Game 2: Gators ready for Trojan horse

Following a dominating performance in their season-opening 62-3 victory over Charleston Southern last Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the No. 1 Florida Gators put their 11-game winning streak on the line this afternoon at 12:21 p.m. against visiting Troy. The Trojans are 0-1 after dropping a 31-14 decision at Bowling Green on Sept. 3. The Gators totaled 624 yards in total offense (255 passing, 369 rushing last week). The game is Florida’s final tuneup before it begins defense of its SEC Championship next Saturday against visiting Tennessee at 3:30 p.m.

GAME 2: TROY TROJANS vs. FLORIDA GATORS

WHEN: Today at 12:21 p.m. EDT.

WHERE: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (88,548), Gainesville, Fla.

RECORDS: Troy is 0-1 following its 31-14 loss at Bowling Green on Sept. 3; Florida is 1-0 following a 62-3 victory over Charleston Southern last Saturday in Gainesville.

RANKINGS: Troy is not ranked; Florida is No. 1 in the Associated Press (media) and USA Today (coaches) polls.

COACHES: Troy, Larry Blakeney (Auburn 1970) is 144-74-1 in his 19th season at Troy and overall; Florida, Urban Meyer (Cincinnati 1988) is 45-9 in his fifth season at Florida and 84-17 in his ninth season as a head coach (with previous stops at Bowling Green and Utah).

SERIES: This is the second game played between the two teams, with Florida holding a 1-0 edge thanks to a 59-31 victory in 2007 at Gainesville.

2009 SCHEDULE: Troy – Sept. 3 at Bowling Green (L, 14-31); Sept. 12 at Florida, 12:21 p.m.; Sept. 19 UAB, 3:30 p.m.; Sept. 26 at Arkansas State (Sun Belt), 3:30 p.m.; Oct. 6 MIDDLE TENNESSEE (Sun Belt), 7 p.m. (ESPN2); Oct. 17 at Florida International (Sun Belt), 7 p.m.; Oct. 24 NORTH TEXAS (Sun Belt), 3:30 p.m.; Oct. 31 LOUISIANA-MONROE (Sun Belt), 7 p.m.; Nov. 7 at Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), 5 p.m.; Nov. 14 at Arkansas, TBA (SEC TV); Nov. 21 FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Sun Belt), 4:15 p.m.; Nov. 28 at Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt), 7 p.m. Florida – Sept. 5 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (W, 62-3); Sept. 12 TROY, 12:21 p.m. (ERT/SEC Network); Sept. 19 TENNESSEE (SEC), 3:30 p.m. (CBS); Sept. 26 at Kentucky (SEC), TBA (TBD); Oct. 10 at Louisiana State (SEC), 8 p.m. (TBD); Oct. 17 ARKANSAS (SEC), TBA (TBD); Oct. 24 at Mississippi State (SEC), TBA (TBD); Oct. 31 Georgia (SEC) at Jacksonville, 3:30 p.m. (CBS); Nov. 7 VANDERBILT (SEC), TBA (TBD); Nov. 14 at South Carolina (SEC), TBA (TBD); Nov. 21 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL, TBA (TBD); Nov. 28 FLORIDA STATE, TBA (TBD).

NEXT: Troy – Sept. 19 UAB, 3:30 p.m. EDT (Troy/ISP); Florida – Sept. 19 TENNESSEE, 3:30 p.m. (CBS).

TICKETS: A limited number of tickets were available Friday at $40 each and could be purchased online through http://www.gatorzone.com, at the Gator Ticket Office (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or by calling 1-800-34-GATOR. You should check availability before you leave home.

WEATHER FORECAST: Scattered thunderstorms. High 83 degrees. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

GATORCOUNTRY.COM: As usual, we will have game coverage starting after the final gun – stories, photos, interviews and statistics downloaded as they are produced. In addition, Gator Country is your source for news about the Gators on television, radio and in print. The Gator Country Television Show (GCTV) airs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 4 and 6:30 p.m. and 11 a.m. Saturdays on Cox Cable Channel 15 in Gainesville and Ocala. GCTV can be seen on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2 in the Gainesville and Ocala. Buddy Martin, Franz Beard, Brady Ackerman, Justin Wells and Laura McKeeman participate on the GCTV show. Franz Beard is the host for the Internet TV show “Franz and Friends” on Mondays at 8 p.m., while Wells and McKeeman are the hosts for Insider Recruiting Thursdays at 8 p.m. Also, our Gator Country All-Star VIP chats continue Thursday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. with ESPN’s Beano Cook (Pat Forde follows on Sept. 24). Martin and Co. also take part on “The Morning Drive with Brady Ackerman and Mark McLeod) from 7-9 a.m. Mondays through Fridays on ESPN Radio in Ocala (900 AM, 100.1 FM) and Gainesville (1230 AM). Finally, you will be able to purchase the newly designed and improved Gator Country Magazine on newsstands throughout the state (Publix, Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble). For more information about how you can join GatorCountry.com and get your daily Orange and Blue fix, check out our website at https://www.gatorcountry.com.

TV: The game will be telecast by the SEC Network to its affiliate stations in Florida and around the country. In Florida they are: WXCW in Fort Myers-Naples; WOGX in Gainesville; WJXT in Jacksonville and Brunswick, Ga.; WSFL in Miami and Fort Lauderdale; WOFL and WRBW in Orlando, Daytona Beach and Melbourne; WJHG in Panama City; WCTV and WCTV-DT2 in Tallahassee and Thomasville, Ga.; WTTA in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota and North Port; and WFLX in West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce. For stations outside of Florida, see http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=16481. Dave Neal handles the play-by-play, Andre Ware is his color analyst and Cara Capuano reports from the sidelines.

REPLAYS: Sun Sports has a Sunday morning replay, “Breakfast with the Gators,” at 8:30 a.m. and a Tuesday evening replay at 11 p.m. The broadcast duties will be handled by David Steele (play-by-play), Nat Moore (analyst) and Steve Babik (sidelines).

RADIO: Charleston Southern broadcast (Barry McKnight, play-by-play; Jerry Miller, color analyst; Chris Blackshear, sidelines) is carried over the Troy/ISP Radio Network. Florida broadcast (Mick Hubert, play-by-play; Lee McGriff, color; Steve Babik, sideline; Scot Brantley and Travis McGriff, pre-game) is from the Gator Radio Network. Pre-game show starts at 10:15 a.m.; post-game show concludes 60 minutes after game. WFXJ-AM 930 (Jacksonville) is flagship station; affiliates are WCNN-AM 680 (Atlanta, Ga.), WALR-AM 1340 (Atlanta, Ga.), WFOM-AM 1230 (Atlanta, Ga.), WWBF-AM 1130 (Bartow), WPHK-FM 102.7 (Blountstown), WWJB-AM 1450 (Brooksville), WMEL-AM 1300 (Cocoa), WXCV-FM 95.3 (Crystal River), WDCF-AM 1350 (Dade City), WWCN-AM 770 (Fort Myers), WRUF-FM 103.7 (Gainesville), WRUF-AM 850 (Gainesville), WKWF-AM 1600 (Key West), WUCR-FM 107.9 (Lake Butler), WNFB-FM 94.3 (Lake City), WDSR-AM 1340 (Lake City), WONN-AM 1230 (Lakeland), WINZ-AM 940 (Miami), WSBB-AM 1230 (New Smyrna Beach), WMOP-AM 900 (Ocala), WMOP-FM 100.1 (Ocala), WOKC-AM 1570 (Okeechobee), WOKC-FM 100.9 (Okeechobee), WFLF-AM 540 (Orlando), WIYD-AM 1260 (Palatka), WYYX-FM 97.7 (Panama City), WTKE-FM 98.1 (Pensacola), WPSL-AM 1590 (Port St. Lucie), WLSS-AM 930 (Sarasota), WSJZ-FM 99.5 (Sebastian), WWTK-AM 730 (Sebring), WAOC-AM 1420 (St. Augustine), WSTU-AM 1450 (Stuart), WQTL-FM 106.1 (Tallahassee), WDAE-AM 620 (Tampa-St. Petersburg), WJNO-AM 1290 (West Palm Beach). The game also is available on XM Satellite Radio channel 199. The Gator Sports Network and Live Sports Radio (LSR) also provide real-time broadcasts at home and away football games and all home basketball games via a special radio that can be purchased on-line at http://www.livesportsradio.com for $20 (plus shipping, handling and tax) or outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium before home games.

STATISTICS: Game play-by-play and statistics are delayed but refreshed constantly during the game on GameTracker, http://www.gatorzone.com and http://www.espn.go.com.

BRING YOUR CANNED GOODS: The Gator Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is sponsoring a season-long canned food drive to benefit the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank in Gainesville. Fans are urged to bring as many canned goods as possible to every home game. The main drop-off location is the Verizon Wireless Gator FanFest location outside Gate 2 of the O’Connell Center. Additional drop-off locations are near Murphree Hall (at the north end of the stadium) and the Lot 5 Flavet Field parking area. Student-athletes will be on hand to take your canned goods and to thank you.

FYI: Parking lots open at 8 a.m. and gates to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will open 90 minutes (10:45 a.m.) before kickoff. … The Gator FanFest, presented by Verizon Wireless, runs from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. outside Gate 2 of the O’Connell Center. … The Gator Walk (players and coaches depart buses on University Avenue and walk into the stadium) takes place at approximately 10 a.m. … The consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking are prohibited in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. … Fans are not permitted to leave and re-enter Ben Hill Griffin Stadium once their game ticket has been scanned except in certain instances: a medical emergency or a severe weather delay.

BOY, IT’S HOT: Because of expected high temperatures and humidity, fans are reminded to stay hydrated (drink plenty of water or sports drinks and limit alcohol use). There are 100 water fountains in the stadium and concession stands will be selling water for $1 a bottle; ice also will be available at the concession stands for free. There will be Cool Misting tents in the courses of the north, south and west sides of the stadium; additional fans on the east side concourse; there will be hand fan, sunscreen and cooling hand towels given away at FanFest. There will be cooling vehicles on the west side to supplement aid stations. Gates X and X. Also, the game will be telecast into the O’Connell Center. You will need a game ticket for admittance.