It's time to say goodbye.
Nineteen seniors will step onto Florida Field for the last time Saturday when No. 3 UF (9-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) hosts Football Championship Subdivision opponent The Citadel (4-7).
At 1 p.m. inside The Swamp, 30 minutes before kickoff, the tears will begin to flow and the names will begin to roll.
Tight end Tate Casey. Safety John Curtis. Linebacker Jamaal Deveaux. Defensive tackle Javier Estopinan. Defensive back Andrew Fritze.
The group finishes its time in Gainesville with a 40-9 record so far, one SEC title and one national title. This year holds the potential to add another to those last two categories.
Offensive lineman Brad Heirs. Tight end Cornelius Ingram. Punter Bobby Kane. Running back Kestahn Moore. Wide receiver Louis Murphy.
"It's one of the best groups of people I've ever been around," coach Urban Meyer said. "Their record speaks for itself."
Offensive lineman Kyle Newell. Kicker Jonathan Phillips. Defensive back Kyle Pratt. Long snapper Butch Rowley. Long snapper James Smith. Left guard Jim Tartt.
It's quite likely this game will get out of hand early. The Gators come in as the SEC's leader in scoring offense and defense. The Bulldogs have lost games this season to Elon, Furman, Samford and Wofford.
But Meyer would not get ahead of himself and talk about the ability to get backups extended playing time. He has coached at a school on that level of play (Bowling Green).
And while he wouldn't quite call this game a break from the tough lineup of opponents, he did acknowledge the benefits of Saturday's matchup.
"This is great scheduling," he said. "This comes at the right time."
Cornerback Joe Haden said the intensity has not dropped this week despite the lesser opponent. The usual defensive goals of allowing no yards and no points remain intact, albeit a little more probable this week.
Perhaps the real motivation might be keeping the Citadel off the scoreboard. UF has kept five teams to 7 points or less, but the Gators have not recorded a shutout since Nov. 18, 2006 against Western Carolina - the last FCS team to come to Gainesville.
"It definitely should be coming now," Haden said. "We're going to play this game like we would play LSU or Georgia.
"After this game we know we have Florida State next, so we can't just go down and expect to pick it back up next week."
For the Citadel, then, this is just an opportunity. Maybe to pull off a miracle, but more likely to soak up the atmosphere (and a $450,000 check). The most famous upset of a FCS team over an FBS team is certainly Appalachian State's win against Michigan in 2007.
Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, who played at the FCS' Arkansas State, said the talent difference when preparing for an elite team can be overwhelming.
"You look at what you're playing against and you're like, 'Wow, those guys are really good,'" Strong said. "I don't know how much confidence they're going to have."
But these seniors may not be the only ones making their final appearance inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Juniors Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes and Tim Tebow will have to decide after the season whether to head to the NFL or return for a final year.
"I think Florida is the one school with more juniors leaving than anybody else," Meyer said. "We have to focus on what's important. One thing about it, guys will make the right decision. There are no decisions made right now, I believe. We'll assist them if they ask us."
UF fans will be happy to hear Tebow hadn't considered that this could be his fond farewell.
"No, I haven't (thought about it), as you can tell," Tebow said. "I don't even think about it like that, man. The more I'm here, the longer I want to stay here. I love being a Gator."
Tebow's future with the team is uncertain, but the seniors don't have a decision to make. This will be the last time those 19 names echo from The Swamp's speakers.
Kicker Greg Taussig. Left tackle Phil Trautwein. Right tackle Jason Watkins.
