Tag: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Florida sells out the Swamp for matchup against UCF

Florida and UCF will meet in front of a sellout crowd in Gainesville next weekend. It’s Florida’s ninth-straight sellout.

Florida will play in front of a sellout crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when it hosts UCF next weekend.

The University Athletic Association announced a ninth-straight sellout on Wednesday the 13th under head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]. Florida sold out The Swamp four times in 2022 and five times in 2023.

Despite Florida’s reputation of having one of the most intimidating stadium atmospheres in the country, UF had only sold out four times from 2018 to 2021.

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Up next for the Gators

Florida does not play Saturday with its first bye of the season scheduled. The UCF Knights will come to Gainesville in Week 6 for a 2021 Gasparilla Bowl rematch. The Gators are looking for revenge after falling to the Knights, 29-17, under interim head coach Greg Knox.

UCF features the best rushing attack in college football through four weeks of play. The Knights average 375.7 yards on the ground and have 13 touchdowns on the ground. Meanwhile, Florida is ranked 107th of the 133 FBS teams in run defense after allowing 188.8 rushing yards per game.

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A day at the Swamp: Fan’s perspective of Florida’s Week 1 loss to Miami

Florida Gators football managed to leave their home crowd stunned as they were routed by the Miami Hurricanes 41-17.

Florida football was left embarrassed at home in the Swamp by the visiting Miami Hurricanes.

All the months of hope and optimism, the speeches of improvement and change by head coach Billy Napier and his staff, were sucked down the drain as the Hurricanes completely dominated the Gators, 41-17, and left the fans at a loss for words.

From the moment the game kicked off, Miami was in utter control. Miami quarterback Cam Ward looked comfortable all game because Florida’s pass rush was not getting anywhere near him.

Even when Florida blitzed, they weren’t getting to Ward. He had all day to throw and he torched the Gators defense, throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns.

On offense, the Gators looked lifeless. As if all the weeks of preparation for this crucial season-opener were thrown out the window.

Florida had just 261 yards of total offense. Yes, that’s it. And imagine what that number would be if running back Montrell Johnson Jr. hadn’t broken away for a 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Quarterback Graham Mertz was getting knocked around all day long by the Miami pass rushers and eventually had to exit the game due to a concussion.

It was an all-around embarrassment for this Gators football squad that needed to get off to a strong start to this season. Because the schedule certainly doesn’t get any easier moving forward.

A day at the Swamp from a fan’s perspective

I attended this game as a fan. I had family and friends drive up from Miami (my hometown) and stay in Gainesville for the weekend. We did the whole experience. Tailgating outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was a blast.

The energy was off the charts and there was a sense of belief that this Florida team was going to make some noise on the field that afternoon. Of course, there were a decent amount of Hurricanes fans, but it was all friendly banter pre-game.

As we headed into the Swamp and made our way through a sea of blue and orange, chants of “Let’s go Gators!” echoed through the concourse. Fans were pumped up and ready to see their team play some football.

Jevon Kearse was the honorary “Mr. Two Bits” for the game and by the time Kearse was finished leading the cheer, the Swamp was deafening.

Unfortunately, that was the highest the energy ever got that day.

Right from the opening kick, there was not a whole lot for the Florida fans to cheer about. Miami moved the ball down the field with ease on seemingly every possession and right then you knew that the Gators’ chances of winning the game were slim to none.

As Florida trotted back into the locker room at halftime, they were being showered with boos from the home crowd as they trailed Miami 24-10.

Not long into the third quarter is when we started hearing chants of “Fire Napier!” and “We want (DJ) Lagway!” erupt from the student section.

Water bottles and other debris were being thrown down as fans were displaying their frustration at Florida’s poor level of play on the field.

By the time the third quarter came to an end, the stadium was doing its tradition of playing Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”.

At that point, Florida was down 38-10 and there was no shot at a come-from-behind victory. The fans needed something to be happy about and that’s when everyone got together and started singing along. For a rare moment all game, the energy was high and fans were smiling from ear to ear.

But the moment the song ended, the stands started to empty quickly and fans were piling out of the Swamp. Not quite the home opener Florida was hoping for.

How often do you see Gators fans leave before the fourth quarter on their home turf? Never. When was the last time Florida got blown out like that at home? It’s been some time.

It was a complete embarrassment by the Florida football team and they need to figure it out as fast as possible because the fans have, if not, are very close to running out of patience.

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ESPN ranks the Swamp among top 25 college football stadiums

ESPN’s rankings for the Swamp feels a bit low but Florida is joined by a plethora of SEC peers.

Few experiences rival that of a Saturday inside a college football stadium during the fall. Over the past century, the nation’s universities have constructed cathedrals in homage to the gridiron giants, and at this point, it has become an entrenched part of the culture in many parts of the country.

The University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, affectionately known as the Swamp, the structure was first constructed in 1930 and has had several upgrades since. According to ESPN’s staff college football stadium top 25 rankings, the Gators’ home field ranks 20th in the nation with a score of 61 points.

Discussion

“How many schools can say they have two traditions that are immediately identifiable? Florida can,” Andrea Adelson begins.

“Its oldest tradition stems back to the 1940s, when George Edmondson started a “Two Bits” cheer in the stands that eventually led to his legendary pregame ritual. Starting in the 1970s, Edmondson would dress in a yellow button-down shirt, blue and orange tie and pinstripe pants, whistle around his neck of course, and lead the cheer from the field before every home game.

“He became known simply as “Mr. Two Bits.” Florida has continued the tradition in his honor with celebrity “Mr. Two Bits,” so the pregame cheer lives on. But a new tradition emerged in 2017.

“As a way to pay tribute to the late Tom Petty, a Gainesville native, “I Won’t Back Down” plays between the third and fourth quarters. Imagine more than 88,000 people at The Swamp — one of the loudest stadiums in America — singing, “HEY BABY, THERE AIN’T NO EASY WAY OUT” and “I WON’T BACK DOWN” in unison. Pretty powerful. Especially at night, with phone flashlights on.”

Methodology

“So we asked 14 of our college football writers to rank the best stadiums in the sport. No parameters, no criteria. Writers were asked to submit their top 20 stadiums in order. We then awarded points: 20 for first-place votes, 19 for second and all the way down to 1 point for a stadium voted No. 20.”

Other SEC schools in top 25

The LSU Tigers‘ Tiger Stadium took the top spot in the rankings, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide‘s Bryant-Denny Stadium at No. 9 and the Tennessee Volunteers‘ Neyland Stadium rounding out the top 10.

Kyle Field (Texas A&M Aggies) comes in at No. 13 while Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn Tigers) sits at No. 17 and Sanford Stadium (Georgia Bulldogs) at No. 18 to join Florida in the top 20.

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Ole Miss Rebels) took No. 21 while SEC newcomers Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Oklahoma Sooners) and Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Texas Longhorns) wramp up the top 25, respectively.

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The Swamp remains one of best SEC stadiums after addition of Texas, Oklahoma

CBS Sports thinks Florida has the third-best venue out of 16 SEC football programs.

The Southeastern Conference is officially expanding its football ranks this season with the addition of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. Not only is the league adding a pair of historic programs to its roster but also some of the top venues in the country.

CBS Sports writer David Cobb took a look at the now-16-team conference and ranked each respective school’s home stadium. In it, the Florida Gators’ home field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, affectionately known as the “Swamp”, came in third overall.

“The Gators have dropped two home games in each of the past two seasons while searching for their footing under coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag],” Cobb begins.

“However, it will take more than a couple of years to change Ben Hill Griffin Stadium’s reputation as a nightmare venue for opponents. The Gators went 32-2 inside ‘The Swamp’ from 2005-09 during [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag]’s heyday as coach.”

Capacity-wise, the Swamp is the seventh-biggest stadium now with an official capacity of 88,548 — good for 11th in the country as well.

Other top SEC schools in the rankings

The LSU Tigers and Tiger Stadium earned the top spot in the rankings, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide and Bryant–Denny Stadium. Then following the Orange and Blue are the Tennessee Volunteers (Neyland Stadium) and Auburn Tigers (Jordan-Hare Stadium) to round out the top five.

The Georgia Bulldogs (Sanford Stadium) came in at No. 6, followed by the South Carolina Gamecocks (Williams-Brice Stadium), Texas A&M Aggies (Kyle Field), Oklahoma (Oklahoma Memorial Stadium) and Texas (Texas Memorial Stadium), respectively.

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and the Miami Hurricanes open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Shad Khan, Mark Lamping not rushing Jaguars’ 2027 stadium decision

Shad Khan, Mark Lamping not rushing Jaguars’ 2027 stadium decision

The Jaguars aren’t in a rush to establish their temporary home stadium for the 2027 season when renovations to EverBank Stadium will force the team to play elsewhere.

As things stand, the Jaguars view Camping World Stadium in Orlando and Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville as their best options for housing matchups during the final year of the renovation project.

Per reporting on the deal, the Jaguars will also have the option to play up to three games in London during their season away from home.

But given the stadium agreement was passed by Jacksonville City Council only this week, and that the Jaguars are three seasons away from having to play elsewhere, determining the best option of those two locations isn’t high on the team’s list of priorities.

“We haven’t spent a lot of time on the due diligence of the two options,” Jaguars team president Mark Lamping said Wednesday. “We narrowed it down to Camping World and Florida Field. The only reason we didn’t do that is it’s a waste of energy at this point. We don’t have to make a decision right away.”

The Jaguars sent “fact-finding” teams, comprised of members of Jacksonville’s business and football operations personnel as well as representatives from the NFL, to Orlando and Gainesville to study each stadium within the 75 days leading up to Wednesday’s ceremony commemorating the stadium agreement.

A temporary lease on either facility, and final approval on the proposed renovations, will require 75% approval from NFL ownership. The latter vote is expected to occur in October.

The former could be held further down the road, per Jaguars owner Shad Khan.

“I want to do what’s best really for, you know, [so] they’re close enough for the fans. We want to be close,” Khan said. “It is way too early, okay? I mean, I think this thing is not even 24 hours ago.

“Frankly, if someone was asking me here [about a stadium choice for 2027], even Mark Lamping or something like that, it’s like, ‘Why are you wasting time?’ Okay? And it’s like, we only have so much time, energy, and money. You’ve got to be able to use it [to] get the best result.”

Regardless of which venue the Jaguars inevitably choose, Khan anticipates the NFL honoring Jacksonville’s local broadcasting, to allow fans who won’t travel to Orlando or Gainesville to watch games from home for free in 2027.

Florida football stadium an option for Jacksonville Jaguars in 2027

Florida’s iconic Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is one of the top options remaining for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are renovating EverBank Stadium over the next few years.

Renovations to EverBank Stadium don’t just mean a change in venue for the annual Florida-Georgia game. The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to need a new home in 2027, and Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is one of two options for the temporary relocation, according to WCJB.

“This will only happen if Gainesville beats out two other venues,” reporter Kayla Lewis wrote. “Camping World Stadium in Orlando and London are the Jags’ two other options for their temporary home.”

The Daytona International Speedway was also considered, but a lack of infrastructure eliminated them from the conversation.

Bringing an NFL team to Gainesville has both pros and cons. Florida football days are the most profitable of the year for the city but the added traffic might cause trouble in a college town that already experiences gridlock regularly.

Granted, a Gators game at full capacity (88,000+) typically draws more fans than Jacksonville’s home contests last season (~70,000).

“If we can handle 90,000 for a college football team we can handle this,” said the President of the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce Eric Godet. “We could even handle the University of Georgia coming in here which I would love very much to have rather than paying and going to Jacksonville.”

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The Swamp among most difficult places to play college football

EA Sports College Football 25’s impending release has The Athletic thinking about the toughest stadiums to play in.

There has been a lot of talk recently on the topic of the most difficult college football stadiums to play in following the announcement of the EA Sports College Football 25‘s venue rankings earlier this week.

In that release, the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, known also simply as the Swamp, was listed at No. 10, giving the Southeastern Conference six of the 10 most difficult venues to play in. But not everyone agrees with those ratings.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman took a stab at ranking the top 10 home fields in all of Football Bowl Subdivision play and came up with some different results than EA. In his reassessment, the Gators came in at No. 6 — somewhat surprisingly ahead of three SEC peers.

“In my experience, The Swamp isn’t quite in the category with LSU and ‘Bama, but it is right there with Tennessee and Georgia when it comes to big-time, true SEC heavyweight experiences,” Feldman notes.

“Being there in the ’90s in the [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] days to see the Gators face FSU and Bobby Bowden was fantastic.”

SEC schools in the top 10

The LSU Tigers‘ Tiger Stadium took the top spot, and Feldman’s first sentence says it all: “The place is just pure mayhem, and it starts way before kickoff.”

The Alabama Crimson Tide‘s Bryant-Denny Stadium took second place to give the conference two of the top five venues.

Florida, of course, came in sixth while the Tennessee Volunteers‘ Neyland Stadium (No. 7), Georgia Bulldogs‘ Sanford Stadium (No. 9) and Texas A&M Aggies‘ Kyle Field give the SEC a total of six of the 10 most difficult places to play, in Feldman’s opinion.

Other top venues

The Penn State Nittany Lions (Beaver Stadium), Ohio State Buckeyes (Ohio Stadium) and Virginia Tech Hokies (Lane Stadium) rounded out the top five, respectively, while the Oregon Ducks (Autzen Stadium) earned the eighth spot on the list.

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and the Miami Hurricanes open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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The Swamp among top-10 toughest venues in upcoming EA Sports video game

It’s no secret that playing at The Swamp is a nightmare for opposing teams, and the upcoming EA Sports College Football game reflects that.

With only a few weeks left until the release of EA Sports College Football 25, more information about the game is being released to drum up even more hype for the first college football title to hit consoles in a decade.

Rankings Week, as EA Sports is calling it, began with Tuesday’s announcement of the “toughest places to play.” Naturally, Florida’s iconic Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as The Swamp, made the list at No. 10.

Texas A&M‘s 12th Man gies Kyle Field the edge for the No. 1 spot, beating out Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Georgia, in that order. Penn State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Florida State make up Nos. 6-9 on the list.

But how does that affect gameplay?

EA Sports previewed its Homfield Advantage feature in its gameplay deep dive.

“Audio and in-game modifiers such as blurred routes, incorrect play art, confidence and composure affects, and screen shaking are some of the immersive impacts away teams and players will be forced to contend with.”

EA College Football 25 Toughest Stadiums

The development team used historical stats such as home winning percentage, home game attendance, active home winning streaks, team prestige, and more to determine the Top 25 toughest Place to Play.

  1. Kyle Field – Texas A&M
  2. Bryant-Denny Stadium – Alabama
  3. Tiger Stadium – LSU
  4. Ohio Stadium – Ohio State
  5. Sanford Stadium – Georgia
  6. Beaver Stadium – Penn State
  7. Camp Randall Stadium – Wisconsin
  8. Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Oklahoma
  9. Doak S. Campbell Stadium – Florida State
  10. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Florida
  11. Autzen Stadium – Oregon
  12. Memorial Stadium – Clemson
  13. Neyland Stadium – Tennessee
  14. Jordan-Hare Stadium – Auburn
  15. Williams-Brice Stadium – South Carolina
  16. Michigan Stadium – Michigan
  17. Lane Stadium – Virginia Tech
  18. Rice-Eccles Stadium – Utah
  19. Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium – Texas
  20. Kinnick Stadium – Iowa
  21. Notre Dame Stadium – Notre Dame
  22. Spartan Stadium – Michigan State
  23. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium – Arkansas
  24. Albertsons Stadium – Boise State
  25. Davis Wade Stadium – Mississippi State

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Orlando or Gainesville for Jaguars in 2027?

Orlando or Gainesville for Jaguars in 2027?

As proposed renovations to EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville inch closer to becoming reality, so does the need for the Jaguars to find a host stadium for the 2027 season.

Part of the agreement regarding renovations reached last week between the Jaguars and City of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan was that the club would play away from its home stadium for one season, three years into the project, before the new-look facility opens for business in August 2028.

Orlando’s Camping World Stadium and Gainesville’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the latter being the front lawn of the University of Florida, appear to be the frontrunners to house the Jaguars that year.

“They’re both very good candidates,” Jaguars president Mark Lamping told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday. “Gainesville is closer and we have a pretty deep relationship with the University of Florida and are thankful for their annual commitment to the Florida-Georgia game.

“As for Orlando, Camping World has hosted NFL games in the past and the NFL is very familiar and obviously comfortable with the management of the facility. And, logistically, for visiting teams, Orlando is a little less complicated than Gainesville. There are pros and cons to both sites.”

Camping World Stadium, which can hold 60,219 people, has hosted five of the NFL’s last seven Pro Bowls, seven NFL preseason games, the UCF Knights football team (1979–2006), college bowl games and plenty of other sporting events in its 88-year existence.

The venue is set to receive $400 million for renovations, with funding approved earlier this year. Construction is expected to be completed before the 2027 college football season, just in time to provide the Jaguars with a temporary home.

The CEO of Florida Citrus Sports, Steve Hogan, explained to the Orlando Sentinel that so long as those plans remain intact, Camping World Stadium would be suited to offer an NFL team such as Jacksonville a temporary home.

“We have stayed in pretty regular communication with the Jags over many years now,” said Hogan. “We have always pursued opportunities in the NFL space, whether it’s NFL Pro Bowls or preseason games. The ambition is to have future regular season games in Orlando.

“We want to make a case for the Jags and then anybody else for that matter.”

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium can occupy 88,548 people and is roughly half the distance from Jacksonville as the crow flies compared to Orlando. Logistics such as parking and lodging would be much different in the college town of Gainesville, though, and the University of Florida is currently exploring options to renovate the facility, too.

The Jaguars have not publicly proposed a timeline to determine a home field for the 2027 season, and both the Jacksonville City Council and 75% of NFL team ownership must approve the renovation agreement before construction on EverBank Stadium can begin.

Florida Gators athletic director reveals details for stadium renovations

Florida Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin appeared on WRUF/ESPN Gainesville to detail the renovations of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

The Swamp… where only Gators get out alive.

An iconic structure in the college football universe, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is being set to undergo a large renovation following the 2024 football season, and there’s a lot of negative opinions stemming from the Florida faithful because its reported the project may reduce the total capacity of the stadium.

The Florida Gators always carry a significant advantage while playing at home with a 88,548 capacity, so rumors of reducing the number immediately sparked an uproar among Florida die-hards.

UF athletic director Scott Stricklin made an appearance on Sportscene, a WRUF/ESPN Gainesville radio program to clear the air and shed more light on what Striklin and the UAA are planning.

“At one point I think we might have mentioned that we might have to reduce capacity. That is not the goal,” Stricklin said. “The goal is to be in a situation where we can have the same number of Gator fans that have been coming the last 30 years to continue to come. In a perfect world, we don’t impact capacity negatively and we’re able to be at the same number.”

Stricklin also stated that he sees the project as more of a “restoration” and that is why he hired Crawford Architects, a company that oversaw the update of the historic baseball stadium Fenway Park in Boston. The athletic director wants to keep the iconic structure intact, but improve the overall quality.

“The wing walls, the proximity of the fans to the field,” Stricklin said. “Not putting a bunch of chairbacks everywhere just because that does take away from what makes it unique. We’re going to be very careful whatever we do. We don’t know exactly what that is.”

“We’ll start in the next eight to twelve months and come up with an idea that we can take to Gator Nation and say, this is the vision,” Stricklin continued. “That’s going to be significant because obviously, it’s the most important facility we have.”

Only time will tell what happens to the beloved stadium, but Florida fans are rightfully anxious to see what results will show from the project. The important part is Stricklin is listening to the fans and understands the concern for arguably the most important building on campus.

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