(By: G8R 8U2)

Ever since Steve Spurrier came home to Gainesville, and made the University of Florida Gators a force to be reckoned with, high-scoring affairs have been the norm. Once back in the SEC, Spurrier wasted little time showing the rest of the rush-first members the possibilities of airing it out, Fun ‘N Gun style. While the Ol’ Ball Coach has moved on, the Gators still maintain their identity as an explosive, high-scoring machine.
 
The Gators, previously recognized as a worthy, but somewhat moderate program, took it to the big boys of the SEC from Day 1 in 1990, under Spurrier. They would crush teams they were accustomed to losing to, that very first year. After a close 17-13 win against the class of the SEC, Alabama, in their house, Florida would go on a rampage. The ensuing air assault was unlike anything this group had seen in SEC ball, and it would show. They would light up LSU 34-8, Auburn 48-7, Georgia 38-7, and Kentucky 47-15 in 1990, on their way to a 9-2 record for Spurrier in his inaugural year at his alma mater.
 
Scores like this, and worse (sometimes much worse), would continue for the next 11 years, and force opposing SEC programs to change the way they played the game, just to keep pace. When the smoke cleared, the man who had become known as ‘Darth Visor’, would have captured not only UF’s first legitimate SEC Crown (the 1984 title was vacated, and we were ineligible for 1990), but a total of 6 SEC Championships, including 4 in a row between 1993 and 1996. They won their other two under Spurrier in 1991 and 2000. One interesting sidenote to Spurrier’s last year (2001): He and the Gators absolutely punished eventual SEC champion LSU 44-15, in Death Valley, that year. On a national scale, Florida and Spurrier would play for their first 2 National Championships (1995 and 1996), and win in their second opportunity. The new era of Florida Gators football was well under way, and they haven’t looked back; capturing another SEC title and another National Championship in 2006.
 
To better understand how far the UF program has come, let me share a few numbers with you. Prior to 1990, Florida had been a somewhat middle-of-the-pack football program, with a few minor successes and some upsets. They held their own, but never really excelled. Through 1989, the Gator offenses had scored an average of 17.9 points per game, and the teams had gone 452-322-39 (.580); which placed them 42nd on the All-Time list for win percentage for D1 programs. In the 18 years since, Florida Gator teams have averaged almost double their old figure with 35 points per game, and gone 176-50-1 (.778); which places them 2nd nationally for that time span. After spending 80+ years struggling to 42nd place on the win percentage list, they now reside at 17th with a .623 percentage. They moved up 25 spots in 18 years, while long established programs either remained where they were, or fell by the wayside.
 
While Florida has had its share of dominant defenses over the years, it’s best known for rolling up points… often in quantities usually suitable for basketball games. Over the last 18 years, scores like 82-6, 73-7, 70-21, 65-0, 65-3, 63-3, 63-7 have become common sights for Gator fans. In fact, during that span, UF has scored 50 points or more in 43 games. And, that’s no surprise, as all 3 of their Heisman Trophy winners have been gunslingers of the highest order. Spurrier, Wuerffel, and Tebow have simply been some of the best passers of all time. That is UF’s identity, and even the QB’s who didn’t grab the Heisman, like Chris Leak, 2001 Heisman runner-up Rex Grossman, Shane Matthews, Jesse Palmer, and Doug Johnson all put up huge passing numbers. The perfect compliment to those guys is of course, great receivers; and UF has had more than its share of those as well. So many, in fact, that this article would be an extra page if I tried to list them all.
 
Florida’s foray into the national spotlight was shaky at first. Their first National Championship game in 1995 was a showdown between two teams who would become known for being a couple of the most dominant programs in the decade. Nebraska was, of course, one of the all-time greatest programs in the history of college football, and the defending National Champions. Both would enter the game undefeated, but only Nebraska’s experienced squad would emerge that way. That experience would show, as the Cornhuskers capitalized on the Gators’ lack of it at this level, 62-24. It wouldn’t happen again. The next year is probably the most fondly remembered in Florida football history. These Gators would absolutely roll right over every team on their schedule that year, beating La.-Lafayette 55-21, Ga. Southern 62-14, Tennessee 35-29, Kentucky 65-0, Arkansas 42-7, LSU 56-13, Auburn 51-10, Georgia 47-7, Vandy 28-21, and South Carolina 52-25. Then a hiccup, as F$U would come back and beat UF 24-21 in Tallahassee, and possibly ruin Florida’s hopes of returning to the National Championship game. They had been #1 for 11 weeks in a row to that point. Florida went on to beat SEC West champion, Alabama 45-30, in Atlanta for the SEC title. And, because Texas gave the Gators a gift by upsetting Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship, it paved the way for Spurrier and the Gators to get some redemption at the expense of their most hated rival, on the biggest stage in college athletics. Meanwhile, F$U had wrapped up the #1 ranking, and UF sat at #2. No Gator fan could have scripted this better; and I remember the fear and crying of F$U coach Bobby Bowden to this day, as he complained on national television about having to play Florida again. His fear was warranted and well-placed, as the Ol’ Ball Coach designed a perfect game plan for the rematch. The Gators hammered F$U mercilessly for 4 quarters; and scored at will… virtually everything they tried worked. Final score: Good Guys 52 - Cry Babies 20. The 32-point margin of victory was the largest over a #1 team in bowl history.
 
Florida’s second National Championship, in 2006, was more dependent on great defense. It was new coach, Urban Meyer’s second season, and he’d been installing the new spread offense. While the offense has the potential for big numbers, the personnel wasn’t necessarily ideal for it; and quarterback, Chris Leak, would be forced to make yet another adjustment to his game. When he committed to Florida, he thought he’d be throwing it all over the place behind Spurrier’s Fun ‘N Gun. As it turned out, he got stuck playing for Ron Zook, and his decidedly unimaginative, run-oriented offense more suited to Big 10 ball. Still, Leak was able to throw enough to eventually become the all-time passing leader at UF, surpassing Wuerffel. So, in his final year (some may remember that he promised Gator fans that he’d bring another national title to Gainesville when he committed), and playing under a great deal of pressure with a new coach, OC, and offense, Leak would make good on his promise. Florida would ‘only‘ average 29.7 points in 2006, placing them 23rd in the country; but their defense would hold opponents to 13.5 points per game, placing them 6th nationally. Ironically, that would be one spot behind the team who ranked fifth at 12.8 ppg, and would be fortunate to score 14 themselves in the National Championship game, The Ohio State University. Again coming into the game ranked #2, Florida proved there’s a huge difference in the keeping of stats. The competition of the other team throughout a season is just as, if not more, important to consider when matching up teams with great records. tOSU had gone undefeated, and seemed rarely tested. Florida scraped through much of its schedule, losing once and depending on 3 blocked kicks against South Carolina to avoid a second, in their march to the game. In Glendale, the nation learned why strength of schedule is so important. The Gators had played the toughest in the nation… an SEC gauntlet. The Buckeyes had feasted on an unusually weak Big 10. And, when they met, it was Bugly. Ohio State got all their excitement in the fist 30 seconds of the game, as Ted Ginn ran back the opening kickoff for a TD. The rest of their night would be miserable; and shocking to the rest of the college football world… fans and experts alike. Why they were shocked, I’m not really sure. SEC fans had been telling them for weeks leading up to the game that there was a huge disparity in the levels of talent in the two conferences. Florida quickly proved it. Just as Spurrier had done 11 years earlier, Meyer crafted a game plan that enabled Leak and the Gators to score at will, and do virtually anything they wanted on the field. While the offense rolled up 41 points, the defense proved there was a huge difference between keeping Big 10 teams under 2 TD’s and keeping SEC teams below that. The Buckeyes, and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith scored another TD in the second quarter, and were shut out for the remainder. They ended the game with 82 TOTAL yards of offense (47 rushing, 35 passing). Heisman was sacked 5 times, and molested all night. Florida finished with 370 yards of total offense (156 rushing, 214 passing); and while not spectacular, it was more than enough to win by 27. This stat is also a bit misleading; as Florida was actually on the tOSU 7 yard line at the end of the game and let the clock run out. As they hadn’t really been stopped most of the night, they could have increased the lead to 44 or 48-14. Another TD would have broken Spurrier’s record (32 points) over a #1 in a bowl game. But, Meyer isn’t Spurrier, and the Gators had more than made their point. This game also made one other point. This spread offense of Meyer’s had finally come together, in the final game of the season; and we all got to see the true potential. What would happen if this offense had the right components… namely players recruited specifically for it?
 
In 2007, we found out. While losing 4 games (by 3 points, 4 points, 6 points, and 12 points), due to the attrition of so many from the National Championship team (primarily 9 starters on defense), Florida once again soared to the top of the offensive categories. They led the Southeastern Conference in total points (552), points per game (45.2), total offense (457.2), offensive touchdowns (75), yards per play (7.0), passing efficiency (170.2), pass completion percentage (66.5 percent) and third down conversions (53.4 percent). Want balance? The Gators were the only team in the league to average better than 200 yards per game both rushing and passing (200.2 rushing; 257 passing). The Gators averaged a league-best 9.3 yards per pass attempt and they finished second in average per rushing attempt (5.3). Only Arkansas, which ran the ball 65 percent of the time and had two first round draft picks sharing the tailback position averaged more yards per rush (6.0). The Gators were third in the league in rushing behind Arkansas and national champ LSU. Nationally, the Gators ranked #14 in total offense, #3 in scoring offense, #3 in offensive touchdowns, #23 in rushing offense, #38 in passing offense, #2 in passing efficiency, #2 in yards per play, #1 in yards per pass play, #8 (tie) in yards per rushing attempt, #5 (tie) in fewest sacks allowed and #1 in third down conversions.
 
What does all this mean for GatorNation? Simply put: Our offense is back to what we’re accustomed to seeing; and if the defense has improved even marginally, we’re likely to see some of those close losses become victories this season. Meyer says the secondary is the most improved group on the practice field. I’d say we’re in store for plenty of excitement when this team takes the field; and it’ll be Great… To Be… A Florida Gator… in 2008.

(G8R 8U2)