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VOLUME 113 ISSUE 32
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018 Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
Not officially associated with the University of Florida
MISSOURI 38
FLORIDA 17
Gators find more questions than answers in loss to Mizzou By Morgan McMullen Sports Writer
It must have been tough for Feleipe Franks. The loudest cheer Saturday afternoon at the Swamp came at his expense when quarterback Kyle Trask jogged into the huddle to relieve him of his duties for the day. There were mumbles of approval after Franks ran in a 3-yard touchdown to end the first half, but the spectators had already made up their minds. The crowd was Muhammad Ali, and
Franks was the punching bag. There are other lessons to be gleaned from the Gators’ abysmal 38-17 loss to Missouri on Homecoming. There’s the fact that neither Franks nor Trask were made available to the media following the game, showing a lack of trust in either to keep the flames from this 12-car pile-up of a game to a minimum. There’s the opinion that coach Dan Mullen holds that he can and will “kick your a--” if you challenge him to a thumb-wrestling match. Outside of the more comical lessons we
all learned, here are three that any Gators fan can take to the bank. They are who we thought they were Florida entered the season with a low ceiling. Most pundits predicted between six and eight wins in Mullen’s first year. After an upset over then-No. 5 LSU and a comeback win against Vanderbilt, journalists and fans alike began talking playoffs. But much like a preteen’s mood, Florida’s outlook is always changing. A pair of embarrassing losses have ex-
Gator Growl hosts performances by Walk the Moon, Ty Dolla $ign THE WEATHER DELAYED THE ANNUAL HOMECOMING EVENT BY ALMOST THREE HOURS.
Gators’ previous wins masked obvious issues
Our football beat writer Alanis Thames breaks down how Florida fans should have seen the Homecoming loss a mile away, pg. 14
About 8,000 people vote early at Reitz Alligator Staff Writer
Alligator Staff Writer
SEE GROWL, PAGE 8
SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 14
By Hannah Beatty
By Tranelle Maner In all kinds of weather, the Gator still growled Friday night. The annual homecoming pep rally was pushed back almost three hours because of thunderstorms that began around 3 p.m. Festivities began at 8 p.m. with a performance from Ty Dolla $ign. The rapper performed hits like “Wavy,” “Or Nah” and “Paranoid.” He also brought out his cousin and fellow rapper TeeCee4800 during the performance and attempted to bring crowd members on stage to take shots. He mentioned his affinity for Florida because of the relation to his longtime girlfriend and former member of Fifth Harmony Lauren Jauregui, who is from Miami. After a brief announcement of the homecoming court, guests were again met with a 45-minute delay for Walk the Moon to take the stage because of a computer malfunction, the band’s lead singer Nicholas Petricca said during the show. Walk the Moon performed from 10 to 11 p.m. singing their most popular songs, including “One Foot,” “Anna Sun” and “Shut Up and Dance.” A guitarist wore a Gator football jersey during the set. Because of the weather, Gator Growl officials had to cut the introductory performances including Danza Dance Company, which won the group competition at Soulfest last Sunday, said Stokes Patterson, a Gator Growl staffer. Will Engle, a Gator Growl director, said despite the weather altering original plans, the show was a success. The group held meetings days before the event playing out possible weather scenarios. Engle declined to comment on how many people attended
posed plenty of issues this team still has. Despite giving up just two sacks over the last two weeks, the offensive line play hasn’t exactly helped the team’s ambitions of a New Year’s Six bowl. The front five gave up seven quarterback hurries to the Missouri defense, which contributed to more than a few of Franks’ misfires. “Feleipe missed a throw or two, but he’s also getting hit,” Mullen said. “We’ve got wide guys open, and I’m looking like, ‘What’s going on?’ and then all the sudden
Chris Houston / Alligator Staff
Los Angeles-based rapper Ty Dolla $ign, an artist in Wiz Khalifa’s label Taylor Gang Entertainment, puts on a show for students at Gator Growl 2018. The concert, which was held on Flavet Field, capped off Friday’s Homecoming celebrations and also featured alternative rock band Walk The Moon.
Still confused about voting? See our guide
The Alligator asked candidates in major local races about their stances on key issues, pg. 4-5
Menstrual products to be offered
Free goods will be in the libraries by Friday, pg. 8
Megan Newsome felt nervous and giddy Thursday afternoon. She gathered friends and ate cake. It wasn’t her birthday, graduation or wedding. It was the day she voted. Newsome was one of the 7,908 people who voted early at the Reitz Union for the first time since it was reinstated as an early voting location, said TJ Pyche, the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections spokesperson. “I felt like we were waiting for a ride at an amusement park,” Newsome, a 22-year-old UF alumna and a former Vote Everywhere ambassador, said. Newsome was a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit to allow universities to be early voting sites. An injunction allowed the Reitz to be a temporary early voting location for the midterm elections. The Reitz had the third-highest turnout out of the six early voting locations in Alachua County, according to the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections’ website. The top spots were filled by Millhopper Branch Library and Tower Road Branch Library. In total, 40,882 people voted early this year, compared to the 17,983 people who voted in the 2014 midterms, Pyche said. It would be difficult to argue against the new location’s impact on turnout, Pyche said. While a judge will decide whether college campuses can be early voting locations, each county’s supervisor of elections will make the ultimate decision. @hannahbeatty_ hbeatty@alligator.org
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