On paper, this won't be the No. 10 Florida Gators' first away game of the season but in reality their week two game in Tampa against USF was hardly a hostile environment. In reality, the "sold out" crowd was far more orange and blue than green and gold.
This week, however, Florida will not have a home field crowd, rather a sold-out Kentucky crowd at Kroger Field. It was announced Monday on Mark Stoops' radio show that the game, kicking off at 6:00 pm on ESPN, was officially sold out.
"A sellout crowd this week, that’s how you build a program," Stoops said on the show. "If we continue to pack it, we will get better recruits. It’s going to feed, it’s going to build. We’ve got to strike while the iron is hot and continue to grow this program."
The crowd shouldn't be an issue for Florida's defense. It's when the offense is on the field that the crowd will be getting loud and Emory Jones' task is to be able to get the calls from the sideline and relay that to the team.
"I mean, that’s a tough environment. I’ve been there before, my sophomore year. It’s a tough environment. The fans show a lot of passion for their team. I mean, we just have to lock in this week," Emory Jones said on Monday. "We’re going to have the music blasting real loud during practice, I already know. We’re just gonna have to prepare and get ready for when that time comes.”
Florida relays their plays in through hand signals on the sideline, the true test for Jones and the offense will be relaying the play and protections to the other 10 players on the field and how they handle their first hostile environment. The Swamp has played its part to affect games. The crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium affected Alabama and Tennessee in consecutive weeks and the Big Blue Nation will look to replicate that in some form Saturday.
And the fans have a lot to cheer for. Kentucky is 4-0. They're a veteran group that has bought into Stoops' system. A win over Florida on Saturday would announce them as true contenders, something the fan base has craved.
"It would mean a lot, especially for this season to show the fans that we are elite. We're an elite team. We've got some great athletes," Kentucky tight end Brendan Bates said. "Especially to do that in front of all the fans, Kroger Field is already packed out, and to do that in front of all of them would mean a lot to me."