Hrmph, we allowed 3 more points this year than last; still the score was nearly identical. Must have been that "home field advantage." Hrmph.

Conditions were horrible, as you might be able to tell from the video below. Players were slipping and sliding all over the place. In fact, there was one play were a Gator receiver caught the ball falling backwards and slid another five yards. Unfortunately, the conditions were conducive to injury, as well; several players from both sides limped their way or were aided to the sidelines, most notably Percy Harvin.

Still, despite the conditions, FSU could not contain our athletes, and we won this game running away.

So, two and a half months shy of being a year ago, I finally add this game. This have been, uh, busy for my family and me since October 2007 (and they haven't gotten much better).

In any event, this game would be the Gators fourth straight win over the in-state rival. The tide has turned and a once-mighty foe is no longer mighty.

The FSU offense could only muster 4 field goals, all of them in the first half. On the other hand, Tim Tebow scored five touchdowns himself, three passing, two rushing. Louis Murphy caught two of Tebow's passes, Bubba Caldwell the other; Percy Harvin also ran in a score. Joey Ijjas kicked a field goal to account for 3 of Florida's 45 points.

Of particular note, FSU linebacker Geno Hayes couldn't back up his talk. He ran his mouth off the entire week before the game claiming he was going to take Tebow down (to which Tebow responded, isn't that what he's supposed to do?). Tebow was able to break and elude his tackles and gain yards and touchdowns. Geno was left crying on the sidelines.

It's great to be a Florida Gator.

Three in a row!

First, there was Tennessee. Done; 21-20! Then, there was the gauntlet. Done; a 3-1 record (one half from being undefeated), scores of 28-13, 23-10, 17-27, 21-14! Then, there was the game against the legend. Done; 17-16!

This has been a long, hard, season. It looked like it was going to be difficult, but nothing the talent and coaching couldn't handle. Our offense was supposed to be red hot; the defense, a little suspect. However, the offense was a little anemic, the defense was almost sharp.

However, it has all taken its toll. These Gators are run-down and tired. Toughness? That was a word used going into and coming out of the Tennessee game (a game we had to come back from behind to win). It was there, but the armor has been dinked and chinked.

Finally, there was FSU. The first half started good, if not shakey. We were up 14-0 at halftime. Then, the world collapsed, and before we knew it, we were tied at 14. But, the offense (that anemic 11-man group) found a way to score again. And the special team—wow, a punt downed at the FSU 1-yard line. That killed any hope FSU had to tie it again.

Now, Urban Meyer is 6-0 against our regular rivals. Florida has a 3-game winning streak against Florida State. And, we're finally going back to the SEC Championship game.

What happens from here? Hopefully a win against Arky in the SEC CG. From there, a berth in the National Championship game is possible (but these Gators don't match up against Ohio State—besides, they still need to get past Michigan and USC). The Sugar Bowl is a strong possiblity; that requires a win against Arky—it would most likely end up being a match against the Big East Champs (Rutgers?). There's talk of the Rose Bowl; the opponent could be USC or Michigan, and who knows what it'll take for either of those matchups. And, if there's a loss against Arky, we'll most likely go to the Citrus Bowl against Wisconsin (though Outback and Chik-fil-A are also possibilities).

In any event, here's hoping the Gators still have enough juice in the tanks for two more wins. Go Gators!

This was our bowl game.

Coming off of a season that some may call disappointing (going into the game with a 7-3 record), this game became the biggest game of the season. At this point, the Gators are looking at either an Independence Bowl or Peach Bowl berth, so the Battle for the Governor's Cup held more significance than either of those bowls (though, there is the possibility of a Peach Bowl rematch against Miami).

And the Gators showed they were ready to play. The 'Noles, on the other hand, continued to disappoint their fans. This loss was their third in a row, the first time in a long time that happened. In fact, proof of the disarray in Bowden's camp, after the game, Fred Rouse, a freshman WR for the Seminoles, commented on how he regretted the decision of signing with Florida State over Florida.

On the Gator side, this game made the season. Despite the three losses (perhaps a fourth, but let's hope not), with this win, most (if not all) Gator fans can call this season successful; though, we can concede that it wasn't a complete success. Other noteworthy accomplishments of the season: the Gators were perfect at home, though they nearly blew that against Vanderbilt; the Gators beat their big 3, regular rivals (Tennessee 16-7, Georgia 14-10, Florida State 34-7), and they may have a chance of making it 4 for 4, beating all of their rivals; Urban Meyer is right on track of doing with the Gators what he did with the Bowling Green Falcons and Utah Utes...look out next year!

So, all-in-all, this was and is a great year to be a Florida Gator!

This was a game with much historic relevance. It was the 1000th game in the history of the University of Florida football program. It was the first game at Bobby Bowden Field, as Doak Campbell Stadium was just renamed in their most renowned coach's honor. It was a venue at which UF's most renowned coach, Steve Spurrier, never won at, and it was the last time Ron Zook would be able to coach UF at Tallahassee. In fact, FSU was ranked #8, and UF was unranked. To top that off, FSU needed the win to keep their rank and earn the BCS bid for the ACC; UF was playing only for pride. The drought of wins in Tallahassee had grown to 18 years--the Gators hadn't won in Tallahassee since 1986. All of this is perfect set up for a huge upset.

And, it happened. The Gator's pulled it out. They scored first, and never looked back en route to a 20-13 victory. Finally, a victory in Tallahassee, and it felt so great. I mean, a win over the Seminoles is great, but ending a long winless streak in their house is really special (especially since they seemed to have our number these last two decades).

A real nice point about this night is that it spoiled the moment for the Bowdens. You know they rededicated the field in Bobby Bowden's honor to rile up the team some more for their game with us--to give them something extra to play for. Well, it didn't work (and that's so nice). Now, UF is perfect in the newly rededicated facility, and FSU isn't! Sweet victory! (see Photoshopped image below.)

As far as standout performers go, it was an good night all around for Sophomore QB Chris Leak. Here's hoping he stays throught he coaching change. However, it was a breakthrough second half for tailback Ciatrick Fason, or C4 as he's known. The 'noles couldn't stop him when he ran up the gut. In fact, there was one point in the game where I kept yelling at the TV for him to do so. It took them several tries, and when they finally "listened to me," we scored a touchdown. Congratulations to these two players!

For the first time in over a decade, UF was clearly the favorite to win the game. They did not disappoint the home fans this night, as could and has so often happened in this rivarly (to the favorite team).

Even the Seminole fans knew they had only a slim chance to win the game, so they whined about it, just as they complain UF Coach Steve Spurrier does too much of...what hypocrites!

It was a good game for Rex Grossman (QB): 290 yards passing (10 shy of his 9th straight 300-yard game), 2 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, and only 1 interception.

This was a rowdy game. Sensing how bad Gainesville was going to be, I headed out of town to Cedar Key. The game started while I was still at work, and I knew I would not be able to find a spot to park should I return to campus, so I took myself out for dinner.

The crowd at The Swamp was, perhaps, the most raucous in the history of the University of Florida. Florida State was the favorite to win the game; they were ranked #1 in the nation to Florida's #10 rank. Neither team would finish the weekend in those positions.

It was, perhaps, also the best game in the history of the rivalry. Coach Spurrier used his rotating quarterback scheme to shake things up and keep the Seminoles off guard.

It was a game for the fans. A score close to the finish of the game assured that the seats were filled (as long as the fans were sitting) from beginning to end. And, gallantly, the game was decided in the closing minutes with heroics by quarterbacks Noah Brendise, Doug Johnson, and tailback Fred Taylor.

What a terrific game! No Gator fan will forget this game. The 1997 Nokia Sugar Bowl was the site of the 1996 National Championship Game, and it was the site for a repeat game in what is the best rivalry in college football (another repeat game, as they played in the Sugar Bowl once before for a second meeting of the season).

It was a game to regain lost pride as well. The Gators had lost the previous meeting of the year in a nail-biter. They were, at the time, the #1 team. They dropped in the rankings, but rose to #3 after a convincing win in the SEC Championship Game to clinch a spot in the Sugar Bowl.

It was also a spectacular end to Danny Wuerffel's collegiate career. The poster child of Gator football had won the Heisman Tropy a couple of weeks earlier, then demonstrated how much he deserved the award with his stellar performance in New Orleans.

This would be the Gators' first National Championship. Hopefully, it will not be their last!