When Florida defensive end Dominique Easley needs to fuel his anger, he watches highlights of games the Gators lost last season.
He has six to choose from, including a 24-20 loss to Georgia that officially knocked the Gators out of the SEC Eastern Division hunt.
“It’s like you’re going to watch a video clip of you getting punched in your face over and over again,” said Easley, who later compared that defeat to getting kicked in a sensitive area. “You’re going to get mad every time you watch it.”
No. 3 Florida can return that unpleasant feeling this Saturday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville (3:30 p.m., CBS). If the Gators (7-0, 6-0 in the SEC) win, they own the East and a trip to the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 1.
The Florida-Georgia rivalry has always been one of the nastiest in the country. The last five years alone produced colorful moments on both sides. After the entire Bulldogs’ roster stormed the field for a touchdown celebration in 2007, UF coach Urban Meyer responded the next year by calling two timeouts in the final minute of a 49-10 blowout just to prolong Georgia’s misery.
Gators linebacker Brandon Spikesgouged a Georgia player’s eye in 2009. Two years ago, Bulldogs defensive coordinator Todd Grantham made a choke sign with his hands as UF kicker Chas Henry prepared to kick the game-winning field goal in overtime.
There were no fireworks last October, but Georgia bullied the Gators for 185 rushing yards.
“We got our butts kicked and it still hurts,” Easley said.
“I don’t like ‘em. They Georgia, that’s all. They Bulldogs, that’s all.”
Gators coach Will Muschamp has encouraged those feelings all season by using last year’s losses as talking points. His staff has consistently emphasized to players the opportunity to get revenge against teams like LSU, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida State.
Even though he played safety for the Bulldogs from 1991 through ’94, they are one of the few teams Muschamp has taken shots at during his time as Florida’s coach.
When told in July that Georgia coach Mark Richt said he might prefer the game no longer be played in Jacksonville, Muschamp fired back that legendary Bulldogs coach Vince Dooley, “never complained about it.” He also likes to say, “my undergraduate degree is holding me back,” when he has trouble understanding what a fan asks him at Gator Club appearances.
It is clear he has no love remaining for the university that gave him a shot as a walk-on.
“I’ve never walked into a game liking somebody,” he said. “You want to win, don’t you?”
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