"Gator Bait!" (Continued)

Cap headed into the bookstore, where he bought a gameday shirt and a magnet for his oven door back home – a large Gator head – just like the one on the front of the players’ jerseys. Then he was off seeking TV screens. There were games coming on, and he pulled out his “50 Yard Line Ticket,” from AutumnSpectacle.com – a listing of games, networks and game times.  Down the elevator, and he found televisions - in the bowling alley.  Cap followed the games and caught incoming scores on screens above the lanes, with bowling balls rolling, below.

CSE-MCL Complex

Then looking out the window and across the courtyard, he noticed a sign: “The Brew.” Checking it out, he had struck pay dirt. A coffee house/sandwich/ pastry shop - on gameday it was so much more. The large room was packed, standing room only, with college football fans – following today’s showdowns.

Leaving himself plenty of time to make the trek, Cap headed toward The Swamp. At the stadium, he stopped in at the Gator Sportshop, where he completed his Gator gear shopping. He headed on, and as he rounded the corner to the north end of the stadium, the drum corps jolted him.

Cap wedged himself a spot near the gate, in the second row, and waited. The crowd thickened with each passing minute, then finally, a roar from out front signaled that the team was here.

Cap could feel that these fans are hungry for a return to the top of the SEC mountain. 

Florida started football in 1906 and joined the SEC in 1933. The Gators claim six conference crowns – the latest in 2000 – and one National Championship, 1996. They’ve had two Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier, 1966 and Danny Wuerffel, 1996.

In 2005, UF hired head coach Urban Meyer from Utah and Gator fans are chompin’ for a trip to the SEC Championship game.  

The crowd dispersed and Cap headed to the car, where he stowed his purchases in the trunk and returned to University Ave.  The area on both sides of University was pumping with activity. Among the tailgaters around the stadium, the Fight Song blared from speakers while smoke rose from grills, the aroma of barbecue filled the air, and crowds formed outside the gates, waiting for them to open.

Young UF fans show their toughness as they prepare for a game in The Swamp, where only Gators come out alive.

The Fightin’ Gator Marching Band highstepped onto Florida Field playing the fight song, “The Orange and the Blue,” followed by George Edmondson,” Mr.Two Bits” – a long-time, avid fan - who entered at midfield, and led the crowd in, “Two Bits, Four Bits, Six Bits, a Dollar, all for the Gators, Stand Up and Holler!”

Then, the “Orange” and “Blue” chant, around the stadium, followed by the UF Alma Mater and the band playing the “We Are The Boys March.” The band then retreated to their seats in the northwest corner, and shortly, the team ran out. Al and Alberta, the costumed Gator mascots, roamed the sidelines, exhorting the fans throughout the contest.

Just before the team runout, the end zone video board lit up with a shot of live gators swarming into the water in attack mode, and then a large gator rising from the water with jaws gaping, coming at the camera. Then the team filled the screen, and ran out from

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