#24 Florida

Gainesville, FL

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium October 7, 2017 LSU 17 – Florida 16 (ESPN Recap)

Second time to the Swamp, but first time to the stadium for a game.

Met up with Patrick, a new friend who is the younger brother of a former coworker and alum of UF. He took me to his frat house for the tailgate which was a cool perspective on what UF life is like for some: table dancing, people on all floors, loud music and dancing, and inappropriate anti-LSU signs. I felt 21 again for a half hour. Patrick is a legend at the frat and has his picture permanently beneath one of the bars.

Luckily for me, all my memories of the Gator stadium involve Tebow on the field…and Tebow was on the field for this one as well.

The game was an offensive struggle for both teams and no one scored in Q4. Very few completed passes with field position, penalties, and a few first down conversions serving as the difference in the game. A cool thing happened between Q3 and Q4 when the video board did a Tom Petty tribute and the whole stadium sang “I Won’t Back Down.” Apparently, Petty was from Gainesville originally before dying this week.

I had the Gators +2 and got lucky with the one-point cover. #83 on LSU seemed to be the only player getting yardage for either team. Poor UF loses on a missed XP in Q3 trying to tie the game at 17-17. The second time I have seen a game (both SEC games) decided squarely on a missed XP (See # XXX Arkansas).

Took a nap at halftime while the section around me was either flirting with or messing with the on-field security guard.