GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- If there's anyone within the Florida football program, past or present, who knows the secret to beating Georgia, it's former Gators head coach Steve Spurrier.
The Head Ball Coach beat the Bulldogs 11 times in his 12 seasons as the Gators' head football coach, which included seven consecutive wins in the series to start his tenure.
Now over 20 years since he led the Gators to SEC domination, he's still finding ways to contribute to the program as an ambassador and consultant. This time, it was as a guest speaker after practice as the 2023 team looks to upset the top-ranked Bulldogs.
"Coach has been great to me since my first day I got the job," UF head coach Billy Napier said about Spurrier on Wednesday. "He’s been awesome.
"Ultimately, for me, it’s a blessing to have him around. The wisdom, had an opportunity to spend some time with him, and he’s the right balance of staying out of your way but also giving you some insight. I think you’d be foolish not to take full advantage of having such an accomplished coach."
Spurrier provided the team insight into his experience in the rivalry and words of wisdom. According to linebacker Shemar James, the overall message was simple: "Beat the Dawgs."
"I think it was great to get the head ball coach back, let him talk to us, because he’s been around, has done it," said offensive lineman Austin Barber. "He’s beat these guys. He’s played these guys and it’s just great having that like wisdom back. It’s going to really boost us up.”
Spurrier explained the key to his teams' consistent domination over Georgia during Tuesday's edition of Inside the Huddle on WRUF.
"We went over there with confidence, but we knew we had to play well. There's a difference between confidence and cockiness," Spurrier said. "Cockiness means we’re just going to show up and kick your tail. No, no. Confidence is if we play our best, we should be able to win. We should."
He cited Georgia's 14-3 first-half deficit to South Carolina as a reason to be hopeful that Florida can pull off an upset this weekend, especially after the Gators played a true four-quarter game against that same Gamecocks team two weeks ago.
"So if we're to beat them, we've got to play the entire game and play well. And I think we're certainly capable of doing that," he said. "That victory at South Carolina may have given our team some really good confidence that we're good enough to go beat the guys. But you've got to do it for four quarters."
Spurrier isn't the only former Gator within the program who has imparted knowledge to the current team. Former linebacker Brandon Spikes, who currently serves as a student assistant coach, has also helped motivate the team based on his own personal experiences in the rivalry.
"His message since being here from the spring to the summer, since we did Rivalry 101, was that he hates the Dawgs," James said. "It's just pure hate with him and the Dawgs and that's what he instilled in us. This week is different than Vanderbilt week or South Carolina week. We're just preparing different for Georgia. There's a lot that goes into this week."
In four years at Florida, Spikes was 3-1 against Georgia, including a 49-10 blowout win in 2008, a game made famous by his hit on then-running back Knowshon Moreno.
"He brings that fire I promise you every day," Barber said of Spikes. "That really helps us and motivates us because you can see the passion he has for the game. I feel like when he has that passion it helps bring us up and show us how important this game is.”
Needless to say, there's a lot on the line when the Gators and Bulldogs match up. A win for Florida would snap a two-game losing streak to Georgia, secure bowl eligibility and certainly lead to a big jump in the polls. It would put UF in a tie for first place in the SEC East, where it would hold the tie-breaker over UGA.
However, recent history suggests this is Georgia's game to lose. The Dawgs have won 24 consecutive games and are currently 13.5-point favorites against Florida.
Still, Spurrier said if Florida can put together another true four-quarter game, they'll have a good chance of an upset, which he believes will be the case.
"Wins are not guaranteed unless you go earn them and the final clock ticks zero. That's when you know you're a winner," Spurrier said. "So, we'll have to play four quarters the best we can. If we do that, I think we've got a good chance.”
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