Law enforcement officials will be out in full force Saturday for the annual UF-Florida State University football game.
The University Police are teaming up, as usual, with the Gainesville Police, Alachua County Sheriff's Office and Florida Highway Patrol for gameday, said Maj. Brad Barber, UPD public information officer.
Between 250 and 300 officers patrol typical gamedays, but a full force of about 300 officers are working this Saturday's game, he said.
"We still recognize that this is a very competitive and heated rivalry game," he said, "and given that it is also a night game, we're preparing for it accordingly."
During rivalry Gator football games this season, officials have made more arrests and ejected more people from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium than during non-rivalry ones, according to UPD news releases about home games.
For example, 15 people were ejected at the UF-Furman University game Saturday, and 102 people were ejected and seven were arrested at the UF-University of Alabama game.
Kickoff for the UF-FSU game will be at 7 p.m.
Liquor law violations are among the most common gameday issues. As police have done throughout the football season, they will issue civil citations to people who violate open-container laws at the stadium, Barber said.
Anyone younger than 21 in possession of alcohol will be given a notice to appear in court. People stopped for driving under the influence are usually arrested.
Ticket scalping could be a problem on Saturday, and officials will be looking for this violation as well, he said.
Reselling tickets on the UF campus is against the law. The selling of counterfeit tickets could be a problem at the FSU game like it was at the UF-Alabama game, another big football rivalry.
Barber suggested fans should be cautious about whom they purchase tickets from.
