** Gators Territory had the opportunity to shadow Director of Sports Nutrition for Florida football, Collier Perno, and her staff, as they prepare for UF's road game against Vanderbilt. Check out all the behind scenes footage and interviews with the Gators above. Full transcript of the video is found below.**

Football programs across the country are turning to sports nutrition in order to take the next step in performance.

At Florida, Director for Sports Nutrition for football, Collier Perno, and her are staff are leading the way.

"One of my big phrases is you can't out train a poor diet," said Perno. "Of course what you do in the weight room is going to have a big impact on your body composition but so does your diet."

Although new Director of Strength and Conditioning Nick Savage has done a great job of physically preparing the Gators for the season, Perno's work fueling the Gators is another part of the bigger picture.

"Especially this offseason I really needed help trimming some stuff down, and she was really there for me," defensive lineman Elijah Conlliffe said.

"Collier is the best I have ever had," tight end RJ Raymond said. "She is so individually based. She knows what every single person needs."

"She is a health critic, so sometimes I don't like what she picks but I know it's for the best for us - don't tell her I said that," defensive lineman Kyree Campbell joked. "But she takes care of us. She puts the right stuff in our bodies and it helps us to perform."

The Florida nutrition staff does a good job fueling the Gators for practice, but they also do a good job making sure these players have everything they need at the Swamp for home games. Their biggest task, however, is making sure these players have everything they need on the road.

"Essentially on road games we need to pack up the facility and move it for 24 hours," said Perno."The number one thing I want is for it to be consistent. I want it to feel like it's a home game."

"She always has what she needs, and she is always going to have what you're used to," Raymond said about Perno and her staff. "There is never going to be anything different because football is a big routine so you're not going to want to change your routine on Friday night."

"First, we make a packing list," Perno said about the process of preparing for road games. "We meet with the hotel and we kind of go back and forth. I'll send the banquet order through and then make any edits - making sure we get specific products, getting specific brands we are looking for."

The nutrition staff is in charge of every meal Florida will have away from home. Everything from the team's Friday night meal to pre, halftime and post game snacks.

Since the Gators will be in unfamiliar territory, Perno's job is to make sure the nutrition staff have contingencies for their contingency.

"We overpack because if there is a rain delay away from home, we don't have back up storage," Perno explained. "We have to have enough stuff for them to get through."

The crew starts packing for road games on Tuesday. Not only do they have one cooler packed and ready for the hotel, they also have a large Gatorade boat loaded with everything from: Muscle Milk, Gatorade, Rice Krispies, chips and pretzels.

"These snacks have a specific purpose whether it be chip or popcorn," said Florida nutrition staff member, Mike Childs. "It provides them with carbohydrates that can go quickly in their blood stream and help them perform, but it also has a lot of salt in it."

"When you're an athlete and you are exercising and sweating and you are losing a good amount of salt through your sweat," said Perno. "Sodium is an electrolyte that helps with muscle contraction and relaxation. So if someone is low on sodium they can have an increase risk of cramping."

In order to combat cramping, the staff provides several options to help on game day, including pickle juice.

"We do a lot of pickle juice shots just before kickoff. It is liquid and it is easy," she said. "They are used to it. We do it every day before practice and before every home game.

"Everything in the stadium is really super important," Perno added. "Guys will have a lot of superstition about what they want to eat exactly before kickoff; what they eat at halftime; and if we run out of something it will throw them."

In order to prevent some game time anxiety, the staff makes sure to load up on a few favorites.

Kadarius Toney "will have two bottles of strawberry Nesquiks," said Childs.

"Some of us don't care and some of us just want to eat but my thing is fried chicken," said Campbell. "I need my fried chicken."

"I like the fried chicken. I don't know about the Nesquik things but I like the fried chicken, said quarterback Feleipe Franks."I always have to have on Friday nights, I have to have the ice cream with hot chocolate fudge."

According to several Gators, Perno and her team's hard work on the road and at home makes a difference.

"There is not one time you don't have anything to eat on a road trip," said Franks. "Whether it be on the plane or whether it be getting to the hotel, there is always something there for us to eat or for us to snack on. I think one of the best things she does on road games is making sure we are always eating and making sure there are always nutrients in our bodies."

Perno's job is never done. When her team is not focused on the team's every day nutrition concerns , she is already gearing up for the postseason. The Gators are now bowl eligible, which means Perno is already making grocery lists for the eventual road trip in the winter.

"What we will have to do is bowl training onsite as well as off and we won't know the off site until later on," she explained. "So we have to start prepping for the onsite and the stuff that we will know about so that way we are already a step ahead."

"She is the best," said Raymond.