Florida Vs. Ohio State, Gator Bowl: Gators Take Urban Meyer Game, 24-17

Not only did these two touchdowns give Florida a cushion, but they helped to define the narrative of the game as well. To put it kindly, Braxton Miller and the Ohio State offense were not built to play from behind. An offense like Oregon’s or Oklahoma State’s would not blink at a 14-point deficit, but Ohio State’s? Not so much. With the lead, Florida was able to tee off on Miller with reckless abandon.

Where’s the Benny Hillifier when you need it? This is how that play is reflected in the official play-by-play:

Gators head coach Muschamp was realistic about where the program is following Monday’s win.

Muschamp replaced a retired Urban Meyer following the 2009 season. Meyer’s retirement will end when he assumes the full-time head coaching position at Ohio State, with his tenure expected to begin when he meets with the team on Tuesday, Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Post-Dispatch reports.

The 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl was not where either Florida or Ohio State dreamed of finishing its 2011 season. But it was the Gators who got the 24-17 win in Jacksonville to avoid ending their season with a losing record.

The Gators improved to 7-6 on the year, and dodged their first losing season since 1979. For the Buckeyes, their 6-7 record makes 2011 the first year since 1897 that Ohio State has had seven losses.

Florida keeps putting distance between itself and Ohio State in the 2012 Gator Bowl. It’s like the reverse Urban Meyer, or something.

Live Gator Bowl box score, Gator Bowl FAQ, and Jan. 2 bowl game TV schedule.

Live Gator Bowl box score, Gator Bowl FAQ, and Jan. 2 bowl game TV schedule.

For more on the Gator Bowl, visit Florida blog Alligator Army and SEC blog Team Speed Kills, and Ohio State blog Along the Olentangy and Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.

Live Gator Bowl box score, Gator Bowl FAQ, and Jan. 2 bowl game TV schedule.

Florida leads at the half despite running just 26 offensive plays. The Gators were last in FBS in plays run this year.

Live Gator Bowl box score, Gator Bowl FAQ, and Jan. 2 bowl game TV schedule.

Debose’s kick return touchdown is Florida’s second of the year, and proves that while a roster that Urban Meyer recruited to Gainesville may have some issues, it does not lack for speed — not only does Debose zoom through a hole opened by excellent blocking, Jeff Demps matches him, stride for stride.

Live Gator Bowl box score, Gator Bowl FAQ, and Jan. 2 bowl game TV schedule.

Miller led the Buckeyes down the field after a muffed exchange at the snap gave Ohio State the ball, which itself came after an Ohio State fumble set Florida up in Buckeyes territory. Dan Herron is running hard for the Buckeyes, and has 40 yards on the ground so far.

Live Gator Bowl box score, Gator Bowl FAQ, and Jan. 2 bowl game TV schedule.

Ohio State didn’t have much more luck on its first offensive drive. The Buckeyes moved into Florida territory after Brantley’s fumble, but sacks on consecutive plays and a third down stop left Ohio State with no choice but to punt.

NOTE: Confused? See the quick glossary at the bottom.

Former team versus future team. Players he recruited versus players he will try to mold. The “Urban Meyer Bowl” storyline is a no-brainer for the Gator Bowl between Ohio State and Florida, but for such an obvious storyline the product on the field will probably not in any way feature any of the characteristics we look for from an Urban Meyer team, at least not offensively. Then again, with Ohio State’s interim staff in their final game and a new (interim) offensive coordinator calling plays for the Gators, who exactly knows what to expect?

Ohio State and Florida have met on the football field just one time - in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game. The favored Buckeyes fell to the powerful Gators squad 41-14 in a game that wasn’t even close. Yet the team from Gainesville elicited a firestorm of controversy when it was tapped for the title game in lieu of an OSU rematch with archrival Michigan.

In August, the probability for such a chaotic conclusion to the 2006 seemed unlikely-to-impossible, as the sport’s elite programs seemed firmly ensconced in their positions at the top of college football.

Almost five years ago, these two teams battled for the national championship with Florida defeating previously unbeaten Ohio State 41-14. Fast forward to 2012 and both teams underachieved, finishing 6-6.

The Gators will have to find some toughness; head coach Will Muschamp called his team “soft” after its 21-7 loss to rival Florida State last month. Florida has lost six of eight, but are 6-2 in the Gator Bowl.

The intrigue of course surrounds the recent hire by Ohio State of former Florida head coach Urban Meyer. In 10 years as a head coach, Meyer owns an impressive record of 104-23, and his .814 winning percentage is the 10th- best in the history of major college football. Meyer, of course, led Florida to a pair of national titles during his six years in Gainesville.

Meyer has said he won’t attend the game, but having recruited the majority of Florida’s current roster, and knowing that he has probably had some input in Ohio State’s game plan, it will be hard not to see the impact he has on both teams.

For more on the Florida Gators, visit Alligator Army. For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, visit Along The Olentangy.

This is just like the David Farragut Edwards era all over again, PAWWWWL

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While White was evasive about campaigning for the job, giving answers like “every day’s a job interview,” and “I’m just happy to be here,” Muschamp acknowledged that White is a “serious candidate” for the job, so he must step up in practice and during the bowl game to give himself a bigger advantage.

For more on the Gators’ search, visit Alligator Army.

With less than three weeks before the January 2 game at EverBank Field in Jacksonville,Florida, the Gators have sold half of their 15,000 ticket guarantee, while the Buckeyes have sold just 6,500 of their 12,750 allotment.

The two programs have combined to win three and the last 10 BCS National Championships, but both finished 6-6 under first-year head coaches Will Muschamp (Florida) and Luke Fickell (Ohio State). Former Florida head coach Urban Meyer, who led the school to a 65-15 record and two national titles, will take over the Buckeyes program next season.

White is a former offensive coordinator at Wisconsin and was hired originally by Urban Meyer.

Muschamp is expected to hire a new offensive coordinator to take over following the Gator Bowl.

Not a repeat from last year, actually:

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Weis will replace Turner Gill, who was fired after going 5-19 record in his two seasons with the Jayhawks.

For more on the hiring and Kansas football, visit Rock Chalk Talk. And keep an eye on the 2011 Coaching Carousel Tracker.

The sophomore left the regular-season finale against Florida State on Nov. 26 after twisting his knee on a goal-line play and was carted off the field.

Easley had surgery on Wednesday, according to Florida coach Will Muschamp.

Urban Meyer will not be patrolling the sidelines for either Ohio State or Florida in the 2012 Gator Bowl, but you can bet his presence will heavily felt. The former Florida coach was recently hired by Ohio State to help turn around a program that barely qualified for a bowl game this year, after winning at least 10 games in seven of the past eight years.

In a way, both teams should probably thank Meyer that anyone will really care about this game. With a pair of 6-6 teams facing off in an otherwise forgettable bowl, there is little reason to care about it otherwise.

The Gator Bowl is played annually in EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida and has been sponsored by Progressive Insurance for the past two years and is now sponsored by TaxSlayer.com. The Gator Bowl has been played every year since 1946 in Jacksonville, except for the 1994 game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech, which was played in Gainesville, FL at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium while EverBank Field was being modified to house Jacksonville’s newly acquired NFL franchise. The game typically pits the ACC and the Big East, but recently has taken on teams from the Big Ten and SEC.

The game has a bit of history, including the infamous Woody Hayes “incident” in 1978. Hayes, then the head coach of Ohio State lost his temper on the sideline and forearmed Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman when he ran out of bounds on the sideline. Hayes was fired the next day.