Saturday's football matchup between Florida and Georgia was marred by poor field conditions, with visible sod lines running up and down the turf at EverBank Stadium.
According to The Gainseville Sun, Florida player Shemar James exited during warmups after seemingly injuring himself. Though James did return in the first quarter, announcers noted that he didn't look 100 percent.
CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell said that the condition of the field at game time falls on the City of Jacksonville, as it is tasked with keeping the turf in good condition. Efforts were reportedly made to keep the turf in good condition throughout the week.
"Since the moment we walked onto this field we realized that the field conditions did not look up to par," Dell said on the broadcast. "Now EverBank Stadium is owned by the city of Jacksonville, not the Jaguars. So Jacksonville is in charge of this field and they re-sodded Monday and Tuesday of this week. And I personally was walking around the field; Some of the seeds have not taken guys. There were patches of the field that are uneven."
EverBank has a grass field, as does Georgia's Sanford Stadium in Athens.
According the Sun, an attempt at re-sodding EverBanks field was made but the grass apparently did not take root, resulting in visible lines in the sod. The field itself became uneven as a result.
The city released the following statement after the game:
"Our top Florida-Georgia game priority is the safety of players and fans. The field at EverBank Stadium was re-sodded after the BCU-Souther game last weekend for the second time this year and in accordance with NFL standards. While the sod faced a week of warm Florida weather and was dry upon arrival, the field tested and passed prior to the game there is no safety issue for players. We stand by our experienced team of turf professionals who have prepared fields for game at all levels from college to the Super Bowl."
