USF fans ready to flock to Gainesville

The caravans of cars and motor homes adorned in orange and blue heading to Gainesville from Tampa on college football game days will be joined this Saturday by a stream of green and gold.

An allotment of 6,000 tickets for University of South Florida students has already been sold, said Jeremy Sharpe, with USF's athletic office. That doesn't include tickets purchased by Bulls fans independently.

Of the USF tickets, 3,100 were reserved for donors and season-ticket holders, 1,370 went to the USF athletic department and 200 were handed to sponsors. That left 1,330 tickets for USF students.

The tickets went on sale Aug. 6.

"They've been sold out for a while," said Sharpe, assistant athletic director for communications.

His advice to Bulls fans heading to Gainesville:

"For a noon kickoff, go early," Sharpe said. "My understanding is that there is a core group of people that head that way regardless of who Florida is playing. You're not going to want to be caught in traffic. And there will be traffic."

The combination of University of Florida and USF fans heading to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium from Tampa on Saturday could result traffic jams near campus.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12:21 p.m. and a lot of fans likely will wind up in Gainesville, even without tickets.

"I don't have a ticket, but I'm going to Gainesville anyway,'' said USF freshman Will Morrow. "I just want to be a part of it. I might not get into the stadium, but no way am I going to miss that atmosphere."

UF police have said that while 90,000 will be in the stadium, another 10,000 to 20,000 are expected outside.

John Harper, executive director of the USF Alumni Association, said his organization is setting up a tailgating session at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center.

"We have 300 alumni coming," he said. Most have secured tickets, some haven't. Many alumni have made plans to come Friday, spend the night and go to the tailgating party the next morning and head to the game on a shuttle service.

"I've never been to a UF game," he said, "but I hear the whole town is one big party on football day."

Robby Fox of Valrico is a USF graduate and is making the trip to The Swamp in his green and gold gear with his wife, Kelly, a UF grad.

"It should be interesting," Fox said. "For the most part, Gator Nation is fairly respectable fans and won't ride the Bulls too much."

The differences in the experience for Bulls fans will be noticeable, he said. First, no beer is sold in the stadium. Second, Bulls fans will be amazed at the student support of the team. He said each game draws some 45,000 UF students.

Gator fans living in Tampa know the drill, when to go, where to go, what to expect. Bulls fans may not.

Here's a quick primer according to a UF website:

Banned in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium are alcohol, coolers, umbrellas, backpacks, carry bags, artificial noisemaking devices, food and drink containers, bottles, cans, thermoses, ice bags, large flags and any items deemed hazardous by law enforcement. All purses and waist bags are subject to search at any time.

Having an open container of alcohol on city streets, sidewalks and thoroughfares is a violation of a city ordinance and anyone spotted with an open container faces criminal charges. Tailgating at a parking lot on UF property is a little more forgiving, although officers don't tolerate underage drinking.

Shuttle services are available from the Oaks Mall, the downtown plaza area and the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center.

Free parking for RVs is available on the north side of Mowry Road in the IFAS area parking lot.

Usually, the football game's the thing in Gainesville on Saturdays, but this Saturday there's a scheduled Quran burning event at a small Gainesville church that may draw a crowd as well. The event is scheduled for Saturday evening, though, and should be well after the game is over.

University of Florida police Capt. Jeff Holcomb said the best tip he can give USF fans coming to Gainesville on Saturday: "Get here early."

Gainesville is a lot smaller than Tampa and a game that draws 90,000 to 100,000 people does tend to snarl traffic, he said, sometimes backing up flow onto the interstate.

Tailgating on university property is a little more lenient than on the city of Gainesville property, he said. Gainesville police will charge people with open containers of alcohol, he said, while university police will tend to allow imbibing on UF property, unless there is underage drinking going on or a scene of flagrant drunkenness.

"We'll let it go," he said, "as long as it doesn't look like an ABC (liquor store) has opened up shop."