of how one year you were at a Super Bowl party were the Lingerie Bowl was played in their backyard while the Village People performed YMCA in the garage. See where he takes it from there. Read More »

Gator Basketball Team Falls to Tennessee, 79-63

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:40:35 -0500

Despite a second-half rally, the University of Florida men’s basketball team (18-4, 5-2) fell short to Tennessee (13-7, 4-2), 79-63, on Saturday night at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first six points and owned a 16-6 lead with 10:22 left before halftime. The Volunteers, who owned a 30.6 percent shooting average from behind the arc, hit a flurry of 3-pointers to take a 39-22 halftime lead. Six Volunteers combined for eight treys in the first half, shooting 42 percent. Read More »

The Stadium Pal: A Super Bowl Party Essential

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:18:39 -0500

If you are like most Americans, you’ll be spending a good portion of this coming Sunday eating, drinking and watching the Super Bowl. Watching the Super Bowl at home or at a party presents a unique dilemma. When to make a bathroom break? There is a product out there that solves the following problems.

1) You normally are consuming more beer than you would watching a normal game, therefore more trips to the bathroom. Read More »

Florida Gator Basketball Too Dawg-Gone Good

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:00:32 -0500

Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) recorded the third triple-double in Florida basketball history as he led the Gators with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in an 83-57 win over Georgia Wednesday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Read More »

Darkhorses of the Draft: A Case for Louis Murphy

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:57:42 -0500

Each and every draft hosted by the National Football League has it's share of fine athletes and blossoming talent, but one would agree that there's a particular aspect within the base of the draft that defines it all: late-round draft selections.

Within these late-round picks emerges legends, legends that weren't highly sought after due to a specific weakness or their statistics at the collegiate level. There's been more than a few players which have come unto the scene and made a lasting impact as a pick in the closing rounds.

One notable selection would be New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Read More »

Top Five Hits in Gator Football History

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:20:21 -0500

Top Five Hits in Gator Football History in desceding order:

No. 5: Monty Grow against West Virginia in Sugar Bowl—Jan. 1994

I was at this game, and I remember two things from that night: Monty Grow's hit on Darren Studstill, and a poor Mountaineer fan puking on himself at Pat O'Brien's after the game. Monty's hit was WAY better! The images of Studstill trying to play with his chin strap vertical through his facemask are classic!

Monty's consecutive plays also introduced us to a spectacular play by Lawrence Wright (see No. 3 below) as a freshman! Read More »

Gator Basketball Rolls Over Commodores, 94-69

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:22:11 -0500

Sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) hit seven 3-pointers, including his first five, and finished with a career-high 27 points as No. 24 Florida routed Vanderbilt 94-69 on Sunday. Florida (17-3, 4-1 SEC) won for the 11th time in 12 games with the lone loss coming on a buzzer-beater at South Carolina on Wednesday night. The Gators more than bounced back by hitting a season-best 15 3-pointers.

Parsons only missed one shot on the afternoon, going 10-of-11 from the field, including seven of eight from beyond the arc. He also added eight rebounds in the game. Read More »

Gator Basketball Looks to Bounce Back Against Vanderbilt

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:32:51 -0500

The Gators travel on Sunday to Nashville play the Commodores in an important SEC Eastern Division match-up at Memorial Gym. The Gators will be looking to erase the memory of their last second loss to South Carolina earlier this week, while Vandy is hoping to break a two game losing streak.

Vanderbilt Players to Watch: Read More »

AJ Ogilvy-C; Jeffrey Taylor-G-F; Jermaine Beal-G

Top Ten College Football Upsets of 2008

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:01:40 -0500

10. Vanderbilt upsets Auburn

I believe this deserves to be the No. 10 upset in the nation in 2008, simply because just like every year in college football no one expects Vanderbilt to do anything.

But can you really blame those people? I mean before this year, the last time they went to a bowl was what 1988.

After this game, they proved themselves but upsetting Auburn en route to winning the Music City Bowl. In this game, Mackenzi Adams threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Auburn, 14-13.

Read on for more... Read More »

The Super Bowl of Tailgating is at Super 'Gate in Tampa

Rusty — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:50:44 -0500

As the playoff field narrows and the tailgating season ends for millions of football fans across the NFL and NCAA, one event still shines as brightly as the pre-season hopes for a Lombardi trophy. This month, top tailgaters from all over the nation will converge at Super 'Gate II in Tampa, Florida for what has been dubbed "The Super Brawl of Tailgating."

Super 'Gate II pledges to:
· Give tailgaters a place to party before the biggest football game of the year.
· Celebrate the hot trend of tailgating by bringing together tailgaters from teams across the country.
· Be a fun, interactive, event for the fans with contests, entertainment, and of course, tailgating!
· Provide a place to park, stay, and party for a minimal cost, and with minimal restrictions.

Read More »

2 Weeks Till National Signing Day

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:04:30 -0500

Two weeks. That's all the time left between a choosing the right school or the wrong school for a high school football player.

College football fans, with no live games to watch for the next seven months (except for perhaps a televised spring game), have hit recruiting sites like Scout.com to check on their team's rankings and see if the school has landed the right fish to fill in their needs. Some of them need life preservers.
Read More »

Gator Tailgaing's 2008 Picture of the Year Contest

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:21:21 -0500

For many Gator fans, tailgating has been defined as the act of stumbling aimlessly around University Avenue and Gale Lemerand (formerly North-South Drive) to score free food and some cold adult beverages. For others, they put their heart and souls into tailgating with preparation and planning. We’ve seen you. The enormous sound systems. The generators churning out power for TVs and Satellites. The huge grills spitting out ribs, chicken, and turkey. The orange and blue-themed buses (yes, buses). Read More »

Whether you're the aimless tailgater without a plan or the tailgater with all the accessories, we want you to join in this contest. This is a contest about who has the best picture from this past football season. Period. It can be a picture of the best tailgating setup, a group picture of your tailgate buddies, a funny Gator outfit, or even an impromptu picture. This is a combination of them all. We want your best Gator pictures from 2008.

Bored During the Inauguration? Here's One Way to Enjoy it

Rusty — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:39:56 -0500

By Rusty Thompson

No, this article really doesn't have anything to do with Gator football, or even tailgating for that matter. It's just that I know there are tons of other people out there like me that will be watching Tuesday evening's inauguration with the same thought in their mind, "I'd rather be slowly inserting a sharp object into the retina of my eye than be watching this boring speech." Well, here's one way to make the evening bareable (if you don't have to work on Wednesday). Read More »

Gator Basketball Team Uses Strong 2nd Half to Defeat Hogs

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:14:08 -0500

Florida used a barrage of 3-pointers in the second half to beat Arkansas 80-65 Saturday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center to extend its winning streak to 10 games. Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) led the Gators with 28 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Read More »

Calathes made four 3-pointers in the second half and finished with a career-high six three-pointers, clearly the difference for the Gators (16-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference).

Why January 8th was the Greatest Day of My Life

GatorsFirst — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:25:53 -0500

Thursday, January 8th was the greatest day of my life. I’ve been alive for 8,832 days, but that lovely winter day was undeniably the best of the bunch. That day, you see, was the day that I watched the Florida Gators win their second football national championship in three years. So why then would 1/8/09 be any better than 1/8/07, when I watched the gators win their first national championship in ten years - and as a student no less? Well, for that second championship I watched the game in person, at the stadium. That alone would probably be enough, but that’s only the half of it. See, I didn’t have a ticket to the game. I snuck in. Yes, I snuck into Dolphin Stadium to watch my beloved gators do what they do best. Spent a grand total of zero dollars and zero cents and wound up celebrating in club seats arm-in-arm with my best friends. A gator national championship always makes for a great day. Doing it the way I did, well that just shoots it right to the top of the list.

Read More »

Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin Building Rocky Top Army

Gabe — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:46:40 -0500

By Gabe DeJesus

Lane Kiffin was a great hire for the University of Tennessee. From 2001 to 2006 he put together what is arguably one of the best offensive schemes in the country. As the Offensive Coordinator for the University of Southern California he recruited 2 Heisman trophy winners and helped win back to back national championships. Read More »

Brandon Spikes Will Stay For Senior Year

Rusty — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:41:57 -0500

This morning, Brandon Spikes finally ended the speculation of whether he would enter the Linebacker-heavy NFL draft in 2008 or follow Tim Tebow and return for his Senior season at the University of Florida and hope to repeat as National Champions. The speculation was ended by his announcement that he would return to Florida for two reasons; improving his draft status with the NFL and repeating as National Champions in 2009. Read More »

Donovan Gets 300th Career Victory 68-65 Victory Over Auburn

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:50:44 -0500

Gator sophomore Alex Tyus (St. Louis, Mo.) led Florida to a 68-65 victory over Auburn Wednesday with his third double-double of the season. Tyus scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Florida moved to 15-2 overall (2-0 SEC) this season. UF head coach Billy Donovan secured his 300th career victory, the first Florida coach to do so, after serving the Tigers (10-6, 0-2 SEC) their sixth loss of the season. Read More »

Tailgating Truck Wins Crew Free Trip to Pasadena

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:17:35 -0500

Davidsonian Weston Short, an Appalachian State University alumnus, has created a tailgating truck that has turned eyes in Boone and around the United States. Read More »

Why USC Has No Argument for a National Championship

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:54:06 -0500

Yes, USC Trojan fans, it has happened again. Your team stumbled in Pac-10 conference play after yet again being dubbed "The Best Team in College Football". Yet, somehow you feel entitled to some sort of national championship every year.

Last year, Stanford rolled into Los Angeles and took down your mighty Trojans, despite being a 41-point underdog. The year before that, all your beloved Trojans needed to do was beat lowly crosstown rival UCLA to secure a bid in the BCS championship game.

However, they would lose that game 13-9 and settle for yet another berth in the Rose Bowl. Read More »

Could Gator Football Fans Have It Any Better? Yes!

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:06:06 -0500

As of Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, Tim Tebow has decided to return for his senior year and last season as a Florida Gator. After winning a National Championship in 2006 and a Heisman in 2007, Tim finished off this season strong with another Championship title to add to his résumé. Many Gator fans thought he would enter the draft after an outstanding career at the University of Florida, but Tim chose otherwise.

With Mr. Tebow returning, this puts the Gators in a great situation. They will most likely be preseason No. 1 and will bring back the majority of their starters (since they are mostly underclassmen.) But they might suffer with the probable loss of Brandon Spikes and Percy Harvin. Read More »

Tim Tebow will Return for Senior Season

Rusty — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:51:27 -0500

To put an exclamation mark on a great party to celebrate Florida's third National Championship, Tim Tebow stood up and confirmed what every Gator fan had been praying for since Thursday night. "Oh and by the way, one more thing. Let's dot it again! I'm coming back!" shouted Tebow as he walked back onto the stage. Read More »

How do you Like Them Apples? Gators and SEC Prove it Again

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:27:39 -0500

"You will never see a player play as hard as I will play the rest of the season"--Tim Tebow, following 31-30 loss to Ole Miss

Last night, everyone was expecting the Big XII to finish strong. Everyone was expecting the Gators to be exposed for the frauds they are. Everyone was expecting Oklahoma to crush the Gators the way that Nebraska did to them over a decade ago.

I have one question for you guys 12 hours later: Did Oklahoma get the memo about it being for the National Championship?

Despite Dominique Franks' best attempt to rattle Superman, and the majority of the country expecting the Sooners to win, Tim Tebow went out and showed why he was the hardest working player in the country after that loss to Ole Miss. He showed why he is the leader of this team. And even when the Sooners got two picks in the first half, they never rattled Tim Tebow. Read More »

Sam Bradford: I Hate to Say I Told You So, But I Did.

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:10:09 -0500

In one of the most memorable games in recent history, the 2009 BCS National Championship certainly matched the two best teams in college football.

The game featured two outstanding Heisman-winning quarterbacks in Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford, two "X-Factors" in Jermaine Gresham and Percy Harvin, two of the most outstanding coaches in college football in Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer, and expectations of an extremely high scoring game, with two of the most prolific offenses in college football history. Read More »

BCS National Championship: Gators' Resilience, Defense Trump Sooners 24-14

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:38:45 -0500

Legend has it that when Paul "Bear" Bryant went to a recruit to try to lure him to play for Alabama he would say, "Son, do you wanna win? Then come to Alabama."

Urban Meyer may be able to bring in recruits using the same line.

Florida's 24-14 win over the Oklahoma Sooners has cemented Urban Meyer as college football's best current head coach and the University of Florida as college football's new "it" school. Read More »

Guide To the BCS Championship Game

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:47:26 -0500

How they got here…

The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners blitzed through the regular season to the tune of a 12-1 record. They set a record for most points scored in a season with a game to spare. Their only slip-up was a 45-35 loss to Texas, the team they controversially passed up in order to make it to the conference title game. OU destroyed Missouri to claim yet another Big 12 title in the Bob Stoops era.

The No. 2 Florida Gators didn’t get off to the most graceful start, and they fell by one point at home in a shocker to Ole Miss. After an emotional promise by quarterback Tim Tebow that he would make the team play better, UF tore through the rest of the season like a well-oiled buzz saw. They defeated the previously unbeaten Alabama Crimson Tide in an instant-classic SEC Championship Game to punch their ticket to Miami. Read More »

One Last Look at Florida's and Oklahoma's Defenses

Rusty — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:28:02 -0500

The relative value of the two defenses in this BCS title game has been the most pervasive and contentious debate.

It's what both teams have been mouthing off about the most, and it also is perhaps what has inflamed message boards the most (other than the generic Conference Wars woofing).

Something I've see brought up a lot in recent days is that one reason why Oklahoma gives up more points and yards than Florida does is because of the fast pace of its games.

More plays per game means more points and yards allowed, you see. Another thing I've heard is that Oklahoma tends to give up a lot of points when the game is out of hand, skewing their numbers. Read More »

What I Learned From Watching an Oklahoma Game

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:19:04 -0500

Back in November I recorded the Oklahoma-Texas Tech game on my DVR both in hopes of capturing the career-defining win for Mike Leach (so much for that), and just in case Florida ended up playing either of them in a bowl. I figured it would be good to have a game in which both played another top team to get some good studying in. Read More »

Addazio & Offensive Leaders Meet with Members of Media

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:52:06 -0500

Select coaches and members of the University of Florida offense met with members of the media on Sunday, Jan. 4 in Ft. Lauderdale. Participating coaches and players included: offensive coordinator, assistant head coach/linebackers Steve Addazio, junior quarterback Tim Tebow, redshirt senior offensive lineman Jason Watkins, senior wide receiver Louis Murphy, sophomore offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey, sophomore offensive lineman Mike Pouncey and redshirt senior offensive lineman Phil Trautwein. Read More »

Updated BCS Championship Game RV Info

Mike — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:11:48 -0500

A friend of GatorTailgating gave us this info a bit earlier today. Evidently, it has been a complete pain to get information on RV passes for the game because the wrong phone number has been published.

The correct phone number is (305) 341-4700, and then asked to be transferred to RV Parking. This phone number is open 8:30am – 4:30pm. As of mid-Monday, only 33 RV parking passes have been sold, out of a total of 100.

Get 'em while the supplies last! Go Gators! Read More »

Franks' Words Will Fuel Tim Tebow & Gator Football Team

jpm91 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 06:37:09 -0500

There are two key qualities of a great player.

One is the player's athletic ability and how efficiently he plays his position on the field.

The other is the ability to leave everything on the playing field, or to disprove one's critics with your performance on the field instead of using words.

While Dominique Franks has picked up on the first quality, he still has much to learn about the second.

When responding to questions about how the Sooner defense would stop Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Franks decided to speak up, instead of saving his retaliation for the matchup with the Gators Jan. 8. Read More »

How to Build Your Own Tailgate Toss

Rusty — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:03:23 -0500

Whether you call the game Tailgate Toss, Cornhole, Corn Toss, or Beanbag Throw, it's all the same game. In this article, we have given you instructions for to build it so that you can include this game at your next tailgate party. Also, you can practice for our Tailgating Championships which will be starting in Fall of 2009! Read More »

Coach Strong & Members of Defense Meet With Media

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:28:35 -0500

Select coaches and members of the University of Florida defense met with members of the media on Saturday, Jan. 3 in Ft. Lauderdale. Participating coaches and players included: defensive coordinator, associate head coach/linebackers Charlie Strong, junior linebacker Brandon Spikes, junior defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, sophomore cornerback Joe Haden, redshirt junior linebacker Ryan Stamper, sophomore safety Ahmad Black and sophomore safety Major Wright. Read More »

Percy Harvin Will Play in BCS Championship Game

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:00:10 -0500

Percy Harvin was the third person off the Gators' plane Friday at the airport, and showed no effects of a sprained right ankle as he walked down the staircase onto the tarmac. A few moments later, Florida coach Urban Meyer stated unequivocally that Harvin will play in Thursday's national championship game against Oklahoma.

"Oh, he'll play," Meyer said. "He's good. He should practice tommorrow." Read More »

Tit For Tat With a Florida Gator Fan Part 2

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:56:13 -0500

This 2-part article series is where a Gator fan and Sooner fan each ask each other 5 questions related to the big game. This is part 2 with the Sooner fan answering the Gator fan's questions. Read More »

1. Oklahoma is 0-4 in the last 4 BCS bowl games that they have played; Can Bob Stoops win the big game?

Yes, Big Game Bob may have been a misnomer in hindsight, however you have to recall he did win, and win big during his assistant coaching stints at Florida as a DC and, in his first head coaching job at Oklahoma he took the struggling Sooners (the '90s were not pretty) and took them to a bowl game (L. Ole Miss, Independence Bowl.), followed by a BCS title and Cotton Bowl and Rose Bowl victories.

Tit For Tat with an Oklahoma Fan Part 1

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:49:08 -0500

This 2-part article series is where a Gator fan and Sooner fan each ask each other 5 questions related to the big game. This is part 1 with the Gator fan answering the Oklahoma fan's questions.

1. Should Tim Tebow go ahead and play safety in the MNC to raise his draft stock? Read More »

That’s a funny question that I have never heard. Tebow was a linebacker before being converted to quarterback. However, I think at the safety position we should be just fine. Ahmad Black has six interceptions and has been a huge surprise playing in a position that has lost Jamar Hornsby, Bryan Thomas, and Dorian Monroe.

Charlie Strong Will Face the Bigget Challenge of His Career

clemsongator — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:21:18 -0500

Charlie Strong is preparing for what could be the biggest challenge he will face in his entire coaching career. Strong must find a way to slow down the most explosive offense in college football history led by Heisman winning QB Sam Bradford, who has led the NCAA in passing efficiency for the second-straight year. Read More »

Oklahoma also featured two running backs in their backfield that rushed for over 1,000 yards each. Unfortunately for Oklahoma, one of those running backs, DeMarco Murray, will be sitting on the sideline with an injury.

Five Keys to the BCS Championship Game

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:19:47 -0500

The Bowl Championship Series field is debatable, the outcry for respect and the demand for a playoff system is high, and teams are coming out with chips on their shoulders, ready to prove a point to the nation.

But above all, two teams have emerged from the submission that we as college football fans have come to know: the computers, the percentages, the countless polls, and most importantly, the BCS.

Amidst the controversy and chaos of the 2008-2009 campaign, we have the Big XII's Oklahoma Sooners and the SEC's Florida Gators squaring off in Miami, Florida, to be crowned 2009 National Champions. Read More »

Sharp Shooting Propels Gator Basketball Past Winthrop 74-45

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 07:09:32 -0500

The University of Florida men’s basketball team claimed its ninth-consecutive victory at the Orange Bowl Classic with a 74-45 victory over Winthrop at the BankAtlantic Center on Sunday. The Gators were led by sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.), who matched his season-high with 17 points and his career mark of four three-pointers. Parsons was named Florida’s Most Valuable Player for the tournament.

With the victory, the Gators now own a 10-2 record and have reached at least 10 wins before New Year’s for the fourth-straight season. UF has won their past 14 neutral-site games in Florida. The Gators were best from behind the three-point line, outshooting the Eagles nine-to-one. Read More »

A Buyer's Guide to Generators for Tailgating

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:42:16 -0500

There’s been quite a bit of discussion about small generators in several of our most recent tailgate parties. These two little generators have been the focus of most of the the discussion.

On the left, we have the Universal ChiCom 1000 watt 2-stroke generator, here represented the one sold by Northern tools who supplied the photo. This generator is currently on sale for $99.95.

On the right, we have the venerable Honda EU-1000. MSRP on this little plastic blob is $789.95 with a street price of something in the high $600 range. Read More »

Addazio Named New Offensive Coordinator for Gator Football

Rusty — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:00:04 -0500

Urban Meyer released a statement Saturday afternoon to announce Steve Addazio as the Gators' new Offensive Coordinator. Last month, Dan Mullen vacated the position to become the new Head Coach at another SEC school, Mississippi State University. Mulen will still call the plays in the BCS Championship Game against Oklahoma on January 8th, but Addazio will take the reigns after that game.

Many questions have floated about who could replace Mullen, but there weren't too many names to leak out in the search for a replacement. We now find out that the reason for that is it was not an outside search for Mullen's replacement. Read More »

A Gator's Prediction on the BCS Title Game

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:44:39 -0500

Throughout the course of the 2008 football year, Oklahoma has scorched their opponents for an NCAA record 702 points. Sam Bradford has thrown 48 touchdowns and to the end the season had five straight games of scoring at least 60 points. Read More »

However, when you look at their schedule you have to wonder how much of a feat it really is and how will they fair when they face a good defense.

A Sooner's Predictions on the BCS Title Game

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:48:05 -0500

Here we are a few weeks away from crowning the winner of the MNC, and as of today Florida is a +3 favorite, to be honest I would not be surprised if the odds get to +7 due to the loss of Granger and Murray. So in preparation, here are my five reasons Oklahoma will win and my final score prediction.

1. OU is a dangerous Underdog, in 2000 OU was a 10 1/2 point underdog against Florida St., they won the game 13-2. The most recent OU underdog Bowl win was in 2005 against then No. 6 Oregon in the Holiday Bowl( coincidentally also there last bowl win). Read More »

'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Tailgating Edition)

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:26:33 -0500

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the lot,
The party was ready - Oh what a tailgate we've got!

The grills are hot and the coals are glowing,
The beer is cold and definitely flowing.

We share stories with football buddies we’ve met,
Of victories and losses -
And some games we’d rather forget.

Then our talk turns to Santa
And his bag full of toys,
For men who love football, but act like small boys.
Read More »

The Five Most Important Plays in College Football in 2008

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:51:02 -0500

1. Graham Harrell's 28-yard TD pass to Michael Crabtree as time expired to beat Texas. This play cost the Longhorns the Big 12 South Division title and probably a spot in the NC game.

Read More »

Gator Tailgating's Top Five Grills for Tailgating

Rusty — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:14:11 -0500

Everyone knows that there are many important tools for tailgating, but very few are absolutley neccessary. As a matter of fact, I would say there is only one tool that you almost have to have to tailgate on a consistent basis. No, I'm not talking about alcohol either. I'm talking about a professional-quality tailgating grill. Who can you name that loves to tailgate but doesn't like to grill and/or eat the food being grilled? I would venture to say that you cannot name one. Read More »

The Ten Most Valuable Quarterbacks of College Football

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:52:20 -0500

1. Tim Tebow - A QB who can stand up a linebacker in the open field - and love every second of it - is unique in the history of the sport, college or pro. Without exception, non-skill position players see QBs as prima donnas, who don't want to hit or get hit. By contrast, Tebow's enthusiasm for taking and delivering crunching blows gains him the full respect of all his teammates.

He takes advantage of this with his emotional sideline cheerleading. For example, after scoring the go ahead touchdown against Alabama, he ran onto the field and head butted the Gator kickoff team. I repeat, he ran across the field and head butted the guys on the kickoff team.
Read More »

Joel's Take: Gators and Tebow Will Chomp in Miami

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:55:31 -0500

Besides the fact that the Gators are loaded with oodles of talent and blazing speed, along with powerful leadership and brilliant coaching, they have another advantage for the BCS title game. The Oklahoma Sooners have the Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, as their starting quarterback. Read More »

Urban is Going to Notre Dame- But Not for a Long Time

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:16:40 -0500

Yes, Virginia, Meyer will probably come to Notre Dame, but not anytime soon.
Here's a little background on the subject. From the Associated Press, 12/03/2004:

"SALT LAKE CITY—Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White took off in a private jet, flying into a cold Utah night without Urban Meyer...

The Fighting Irish officially began their pursuit of Meyer on Thursday night when White and incoming school president The Rev. John Jenkins spent several hours meeting with Meyer about taking over the nation's most storied college football program." Read More »

Pre-Holiday Thoughts on Gator Football

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:59:34 -0500

Bowl Peparation

I am glad to see that the Florida coaching staff is preparing for this national title game the same way they did in 2006. It was a successful strategy, and there’s no need to reinvent the wheel on it. It’s not like the core of this team (save Harvin and Tebow) were major components of the ’06 run and might get complacent if they did the same thing as before.

After all, focus shouldn’t be a problem for them. They didn’t lose it from October on despite blowout after blowout. The only close game came as a result of the opposing team—Alabama—being a great football team and not a result of getting complacent against a bad team. Read More »

Tailgating in Miami for the BCS Title Game

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:57:53 -0500

GatorTailgating.com is doing a series of articles on where and how to tailgate at all of the Gator Football away games. This article details where and what to look out for in Miami, Florida for the BCS Title Game against the Oklahoma Sooners. Go Gators! Read More »

Gator Football RBs: Good Enough for A Nickname?

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:38:52 -0500

In the Book of Revelation, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in dark detail. Conquest, War, Famine, and Death were their names.

Their powers were equally disturbing. Each rode a different colored steed and carried different weapons of mass destruction. Read More »

Interpretations abound about these dangerous fellas. One even suggests that they were four kings rather than doom-and-gloom horsemen.

14 Tailgaters that Annoy Everyone

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:01:19 -0500

Whenever you cram thousands of people into one concentrated area, you are bound to get a diverse group. Tailgating is no different. Most tailgaters just hang out and do their own thing without calling attention to themselves. Some tailgaters can’t do that. Without further delay, here’s a list of the 14 most annoying tailgaters you want to avoid.

Exotic Meats Guy - Alligator Stew. Barbecued frog legs. Bison burgers. This is the guy that scoffs at normal hamburgers and hot dogs as traditional tailgate food. He loves to hand someone some sort of mystery meat on a stick and then see their reaction when he reveals the name of the wild animal they just ate. Tastes like chicken, right? Read More »

Is Tim Tebow a No Show For 2009 Gator Football?

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:12:00 -0500

Tim Tebow did something Wednesday that Florida fans didn't want him to do. He filed his paperwork just like many talented juniors, to test the NFL draft waters.

And who can blame him? Surely this National Championship winner, Heisman Trophy winner, and future pro phenom will attract lots of attention. And should Florida win another National Championship with Tebow at the helm, what more would he have to prove. Read More »

Gator Football: The Top 10 Moments on the Way to the BCS Championship Game

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:11:03 -0500

When Florida lost at home to Mississippi on September 27th, any chance for a national championship seemed lost. But, along the way, the Gators embraced every opportunity to back up Tim Tebow's promise, and make the most of the magic moments that led them to the BCS Championship Game:

New GatorTailgating.com Website Design!

Mike — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:27:48 -0500

How do you like the new website design? The new design incorporates most of the old website design’s layout for the content, but with a different header, and slightly different footer.

We’ve been working hard on this new design for over a month now, and it’s great to finally see it up. Some of the objectives that we’ve been working on are 1) Have the website be not as dark. 2) Make the website a bit more professional, and 3) Don’t use the green Gator Football player anymore (he was hard to fit onto shirts, business cards, banners, etc)

Anyway, comment on the bottom, and vote on the right, and tell us what you think! Read More »

The Bucket List For Tailgaters

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:23:17 -0500

Are your familiar with the concept of “The Bucket List”? The movie with the same name that follows Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as they try to complete a wish list of things to do before they “kick the bucket”? This inspired me to come up with a “Bucket List” of tailgate parties that every tailgater should experience before they die. In no particular order…

Read More »

Will Sam Bradford Suffer the "Heisman Jinx" as Others Have?

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:09:50 -0500

So one debate is over. Sam Bradford stopped Tim Tebow from making history once again, but made history himself by becoming the second sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. But after careful thought and consideration, one question is up for grabs when Bradford's Sooners face Tebow's Gators for the National Championship on January 8th.

Will Bradford inherit the curse of The Heisman? Or will he break the streak?

For those who don't believe there is a curse, consider this: Since 2000, only two have managed to win the Heisman and their respective bowl game in the same season. Neither were from Oklahoma, and both were from USC (Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer). Since 2000, Heisman Trophy winners are 2-5 in bowl games, with only one Heisman winner clinching the National Championship. Read More »

Oklahoma's Bradford Wins the Heisman Trophy

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 09:25:48 -0500

“Boomer”… Yes former Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims. We know. We hear you do it every year, just on this occasion it was relevant.

For the second straight year, the voters got it right. Well, most of them. In a not as close as expected vote, Oklahoma gunslinger Sam Bradford is the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow—the 2007 winner—finished third behind Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. Read More »

Auburn's Next Head Coach Is... Huh???

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 08:51:26 -0500

Gene Chizik? Is that the best Auburn could do? If you are going to get rid of a proven commodity, please make sure you find somebody better than Gene Chizik. Please find somebody better than 5-19 in his college coaching career. Please find a coach that won more than two conference games in two seasons, losing nine in a row before bolting. Read More »

Passing Efficiency: Tebow, McCoy, or Bradford—Who Is Really Performing Better?

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 09:22:08 -0500

Give Bob Stoops credit: He has the PR game down pat. Not a 60-point Oklahoma Sooner victory passed this season without Coach highlighting the "precision" of his quarterback, Sam Bradford.

We've unfortunately reached a point that has everyone parroting the latest buzz phrase as soon as it is launched, from ESPN on down the sports media food chain to you and me. Short, snappy word pictures that are easy to digest and remember. Read More »

"Big and tough Alabama versus flashy Florida" makes for a better storyline than "big and tough Alabama versus also big and tough and faster Florida."

Gator Football: How Is Charlie Strong Not a Head Coach Yet?

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:19:24 -0500

Dan Mullen has been offered and accepted the head coaching job at Mississippi State. I am not one of the message board malcontents who were calling for his head the first six weeks of the season. He has done an excellent job over his career at developing quarterbacks and, at Florida, coordinating the offense.

He would appear to be a good fit in Starkville, where decent defense is a regular occurrence, but good offense is about as common as a Mario Kart race without a blue shell. After all, if you want a good offense, hiring the coordinator from the team with the highest scoring offense in your conference two years running is a good idea. Read More »

Goodbye Gainesville. Hello Starkville.

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 08:07:58 -0500

The coaching carousel—a wild ride that makes every college football fan a bit tipsy turvy at this time of the season. With questions being ask, reports being released, and rumors running wild, this part of the year is sure to drive fans crazy.

For myself, as a Gators fan, it already has spoken volumes with a rumor swirling atop the coaching carousel. Read More »

It appears that Florida offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Mullen will be leaving the University of Florida to fill the vacant head coaching position at Mississippi State.

Tailgating Done Right

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:23:00 -0500

The Tailgate Guy, Jay DiEugenio, drives his 43-foot long Ultimate Tailgate Machine — complete with four flat-screen TVs, 2 full-size kitchens and an exterior grill — to blacktops around the country finding good food and fun people and washing it all down with great beer… and we thought we had the best job in the world. Read More »

The Heisman Candidates in Perspective

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 06:34:29 -0500

In four days, the most prestigious award in college football will be awarded. There are four possible candidates that the media has been focusing on, and unless you've been living under a rock, those four are Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Graham Harrell.

The stats for these quarterbacks are very impressive. Sam Bradford leads the NCAA in touchdown passes, Graham Harrell leads the NCAA in passing yards, Colt McCoy leads the NCAA in completion percentage, and Tim Tebow leads the NCAA in best TD/Int ratio. Read More »

But the numbers are quite confusing. All three of the Big 12 quarterbacks have completed more passes than Tim Tebow has even attempted this season. With such a low number of attempts, it is quite hard to try and objectively compare all four quarterbacks.

Gator Football Team Wins 2nd SEC Title in 3 Years

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:35:42 -0500

When the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide played for the SEC Championship yesterday it could have been equivalent to the National Championship game. Both teams are National Championship caliber teams, instead the game decided who would get to go to the BCS Championship game.

The match up was classic and it was one of the better SEC Championship games ever played in Atlanta. The Crimson Tide was up 20-17 going into the 4th quarter but the Gators scored 14 unanswered points to pull off a 31-20 victory.
Read More »

Why the SEC Owns the BCS

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:58:44 -0500

Year after year, certain conferences boast that they have the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country and lament that they should get a rematch in the BCS Championship game.

Two years ago, it was Ohio State and Michigan. This year, it is Oklahoma and Texas. However, as history shows, only the SEC has proof.

Over the past two years, SEC teams have gone 4-0 in BCS bowl games, winning two National Championships. Both times the SEC was the underdog yet won in convincing fashion.

Over the past seven years, SEC teams are 9-1. Nine and one against the elite teams in the country. Read More »

Gator Football Victorious Over Alabama for SEC Championship

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:29:40 -0500

It was a game that lived up to its billing. It was a battle of champions, with the lead and momentum swinging back and forth for much of the game.

Florida played mistake-free ball. Alabama had mental lapses that may have cost it the game. The Gators seized every opportunity in the end to cement a thrilling 31-20 victory.

Bama failed to do the three things it must have done to win. Read More »

Is Alabama-Florida the Real National Championship Game?

Gator Tailgating — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:20:52 -0500

It can be logically argued that no team in college football is playing better than the Florida Gators are right now. The Gators outscore their opponents by an average of 24 points per game, own the top turnover margin in the nation, and since their loss to Ole Miss in late September, they have destroyed teams by a 414-97 margin.

However, this game will come down to defense, which just so happens to be the Alabama Crimson Tide’s strength. The Tide are allowing just 11.5 points per game and fewer than 250 total yards. Their defensive front four is one of the best in the nation and as a unit, the Crimson Tide defense is the sixth best in all of college football. Read More »

SEC Championship: Game Analysis and Prediction

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:45:08 -0500

So I keep reading and hearing that this year’s SEC Championship Game is “Florida’s Flash” vs. “Alabama’s Grit.”

And I just don’t understand it.

Yes, Florida has flashy and lightning-fast players, and yes, Alabama has top-notch, gritty lineman in the trenches.

But these teams didn’t get to the SEC title game without great players all over the field.

Isn’t Tim Tebow the toughest quarterback in the nation—the “one-man wrecking ball,” as some have called him? Isn’t Julio Jones one of the best and most athletic wide receivers in college football? Are the Pouncey twins finesse players? Is Javier Arenas not one of the most electrifying return men in the nation? Read More »

Fan vs. Fan: A Gator Fan's Thoughts on the SEC Championship Game

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:10:41 -0500

The magnitude of this game is pretty simple:

Win, and you're playing in Miami on January 8th. Lose, and you're playing January 2nd in the Sugar Bowl.

This is old guard SEC and the new school mixing it up once again. These two teams have met the most in SEC Championship Games, and have provided some classics. With the staggering amount of young talent on these two squads, this will not be the last of the Florida-Alabama matchups to come in the next few years. Read More »

Fan vs. Fan: A Tide Fan's Thoughts on the SEC Championship Game

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:05:16 -0500

Prior to the start of the season, anyone who would have predicted 'Bama to be undefeated and playing in the SEC Championship Game this season has to be either a delusional 'Bammer who thinks they are going all the way each and every year, or that person has to be the best long-shot gambler the college football world has ever seen.

At best, most thought 'Bama would come away with nine wins and second place in the division. No one that I know had 'Bama picked to win the Western Division, but oh, how the tables have turned!

Gator Football vs. Crimson Tide: Some Scoring and Yardage Stats

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:55:04 -0500

It's always interesting to see everyone's predictions for a game. However, they're not always justified. They're often backed up solely by emotion, hunches, selective memory, and just plain old guessing.

So, I've devised a method for predicting the yards and points for Saturday's SEC Championship Game. I looked at all the games Alabama and Florida have played against BCS conference teams and found out how the teams' offensive and defensive performances differed in comparison to what you'd expect. Read More »

Gator Football vs. Crimson Tide: Get Used To It

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:43:27 -0500

How do you like the matchup this Saturday at the Georgia Dome?

Most believe that Florida has the superior speed, but Alabama is the more powerful of the two. The national media seems to like Florida, while the Alabama faithful see a return to glory. The 2008 SEC Championship will be decided this weekend, but what about the years to come? Read More »

If this year has taught us anything, it is that one program in the SEC is established as a legitimate, perennial national power.

A Holiday Gift Giving Guide for Tailgaters

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:20:58 -0500

The holiday gift giving season is upon us and that means you are completely at a loss for what to get that tailgater on your list. Have no fear but GatorTailgating.com has your 2008 Holiday Gift Giving Guide for Tailgaters. We’ll break it down by the basics for those tailgaters just starting out to the more lavish for the tailgater that has everything. Read More »

Southeastern Conference Showdown: The BCS Championship Playoff

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:26:11 -0500

This weekend marks arguably the most anticipated SEC championship game since it's beginning in 1992. The game was played in Birmingham, at Legion Field the first two years, and since then has been moved to the Georgia Dome, in Atlanta. Alabama won the very first meeting in 1992 against Florida (28-21). It's quite the coincidence that this weekend's game with so much anticipation, features the same two teams who started it all to begin with. In fact this will mark the sixth time they have battled for SEC supremacy. Florida holds the edge 3-2, however last meeting in Atlanta (1999) Alabama won 34-7.

Top ranked Alabama enters this game undefeated for the 3rd time. The Tide are (1-1) when undefeated, and both of those games were against Florida. Second ranked Florida enters the game at 11-1, and has scored 42 or more points in seven consecutive games. It's very evident that something will have to give this weekend as Florida's high powered offense, stacks up against the stout defensive line of Alabama. Read More »

Tim Tebow: Most Outstanding Leader in College Football

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:40:52 -0500

It is now official, Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, will not win the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the best quarterback in College Football.

No Matter. Tim has bigger and better things to do.

For one, how about finishing the regular season against #20 Florida State in a 45 – 15 rout. FSU just had their best game of the year taking out Maryland in convincing fashion. Too bad that no one saw it though. The telecast was shown on ESPN against the boring blowout that was Texas Tech @ Oklahoma. Read More »

Gator Football Team Caps Off Regular Season by Dismantling FSU

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:41:13 -0500

The No. 2 Florida Gators (11-1, 7-1) defeated their fourth ranked opponent of the season, No. 23 Florida State (8-4, 5-3), 45-15, on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. The victory marks the fifth-straight win over FSU and extends head coach Urban Meyer’s streak to 4-0 against the Seminoles. The Gators have now won six-straight games on the road.

Florida amassed 502 total offensive yards, more than doubling the Seminoles’ 242 total yards. The Gators accumulated 284 yards in the first half alone, including 150 yards on the ground. With the 317 total rushing yards, the Gators have now scored more than 300 yards rushing in three-consecutive games. Junior quarterback Tim Tebow (Jacksonville, Fla.) finished the game 12-of-21 for 185 yards with three touchdowns and has now thrown for at least two touchdowns in eight-straight games, the longest streak of his career. He also notched 80 yards on 16 carries and one score on the ground. Read More »

Pre-Championship Saturday Overview

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:47:32 -0500

"Twas the Saturday before the Championship Games,
And all through the house, Nothing was stirring - not even a mouse...."

Unless you consider... THE FLORIDA GATORS - who stomped on Florida State in Tallahassee in a 45-15 exhibition. If he wasn't part of the Heisman picture BEFORE this, then Tim Tebow is now, with a brilliant performance. While Florida State Seminoles quarterbacks struggled in the wet and mud, Tebow and his Gators seemed to excel. Tebow showed all the poise you'd expect from a leader. And he changed my mind - I think he'll play in the NFL. But he needs another year in the 'Little NFL' - the SEC. Oh, and both of these teams are going to very, very good next year, bearing in mind the talent they've got coming back.

Read More »

Can the Seminoles Slow the Offensive Juggernaut?

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:34:59 -0500

I hate FSU. No team gets me angrier faster than FSU. However, it's worth a look at where they are while stifling that as best I can. Here goes...

Before the season began, I made a prediction that FSU would be a six-win team in 2008. I caught a lot of flak for saying that from some of the Bleacher Report commentariat who did not read the article, but I clarified at the beginning that I was talking about wins over I-A competition. Read More »

Gator Football: UF vs. FSU Keys to Victory

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:04:35 -0500

No. 4 Florida vs. No. 20 Florida State

This rivalry game doesn’t carry the same type of weight it once did, but there are still national title implications involved. Florida has BCS title hopes at stake, while FSU does not. Florida is on a huge seven-game winning streak, while Florida State comes off of a big win at Maryland. Read More »

Gator Basketball Team Holds Off Washington, 86-84

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:52:47 -0500

Sophomore guard Nick Calathes (Casselberry, Fla.) scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half and Florida (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) held off a late rally to beat Washington 86-84 Tuesday night in the consolation game of the CBE Classic.

Florida (4-1) had been in a bit of a slump from the perimeter, shooting 8-of-39 from 3-point range the previous two games. The Gators were much better against Washington, working the ball around for open looks, hitting 11-of-22 from beyond the arc, shooting 52 percent overall. Read More »

Thank You, Mr. Two Bits! Legendary Gator Supporter Steps Down

jpm91 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:26:43 -0500

Two bits! Four bits! Six bits! A dollar! All for the Gators stand up and holler!

I will never forget the first time I heard those words.

I had just turned 12 years old, and my cousin Daniel was taking me to “the Swamp” for my first Florida football game.

The Gator football team was kicking off their second season under Ron Zook against heavy underdog San Jose State, and it looked to be just another everyday blowout.

However, the excitement of a new season easily made up for the lack of suspense on the field. Read More »

Gator Football Numbers: Florida vs. Florida State

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:08:01 -0500

This is my third article in this series that I am trying to build. I take games that are interesting or that could possibly happen and compare the game on paper through the numbers. That is for the folks reading trying to catch up.

Now, last year was an embarrassment for the Florida State Seminoles and Bobby Bowden. The score was 45-12 in Gainesville.

Two years ago, the Seminoles almost tripped up the eventual national champions in a 21-14 loss in Tallahassee.

This year is different. Both teams have an agenda. Florida is seeking to climb the rankings and go back to the BCS National Championship and claim the national title for the SEC's 3rd straight BCS title. Read More »

So You Want to be a Tailgating Character?

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:25:01 -0500

Monday through Friday, Ken Johnson is a cube-dwelling software engineer in Rochester, New York. But come late September, Johnson's alter-ego takes over. Ken Johnson morphs into "Pinto Ron."

For nearly twenty years Johnson's been cooking up unique parking lot delicacies outside the Buffalo Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium on his 1980 Ford Pinto, and providing Bills fans with some unforgettable tailgating entertainment. Over the years, Pinto Ron's dedicated fans have faithfully returned to watch his pre-game "ceremonies" and check out all the new things he's got cooking. Read More »

Gator Football Team Spreads the Wealth of Touches Against Citadel

shanksta13 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:54:51 -0500

The Gator offense rolled to another big day, tallying nearly 400 yards on the ground on the day against The Citadel Bulldogs.

Nine different players got into the endzone for Florida and Heisman candidate tossed three touchdown passes on just nine throws. Read More »

Gator Football Team Dominates The Citadel, 70-19

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:24:18 -0500

No. 3 Florida defeated The Citadel Bulldogs, 70-19, on Senior Day at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday. The Gators accumulated 705 total yards of offense in the win, just the third time in school history that the feat has been accomplished. The win improved Florida to 10-1 overall (7-1 SEC), while The Citadel fell to 4-8 overall (2-6 SoCon). Read More »

Come Tailgate With Us For The Citadel Game!

Rusty — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:12:09 -0500

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Looking for a tailgate party to hit up while getting ready to watch the Gators beat The Citadel? The GatorTailgating.com crew will be setting up at about 7:30 am near the corner of Gale Lemerand (formerly North-South Drive) and Museum Rd. It's directly in front of the parking garage that's located on Gale Lemerand just south of the red light at Museum Drive. See the interactive map above for better directions.

We’ll have a huge banner, TVs, Stereo Equipment, food, and, of course, drinks! Donations are appreciated to cover the cost of the food. This week, Gabe is... Read More »

Florida-Citadel: A Look into the Future

Gator Tailgating — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:35:42 -0500

Game Preview

This game will not be pretty. In fact, it will be downright ugly.

The game isn't even going to be televised on most cable packages because there are much better games to televise.

If other games on Florida's schedule are road bumps, this game with the Citadel amounts to the bug that gets smashed on your windshield. Florida will win the game without much effort, in what amounts to a glorified scrimmage, before next week's rivalry game with Florida State. Read More »

Urban Meyer: The New Steve Spurrier

jpm91 — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:39:06 -0500

Steve Spurrier looked on from the sideline as Florida converted the extra point, giving the Gators a 56-6 lead with under six minutes left in the game.

This time, however, Spurrier was on the losing side of a "Swamp Romp," suffering the worst defeat of his coaching career at the hands of Urban Meyer and the Gators. Read More »

Tailgating Utility Vehicles Made for Tailgaters

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:30:30 -0500

The tailgating industry is growing at an incredible rate and car manufacturers have taken notice. Why should you have to accomodate for what your vehicle lacks in tailgating convenience, when you could buy a vehicle custom made with you in mind.

Read More »

New Gator Football Signee: 6'7" 256 LB (and All-League Sprinter)

Gator Tailgating — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:32:34 -0500

The Gators get an early commitment from Denver, Colorado defensive end Nick Kasa. He's considered to be one of the top five DE's in the nation and rated "five stars" by Scout.com. Nick has great speed for a big man...he's an 11.0 100m sprinter for the Legacy High School track team.

In a year or two of workouts, Gator strength coach Mickey Marotti will likely add 50 pounds of muscle to Kasa's 6' 7" frame...and may add a couple steps of speed as well. Read More »

Florida Gators Basketball: 10 Most Intriguing Games of 2008-2009

Gator Tailgating — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:51:35 -0500

Another year of "Billy Ball" has begun in Gainesville, and Billy Donovan is telling us how young this team is.

Sounds a lot like last year.

Truth be told, the 2008-2009 Gator men's basketball team features 11 underclassmen and just two upperclassmen (not counting Georgetown transfer and junior forward Vernon Macklin, who must redshirt under NCAA transfer rules).

But a huge difference from last year is that the Gators have increased their number of scholarship players from nine to 12. This means practices are more competitive, and playing time only goes to players that have earned it. Read More »

Percy Harvin's Signature Play: The Counter

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:17:46 -0500

The counter play is a general term for a misdirection running play where everything appears geared to having the ball carrier go in one direction, but he ends up running the other direction. In other words, the runner goes counter to the expected direction.

It is a play that Percy Harvin is absolutely lethal on. Both his first quarter and third quarter touchdown runs against South Carolina came on the brand of counter play that Urban Meyer likes to use.

I will diagram the latter since it was longer, but the other would have been a touchdown from any distance away from the end zone as well.

The Third Quarter Run

Here is the formation:

Florida begins in a three-wide set with Kestahn Moore as a running back next to Tim Tebow and Aaron Hernandez lined up as an H-back behind RT Jason Watkins. Louis Murphy is wide to the right, Riley Cooper is wide to the left, and Harvin is in the slot. Read More »

Tailgating in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game

Mike — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:21:42 -0500

GatorTailgating.com is doing a series of articles on where and how to tailgate at all of the Gator Football games. This is the seventh part of our series detailing where and what to look out for in Atlanta, Georgia for the SEC Conference Championship game. Go Gators! Read More »

Florida Gators Downs South Carolina, Spurrier-Style

Gator Tailgating — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:35:21 -0500

Former coach of Florida football, Steve Spurrier, used to hold a reign over the Southeastern Conference. He'd frequently run the score up, and most notably proclaimed that he scored 52 in a 52-17 victory of the Georgia Bulldogs at Stanford Stadium in 1995 just for one simple fact:

"I wanted to hang half a hundred on them".

Well, now Steve Spurrier knows exactly what it feels like to have a half a hundred dropped on the team he's calling the shots for. Read More »

Gators Hang 'Half a Hundred' on the Ol' Ball Coach for First Time

Gator Tailgating — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:32:39 -0500

No. 3 Florida cruised to a 56-6 win over No. 24 South Carolina Saturday evening in front of a crowd of 90,646 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The win moved the Gators to 9-1 overall (7-1 SEC), while South Carolina fell to 7-4 (4-4 SEC). The 56-point win over the Gamecocks marked the fifth-straight game that the Gators have put up 42 or more points, tying the University of Oklahoma for the longest active streak in the nation.

It was a career-best day for junior running back/wide receiver Percy Harvin (Virginia Beach, Va.), who recorded eight rushes for a career-high 167 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Harvin now holds the top three spots in the UF record books for rushing yards by a wide receiver in a season, totaling 476 yards rushing so far this year. Harvin additionally extended his scoring streak to 12-straight games with a touchdown, tying Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who also shares the feat. Read More »

Come Tailgate with us Before the South Carolina Game!

Rusty — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:25:52 -0500

Javascript is required to view this map. /* */

Looking for a tailgate party to hit up while getting ready to watch the Gators beat Spurrier's Gamecocks? The GatorTailgating.com crew will be setting up at about 7:30 am near the corner of Gale Lemerand (formerly North-South Drive) and Museum Rd. It's directly in front of the parking garage that's located on Gale Lemerand just south of the red light at Museum Drive. See the interactive map above for better directions.

We’ll have a huge banner, TVs, Stereo Equipment, food, and, of course, drinks! Donations are appreciated to cover the cost of the food. This week, Gabe is... Read More »

Steve Spurrier & Urban Meyer Matchup Promises Plenty of Intrigue

shanksta13 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:20:22 -0500

With the head ball coach making his second return to Gainesville this weekend as the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, the atmosphere promises to be intense.

Coach Steve Spurrier is nothing short of a legendary figure in Gainesville and at the University of Florida, having won the first Heisman trophy for the Gators in 1966, coached a Heisman winner in 1996, and led the Gators to their first ever National Championship. Read More »

Florida-South Carolina: Urban Takes on the Ol' Ball Coach Again

Gator Tailgating — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:23:34 -0500

Game Preview: No. 4 Florida (8-1) vs. No. 25 South Carolina (7-3)

Just like old times. "The Ol' Ball Coach," Steve Spurrier, will be prowling the sidelines in Gainesville Saturday, Florida will then face Alabama in the SEC championship game, and the Gators are in the middle of a winning streak that has seen them put up 30-plus-point wins over four SEC opponents.

Despite the nostalgia factor of Saturday's game, it really is 2008 and not 1996. Spurrier will be on the opposing sideline as head coach of the Gamecocks and the No. 1 defense in the SEC. The Gamecocks come into Gainesville looking to secure their first New Year's Day bowl bid since 2001. Read More »