The Miami Hurricanes open their 2024 season on Saturday against the rival Florida Gators in Gainesville, Florida.
This year’s game will be the 57th meeting between the schools, with Miami holding a series lead, 29–27 (.527). The schools played an annual game from 1938-1988 when Florida canceled the series.The schools have played seven games since then, with Miami winning five of those games.
This year’s game will be played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, referred by fans as “The Swamp.”
Let’s take a look at this hallowed home field for Florida football.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was originally known as Florida Field when it opened as a 22,000-seat facility in 1930, and it has been expanded and renovated many times over the ensuing decades. It has an official seating capacity of 88,548 spectators.
The facility may be best known as simply "The Swamp", a nickname which was coined by former head coach Steven Spurrier in 1992. As he explained at the time, "A swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous.” Both the "Swamp" nickname and the "only Gators get out alive" tagline quickly became popular and have been commonly used ever since.
Home Field Advantage…
The Swamp has acquired a reputation for being a difficult place for opposing teams to play, and has regularly been ranked at or near the top of lists of top home field advantages and/or best game day experiences in college football.
One of the major reasons is the stadium's design. Originally built in a shallow sinkhole, the playing surface is below ground level. Expansions have enclosed the playing area on all sides with steep stands, and the fans are within a few feet of the action. This traps crowd noise inside the stadium, which results in sound levels on the field which have been measured at 115 decibels—just short of the threshold of pain.
The enclosed playing area also enhances the effects of Gainesville's warm and humid fall climate. Game day temperatures at field level have been known to exceed 100°F, creating a swamp-like atmosphere. This was the impetus for a University of Florida researcher, Robert Cade, to develop Gatorade as a way to combat dehydration.
Furthermore, during hot and sunny day games, Florida's sideline is in the shade provided by the press box, while the visiting team's sideline is exposed to the sun.
Florida fans are loyal (having sold out every home contest from 1979 until 2011) and loud, thus creating a tremendous home field advantage for the Gators. Saturday’s opener against rival Miami is already a sellout.
The size and exuberance of the home crowds, when combined with the stadium's close-in design of the seats, concentrates the fan noise at field level, making The Swamp one of the loudest stadiums in America.
Combined, these factors create an intimidating environment which can rattle and disrupt opposing teams, making it difficult to hear play calls and execute assignments. Florida Field has been repeatedly ranked by various publications as being the toughest stadium in which to play for opposing teams.
Florida's performance at home illustrates this effect. In a 20-year span beginning in 1990, Florida posted a 113–13 overall home record, which was the best in the nation during that period.
BOTTOM LINE:
The Swamp may be old and run down but it remains a dangerous place for visiting teams. The Canes will need to focus and dominate in the trenches to come home with a victory.
GO CANES!
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