Gator Country

NEW ORLEANS — As Sugar Bowl kickoff approaches, the excitement building from Florida Gators football players can be found via their Twitter accounts.

Senior running back Mike Gillislee wondered why more Louisville fans were in New Orleans than Florida fans. Gators tweets from the past week also talked about trips to Bourbon Street, curfew, New Year’s and even a few thoughts on other bowl games. This gives fans a glimpse into players’ mindsets heading into Wednesday’s 8:30 p.m. ET game against Louisville, as well as look at their experience in New Orleans from the past week.

We begin and end with tweets from back-up running back Matt Jones. Tweets appear in reverse sequential order, from newest to oldest. Tweets are unedited and appear in their original form.

Matt Jones™‏‪ @mattjonesrb

Good Things Shall Come To Those Who Wait

Quinton Dunbar‏‪ @QuintonDunbar1

As I go thru my timeline it’s like deja vu ‪#GATORNATION love proving people wrong

Ian Silberman‏ ‪@Suupaman77

Bump espn for cuttin ray off.

Brian Poole ‏‪ @JustPooleN_It

“Finish The Mission” ‪#GoGators

mike gillislee ‏‪@mikesco23

‪#GoGators

Jonotthan Harrison‏ ‪@BigHarr72

Only in NOLA lol the platform zebra print shoes topped it off I couldn’t get those in the pic though lol ‪http://instagr.am/p/T_UOp-FFZE/ 

Jessamen Dunker‏‪ @DunkBadass74

Game Day Sugar Bowl 2013!!! Leggo

®aph Andrades™ ‏‪@poloRAPHlauren

‪@jeffdriskel and his superstitions lol ‪#GameDayTraditions

Jonotthan Harrison ‏‪@BigHarr72

‪#dagut has been fed now into another phase of preparation The countdown begins ‪#BEATlouisville ‪#GatorNation ‪#bigmanswagg

Frankie Hammond Jr‏‪ @FHammond85

Leggo....!!! 🏈🐊 ‪#BeatLouisville

Matt Jones™‏ ‪@mattjonesrb

Woke Up With My Daughter On My Mind.. I Heard Her Voice!! Dada Go Go!! Gimme Kiss..!!

Jeff Driskel‏‪ @jeffdriskel

Thanks for the support ‪#gatornation

Matthew Elam‏ ‪@ElamVsElo

All I dreamed about was making plays and it’s only right cause it’s a big stage..!

Max Garcia ‏‪@Macweez73

Game day !!! Let’s go gators!!! ‪#GatorNation ‪#SugarBowl ‪#BeatLouisville !!!

Jonotthan Harrison ‏‪@BigHarr72

This NyQuil needs to kick in before its too late lol

Jonotthan Harrison‏‪ @BigHarr72

Night tweeps! Big day tomorrow

Jon Halapio ‏‪@Jhalapio67

I hate FSU! I hope you lose by a lot! Lol

Colin Thompson ‏‪@ColinThompsonUF

Great hearing Emmitt Smith talk today at practice ‪#HallOfFame

Jeff Driskel‏‪ @jeffdriskel

Excited for tomorrow night. ‪#SugarBowl ‪#finally

Brian Poole ‏‪ @JustPooleN_It

Got Outta Practice And Heard My Boy ‪@AceSanders1 Got Off Today..! ‪#ThatsWhatILike

Jonotthan Harrison ‏‪@BigHarr72

Final phases of preparation are underway ‪#leggo ‪#GatorNation ‪#BEATlouisville ‪#newyear #2013

Ian Silberman ‏‪@Suupaman77

Yo thats the best defensive play all year. Pro or college!!! Clowney did that!!

Max Garcia‏ ‪@Macweez73

Wow. Clowney. Wow.

Lrg Sosaaaa !‏‪ @MrLrgJack_44

They ask me why I’m grinding , cause I need a nice whip and my jit need diamonds !

T Westbrook ‏‪@SuperTEv87

Bourbon Street last night >>>>>>>

Jonathan Bullard‏‪ @JBullard90

It’s about to be a great year !!

Matt Jones™ ‏‪@mattjonesrb

Happy New Years!! Lets Continue To Keep Ballin And Keeping God First!! Still 100 Ain’t Nothin Change!! 🙏👶🏈💰…

Jonotthan Harrison‏ ‪@BigHarr72

What a great New Years!! Lol

Ked Johnson ‏‪@MoneyHigh93

New Years in Nawlins! Happy New Years Everyone! 🐊🙏🏈

Brian Poole ‏‪ @JustPooleN_It

Starting 2013 Off Asking For Forgiveness For ALL My Sins..! 🙏

Jon Halapio‏ ‪@Jhalapio67

Another New Year looking out the window at fireworks with my teammates lol ‪#GoGators ‪#HappyNewYears

Clay Burton ‏‪@CashBurton88

Happy New Years from NOLA! Here is my New Years kiss!! 💋💋

Drew Ferris‏‪ @D_ferriswheel46

Happy New Years people

Jeff Driskel‏‪ @jeffdriskel

New Years Eve Date ‪#foundherinNOLA ‪pic.twitter.com/F93IBcjH

Jaylen Watkins ‏‪@jwat14

I didnt know les miles had hair on his head?? Haha

Trey Burton #⃣8⃣‏‪@TreyBurton8

Great night tonight ... ‪#Magic lost to the ‪#Heat and ‪@ahmadblack35 just walked around the corner haha

mike gillislee ‏‪@mikesco23

Where is the orange and blue

mike gillislee‏ ‪@mikesco23

Can anybody tell me why there ARE MORE LOUISVILLE FANS THAN GATORS in New Orleans !!!??

Jaylen Watkins‏‪ @jwat14

This guy ‪http://instagr.am/p/T68XQxI7Mw/ 

Jaylen Watkins‏ ‪@jwat14

Bourbon st ‪http://instagr.am/p/T678FcI7L3/ 

Matthew Elam‏‪ @ElamVsElo

I snapped in the year of 2012, it’s only right I keep the momentum..! ‪#Blessings

Alex McCalister‏ ‪@McCalisterr

At iHop with main man ‪ @UFHeim

Thomas Jordan‏‪ @TMJ114

1000’s of beautiful girls & 3 ugly ones ‪#NOLA ‪pic.twitter.com/XQ7KIQDw

Heim‏‪ @UFHeim

Just took a visit to the Children’s Hospital and all I can say is we are BLESSED🙏

Nick Alajajian‏‪ @BigNick58

Cant wait to prove so many people wrong!!! ‪#Focused like i got two brainnnssss!!! ‪#BigManSwagg…

Jelani Jenkins‏‪ @jelanijenkins3

I wish I could take every person who works in the media out to lunch sometime :) on me

Jonotthan Harrison‏‪ @BigHarr72

Happy New Years Eve tweeps! 5th consecutive year ill be in a hotel room to bring in the new year

Jelani Jenkins‏‪ @jelanijenkins3

Shout out to New Orleans

Matthew Elam ‏‪@ElamVsElo

Me and My Niggas We Balling, We don’t do no talking..! 💯

Jonathan Bullard‏‪ @JBullard90

Chillin with my Mom In New Orleans !!

Cole Gilliam ‏‪@ColeTree62

Helluva night with ‪ @ScottPeek16 ‪@gabbiepeek and ‪@EricWilbur ‪#sugarbowl ‪#bourbonstreet

Ian Silberman ‏‪@Suupaman77

In sports if someone answers a question bout someone only saying ‘i have respect for them’ it usually means they cant stand that person haha

T Westbrook ‏‪@SuperTEv87

Me and main man ‪@CashBurton88 in NOLA bustin down! ‪pic.twitter.com/n0amG5cV

Ben Peacock‏‪@peacock247

3rd go round heading to bourbon with ‪@TMJ114 ‪@crimedeezy ‪@CrofootKyle

Jelani Jenkins ‏‪@jelanijenkins3

I love having curfew

Clay Burton‏‪ @CashBurton88

Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse

Ben Peacock‏‪ @peacock247

I just got assaulted by a shot girl on bourbon st 😮

Brian Poole ‏‪@JustPooleN_It

New Orleansssss..!

Jessamen Dunker ‏‪@DunkBadass74

Kicking it on Bourbon Street.

Dominique Easley ‏‪@MR_ChUcKiE_2

I’m bored Who’s in new orleans

Jonotthan Harrison‏‪ @BigHarr72

Preparation eliminates uncertainty ‪#SugarBowl ‪#GatorBoys ‪#GatorNation

Jeff Driskel ‏‪@jeffdriskel

Last practice of the year. Gotta make it count. ‪#PP

Matt Jones™‏ ‪@mattjonesrb

Play Time Over!!

About the author

MikeCapshaw

Mike’s 15 years in the business has included more than six years of covering SEC sports and recruiting at a daily newspaper in Arkansas. He has also helped launch a newspaper, magazines, websites and even a sports talk radio show. Mike has won Florida Press Association awards for Best Sports Game Story and Best Sports Feature Story in the past two years as well as a company-wide award at his former newspaper group that includes some 60 publications, for Excellence in Sports Reporting.

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