The Gator Bowl Meet and Greet: Who Are The Florida Gators?

Florida has some speed

As it was announced Sunday night, Ohio State will take on the Florida Gators in the 2011-2012 Gator Bowl. Both teams are coming off a disappointing 6-6 regular season, but have high hopes for coming out with a win in this game. So let's take a look at who the Florida Gators are.

Coach
Will Muschamp: 6-6 (3-5) 1st Year
On December 11, 2010, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley named Muschamp to succeed current Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer as the head coach of the Florida Gators football program. 

Since that time, Muschamp has led the Gators to a 6-6 season, which is disappointing for a team that has won 2 National Championships in the past 5 years. On January 3, 2011, Muschamp announced the hiring of Charlie Weis, former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, as the Gators' new offensive coordinator. Weis is a four-time Super Bowl champion and a former head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish team. 

The offense isn't as good as Ohio State's (shocking, I know), but their defense is certainly greater than the Buckeyes' attempt this year. Let's take a look at some of those key players after the jump.

Key Players

QB John Brantley - Brantley was the heir apparent for Tim Tebow, and hasn't really impressed much for Gator fans in any of his seasons, including his senior season this year. So far this season he's gone 132/224 (58% completion percentage) for 1,912 and 10 TD's, along with 6 INT's. He doesn't ever run, but has gotten sacked 13 times this season.

RB Chris Rainey - The senior from Lakeland has done some great things for the Gators to keep a competitive edge in the offense with some serious speed. The teams leading back, he has 155 carries for 790 yards, which isn't mind boggling, but he's also a threat out of the backfield as a receiver where he has 28 catches for 350+ yards.

RB Jeff Demps - The speedster senior might be one of the most dangerous players on this team, running the ball in favor of Rainey, but can also be used in some different packages to utilize his crazy speed, and have some receptions as well. With 91 carries for 539 yards, Demps is not someone to overlook with 6 touchdowns and has that break-away speed.

Match Up History

- The schools have met just once on the football field, but that was enough to spark a rivalry -- especially after what happened later on the basketball court (Florida would beat Ohio State in another championship game, this time winning 84-75.

- Florida routed Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 8, 2007. The Buckeyes returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but Ted Ginn, Jr., was injured during the celebration and missed the rest of the game.

- UF held Ohio State to just 82 yards of total offense and sacked Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith five times, intercepting him once. It wasn't a good night for the Buckeyes.