The next edition of the Alligator Awards is here, and this time we debate which individual moment was the best from the 2015-16 season. Sports writers Ray Boone, Matt Brannon and Alejandro López join alligatorSports Editors Ian Cohen and Ethan Bauer in a roundtable discussion to debate the five nominees. Debates will go in alphabetical order by the writer’s last name.
Bauer: Upset in the O'Dome
Like the other contenders on this list, the women’s basketball team’s victory over FSU had drama, excitement and provided a powerful memory.
But it had one thing that nothing else on this list had: the upset factor.
The Seminoles entered the game ranked No. 6 and were thought to be title contenders. It was also their season opener.
The Gators, meanwhile, were unranked, underperforming and unenthusiastic after a season-opening loss to unranked Temple.
Florida had lost to FSU three times in a row. And early on, UF appeared headed for No. 4.
But the Gators stormed back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Seminoles 31-15 in the game’s final frame. Florida 82, Florida State 72.
The crowd at the game was significantly larger than the average crowd for women’s games, and when UF completed its comeback, the folks in the stands took notice.
It was a moment with enough force to propel the team to 12-straight wins, and one that meant more because of the team’s prior struggles.
Boone: If there's a Will, there's a Callaway
Florida football experienced a resurgence during the 2015 season, and it all started with its fourth-quarter comeback against Tennessee on Sept. 26.
Down 27-14 with less than five minutes remaining, it wasn’t looking good for the Gators. It seemed like the Volunteers would finally end their decade-long losing streak against Florida.
Then UF quarterback Will Grier found his touch.
Grier, who was sporadic through three-and-a-half quarters, engineered a drive to put the Gators within striking distance. With 4:09 left on the clock, Grier flicked a five-yard pass to receiver Brandon Powell for a touchdown. The following extra point shrunk Tennessee’s lead to six.
After a quick three-and-out by Tennessee, Florida’s offense was back on the field with just over two minutes left in the game.
The ensuing drive did not begin as planned.
On first down, UT linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin sniffed out UF’s screen pass to running back Kelvin Taylor and tackled him for a four-yard loss.
The next two plays were incomplete passes to receiver Demarcus Robinson.
Fourth-and-14. Do or die. This was it for the Gators.
Enter Antonio Callaway.
Grier delivered a perfect strike to the freshman receiver who freed up from a block from Powell and sprinted 63 yards down the sideline for the first touchdown of his career. As the Florida fans in attendance screamed in delight, the once-loud Tennessee fans fell silent.
The Volunteers still had a chance to win, though.
On the last play of the game, UT kicker Aaron Medley lined up a 55-yard kick to break the Vols’ losing streak. The ball drifted right, just missing the edge of the goal post, and the game was over.
Florida won, and Tennessee lost.
Again.
Brannon: The Turnaround in Tiger Town
Florida football fans chanted “Fire Muschamp” as the Gators fell behind 42-0 in 2014’s homecoming game against Missouri.
That’s why Florida’s 21-3 win on the Tigers’ home turf one year later was the Gators’ most satisfying moment of 2015. The win marked Florida’s re-emergence onto the national stage.
After the win, Florida fans had it all.
A 6-0 record, the best start since 2012.
A No. 11 national ranking.
An elite secondary complemented by a passing game firing on all cylinders via Will Grier’s fingertips.
A winning streak highlighted by a miracle finish against Tennessee, a blowout win over No. 3 Ole Miss and a road victory against the two-time defending Southeastern Conference East Division Champions, Missouri, who had beaten the Gators by multiple touchdowns two seasons in a row.
When the Gators arrived in the Show Me State on Oct. 10 in front of more than 70,000 Tigers fans, Florida showed the country that it was back. Grier threw for more than 200 yards while Kelvin Taylor rushed for 99 and two touchdowns. A 40-yard pick-6 courtesy of Jalen Tabor put the game on ice and lit Florida fans on fire.
The fans who’d chanted “Fire Muschamp” were ready to crown Jim McElwain king of Florida. And for two days, Gator fans had a sense of school spirit that would have made Tim Tebow weep.
By Monday morning, Grier was suspended.
But if only for a weekend, Florida’s win over Missouri marked the Gators’ successful turnaround, the most exciting moment a Florida fan could’ve asked for.
Cohen: Alonso homers twice in return from injury
Two months ago, Peter Alonso was Florida’s leader in batting average, RBIs and home runs.
He was the power hitter in the middle of the Gators’ lineup, taking up the slack left by former outfielder Harrison Bader and a slumping JJ Schwarz.
Then Alonso was hit in the hand by a fastball against Vanderbilt, sidelining him for several weeks with a fracture in his left hand.
Then he came back.
In UF’s NCAA Regional opener on June 3, Alonso walked into the batter’s box for the first time since May 13, kicked the dirt off the plate and centered himself toward the mound.
The crowd was chanting his name.
The dugout was watching closely.
The fastball came.
This time, it landed deep past the left-field wall at McKethan Stadium. A two-run homer.
As the junior circled the bases and as the crowd erupted, Alonso’s teammates left the dugout to greet him at home plate.
But Alonso wasn’t done.
He hit another home run in the fourth inning, this time a one-run shot to give UF a 7-1 lead against Bethune-Cookman.
So why was this the best individual moment of Florida sports in the last year?
After he fractured his hand, Alonso wasn’t sure if he would return. In fact, with the MLB draft just a few weeks away, he thought he had played his last game in a Florida uniform.
But he did make it back, and in his return, he delivered one of the most memorable performances in Florida baseball’s history.
López: Sloan’s Sendoff
As time goes on, most people abandon the notion of the storybook ending.
To all those who have lost faith in the fairy tale story: Bridget Sloan proved you wrong.
March 11 was Senior Night at the O’Dome, the final home meet of Sloan’s collegiate career.
In front of a crowd of 7,039, the former Olympian took to the floor one last time, walking out to a standing ovation from an emotionally charged crowd.
She saluted the judges and fans, like she had countless times before.
And then, the magic began.
With trademark charisma and precision, she danced and tumbled across the center mat, sticking each landing with ease.
The music cut at the end of her routine. The audience roared in approval.
And then, both judges revealed their scorecards.
10.
The din elevated to a roar.
10.
It was a moment fit for the silver screen: The Florida Gators’ winningest gymnast of all time slammed the book shut on her Gator career with a perfect 10 in her final routine in Gainesville.
It may not have been a 63-yard pitch-and-catch touchdown at the Swamp.
What it was, though, was something out of a fairy tale.
It was the University of Florida’s greatest individual moment of the 2015-2016 athletic season, a fitting exit for a true legend, both on campus and in the gymnastics world at large.
Bridget Sloan performs on the balance beam during the NCAA Gymnastics Super Six on April 16, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas.
