2012 Gator Bowl, Ohio State vs. Florida: Gators Defeat Buckeyes, 24-17

The Florida Gators special teams and defense put together a spectacular performance and the Gators held on for a 24-17 victory in the 2012 Gator Bowl.

The victory helped the Gators avoid their first losing season since 1979.

Florida scored 14 points on special teams, blocking a punt and getting a 99 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

The Gators defense came to play as well, holding the Buckeyes to under 300 yards of total offense while forcing 2 turnovers and sacking Ohio State Quarterback Braxton Miller six times.

Florida was outgained by Ohio State 293-261.

Florida Gator QB John Brantley had a decent ballgame, completing 12 of 16 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also accounted for three turnovers, fumbling once, botching a snap and throwing a pick.

Miller finished 18 of 23 for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns.

OSU running back Dan Herron was held to 82 yards on 12 carries.

Ohio State finished the season 6-7, their first losing season since 1988.

2012 Gator Bowl, Ohio State vs. Florida: Gators Take a Commanding Lead, 24-10 early in 4th Quarter

The Florida Gators’ special teams and defense has ruled the day. A blocked punt staked Florida to a 21-10 lead. Then, a turnover has Florida in point blank range to add to their lead as time expired in the third quarter. Florida would settle for a field goal, extending their lead to 24-10

The two teams have combined for five turnovers. Florida has outgained Ohio State 218-201 through three quarters of play.

Gator QB John Brantley is 11 of 15 for 124 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He’s also fumbled twice.

Chris Rainey leads the Gators rushing attack with 50 yards on 10 carries.

Florida has also sacked Ohio State QB Braxton Miller six times.

Ohio State vs. Florida, 2012 Gator Bowl: Gators Lead Buckeyes 14-10 at Halftime

The Florida Gators used a controversial touchdown pass and a 99 yard kickoff return for a touchdown to build a 14-10 halftime lead.

The Gators defense has been dominant, sacking Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller 4 times.

Ohio State has outgained Florida 139 to 131. The Gators offense ran just five plays in the second quarter.

Miller has completed 4 of 6 for 53 yards and 1 touchdown. Dan Herron leads the Buckeyes with 54 yards on 8 carries.

John Brantley has fumbled twice, but connected with Deonte Thompson on a 17 yard score to cap a 14 play, 80 yard drive. The play was controversial as it appeared Thompson may have lost a handle on the ball as he fell to the ground in the endzone. The Gators scrambled on their special teams and got the extra point on the board before the play could be reviewed.

Ohio State answered, turning a Florida fumble into 7 points when they marched 72 yards in 8 plays, finishing the drive with a 5 yard touchdown pass from Miller to Devier Posey.

The tie would be broken within seconds as dynamic Florida kick returner Andre DuBose took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards untouched for a score.

Ohio State would add a field goal late to cut the margin to 14-10 before half time.

Gator Bowl Score Update: Florida Leads Ohio State, 7-0, After First Quarter

The Florida Gators hold an early 7-0 lead over the Ohio St. Buckeyes after one period in the 2012 Gator Bowl. Facing a third-and-five from the Buckeyes 17, John Brantley hooked up with Deonte Thompson for a touchdown on the Gators' second drive of the game.

Brantley completed 6-of-8 passes for 65 yards on the drive, but he wasn't nearly as successful on Florida's next possession, fumbling the center exchange which Ohio State recovered. The Buckeyes took over and that possession led into the second quarter.

Florida is seeking to knock off an Ohio State team which Urban Meyer will coach in 2012. Meyer coached the Gators to two BCS Championships (2006, 2008) before retiring in 2011. He made the surprising choice to return to coaching later that year, accepting the Buckeyes' vacancy.

We'll have plenty more on this game throughout the Bowl season, so keep it locked to this StoryStream. For more on this and every Bowl game, you can head over to the SB Nation College Football hub. For more on the Florida Gators, visit Alligator Army. For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, visit Along The Olentangy.

Ohio Stave vs. Florida, 2012 Gator Bowl: Buckeyes and Gators Exchange Touchdowns, Florida leads 14-7

The Gator offense had the ball in point blank range following a fumble by OSU running back Dan Herron – but Florida gave it right back on a botched snap.

Ohio State responded with an 8 play 72 yard drive that culminated Braxton Miller’s 5 yard touchdown pass to DeVier Posey.

The Buckeyes didn’t get long to celebrate as Andre Dubose returned the ensuing kickoff untouched 99 yards for a touchdown.

Florida leads 14-7 with 11:03 left in the first half.

Gator Bowl - Ohio State vs. Florida: Gators Strike First, lead 7-0 after One Quarter

John Brantley connected with Deonte Thompson on a controversial 17 yard touchdown pass. Thompson appeared to lose control of the football as he fell to the ground in the endzone. Florida raced to special teams unit on to the field and kicked the extra point before it could be reviewed.

Florida has turned the ball over twice while Ohio State has coughed it up once.

The Gators outgained OSU 122 to 40 in the first quarter. QB John Brantley is 8 for 10 for 82 yds and a touchdown pass. He has fumbled twice. Chris Rainey leads the Gators with 33 yards on five carries.

Ohio State has not attempted a pass and is led by Herron’s 38 yards on the ground.

Ohio State Vs. Florida, 2012 Gator Bowl: Time, Location, History And More

While we might want to call this game the "Urban Meyer" bowl because of the coach's recent affiliation to both of these schools, Ohio St. and Florida will meet in the Gator Bowl from sunny Jacksonville Florida.

Here is all the information you need to know to find this game on television later this afternoon.

Game Date/Time: Monday, January 2, 1:00 p.m. ET

Location: Everbank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

TV: ESPN2

History: Florida is 6-2 in eight career appearances in the Gator Bowl, Ohio State lost their only appearance in 1978 to Clemson.

Radio: ESPN Radio

We'll have plenty more on this game throughout the Bowl season, so keep it locked to this StoryStream. For more on this and every Bowl game, you can head over to the SB Nation College Football hub. For more on the Florida Gators, visit Alligator Army. For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, visit Along The Olentangy.

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl - Florida vs. Ohio State: Urb Bowl I

The Florida Gators taken on their old coach's new team, Ohio State in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl.

Gator Bowl 2012: Ohio State Fans Not Buying Travel Packages, According To Report

Fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes appear less than thrilled about the idea of heading to the team's Gator Bowl game against the Florida Gators in Jacksonville on Jan. 2 as Steve Stephens of the Columbus Dispatch reports.

Travel agents, retailers and the university itself (because of slow ticket sales) stand to lose from lagging interest in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2.

"This is our 29th year of selling bowl packages, and this is one of the slowest ones we’ve ever had," said George Kun of George Kun Travel.

Ohio State was 6-6 this season and has played in a Bowl Championship Series game every year since 2004, when it defeated Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl. The Gator Bowl will be the last chance for fans of the Buckeyes to head on a bowl trip for at least two years, as sanctions announced against the program earlier this week include a postseason ban after the 2012 season.

For more on the Florida Gators, visit Alligator Army. For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, visit Along The Olentangy.

Gator Bowl 2012: Buckeyes Looking Forward To Meeting Gators

Ohio State and Florida enter the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl following down seasons. For two programs accustomed to competing ranked atop the national polls, their identical 6-6 records are a departure from the norm and an experience they'd rather not repeat. 

Despite that, players are still looking forward to the game as Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

"BCS bowls are great, but bowl season is about playing a really good opponent you normally wouldn't see in the regular season," OSU offensive lineman Jack Mewhort said. "That's what you have with Ohio State versus Florida. There's a history there, and I think people are really eager to see both teams come out and play hard. It's going to be a great game. I don't know who wouldn't want to watch it. I'm excited, and I think Buckeye Nation should be excited, too."

The Gators, of course, famously defeated the then-No. 1 ranked Buckeyes 41-14 in the 2006 BCS National Championship game, so the Gator Bowl represents Ohio State's opportunity for payback. Ohio State is coming off a victory against Arkansas in last year's Sugar Bowl while Florida defeated Penn State at the Outback Bowl.

For more on the Gators, check out SB Nations Florida blog, Alligator Army.

Gator Bowl 2012: Brian White Takes Over Florida Offense

When Kansas hired former Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis as head coach last week, it left the Gators without a leader on the offensive side of the ball. This led Florida head coach Will Muschamp to name running backs coach Brian White as interim offensive coordinator for his team's Gator Bowl matchup against Ohio State on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville.

White made coaching stops at Wisconsin, Syracuse and Washington before joining Florida's staff as a tight ends coach under Urban Meyer  He became a running backs coach when Muschamp assumed control of the program following Meyer's retirement last season.

He's looking forward to implementing a similar offense to Weis for the bowl game according to FOX Sports Florida's Scott Carter.

"Conceptually the offense Coach Weis installed is very consistent with what I've coordinated in the past and believe in very strongly," White said. "I look forward to helping our football team play a big game on Jan. 2."

For more on the Gators, check out SB Nations Florida blog, Alligator Army.

Gator Bowl 2012: Many Tickets Still Available

When bowl bids were handed out a few weeks ago, the Gator Bowl decided to select a matchup that could provide for some off-the-field drama and intrigue: the Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes. When former Gator coach Urban Meyer decided to accept the head coaching job at Ohio State last month, Gators fans erupted in mass outrage. So far at least, though, that outrage hasn't translated into ticket sales:

Florida's ticket guarantee is 15,000 and ticket manager Mark Gajda said the Gators have sold about 7,500 through Tuesday afternoon. Ohio State has an allotment of 12,750 (under the terms of the contract, the SEC team has a larger guarantee than the Big Ten team) and sports information director Jerry Emig said Buckeys fans had purchased around 6,500. (Florida Times-Union)

There is still plenty of time before the bowl game, so the group running the Gator Bowl does not seem concerned about sales so far. Both teams had mediocre 6-6 records this season, so it wasn't realistic to expect the Urban Meyer drama to create a frenzy for seats. The Gator Bowl is close to home for the Gators, though, so they should not have a problem selling their remaining tickets.

The Gator Bowl is scheduled for January 2nd and will take place at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, FL.

For more on the Florida Gators, visit Alligator Army. For more on the Ohio State Buckeyes, visit Along The Olentangy.

Gator Bowl Odds 2012: Florida Favored Over Ohio State

The Florida Gators (6-6) meet the Ohio St. Buckeyes (6-6) in the 2012 Gator Bowl in a matchup with plenty of intrigue: Urban Meyer signed on to coach Ohio State in November, just one year after retiring from Florida, with which he won two BCS Championships, to attend to his health and spend time with his family.

Despite losing six of its final eight games, SB Nation's NCAA football odds page shows Florida enters the Gator Bowl as the favorite according to two outlets, with several more yet to make their lines.

The Gators won their previous bowl appearance, 37-24, against the Penn St. Nittany Lions in the 2011 Outback Bowl. The Buckeyes, too, prevailed in their last bowl game, taking down the Arkansas Razorbacks, 31-26, in the 2011 Sugar Bowl.

Kickoff for the 2012 Gator Bowl is set for Jan. 2 at 1 PM at EverBank Field in Jacksonville. ESPN2 and ESPN3 will have the broadcast.

For more on UF athletics, please visit Alligator Army, SB Nation's Gators blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit SB Nation Cleveland and Along the Olentangy, SB Nation's Ohio State blog.

Gator Bowl 2012: Florida Vs. Ohio State In The Urban Meyer Bowl

The Florida Gators will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2012 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, but most of the attention will be focused on Urban Meyer.

Bowl Projections 2011: Florida Gators Likely To Get Picked For Gator Bowl

When Clemson finished off Virginia Tech last night in the ACC Championship, the Florida Gators has their bowl destination all but confirmed. They were always likely to go to the Gator Bowl — a local bowl that had expressed their desire the grab the Gators this season — but there was the outside possibility that they would get grabbed first by the Chik-fil-A Bowl in order to prevent a Clemson/Auburn matchup. Since Clemson won, though, it seems increasingly likely that the Gators will be heading down the road to Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl.

While the Gators are a near lock, the group in charge of the Gator Bowl hasn’t decided upon the other team quite yet. Their other affiliation is with the Big Ten, and there are a number of possible teams still on the board: Penn State (9-3), Iowa (7-5), Ohio State (6-6), and Nebraska (9-3). They seem to be intrigued by a potential Florida-Ohio State matchup considering the recent Urban Meyer news, but given Ohio State’s record this season, the decision is still up in the air.

The Gator Bowl will make their official announcement at 6pm Sunday evening. For breaking updates on this story tonight, follow SB Nation Tampa Bay on Twitter.