Rare Swamp sellout for Florida-FSU showdown

GAINESVILLE — The Florida-Florida State game was sold out for the first time in Gainesville since 2015, a 27-2 FSU win behind Dalvin Cook.

Sellouts have been few and far between at the Swamp, where the Gators once drew capacity crowds with regularity regardless of opponent. Since the 2018 season, Dan Mullen’s first in Gainesville, Florida announced just four sellouts — LSU (2018), Auburn (′19), Alabama (′21) and now FSU.

The Gators’ struggles at the gate are not necessarily unique among even SEC powers. High-definition, big-screen TVs, an unpredictable economy and game-day hassles, such as traffic, parking and concessions lines, have led more fans to stay home.

Brown honored

Add Lomas Brown’s turn as “Honorary Mr. Two Bits” to the Florida legend’s list of achievements.

Brown wishes the 1984 SEC title was included.

“I’m a little bitter because of what happened,” Brown said Saturday. “It was something that happened before we got here.”

The NCAA stripped the title because of infractions committed by coach Charley Pell, who was fired three games into the season. The Gators were 1-1-1 but won their next eight games to earn the school’s first conference championship — a feat since accomplished eight times at Florida.

“We always felt that we were the first team to win the SEC title for the University of Florida,” he said. “I’d like to say we set the foundation.”

Few UF teams have been as loaded

A first-team All-America in 1984 and 2020 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Brown anchored a line known as “The Great Wall of Florida.” He blocked for future NFL backs Neal Anderson, John L. Williams and Lorenzo Hampton. Leading receiver Ricky Nattiel and sack leader Alonzo Johnson also went onto professional success.

“It was great all the talent we had as a team,” Brown said.

No player was better than Brown. He played 18 NFL seasons, earned seven trips to the Pro Bowl and played 263 games.

Brown now is a radio analyst for the Detroit Lions, but he made his first trip to Gainesville since 2006 to serve as Two Bits. True to form, the 58-year-old made sure he was prepared.

“A lot of film studying because I wanted to get the technique right,” he said.

Stricklin isn’t concerned with bowl games

Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin spent a few moments before Saturday’s game taking in the pregame pageantry from the press box. Stricklin was asked about rumblings that the Florida-Florida State winner could wind up facing UCF in the Union Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa.

“I’m not even thinking about bowls right now,” Stricklin said.

Stricklin went on to say that the school would most likely accept a bowl bid before the Gators defeated the Seminoles 24-21, but he would need to check with the seniors on the team before committing to a game.

Stricklin fired coach Dan Mullen last Sunday with Florida mired in a 5-6 season and his focus has been on finding a new coach in time for the early signing period, which begins on Dec. 15.

Travis inks NIL opportunity

Jordan Travis has partnered with teammate Dillan Gibbon’s nonprofit “Big Man Big Heart” to create a GoFundMe page to raise money to give 50 underprivileged children at Tallahassee’s Boys and Girls Club. The event is for a holiday shopping spree and participating in a community youth football clinic at the Dunlap Athletic Training facility on the FSU campus.

The page has raised $6,920 of its $10,000 goal as of Saturday morning, which provides the children an opportunity to pair up with an FSU football player for their holiday shopping spree along with football activities and a pizza party.

The clinic provides participants with the chance to run through the same drills the football players do and receive an autographed football.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com.