Game Day: No. 13 Florida at South Florida (ABC), 1 pm - Florida Gators

TAMPA — Five of the last 20 Florida football seasons have ended with a game at Raymond James Stadium. Each time, of course, the game was the Outback Bowl. The Gators went to their first one in 2002, the first season after Steve Spurrier jumped to the NFL, and they were right back at the Outback in '03 as well. UF lost to Michigan in the first, Iowa in the second, both times with Ron Zook in charge.

Urban Meyer coached his first bowl game with the Gators there in 2005 (beat Iowa) and his last in 2010 (beat Penn State), in what turned out to be his final game on the UF sidelines. In the second season under Jim McElwain, the Gators secured a 10th win with another Outback defeat of Iowa.

On Saturday, Florida (1-0) will be back at RJS to face South Florida (0-1) in the stadium that serves as home to both the Bulls and the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While it will be the sixth visit to Tampa for the Gators this century, the game will mark the 45th overall game the program has played there — a tradition that actually dates to 1912 — and the first regular-season game since 1989. 

Worth noting: This will be the first road game against a Sunshine State opponent other than Florida State or Miami since beating the University of Tampa 26-0 at old Plant Field in 1942]

But about that last regular-season game. 

[Read Scott Carter's comprehensive "Opening Kickoff" preview files here]

Florida and Mississippi State squared off at old Tampa Stadium in a game the Gators ponied up $500,000 to have moved from Starkville and play in front of their home-state crown. The coach at the time was Galen Hall (he would be fired two weeks later amid an NCAA investigation). UF's best player was Emmitt Smith (he would leave after that season for the NFL). The offensive coordinator was Whitey Jordan (who would be part of the postseason coaching purge and whose unimaginative scheme was often referred to as a "horizontal" passing game). 

UF All America tailback Emmitt Smith (22) in action against Mississippi State in 1989.

It was a drastically different brand of football than what arrived the next season under Spurrier, but that Sept. 30 afternoon the Gators weren't particularly challenged, despite a pedestrian performance from their future Pro Football Hall of Fame tailback. The star of the game, actually, was quarterback Kyle Morris (who would be suspended from the team later that season for gambling; yes, it was that kind of year), who completed a measly eight of 15 passes for 131 yards, but had touchdown strikes of 19 yards to running back Willie McClendon, 34 to Terrance Barber, and 10 to Smith. 

UF won 21-0, finishing with 224 rushing yards (94 from Smith) and 356 total, while holding the Bulldogs to 122 yards and forcing a pair of turnovers. 

So what does it all mean 32 years later? Nothing, obviously, but it's a least interesting that the 2021 Gators, under Coach Dan Mullen (who took over at Mississippi State in 2009 and Florida in 2018, coincidentally) will bring in a team that one week ago put up lopsided run-pass numbers, in rushing for 400 yards and passing for 153 in the season-opening 35-14 defeat of Florida Atlantic at Spurrier/Florida Field. 

Mullen does not want an offense that is tilted 72 percent in favor of the run. What he wants is a cleaner all-around performance from starting quarterback Emory Jones (17 of 27 for 117 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), who was out-shined by backup Anthony Richardson and his seven rushing attempts for 160 yards. Jones will have an opportunity for a stat afternoon facing a USF team that was smashed 45-0 in its opener at North Carolina State, gaining just 271 yards of offense and converting just three of 16 third downs, while giving up 525 yards. 

UF is 27-14-3 all-time in this big-time Gator town. The Gatos would like to win No. 28. And move to 7-0 this century. 

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ABC, with Bob Wischusen on play-by-play, Dan Orlovsky providing analysis and Kris Budden working the sidelines. For radio and television broadcast info, click here. The game will be replayed Monday on ESPNU at 12 p.m., as well as Tuesday at 12 a.m. on ESPN.

Also, check out the "1st & 10 Pre-Game Show," hosted by Jeff Cardozo via the Florida Gators Facebook page, starting at noon. This week's lineup includes chats with Mullen, as well as a pair of Tampa products in defensive end Zachary Carter and tailback Malik Davis, USF play-by-play man Darek Sharp, as well as a "Mic'd Up" segment with UF defensive lineman Antonio Valentino, who played his first game as a Gator last week after transferring from Penn State.  

Finally, follow senior staff writer Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) for commentary and analysis throughout the game. FloridaGators.com will have complete coverage content from the game late Saturday night and fresh content Sunday, also.

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2021-09-11 13:15:57Z
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