JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Die-hard Jacksonville Jaguars fans celebrated Thursday night's preseason home opener in style.
Ahead of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jaguars fans were visibly excited to see their team play at EverBank Field and finally have football back.
Maybe it was last week's win against the New England Patriots, but regardless, Jaguars fans said they're looking forward to this season.
Crowds of tailgaters could be heard yelling, "Jags!" and "Duuuval" outside the stadium.
"It's good to be back out here. It's good to be back out here tailgating, as well, with all of our friends we haven't seen in a long time," said Jaguars fan, Alex Varian. "We were not great last year, so we gotta be better this year."
News4Jax also met Brett Barley and the Teal Street Hooligans as they were setting up to tailgate for their 11th season.
"I think everyone is just excited to have football back and it's such a cool thing to have in our city that everyone can be a part of," Barley said. "Always optimistic. I think we can complete for the division. Our defense is really good, I think. So, hopefully, they'll be able to keep us in it and then our young guys can take us forward."
Barley said their tailgate consists of many traditions, especially "circle up."
"The main tradition is the 'circle up.' So every half-hour, we all get in a big circle and do a Jaguars chant and chug a beverage of your choice," Barley said.
Even first time tailgaters were fired up about the game.
"We beat the Patriots last week. That's insane," said Jaxon Lambreche, Jaguars fan. "We have a killer team this year. They did a phenomenal job in the draft."
Later, fans' moods shifted slightly after the Jaguars lost 12-8 to the Buccaneers.
"I thought they’d do a little better," said fan, Matt Wolbert. "(It was) my first preseason Jags game, and they kind of let me down.”
But win or lose, Jaguars fans always win when it comes to tailgating, Barley said.
"The whole mission is to get more people involved and sell some more tickets and get more people in the stadium," he said. "And if it means having a new set of friends and having a place to congregate, win or lose, we're doing it together."