Gators begin defense of national title

The Florida Gators begin defense of their second national championship in three seasons Saturday night when the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern sail into “The Swamp” (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium). It is the first of three straight home games for coach Urban Meyer’s Gators, who play Troy on Sept. 12 at 12:21 p.m. and then open their Southeastern Conference schedule on Sept. 19 at 3:30 p.m. against East Division rival Tennessee.

GAME 1: CHARLESTON SOUTHERN BUCCANEERS vs. FLORIDA GATORS

WHEN: Saturday at 7 p.m. EDT.

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

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: At kickoff, the National Weather Service is predicting partly cloudy conditions with chances of a thunderstorm at 40 percent and humidity near 80 percent; temperatures will range between 77 and 82 degrees; winds will be out of the ENE between 4 and 6 miles per hour. In other words, conditions you would normally encounter in “The Swamp.”

RECORDS: Charleston Southern is 0-0 in 2009 and coming off a 7-5 season (3-2 Big South); Florida is 0-0 in 2009 and coming off a 13-1 season (7-1 SEC) during which it won its eighth SEC championship and its third national championship.

RANKINGS: Charleston Southern is a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team and therefore is not ranked; Florida is a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) team and is ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls of the Associated Press (media) and USA Today (coaches).

COACHES: Charleston Southern, Jay Mills is 34-33 in six seasons at Charleston Southern and 37-54 overall in nine seasons as a head coach); Florida, Urban Meyer is 44-9 in four seasons at Florida and 83-17 in eight seasons.

GATORCOUNTRY.COM: A post-game internet TV show is planned, featuring Gator Country’s Buddy Martin, Franz Beard, Brady Ackerman, Laura McKeeman and Justin Wells. Check https://www.gatorcountry.com for time of post-game show. As usual, Gator Country 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. It features the above personalities and weekly features about the Gators. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 5, GCTV can be seen on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. on the Cox Cable Network’s non-HD ESPN2 channel in the Gainesville and Ocala markets. 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. 10 at 8 p.m. with CBS color analyst Gary Danielson (with ESPN’s Beano Cook and Pat Forde following on the 17th and 24th, respectively). 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 on Sun Sports (HD) in Florida and throughout the SEC region on FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Southwest. Bob Rathbun handles the play-by-play, Dave Archer is his color analyst and Jenn Hildreth 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. Note: Beginning with the Sept. 12 game against Troy, the broadcast duties will be handled by David Steele (play-by-play), Nat Moore (analyst) and Steve Babik (sidelines).

RADIO: Charleston Southern broadcast (Chris Kelly, play-by-play; Jon Davis, color) on WJNI-FM (106.3). 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 5 p.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 215. 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.

SERIES: This is the first football meeting between Charleston Southern and Florida.

2009 SCHEDULES: Charleston Southern – Sept. 5 at Florida, 7 p.m.; Sept. 12 at Wofford, 7 p.m.; Sept. 19 at South Florida, 7 p.m.; Sept. 26 NORTH GREENVILLE, 1:30 p.m.; Oct. 3 SAVANNAH STATE, 1:30 p.m.; Oct. 17 at Gardner-Webb (Big South), 11:30 a.m.; Oct. 24 LIBERTY (Big South), 1:30 p.m.; Oct. 31 at Virginia Military Institute (Big South), 1:30 p.m.; Nov. 7 at Presbyterian (Big South), 1:30 p.m.; Nov. 14 STONY BROOK (Big South), 1:30 p.m.; Nov. 21 COASTAL CAROLINA (Big South), 1:30 p.m. Florida – Sept. 5 CHARLESTON SOUTHERN, 7 p.m. (FSN); 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 GAME: Charleston Southern – Sept. 12 at Wofford; Florida – Sept. 12 TROY (0-1 following a 31-14 loss to Bowling Green on Thursday, Sept. 3), 12:21 p.m.

GATOR CHOMPS: As a head coach, Urban Meyer has never lost a season opener, going 2-0 at Bowling Green, 2-0 at Utah and 4-0 at Florida. His teams have averaged 39.1 points in those eight games and surrendered just 13.5. … This is the 103rd opening game in the history of Florida football and Florida has a 19-game winning streak in season openers, the longest in the SEC. … The Gators also enter the game on a 10-game winning streak thanks to their 24-14 victory over No. 1 Oklahoma in the FedEx Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game at Dolphin (now Land Shark) Stadium in Miami Gardens. … Florida returns seven starters on offense led by senior quarterback Tim Tebow (6-3, 245), who won the 2007 Heisman Trophy. Tebow has accounted for 110 touchdowns (67 passing, 43 rushing) in three seasons, two of which have ended with national championships. … The defense, which ranked fourth overall in the country a year ago, returns all 11 of its starters and backups. Senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, who was the 2008 Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year, heads the defense that led the nation in turnover margin and had 26 interceptions, five of which were returned for touchdowns. … Also returning are defensive ends Jermaine Cunningham and Carlos Dunlap (who had two of the team’s nine blocked kicks), punter Chas Henry, placekicker Jonathan Phillips and return man Brandon James, who will start in place of the departed (to the NFL) Percy Harvin. … Though the Gators have never played Charleston Southern, they are 2-0 against Big South Conference teams, beating Presbyterian 41-0 in 1945 and VMI 18-7 in 1929. … Florida’s last victory over a BCS (Division I-AA) team came last Nov. 22 when the Gators romped to a 70-19 victory over The Citadel.

BUC PLANKS: Jay Mills needs just one victory to become the school’s all-time winningest football coach. … Charleston Southern has never faced an opponent from the SEC and is 0-16 against teams from the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. … There are 41 players who list Florida hometowns on the Buccaneers’ roster. Included in that group are two Gainesville natives, freshman running back John Little (Eastside H.S.) and senior offensive lineman Jarrett Johns (Gainesville H.S.). … CSU is 4-14 in season openers, their last victory a 21-13 decision against Big South rival Presbyterian in 2006. … The Bucs are 3-4 in games played in Florida; the last victory came in 2003 against Jacksonville, a 38-3 triumph. Last season, the Bucs opened with a 52-7 loss at Miami. … CSU has never played a defending national champion or a team with a Heisman Trophy winner (Florida’s Tim Tebow). … The Bucs return their top three rushers from 2008 (led by 5-5 sophomore Antwan Ivey of Newberry, who rushed for 380 yards), seven of their top eight receivers (led by 5-9 junior Gerald Stevenson of Naples, who caught 45 passes for 551 yards and rushed for 298 yards on 39 carries while totaling 11 TDs) and four starting offensive linemen but only return three of their top 10 tacklers and start junior-college transfer A.J. Toscano. … Junior John Paglia of Ocala Trinity Catholic handles the placekicking duties.

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 (5:30 p.m.) before kickoff. … The Gator FanFest, presented by Verizon Wireless, runs from 4-7 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 5 p.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. … 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).