GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Amid all the pomp and circumstance of renaming Florida Field after Steve Spurrier, the most fitting way to honor him would be on the scoreboard Saturday.Maybe the 25th-ranked Gators should try to hang half a hundred on UMass.That was one of Spurriers most memorable quotes during his dozen years in Gainesville. It came after Florida beat Southeastern Conference rival Georgia 52-17 in Athens in 1995. It also was something the Gators did with regularity during Spurriers tenure.And after the way Florida ended last season -- scoring just two offensive touchdowns in the final three games -- players and coaches probably could use a little confidence-booster to start 2016.Pretty miserable, wasnt it? Florida coach Jim McElwain recalled. You had to sit through it, too. Im sorry. ... Im still hurting. Thats all I can say. That was miserable. Ill leave it at that. And Im sorry you had to go through it, too.The Gators ranked 112th in total offense in 2015, ahead of only Vanderbilt and Missouri in the SEC. They struggled to run the ball consistently and were close to inept in the passing game. The line was a problem -- Florida gave up a nation-leading 45 sacks -- and quarterback play was an even bigger issue.McElwain has vowed to be dramatically better on offense in his second season.His first chance to prove it comes in the opener against the Minutemen, who are entering their first season as an independent after going 8-40 in four years since moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision.The Gators will give journeyman Luke Del Rio his first collegiate start after he transferred from Alabama and then Oregon State in search of playing time. Del Rio beat out graduate transfer Austin Appleby and two freshmen.Del Rio, who sat out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, helplessly watched Florida stumble down the stretch.Anytime you finish 0-3, its the worst taste in your mouth, said Del Rio, the son of Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio. Some teams might get hot and they lose a bowl game. `OK, we finished 5-1. But 0-3, thats tough to swallow.Spurrier only had one three-game losing streak (1999) during his Florida coaching career.Leading the Gators to six SEC titles and the 1996 national championship, Spurrier helped put the program on the college football map for good. He already has a Heisman Trophy statue from his playing days at Florida and has his name in the schools exclusive ring of honor.On Saturday, the Gators will officially unveil Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Its better known as The Swamp, the nickname Spurrier gave it and a place the current team would like to see scoring half a hundred become more normal than notable again.I hope they put some winning turf in there or something, McElwain joked. Ive got to ask our grounds guy. But no, I think thats something special, and obviously for (Spurrier), I think what a fitting tribute. To have him back and be a part of that is something thats pretty neat.---Here are some other things to know as Florida and UMass begin the season:STREAKING GATORS: Florida has won 26 consecutive season openers, the longest streak in the country. The Gators are likely to extend it against UMass, but making it 28 in a row should be more challenging considering they open the 2017 season against Michigan in Arlington, Texas.FLORIDA SUSPENSIONS: McElwain suspended five players for the opener, including one senior he declined to name. The others are cornerback Jalen Tabor, tight end Cyontai Lewis and receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells. Tabor and Lewis were suspended one game for fighting in practice. Cleveland and Wells were suspended for firing BB guns in a residence hall in July.GAME-CHANGER? Florida could potentially go from having one of the worst kicking situations in the country to one of the best. Eddy Pineiro will make his collegiate debut and should get considerable attention. A high school soccer player who has never kicked in a game, Pineiro drew interest from Alabama and Florida while making 70-yard-plus kicks and posting them on YouTube.RARE TRIP: The Minutemen last visited the Sunshine State on Dec. 12, 1964, when they lost to East Carolina 14-13 in the Tangerine Bowl. UMass is 1-1 all-time against teams from Florida. Cheap Washington Redskins Jerseys China . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Los Angeles Rams Jerseys China . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. http://www.cheapfootballchina.com/cheap-new-york-giants-jerseys-china_525w.html .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Cheap Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys China .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Cheap Tennessee Titans Jerseys China .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Oakland RaidersOverall: 85 Title track: 41 Ownership: 104 Coaching: 24 Players: 48 Fan relations: 69 Affordability: 54 Stadium experience: 119 Bang for the buck: 86 Change from last year: +20The Oakland Raiders last trip to the playoffs -- let alone their last winning record -- came when quarterback Derek Carr was 11 years old, in sixth grade and watching his older brother David get sacked 76 times as the NFLs No. 1 overall draft pick. In other words, it was in 2002. Raiders fans are betting on the younger Carr having learned from the struggles of his older brother to get this proud franchise back up and running ... wherever its future home is, be it Oakland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles or parts unknown.Whats goodThe much critiqued plan of owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie appears to be coming to fruition, and fans judged this new-and-improved roster a vast upgrade, boosting it 51 spots in the players category (to 48th). All it took was two years of deconstruction and two more building back up. Oakland has finally again become a destination for sought-after free agents like OL Kelechi Osemele, LB Bruce Irvin, CB Sean Smith and FS Reggie Nelson. And McKenzies recent drafts, selecting the likes of Carr, receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end Khalil Mack, have given Oakland a strong, young nucleus around which to build a competitive team -- and give fans hope for the immediate future.Whats badWas it merely karma that on the 50th anniversary of the September day the Oakland Coliseum opened, the Raiders laid a silver and bblack egg in a deflating loss to the Falcons? The Coliseum is not quite quaint, not yet old enough to be seen as historic and, well, it has severe and well-publicized plumbing issues.dddddddddddd. In these standings, the Raiders placed second-to-last in sports in having a great stadium (the only team worse? Uh, the As). The narrow concourse areas are exercises in claustrophobia for fans during games and, as the lone remaining facility to still host NFL and major league baseball games, the torn-up grass and baseball dirt infield is not pleasurable for players in either sport in the crossover months of August and September. Football players have to deal with losing traction -- and skin on their elbows and forearms -- on the slippery dirt. Still wondering why the Raiders want (and need) a new stadium?Whats newEveryone knows the denizens of Raider Nation are among the most loyal in all of sports. Theyd have to be, given what theyve endured since getting thumped in Super Bowl XXXVII -- the team has gone a combined 63-145 (.303) since. So its a testament to the fans and front office that fan relations is up 22 spots since last year, thanks in large part to coach Jack Del Rio, in his second season in Oakland, who has changed the culture and is a major reason why the excitement and optimism surrounding the team feels different. And Las Vegas move be damned: The fans have bought in, selling out season tickets and parking passes this season. Thats loyalty.Next: Philadelphia Eagles?| Full rankings ' ' '