For the last time this season, Florida players met with the media for a regularly scheduled availability. They talked about the mood of the team, gearing up for a rivalry game against Florida State and the emotions of senior day.
On senior day
- Wide receiver Trey Burton says he’s going to try not to cry but his emotions may get the best of him. His wife, mother, grandmother and daughter will be among those there on the field the final time he comes out of the tunnel.
- Offensive lineman Kyle Koehne says he’s thought of this day all season, although this isn’t the way he envisioned this year going.
- Defensive lineman Damien Jacobs says the day is bittwesweet, not because of the bad season thought, but because he’s ready to move on to the next portion of his life.
- Offensive lineman Jon Halapio called this the team’s bowl game.
On having coaches on the hot seat
- Koehne thinks offensive line coach Tim Davis is a great coach, and is his favorite coach since he got to Florida. He doesn’t want to see anything bad happen to him.
- Jacobs says he believes in Coach Muschamp, supports him and thinks the program is a lot closer to success than people think.
- Halapio says he loves offensive coordinator Brent Pease, and thinks he deserves another year.
“I’m a big fan of Coach Pease and I always will be,” Burton said. “I thank him for everything he’s done for me and my family and the lessons that I’ve learned from him, I can’t put into words how thankful I am for him.”
On Florida State
- Koehne says seeing FSU put up 55 points per game makes this season feel a bit worse, but motivates the Gators to upset the Seminoles even more.
- Jacobs says the Seminoles don’t face the caliber of defense week in and week out on par with Florida because they play in the ACC. He believes Florida will cut down FSU’s 55 point per game scoring average.
- Halapio says it’s hard to believe the gap between the two programs, especially since the Gators beat FSU last year.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Burton said. “Every time we play Tennessee, it’s going to be close. Every time we play Georgia, it’s going to be really close. Every time we play Florida State, it’s going to be close. Rivalry games, somehow, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the beginning of the season or the whole year.”
This is senior day in the Swamp. I hope the fans support these seniors and the rest of the team regardless of the outcome. All we can ask them to do is to play as hard as they can and then hold their heads up high knowing they gave all they had. Please fans, no booing on Saturday. It does not help anything. Go Gators.