Matt Elam is no George Edmondson Jr., but he nailed the Mr. Two Bits tradition.
During the Ravens' bye week, Elam returned to his alma mater, the University of Florida, to be the honorary Mr. Two Bits during halftime of Saturday's game against South Carolina.
For those of us non-Floridians who have no idea what it is, Mr. Two Bits is a tradition that began with Edmondson in 1949 when he led a cheer about adding up "bits" (a "bit" is an eighth of a dollar apparently). Don't ask me what that has to do with football.
The Gators, who were not very good then, won the game and the cheer spread so much that Edmondson was invited onto the field before each game beginning in the 1970s.
Well, Edmonson retired in 2008, so Florida now has honorary Mr. Two Bits. And Elam was brought on during his break from the NFL to do the job.
"It makes me feel good because it means the Gators really care about me. I know how big Two Bits is for them," Elam said.
"I love being in front of all these fans. I miss playing here on Saturdays. It's phenomenal. … It felt like I was about to play the game myself."
Elam definitely got into it and put on quite the show. Check out the video below (mobile users click "View in browser" above).
He wasn't the same good luck charm as Edmondson, however. The Gators lost in The Swamp, 23-20, and it was announced that Head Coach Will Muschamp would step down the next day.
