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Former Florida Gator tight end Ben Troupe is representing his alma matter in enemy territory. He is currently a sports talk radio host for the “Three and Out,” the flagship show on ESPN Coastal in Georgia. Troupe, a native of Georgia, is constantly going toe-to-toe with Georgia Bulldog fans on the radio. He joined Sportscene with Steve Russell and Shane Matthews Wednesday to discuss his experience on the radio and what he expects to see from the Gators in 2019.
Battling the Bulldogs
Troupe was a regular on the ESPN Coastal airwaves. He had his own 15-minute segment called “Troupe Talk” every Wednesday. When one of the hosts left the station, he was asked to come on as a permanent host.
Troupe is use to battling the Bulldogs and coming out on the winning side. During his four year career with the Gators, the All-American tight end was a perfect 4-0 against the rival Bulldogs. When asked about Georgia fans, Troupe said weren’t easy. He called Georgia the “almost team.”
Despite the trash talk, Troupe did commend Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. He praised the job Smart has done to getting the Bulldogs to finish in the fourth quarter.
He said the ability to close out games is the one thing separating the Gators from the Bulldogs.
A Special Place
After leaving Gainesville, Troupe had himself a solid NFL career. He played five years in the NFL, three of those coming with the Tennessee Titans. Even with getting to the professional level, his fondest football memories go back to playing in Gainesville.
Expectations
Troupe had high praise for Gators head coach Dan Mullen. He said that the expectations the Gator faithful have for the football team on a yearly basis make the head coaching job extremely difficult. “There is no patience,” he said.
He added that the play on the field, especially when the team was down in multiple games during 2018, shows Mullen is the right guy for the job to meet or surpass the high expectations for Gator football.
