It's finally here, week 1 for your Florida Gators. Let's GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'll be there with my son cheering & yelling as loud as my voice will allow. Plan is to leave with no voice at all and be part of whooping them Canes! Gator Nation is excited and as my Uncle would say, Hopium is in the air! Mertz and company want to prove the last 2 years of building a program under Napier are for real. There isn't a better statement game to prove the program is back than taking care of business Saturday against a heated long-time rival. Canes come in favored and getting all sorts of national love from the talking heads. Are they back or is the Gators program on track to take back the state of Florida??? I think the Gators are back and we take this game on the backs of a seasoned Mertz at home and much improved play on D. I expect the D to create at least 2 turnovers and the crowd noise causes all sorts of fits for the Canes O. Without further to do, the Gators 1st TD for the 2024 season against the Canes will be Mertz to Tre Wilson!!! (I will send a $5 Starbucks gift card to anyone who accurately predicts the player who scores the Gators 1st TD of each game this season. Not the play type or yards, just who scores the TD) Go Gators!!!
fFrst drive UM takes the ball, on third play, 68 yard TD throw. Gator Nation groans. We take the ball and 7-minute drive 75 yards with Webb going in untouched. Gatros lead at halftime 17-14...3rd quarter we explode with 3 consecutive TD drives, and in the 4th, UM comes back and we win 45-35. Gators grade out as a team B-/C+ with continued dumb mistakes and 9 penalties for 105 yards. We are left kissing our Sister and not know what to make of the win.
I also predict a Webb run for the first TD from five yards out. A Gator field goal will precede the TD though. Second TD is a pass to Arlis Boardingham for the tiebreaker!
Gator Nation has PTSD and it's well deserved. Let's hope we get this turned around and soon forget the last several years.
Mertz 1 yard sneak after a long completion on the opening drive. Miami D is distracted by Cristobal frantically phoning Coral Gables to hide the War Canoe.
