"It takes about 198 points to win…And .025 to lose. Will you fight to get the extra .025?"
That slogan has been on a sign hanging in the Gators' practice facility all year, and in two competitions, they may have forgotten about it.
Twice this season, UF just didn't have enough to get past that small margin, and both times it was against Georgia.
As long as the No. 3 Gators (12-3-1, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) make it past the first round of the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., on Thursday as they are expected to, they will have their third opportunity to prove they have more fight than the No. 1 Bulldogs.
If UF is to take the national title from the three-time defending champions, it will have to do it in Georgia's arena.
"It's in their home, so this will give it a little more emphasis, and it will be so exciting to win there, especially after losing to them this year," senior Ashley Reed said.
Georgia is encouraging all of its fans to wear black to the competition to give it more of an edge.
Despite the thousands of barking Bulldogs fans that will be in attendance, sophomore Melanie Sinclair doesn't expect the home advantage to have any affect on the results.
"If the judges judge accordingly and fair, then there should be no benefit being home, because last year SECs were at (Arkansas) and they didn't win, so it's sort of the same sense," Sinclair said.
While Georgia is the heavy favorite and has not lost at home since 2005 - the Gym Dogs lost to UF and Alabama that season - they were only victorious once in the three times they hosted the NCAA Championships.
The Bulldogs will have to deal with a Gators team that is feeling overlooked and ready to leave everything on the mat.
"We are the underdogs, and right now we love it, because we are going out there with something to prove," senior Tiffany Murry said. "We are going out there with the attitude that we have nothing to lose, because nobody thinks we can do it."
Unlike last year, when the Gators were the favorite and went into the second day a little tired, coach Rhonda Faehn said her team is serious and focused on not letting that happen again.
There are 10 other teams in the competition, but it's clear which foe holds the Gators' attention as they focus on getting that extra .025.
"We can't control how Georgia is going to compete, because we have no idea," Faehn said. "That would be a waste of time for us to be concerned about. The only thing that we are concerned with is going in there the most prepared we can and to have a great practice day out there and then do our job."
