The Florida Gators held off the No. 7 Utah Utes 29-26 in the first game of the season Saturday. The team was backed by 90,799 fans in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — the most ever for a UF season opener, 10th most in program history and 2,251 more than the listed capacity.
Rae Riiska
Rae is a fourth-year journalism student with a specialization in photojournalism. This is her first year at The Alligator and is a photographer for the multimedia team. In her spare time she enjoys playing the guitar and spending time at the beach.
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Apr. 8Beer, firecrackers and chants of “it’s great to be a Florida Gator” were flung in the air as the Gators won the national championship, quickly prompting spectators to jump out of their chairs and over the fence onto Second Avenue.
Final Four: How Gainesville celebrated its victory
Apr. 7When UF’s Final Four matchup against the Auburn Tigers ended in triumph, Gainesville roared. Students stormed the streets. Bar floors shook. Fireworks exploded. The Gators had just advanced to their first National Championship since 2007. Take a look at how the city celebrated.
Remembering UF student Nyla Holland
Mar. 10Holland, a UF animal sciences sophomore, died in Gainesville March 2. She was 20 years old. Family and friends remember Holland as a resilient, energetic and loving jack-of-all-trades.
