MIAMI - The prevailing sentiment entering the BCS National Championship Game was that whichever team played defense would win the game.
MIAMI - It's funny to think that a player who committed two turnovers served as a stabilizing influence on the winning team.
MIAMI - It has become the Gators' signature play.
MIAMI - This was the ugliest game you've ever seen for the first 40 minutes. This game was a train wreck. A slow-paced, whistle-filled, commercial-clogged mess of a game.
MIAMI - Titletown is alive and well again.
MIAMI - The prevailing sentiment entering the BCS National Championship Game was that whichever team played defense would win the game.
MIAMI - Earlier this week, UF receiver Percy Harvin said the only lingering effect from his sprained ankle was that it made it hard to slow down.
It's not deja vu. Relax, you're not seeing double.
If the gymnastics team is only as good as the competition it's going to face this season, then there's certainly a chance to be the best at the end of the year.
MIAMI - You stumble in at around 5 in the morning. You're met headfirst with a view of your normal weight room, your sanctuary, warped into a Quentin Tarantino horror flick. You can't see anything besides the four walls, because the windows are blocked with panels - it feels like you're in jail.
MIAMI - While the time between the Gators' last two games may have been tough on players mentally, it's a good thing they had those 33 days to recover from injuries.
MIAMI - Joe Haden is a starting cornerback for UF - one of the nation's most well-known and respected teams - and he's about to play for the Gators in their second BCS Championship appearance in three seasons.
MIAMI - Oklahoma senior center Jon Cooper chuckles and agrees it's usually a good sign when the offensive linemen aren't in the spotlight. Cooper's content not to deal with "100 cameras" and is happy to take the occasional slap on the back or get a free dinner.
While the Gators' tickets to the BCS National Championship Game were punched Dec. 6 with a win against Alabama, the journey began much earlier.
MIAMI - It all started with a playful jab. It's become a war of the words.
MIAMI - He doesn't know. Even if he has an inkling, he won't tell you. Perhaps you'll get one of his school-boy chuckles and "yes sirs" or "yes ma'ams." It could be just a grin and an "I don't know."
It doesn't take much for old friends to become familiar foes.
Forget about their record. Forget about what they've done over the past two months.
For close to two hours, UF made the third-largest crowd in women's basketball history forget they had come to view the BCS National Championship in the O'Connell Center following the basketball game.
In a sport where individual performances are usually key, the Gators have what senior Bradley Ally calls "united energy," a force that helps bind the Gators together and deliver some truly outstanding performances.
Solutions by The State News
