What was supposed to be a dream sendoff at home for Florida’s seniors quickly turned into a nightmare Saturday.
The Gators’ 20 seniors, including 11 scholarship athletes, had been to the top of the college football world during their careers in Gainesville, with 11 being a part of a BCS national championship team and a Southeastern Conference championship squad in 2008.
But after a 21-7 loss to rival FSU on Senior Day to cap a 6-6 regular season, the senior class reached a nadir.
“Proud of our seniors; they accomplished an awful lot at the University of Florida,” coach Will Muschamp said after the game. “I’m proud of them, but we need to get better.”
While Muschamp said he was pleased with the seniors’ collective achievements throughout their careers, Saturday’s performance was a different story, as only one senior had a positive impact.
Defensive tackle Jaye Howard had a five-tackle game that included a sack, two tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery.
For every other senior, it was a disappointing night — particularly for quarterback John Brantley and running back Chris Rainey, both of whom were unable to finish their final game in The Swamp.
Brantley tossed three interceptions before he left due to injury late in the first half.
“That’s our quarterback, that’s our main leader,” defensive tackle Omar Hunter said. “He’s the guy that holds it all together. To see him go down, it takes something out of the team.”
Rainey left early in the fourth quarter with what Muschamp said he thought was a hip injury. Rainey finished the day with 42 rushing yards on 15 carries and four receptions for 5 yards.
The rest of the seniors did not fare any better.
Wide receiver Deonte Thompson finished with no catches in his final home game, and his only stat was a tackle in the first half after Brantley threw an interception into quadruple coverage.
Running back Jeff Demps finished with four carries for negative-8 yards.
Defensive end William Green was named a captain before the game, but finished with two tackles.
Offensive linemen Dan Wenger and James Wilson both struggled as the Gators were unable to establish a running game or sustain an offensive drive. They were beat on the line of scrimmage, not only Saturday, but much of the season.
As FSU celebrated in The Swamp, UF’s band played the alma mater one last time — but no player, senior or otherwise, was around to hear it.
“It felt like my heart was ripped out,” Wilson said. “I just went inside.”
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org.
