Florida Gators want to “take back The Swamp”

Will Muschamp hasn’t been one to pump up his team by playing up the importance of a particular game. He preaches a one game season to his team and they echo those sentiments to the media.

Something changed after an embarrassing performance against Missouri. The Florida defensive backs meeting room — which is adjacent to the team’s locker room — is normally quiet as reporters wait for players to come in and fulfill weekly media obligations. The week leading up to the Georgia game you could hear music and yelling permeating the walls in the underbelly of The Swamp.

The team was ready. They were fully invested in beating Georgia and the mood surrounding the team was completely fixated on Georgia. “It’s personal,” they said of playing Georgia. Following an emotional win over their hated rivals the Gators found a new motivation for Vanderbilt — revenge.

This week, the team has already rallied around a new sticking point — taking back The Swamp.

“Noon kickoff, 12:01 here in The Swamp, great to get back in front of some of the best fans in the country. Can’t wait to get in front our crowd again,” Muschamp said on Monday. “I really challenged our football team after the Vanderbilt win about how important it is to take back the Swamp and that’s what we need to do this coming Saturday.”

Under Muschamp, the Gators are 17-7 when playing in the friendly confines of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. However, 12 of those wins came in the first two seasons and the Gators are a measly 5-5 when playing at home the past two seasons.

When Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was initially dubbed the Swamp — by none other than the coach who will take the opposing sideline this weekend — the Gators truly had a home field advantage. Steve Spurrier won his first 23 games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and finished with an astounding 68-5 mark at home.

This season, Florida is currently on a two-game losing streak at home (LSU, Missouri) but riding high on the back of two consecutive wins (in Jacksonville vs. Georgia and on the road at Vanderbilt).

“The Swamp is a place where other teams should fear coming into,” senior offensive lineman Max Garcia said. “Only Gators get out alive. So we’ve got to make that happen again, we’ve got to take it back this game.”

Florida will host South Carolina at noon — the first noon kickoff of the season for the Gators — needing a win to keep their hopes of playing in Atlanta alive. They’ll play their game without the knowledge of the outcomes in the Georgia-Auburn or Missouri-Tennessee games — both games that hold Florida’s future in the balance.

That’s good for this team though. They won’t have a chance for a letdown if the outcome of the other two games are unfavorable and they can focus completely on the task at hand — taking back The Swamp against the coach who dubbed it thus and gave the name some bite.

“Our fans do deserve something to cheer for in the Swamp, at the Swamp,” Garcia said. “We’ve got to defend it.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC

1 COMMENT

  1. As always-good stuff Nick. Perhaps the most humiliating part of the past few seasons is losing in the Swamp. Particularly to teams that had no business beating us. It’s been gut-wrenching and downright depressing to witness. Losing to inferior teams and losing at home. Nothing says your program is derailed more than that! The past two games have obviously been a pleasure to watch. The ship isn’t listing anymore. There is renewed energy. The word ‘team’ seems to have taken on new meaning, and the kids are seeing that working smart, in concert with each other is paying off. They don’t want to lose that feeling… Insert song of choice here. Perhaps, more importantly, they (the players) are enjoying the fruits of their labor. Good for them! So, Taking Back The Swamp? Yeah, it is a BIG freaking deal. Go Gators.