Florida v. Georgia

by Arnaldo

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, or how it's known today, politically correct, Florida-Georgia.  Is it really the largest cocktail party?  Who knows?  I certainly don't care, but it is quite the event.  The game has historically been played in Jacksonville, for reasons unknown (also, no one cares) other than two years when Jacksonville Municipal was under construction.  Tailgaters take a three day weekend and arrive from Gainesville and Athens on Thursday while the city of Jacksonville suspends their open container laws for the weekend.  Combine this with the following tidbit: SEC stadiums are prohibited from selling alcohol.  Jacksonville Municipal is not an SEC stadium.  The end result becomes what we know and love to be the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

When asked, some people would say that Florida State is Florida greatest rival, and these people are called idiots.  While it is a great rivalry which in the past has had huge National Championship implications, it's no longer the '90s.  Sure both programs are back on the rise, but Florida-Georgia has ALWAYS somehow determined the SEC East champion.  Florida and Georgia have been playing each other for 33 years before Florida ever consistently met Florida State.  The Bulldogs lead the series all-time 47-40-2, but the Gators have won 18 of the last 22 meetings. 

These guys...

The stakes in this game are high, but like I said, the stakes are always high in this game.  This particular match-up is starting to feel like the Cocktail Parties of the Urban Meyer era: top 10 meeting, SEC/National Championship implications, all that's missing is some bad blood and unfortunately, Will Muschamp (UGA alumnus) and Mark Richt seem to get along just fine.  If Florida wins, they clinch the SEC East to meet the ultimate victor between Alabama/Mississippi State/LSU, while if Georgia wins, they take control of the East and must win out their SEC schedule to make it to Atlanta.

Florida side.

Georgia side.

Okefenokee Oar - Trophies are a staple in any true rivalry game, but the Florida-Georgia game has never really had one.  Interestingly in 1986, the city of Jacksonville offered the goal posts to the winner of the game so the fans wouldn't storm the field and destroy them like the two years prior, but neither school was interested.  What do you do with extra goal posts as trophies anyway?  In 2009, an anonymous party donated the Okefenokee Oar to both student body presidents.  The trophy is still not an official trophy, because it does not belong to the match-up and athletic programs, but still, it beats nothing.  The Oar is supposedly carved from a 1000 year old cypress tree from the Okefenokee swamp, on the Florida/Georgia border.


The Match-Up


Defense and Special Teams -  There's absolutely no argument that will ever convince me that the Gators don't have the second or third best defense and the single best special teams in the country.  I've heard the argument that the special teams benefit from being made up of mostly starters, which is uncommon in college football, but last I checked, you play the game to win, and Florida's special teams had the biggest hand in beating a No. 7 South Carolina, handing the offense two turnovers and great field position.

Aaron Murray - He's second round NFL talent.  Florida has gone up against some elite SEC quarterbacks this season but it almost seems as if I've overestimated each of them.  Tyler Bray was a joke.  Johnny Manziel is talented, but his team was overwhelmed.  Murray is tied for third in the SEC in yards (1,914) with 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.  His favorite targets include Tavarres King, who has caught for 511 yards and 5 touchdowns, and Michael Bennett, who has accumulated 345 yards and 4 touchdowns.  The Bulldogs, however, run a very balanced offense, ranking 30th in the country in both passing and rushing yards per game (281.7 and 205.1 respectively) due in part to two very talented tailbacks, Todd Gurly (622 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns), and Keith Marshall (488 yards and 5 touchdowns).

Jarvis Jones - Jones is a beast.  At linebacker, he's another Jadeveon Clowney all over again.  While the Gators' tackles Xavior Nixon and Chaz Green kept South Carolina's Clowney in check last week, Jones has tallied 5.5 sacks in just five games coming off the blitz.  Jones is also recovering from an injury that forced him to sit the Kentucky game and isn't likely to be 100%.

Attacking the Line of Scrimmage - I feel like a broken record, I really do.  And yet here I am repeating that the Florida defensive front needs to continue rolling with their momentum.  I stand corrected from when I voiced my fears that this defense was just playing at their opponents in skill: they're absolutely for real.  As usual, expect one of the nation's best front four performances in defensive tackles Omar Hunter and Shariff Floyed, and ends Domique Easley and Lerente McCray.  Continue expecting stellar performances from back-ups in the most effective "next man up" defensive philosophy this side of Alabama, from freshman DE Dante Fowler Jr. or LB Antonio Morrison. 

Let's Diversify this Offense - The media couldn't shut up last week about how many points our offense scored against how many yards they gained.  It was almost as if they were trying to negate the production altogether.  South Carolina fields the 15th best defense in points against in the NCAA, and always remember these statistics have to stand against teams from joke conferences whose teams are easier to defend.  Still, the Jeff Driskel led passing game was not convincing.  Muschamp and Pease hide nothing about the offense's identity: we are a run first team, but they cannot be pleased with the lack of diversity the Gators are showing.  Florida hasn't broken over 100 yards passing since the Kentucky beatdown.  Yes, I'm preaching to the choir at this point, having mentioned it every week since then, but passing needs to improve, and so does the pass protection.  Remember, if the Gators win this weekend, they have their tickets stamped to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game against a very likely Alabama, and fewer than 100 passing yards will not beat Nick Saban.


Georgia v. Brent Pease - The Dawgs were victorious against the Gators last year but they didn't find such luck in the out-of-conference season opener against Boise St. and a Brent Pease led offense.  The Broncos put up 390 total yards in a 35-21 victory.  Pease optimistically said, "We are running the Boise State offense, other than probably Kellen Moore couldn’t do some of the runs that Jeff [Driskel] can."  While we haven't seen the prolific Boise St. offense at Florida quite yet, the skill level difference of SEC defenses is considerable.  Here's hoping, Brent.

Arnaldo's prediction:

Florida wins 34 - 17

Florida v. LSU

 by Arnaldo

Les Miles and the Louisiana State University have been the biggest thorn on the Gators' side for quite some time.  In recent years, the rivalry hasn't been the deepest-seeded but has carried some of the larger implications.  For three straight years, the winner of this game went on to win the National Championship, and almost always becomes a dominant contender in the SEC.  LSU continues to be one of my favorite rivalries to watch, and the reason is because it's not one full of hatred, but rather respect.  Gators fans don't hate LSU, they just think they smell like corn dogs.  No one knows why.  I've always thought of LSU as Florida's Bizzaro school.

Probably college football's most intimidating live
mascot, Mike the Tiger.

Besides having similar uniforms in a different set of complimentary colors, competing with us to see who can pop out more, the Tigers seem to have their own, just as great, set of unique traditions, from wearing white at home, to somehow scheduling all their home games at night.  The traditions we share are having probably the two loudest home stadiums in the nation, and a rich tradition of winning.  Most importantly, this match-up is both teams first real SEC test each year, which is why this game is often the most important of the season.


The Match-Up


The LSU Tigers are not the 4th best team in the country.  It's that simple.  Anyone with eyes can see that.  The reason they're ranked as such is because they started at No. 3 and haven't lost a game.  We learn a lot about teams in the first few weeks that no preseason stat could show, but each ranking is based off of the previous one, all the way back to the preseason rank, which is really just a guess.  So when the National Championship runner-ups bring back most starters and replace the NFL-ers and seniors with huge underclassmen talent, the preseason pollsters have no choice but to put them in the top five.  No games have been played, why not?  Today, however, we know much more about the "No. 4" LSU Tigers, and all signs point to an upset in Gainesville.

First and foremost, LSU does not look good.  They've only been proficient at shooting themselves in the foot.  In their last two games they've accumulated 19 penalties for 149 yards and have won their last two games by only an average margin of 9 points.  While that's still two scores, they were expected to win each game by at least three or more touchdowns against LSU and FCS Towson.

"Was it because of all the weed?"

Last Couple Weeks - Bye weeks are always beneficial.  It gives the team an extra week to study film, build game plans, and practice accordingly.  Most importantly however, it lets a team get healthy.  These two teams are having very different previous weeks.   The Gators are enjoying their bye and getting healthy.  Jelani Jenkins, Dominique Easley, and Trey Burton are all expected to play.  Meanwhile in Baton Rouge, LSU will not dress linebacker Tahj Jones for academic issues, left tackle, Chris Faulk (their best O-lineman), who is out for the season from a knee injury, running back Alfred Blue, from a knee injury, and fullback, J.C. Copeland, also with a knee injury.  This just adds on to the preseason loss of Heisman hopeful, Tyrann Mathieu, for "breaking the rules."  While the Gators played a very easy game against Kentucky two weeks ago and rested last Saturday, the Tigers struggled against Auburn (12-10) and then still couldn't find the right chemistry against FCS Towson (38-22).  We're talking Auburn, who doesn't hit the top 50 in any statistical category, and is scoring an average of 17.5 points a game; the SEC team who's only victory has been against Louisiana-Monroe in overtime.  And then there's Towson, an FCS team who was paid graciously to come to Death Valley and take a beating.  They put up 22 points on the heavily-touted LSU defense.  This all translates into momentum, the greatest intangible in football, and the Gators have all of it right now.

Florida Consistency - Sadly, as I've previously mentioned, the Gators are lacking consistency and fast starts.  Its seems that we're hearing "Orange and Blue" being played mostly in the second halves of games, and penalty whistles in the first.  Even in the blowout against Kentucky, Florida couldn't find the end zone until the second quarter.  As many negative stats as I've mentioned for the LSU defense, they're no joke.  They're made of some of the most skilled defensive players in college football who have just not found a rhythm quite yet.  They have the ability to turn it around at any point in the season.  The Gators need to exploit their mishaps early in the game and score, to ensure an Auburn/Towson defensive performance. 

Battle of the Trenches and Rushing the Passer - The battle of the trenches is going to be one of the more deciding match-ups, especially the Gators' offensive line versus the Tigers' defensive front.  It's a front that has allowed an average of 83 rush yards per game and are exceptionally skilled at rushing the passer.  Muschamp has been vocal about how focused he is on their defensive front. "That front right there is impressive,'' he said. "Whether it's Mingo, Edwards, Johnson, Downs, Logan, Ferguson, Montgomery, it don’t matter. They all can run. They can rush the passer. They play with great motors. You’ve to maintain blocks versus these guys. They don’t stay blocked long."  This will put a lot of pressure on Jeff Driskel to move around, in and out of the pocket.  With little time allowed by the LSU line, he'll have to showcase his mobility now more than ever, which, let's not forget, is one of the top reasons we recruited him.

On the other side of the ball, the Gators defensive line needs to improve rushing the passer.  They've only recorded 5 sacks, tying for last place in the SEC, but with the return of Dominique Easley and the soft spot left from Chris Faulk's left tackle position, the stage is set for a possible emergence of defensive pressure from our front four to shaky LSU quarterback Zack Mettenberger.  Brought in as a junior college transfer to fix what Jarret Lee/Jordan Jefferson left behind, Mettenberger hasn't looked much better.  He ranks eighth in the SEC in yards per game, seventh in completion percentage, and ninth in touchdown passes.  Not to mention, he's been sacked eleven times and has fumbled the ball three times, losing all three.  I think Mettenberger handles pressure worse than Tennessee's Tyler Bray, and we all remember how malleable he became in the fourth quarter.  While LSU has a much tougher offensive line protecting him, look for Florida to try similar tactics to remove the passing game from the LSU scheme.


The Mad Hatter - The Tigers haven't beaten the Gators, at least since 2005, without using some trickeration.  Taking risks is what the Mad Hatter is known for.  Two seasons ago, he revived the over-the-head fake field goal that stole him a National Championship in '07.  Last season, punter, Brad Wing, ran a fake punt in for a touchdown, before being called for a taunting penalty.  Whether it's a deliberate trick play, or just a unexpected play call, Will Muschamp will do his best to expect the unexpected.  After all, against the Hat, that's really all you can do.


 Arnaldo's prediction:

Florida wins 23 - 19

Florida v. Bowling Green

by Arnaldo

The 2012 season opens up on Saturday with Bowling Green coming to Gainesville, and the Gator Nation couldn't be more excited, or more nervous.  The SEC isn't getting any easier.  In fact, it may be even harder.  This is the first time half of the preseason top 10 are in the same conference, and after the way the SEC made last year's Gators look, it's hard to inspire hope.

This particular match-up marks the last remnants of Urban Meyer at UF, or so we hope.  He helped schedule this game to send his original head coaching job some money.  It would've been a nice symbol of his great career. . . but we're done with that.  It's time to focus on a new year.


What to Expect


I've heard some chatter along the lines of, "what if we lose to Bowling Green?"  Cut it out.  There is no losing this Saturday.  We've conformed with not winning every single game since the end of the '09 season, even against teams that were once much inferior:  Auburn, FSU, Georgia, South Carolina.  Being in the SEC allows you to schedule a cupcake in week one to run a glorified scrimmage.  If you've been watching NFL preseason games, this will be a lot like that.  Later portions of the game will see a lot of second and third string players.  Also keep in mind that we're under yet another transition with Brent Pease coming in as offensive coordinator.  The Gators won't be in the business of running up the score, there may not even be much concern over the score as long as the Gators are winning.  This game is all about individual performances in real game situations.


What to Look For

Jacoby Brissett (left) and Jeff Driskel (right).
Both have changed their numbers since last season.

Quarterbacks.  The single loudest storyline this week has been Will Muschamp's reluctance to name a starting quarterback, and it's hard to blame him.  Jeff Driskel (6) and Jacoby Brissett (12) were recruited very similarly, ranked first and third quarterback prospects nationally.  What we saw of them last year was also too similar: crumbling under pressure in impossible circumstances.  Driskel was forced to play against the eventual national champions, while Brissett was forced to start against their runner-up.  What we have now should be two much more experienced and confident passers.  I realize it's easy to be nervous about such a glaring question mark on the depth chart, but close competition is always good for the team.  Muschamp isn't looking for a two quarterback system.  He's looking for a starter, and a live game is the perfect place to find one.  Rest assured that on the way to College Station, Texas, the Gators will have their starting quarterback.

Mike Gillislee

Mike Gillislee.  The transition from Urban Meyer's spread option to Will Muschamp's pro-style hasn't been easy.  It's not just about playbooks and audibles; it's about players, and at runningback, we found ourselves with two incredibly talented spread option type playmakers.  Speedy option pitchmen, open space runners, track stars.  In a pro-style, downhill running attack, however, Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey were rendered almost useless.  Then-offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis, had to experiment with nearly extinct formations like the pistol and full house just to keep them somewhat effective.  Mike Gillislee (23) was recruited to be an inside option back.  This means he's supposed to be running in between the tackles, but still in a system that utilizes deception and open space to succeed.  The old Mike Gillislee would still not fit in.  The new Mike Gillislee might.  He claims to have put on 10 pounds and both him and Will Mushchamp won't shut up about it.  "I was very impressed with his lunch-pail attitude," he said on the last day of camp.  "1,500 yards rushing and 24 touchdowns.  That's my goal.  That's what I want to do.  If not, then come close," said Gillislee.  If you know anything about season long runningback stats, you know he shouldn't even come close, but good for him for setting a goal that can motivate him to get as close as he can.  Also keep an eye our for true freshman Matt Jones (24) around the end of the game, who was actually recruited by size and skill to fit into our offense.

Andre Debose

Receiving corps.  The 2011 edition of the Florida Gators was not known for offensive production.  Most third downs seemed to be converted by the jack-of-all-trades tight end Jordan Reed (11).  John Brantley seemed to only make passes between the hashes so as far as the receivers are concerned, it's unfair to call them untalented, but more-so unproven.  With just as unproven quarterbacks, it's gonna be a two-pronged effort at improving each position.  Top receivers returning from last year are Quinton Dunbar (1), Latroy Pittman (13), Andre Debose (4), and Frankie Hammond Jr (85).  All have incredible potential, but will have to vastly improve.  At tight end, expect a lot more of Jordan Reed (11).  The more interesting position is the back-up tight end role.  More offenses now a days are using multiple tight end sets and more tight end plays in general, making depth at tight end crucial.  With the departure of A.C. Leonard, a huge disparity is left between Reed and his supporters.  Look to see who steps up between Clay Burton (88) (yes, Trey's little brother) or maybe receiver-turned-tight end Omarius Hines (88), who was used sparingly last year in sweeps and other specialty plays.


Defense.  I can't hype this defense up enough.  It's a squad that's been slowly rebuilding since the 07-09 stellar club, and they're still young.  2011's defense ranked 8th nationally in total defense and that was with an injured Dominique Easley (2) and another "transition" at defensive minded head coach, Will Mushchamp, and defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn.  This year, the front line is healthy and don't forget that all three Easley, Omar Hunter, and Sharrif Floyd were all 5 star recruits.  The real storyline here is the injured Ronald Powell (7) at the hybrid defensive tackle/outside linebacker (buck) position.  He claims to be healthy and should return midseason.  His replacement Lerentee McCray (34) should do his part just fine, but remains a question mark comparatively.

Dominique Easley, and America

 Calling the linebackers solid would be an understatement.  If you've watched Gator football in the last two years you don't need to be told how good Jon Bostic (1) and Jelani Jenkins (3) are.  Chances are you'll hear one of their names being called after each tackle.  The weak link is Darrin Kitchens (49) who has had field time but was almost murdered against FSU last year.  He was the player who laid motionless on the field at the beginning of the second half and needed to be carted off.  He's fine now but will need to play well to stay out of the shadow of the other two linebackers.  The safety position is more than complete with Matt Elam (22) and Josh Evans (9), two players who shone as underclassmen and are now out of excuses to be anything short of All-Americans.  Matt Elam led the team in tackles for loss (11) last year complimenting 78 tackles and two interceptions.  Not on the depth chart is De'Ante "Pop" Saunders (26) who is nursing a hamstring injury and is scheduled to return by week 3.  Saunders led an impressive Freshman year with 28 tackles and 2 interceptions.  Cornerbacks are up in the air in competition between Marcus Roberson (5), Cody Riggs (31), Loucheiz Purifoy (15), and Jaylen Watkins (14).  Muschamp isn't too worried, planning on using all four in several nickel and dime packages.  My only point of concern with this defense was last year's lack of turnovers, with only 8 interceptions.

Caleb Sturgis

Caleb Sturgis.  Yes, he's still here.  Redshirt senior Caleb Sturgis (19) is probably the best kicker in the nation, if he can stay healthy, which has been an issue the last few years.  The Lou Groza Award finalist believes he can make anything within 60 yards, and I believe him.  What you need to really watch for is the implementation of the new kickoff rules and how they'll affect the game.  As of this season, like in the NFL, kick offs will be set up at the 35 yard line, but unlike the NFL, a touchback puts the ball at the 25 yard line.  This leaves very little incentive to return the ball, but a lot of incentive to change the way kickers kick the ball.  A team confident they can stop a returner before the 25 yard line may strategically try to place the ball inside the 5 yard line to give the returner some reason to catch and return it.  Depending on how Muschamp wants to experiment with these new rules, Sturgis may be asked to soften kickoffs.


Arnaldo's prediction:

Florida wins 45-6

National Signing Day 2012

by Arnaldo

Since this is a blog for everybody, including, and especially, those less knowledgeable, let's explain recruiting real quick.

Coaches and scouts for college programs spend all year traveling to high schools talking to prospective recruits, watching them play, and discussing why they should come to their institution.  If a coach is impressed with a player, he'll schedule home visits during the offseason and invite the potential recruit to visit the campus during a football game weekend in the fall, with dozens of phone calls in between.

The recruit juggles several pursuing coaches, visits, and offers while trying to graduate high school.  When they've reached a decision, they'll typically let the coach know how committed they are towards the institution, but until the papers are signed on National Signing Day, absolutely nothing is final.  Verbal commitments mean very little now a days.  Recruits sometimes decommit from one program only to commit to another and then subsequently decommit all over again.

"Recruiting's kind of like shaving.  If you don't do it every day, you look like a bum." - Will Muschamp

This leads to a good amount of National Signing Day drama and plenty to cover on ESPN, which held an eleven-hour block of live coverage.  We're gonna examine some of the National Signing Day drama that affected Florida, and the incoming freshmen that should make an immediate impact for the 2012 season.

I should mention that all recruits get rated two ways:  a 1-5 star rating, and a national rank.  There are several entities that rate recruits but the most popular are Rivals and ESPNU.  Then, an aggregate score determines a national ranking for overall recruiting classes for a school.  These are usually great for getting an idea of how talented a player and class should be, but in reality they should be taken with a giant grain of salt.  None of these players have made it to the SEC field of play yet.  A strong recruiting class determines very little actual success down the line.  Florida recruited the nation's top class in 2008 and look at all the national championships that class won for us in their four years.  

Okay, so we won one with them as freshmen, but that just brings me to my next point.  Players don't usually make the starting teams until their sophomore year, at least.  Only about an eighth of the class will see the field at any given game their first year.  That 2008 National Championship was won by the impressive sophomore and junior classes and the only freshman who really contributed was Jeff Demps.  The moral of the story is to not take any ratings for any player or recruiting class too seriously, sometimes these recruits prove they were underrated, and oftentimes they prove they were overrated in the years to come.

National Signing Day 

So what happened on National Signing Day for the Gators?  In short, not much.  We had already had 21 commitments and went into February 1st expecting news on a handful of swing prospects, the ones that decided to withhold their announcements until the very last moment.  Recruits do this for a variety of reasons, the most popular of which is simply to become famous.  If a five-star recruit announces where he'll be playing in the summer before his senior year in high school, it barely makes a blog.  No one is that interested quite yet.  However, if that same player withholds his announcement until say, the All-American Game, or National Signing Day, he gets treated like Tim Tebow.  Less than half of these guys have truly successful college careers and even fewer end up in the NFL so this kind of publicity is a lifetime achievement, even though they haven't actually done anything yet.  Once they sign, they become first year players and are back on the bottom of a totem pole where they'll only be noticed if they play spectacularly, or get arrested.

Or sometimes, both.

The second reason is simple:  they still can't decide where to play.  This even applies to the recruits who have decided where they're going.  Like I said earlier, even verbally committed players change their minds on National Signing Day.

Florida had essentially four recruits that could still chose the Gators:  Nelson Agholor, Tracy Howard, Raphael Andrades, and Stefon Diggs.  In a one-two punch, both Agholor and Howard chose against us.  Agholor, a five-star athlete chose USC, and Howard, a five-star cornerback (and the No. 1 CB in the nation) chose Miami.  A bit of a blow considering both players are among the nation's elite.  Later that day a big surprise came when five-star defensive end, Dante Fowler Jr., announced he was coming to UF.  Though heavily recruited by Florida, Fowler kept saying he was "100%" a Florida State Seminole.  No one, especially FSU, expected him to decommit and join the Gators, marking an always satisfying victory over FSU.  Soon after, three-star wide receiver Raphael Andrades committed to UF.  The only piece of the puzzle left was five-star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who opted to visit Maryland after National Signing Day, postponing his decision to February 10, delaying this article to today, two weeks after.  Diggs decided on Maryland over Florida, wrapping up our 2012 class to 23, and ranking us (according to Rivals) No. 3 recruiting class behind Alabama and Texas. 

You mad, Bros?

Players to Watch 

In general the entire class looks good and favors what the Gators lacked in 2011.  8 of the 23 are defensive linemen, which is a huge amount for a class.  Will Muschamp knows his top rebuilding needs are at the line of scrimmage, both of them.  

D.J. Humphries.  Who's ready to block?!

This brings up our top recruit, D.J. Humphries, five-star offensive tackle and the nation's top offensive lineman.  Rivals has him ranked No. 2 overall player, as in regardless of position.  He should make an immediate impact on pass rush protection, and power running game.  Offensive tackle is probably the least glorious position in football but for last years Gators squad, it was the most transparent.  Between the amount of John Brantley sacks and lack of run yardage accumulated, the impact D.J. Humphries has next year, even as a freshman, should be night and day.

Dante Fowler Jr., moments after flip flopping from
FSU to Florida. 

The next two players I'm most excited about happen to play the same position, which is great for us:  Jonathan Bullard and Dante Fowler Jr.  They'll both help contribute immediately to the depth of a defensive line that already oozes talent but has lacked productivity.  Excess depth is always the best solution for such a problem and both of these players happen to be two of the nation's best at defensive end (both five-star).  Fowler Jr., who has played both end and outside linebacker, will be a good fit at the buck position with Ronald Powell and William Green.

Is it me, or does he kind of look like John Brantley?

No matter what the recruit rankings say, the quarterback position is always incredibly difficult to predict.  Elite quaterbacks may come from no where while highly touted ones may disappear.  Enter Skyler Mornhinweg, a three-star prospect who happens to be the son of Marty Mornhinweg, the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles.  Needless to say, Skyler has football pedigree and a full time quarterback coach on his side.  I'm not here to say the Gators need him, but a year after recruiting two out of the top three quarterbacks, depth and competition are definitely healthy.  Look for solid competition between Jeff Driskel, Jacoby Brissett, Tyler Murphy, and Skyler Mornhinweg. 

Lastly, here is the entire 2012 Florida Gators class (position / hometown / high school / size).

Florida Gators Recruiting Class of 2012

Raphael Andrades  ★ ★ ★ 
WR / Tallahassee, FL/ Lincoln / 6'0'' 190 lbs

Willie Bailey  ★ ★ ★ 
DB / Hallandale, FL / Hallandale / 6'1'' 167 lbs

Jonathan Bullard  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 
DE / Shelby, NC / Crest / 6'3'' 263 lbs

Bryan Cox Jr.  ★ ★ ★ 
DE / Fort Lauderdale, FL / St. Thomas Aquinas / 6'3'' 247 lbs

Jessamen Dunker  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
OL / Boynton Beach, FL / Boynton Beach / 6'4'' 320 lbs

Dante Fowler Jr.  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 
LB/DE / St. Petersburg, FL / Lakewood / 6'3'' 261 lbs

Austin Hardin  ★ ★ 
K / Atlanta, GA / Marist / 5'10'' 204

D.J. Humphries  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 
OL / Charlotte, NC / Mallard Creek / 6'6'' 271 lbs

Damien Jacobs  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
DT / Houma, LA / H. L. Bourgeois / 6'4'' 290 lbs

Matt Jones  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
RB / Seffner, FL / Armwood / 6'2'' 213 lbs

Rhaheim Ledbetter  ★ ★ ★ 
S / Shelby, NC / Crest / 5'11'' 195 lbs

Jafar Mann  ★ ★ ★ 
DT / Stone Mountain, GA / Stephenson / 6'3'' 293 lbs

Marcus Maye  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
S/ Melbourne, FL / Holy Trinity Episcopal / 5'11'' 200 lbs

Alex McCalister  ★ ★ ★ 
LB / Clemmons, NC / West Forsyth / 6'6'' 223 lbs

Skyler Mornhinweg  ★ ★ ★ 
QB / Philadelphia, PA / St. Joesph's / 6'3'' 190 lbs

Antonio Morrison  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
LB / Bolingbrook, IL / Bolingbrook / 6'1'' 209 lbs

Omari Phillips  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
DT / Venice, FL / Venice / 6'6'' 315 lbs

Latroy Pittman  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
WR / Citra, FL / North Marion / 6'0'' 195 lbs

Brian Poole  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
CB / Bradenton, FL / Southeast / 5'10'' 202 lbs

Jeremi Powell  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
LB / Largo, FL / Pinellas Park / 6'1'' 193 lbs

Kent Taylor  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
TE / Land O'Lakes, FL / Land O'Lakes / 6'5'' 225 lbs

Colin Thompson  ★ ★ ★ ★ 
TE / Warminster, PA / Archbishop Wood / 6'4'' 252 lbs

Quinteze Williams  ★ ★ ★ 
DE / Tyrone, GA / Sandy Creek / 6'5'' 255 lbs

Gator Bowl: University of Florida v. Ohio State University

by Arnaldo

The "Urban Bowl".  An unfair moniker in my opinion with Urban Meyer having nothing to do with this bowl game, but it is the featured storyline nonetheless.  And why not?  Florida and Ohio State are both in a dismal state of despair.  They are not typically 6-6 programs, and Urban Meyer becomes the source of despair for one program, and the source of hope for the other.

"Do battle, my children!"

What's at Stake?


Fans of each program who started the season with big expectations might just want to get this season over with, but there is serious pride on the line for both teams.  Both narrowly escaped losing their very long bowl eligibility streaks, but at 6-6 each, one squad is going home with a losing record.  Ohio State hasn't sustained a losing season since 1988 when they finished 4-6-1, their first year under John Cooper, and the Gators haven't had one since 1979 when they went 0-10-1, their first year under Charley Pell.  Note that this is the longest active winning season streak in FBS.


Florida


Year one under Will Muschamp with a new coaching staff and a new style of play, the Gators were destined for some growing pains.  Combined with injuries across the field and one of the hardest schedules of all time (back to back National Championship contenders in Alabama and LSU) and the result is a soft defense and a nonexistent offense.  Florida suffered its first under .500 SEC season since 1986.  The most recent blow has been celebrity offensive coordinator Charlie Weis's decision to take the Kansas head coach job and forgo his play-calling duties for the Gator Bowl.  Running backs coach Brian White will be taking the reins as interim offensive coordinator, effectively "trying out" for the still vacant job for the 2012 season.  The Gators will be playing the without right tackle Matt Patchman, who sustained a back injury during practice last week, or defensive tackle Dominique Easley, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against against Florida State.


Ohio State


Ohio State is in no better shape.  After the violations by players selling jerseys and other memorabilia for cash and tattoos in 2010, Jim Tressel resigned and Terrelle Pryor left to enter the supplemental draft, leaving Ohio State under interim head coach Luke Fickell and an unexpected disappointing season.  Last month, the NCAA further sanctioned Ohio State with a one-year bowl ban (2012) and the loss of nine scholarships over three years, effectively punishing a team two years removed from the actions of players no longer on the team and a brand new coaching staff under Urban Meyer.  Sure there's not much else the NCAA can do, but don't ever call them swift or fair.  The Buckeyes went 3-5 in Big 10 competition, capping their season with a loss to archrival Michigan for the first time in seven meetings.  Ohio State will be playing the Gator Bowl without injured tight end Jake Stoneburner or running back Rod Smith (unknown off-the-field reasons), but linebacker Andrew Sweat will be returning from his concussion.


Keys to Victory


Both teams are hot and cold.  Florida has had moments when they held their own against competition like Alabama and Georgia, but others when the offense is can't find a first down and the defense looks like they've never seen a run game before.  Ohio State has been competitive, either winning or losing most of their games by ten or fewer points.

For Florida, the key to this game is fairly simple: establish an offense.  The Gators this year are either producing solid offensive gains, or stuck in neutral, 3 downs at a time.  Like most games this season, it's going to come down to John Brantley and a shake offensive line.  Brantley has proven he can momentarily pretend to be Tom Brady, carving chunks of field against the nation's best secondaries, and then switch gears to throw uninformed passes and consecutive interceptions.  He works terribly under pressure, so a Patchmanless offensive line needs to man their gaps and give Johnny decent pocket time.  Just as importantly, they'll need to run block better than they have all season to give Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps sufficient room to find open space, where they can be lethal against a slow Buckeye defense.  If the Gators are to win, they'll do it the same way they did the only other time they met up with Ohio State, with speed.  On defense, if the Gators can reproduce the Florida State performance, even without Dominque Easley, they should be fine.  Solid tackling and containing OSU's quick-footed quarterback, Braxton Miller, are key.


For Ohio State, it also comes down to a shaky dual-threat quarterback in true freshman Braxton Miller.  While hoisting undeniable running and tackle-breaking abilities, Miller handles pressure like any true freshman would and is quick to rely on his feet.  To relieve some pressure, the Buckeyes need to establish an effective run game and keep the Gators' blitz game in check.  Miller needs to be kept out of impossible situations and in his comfort zone, where he passes effectively.  On option runs or when the pocket does break down, which it will, Miller just needs to focus on what he does best, and take off.  The Gators will put extra emphasis on containing Miller so he and his receivers need to exploit defenders who may give up on their assignments when they see him on the move for some clutch passing opportunities.  On defense, the Buckeyes need to improve all around, especially their linebackers, to keep a potentially effective Florida offense in check.  They can't magically get faster, so to win, they'll need to play smarter.  Defensive coordinators Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell will need to prepare for anything and everything against the new play-caller in Brian White across the field.

Because of the inconsistencies in both teams this season, making an accurate prediction is extra tough, but in an informed and slightly biased twist, I'm going to have to pick:

Gators over the Buckeyes 24-21 in overtime.

Let's go for more of this!

Special thanks to Chris Pinson for his Ohio State expertise.