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. Kentucky

by Arnaldo

Twenty-five.  That's how many consecutive victories the Gators have had over the Kentucky Wildcats. If you're wondering if it's some sort of record, it is.  The win streak is the longest active streak of consecutive wins over a particular opponent in an uninterrupted series.  The only longer active streak is Penn State over Temple and they don't meet every year (also, let's be real, that streak may be ending soon).

"Go Gators!" - Ronald Reagan (...maybe)

The year was 1986 when the Wildcats bested the Gators in Lexington 10-3, and I'm willing to bet most of you reading this weren't even born.  Ronald Reagan was president.  The Berlin Wall still stood.  Millions of Americans had just watched the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.  Have I made my point clear?  It's been a while.

UK head coach Joker Phillips
. . . Why so serious?

The University of Kentucky is really only a competitive rival in basketball, where both teams usually battle for the SEC East.  The football match-up is usually the final tune up game for the Gators, before entering the bulk of the SEC schedule.  There have been years when the Gators get put on upset alert against the Wildcats but end up scoring touchdown after touchdown, and we hope this year won't be any different.

As usual in this game, the Gators need to focus on the Wildcats and leave the bye week to prepare for No. 2 LSU, but I think I speak for all of us when I say it's nice to be home.  Usually around this time the Gators have already played at the Swamp two to three times, before the SEC expansion forced us to visit College Station.  This game represents a dominance over an opponent that we hope in turn represents our return to prominence in the SEC, and though the outcome is too close to obvious, the Swamp will be packed with fans welcoming their team back home as the No. 14 Florida Gators take on the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Match-up
 

Uhh... you mad?

Kentucky - Quite frankly, there's not much to see here.  This may be one of the worst Kentucky teams in recent years.  I'm not saying Joker Phillips isn't taking the team in a good direction, but after losses to Louisville and Western Kentucky (yes, the Hilltoppers), things are looking bleak for the Wildcats.  However, there are some bright spots on their team and as usual, they have potential to grow.  Kentucky's quarterback, Maxwell Smith is faring very well, despite the losses.  He actually leads the SEC in passing with 966 yards and 8 touchdowns.  His favorite target: wide receiver La'Rod King, who again, despite the losses, is quite talented.

Florida Offense - Against Tennesee, the Gators created a whopping 555 yards of offense.  That's the most in conference play since 2001 against Vanderbilt, and third most in Neyland Stadium by any team ever.  Jeff Driskel and the Gators found their momentum in the second half with several explosive plays and more suffocating defense.  What amazes me the most is the very noticeable growth of Jeff Driskel.  While it's still too early to tell how mature he's become, watching the touchdown pass to Jordan Reed last week, ignoring the two defenders set on taking him down really dropped the jaws of all the Gator hopeful.  He's come a long way from the scared freshman who played against Alabama and was almost immediately injured.


A First Half? - The first half at Tennessee was all too similar to the first half at Texas A&M.  Now, if I had to pick a style of team to be, it would be a second-half team.  But only in the sense that we play better in the second half than in the first; the first still has to be solid.  So far, the disparity between the two halves has been unacceptable. 

The coaching staff has been preaching 72 and 22, which are the total points allowed and scored, respectively, by the Gators in the second halves against SEC opponents in 2011.  This year's mantra has been "finish the game," and according to Frankie Hammond Jr. "We are a better second-half team. Over the offseason [strength coach Jeff] Dillman pretty much ingrained in our minds we have to finish out games."  So far this season Florida has outscored everyone 50-13 in the second half while pitching 27-0 shutouts in the fourth quarter, but finishing strong won't always make up for a sloppy first half.  If the Gators are proving they have the discipline and stamina to finish games strong and exploit tired opponents in the second half, there's no reason we can't see more production and fewer penalties out of the first half.  Playing half-games won't suffice against the likes of LSU, Georgia, and Florida State.

LT Xavier Nixon

Offensive Line - The O-line this season so far has been a bit of an evolution in the right direction.  From allowing eight sacks and providing reluctant run blocking, to the impenetrable sackless wall we saw against Tennessee.  The line has definitely grown in front of our very eyes, however, much more needs to be improved.  Left tackle Xavier Nixon was penalized with two 15-yarders, one from removing his helmet to argue with a referee, and the line provided Gillislee little support in short yardage interior runs. 


Injuries - Remember when I said Dominique Easley was at risk of aggravating his knee and he did towards the end of the Tennessee game.  His status is questionable, but with a soft Kentucky team coming in and a bye week before No. 2 LSU visits, I'd put my money on Easley riding the bench tomorrow.  Look for Jonathan Bullard or Earl Okine to fill in.  Jelani Jenkins is still out but is rumored to be looking forward to returning for LSU.



Tuning - No game should be taken lightly, ever.  With a bye week and LSU around the corner, players might have a hard time taking Kentucky seriously, but you can bet Will Muschamp won't let them get too distracted.  Kentucky is the last opportunity for any more tuning on the field.  It's time to try to finalize the ever shifting offensive line, iron out some kinks in the defense, and maybe work to perfect that new-look Trey Burton wildcat set. 


Arnaldo's prediction:

Florida wins 41-13

Florida v. Tennessee

by Arnaldo

"Rocky top, you'll always be home, sweet home, to me!"  ... Ugh.  The worst part of the "Third Saturday in September" is always sitting through The Pride of the Southland Band playing Rocky Top nearly 43 times.  And then there's the awkward moment when you find yourself humming the insufferably catchy tune as the Volunteers are walking out of the Swamp with Smokey's tail between his legs (this is not an impartial blog).


The Rivalry


... That never really was.  When I think of Florida's rivals, I think Georgia, Florida State, LSU, and sometimes Alabama.  What makes a great rivalry is competition and as you all know, in the last few years we've each beaten and lost to those teams.  Our streak against Tennessee is looking at a potential 8th year.  Only one of those games was even close.  The dwindling rivalry found its peak in the '90s, when Steve Spurrier and Phil Fulmer were each building the South's new reputation in football.  Danny Wuerffel was preparing a National Championship/Heisman run, while Peyton Manning was evolving into one of the best quarterbacks ever.  You know what he could never do, however?  Beat the Gators.

"You must hate me..."

 Spurrier loved to put down the Vols with quips like, "you can't spell Citrus without UT," and, "I heard they just hung a new sign outside the Citrus Bowl in Orlando: WINTER HOME OF THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS."  The Citrus Bowl, now known as the Capital One Bowl, is usually reserved for the second best team in the SEC and was a common game for the Vols while the Gators were invited to more prestigious bowl games. 

"Umm... yeah... sorry?"

The departure of Fulmer and arrival of Lane Kiffen at Tennessee almost relit the rivalry.  Kiffen was doing all the right things: coaching up his team, bringing in his father the legendary defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffen, and trying his best to talk to a big game.  At his inaugural speech he said he was looking forward to Tennessee traditions such as "singing Rocky Top all night after beating (top-ranked) Florida."  He later publicly accused Urban Meyer of committing a recruiting violation that doesn't exist, and by doing so, ironically broke an actual SEC rule.  Urban Meyer responded by beating the Volunteers 23-13, purposefully not running up the score as expected, which was considered as even more of an insult than lighting up the scoreboard.

Albert changes his iconic
orange sweater for a blue
one against Tennesee.

As dull as the match-ups have been on the field, fans of both schools still love this rivalry.  In Gainesville, students spend all week making redneck/incest jokes while in Knoxville, fans are making the same jorts comments (presumably, I really don't care).  When the Volunteers come to Florida Field fans and students "blue out" the stadium to stand out from their opponents who share the color orange, albeit a dull and lifeless shade.  To fuel the game and add pressure, ESPN's College Gameday is following the Gators to Knoxville for a second consecutive week.

2007 "Blue Out" as requested by Urban Meyer.

The Match-up

As easy as it's been to beat the Vols in recent history, this year will be much different.  The Volunteers are ranked for the first time since week 1 of 2008 and for good reason: they produce.  They've had two back-to-back games of 500 yards for the first time in 12 years.  Third year head coach Derek Dooley is raising his program back into prominence and needs this statement win to prove he can make waves in the SEC, but then again, so does Will Muschamp and the Gators.  Here are my keys to the game:

Protecting Driskel - Last week against the Aggies, Jeff Driskel was sacked 8 times.  That's 7 too many in my book.  Now the problem doesn't necessarily lie within the o-line's protection; Driskel admits that he held onto the ball for too long on several plays, to which I say, "we noticed."  But bettering this is a two pronged solution: on one hand Driskel does need to make his pocket decisions much quicker, and on the other, the offensive line needs to understand that the young quarterback is still facing a learning curve and work harder on their blocks.



Tyler Bray - He's excellent.  I'd rank him fourth in the SEC after Aaron Murray (Georgia), Tyler Wilson (Arkansas), and A.J. McCarron (Alabama).  The junior quarterback missed five games last season but still racked up 1,983 yards over his seven starts.  Running a no-huddle offense, so far this season he's thrown for 643 yards and six touchdowns, and he hits the big plays.  Bray completes 76.2% of his passes over 15 yards and out of those six touchdowns, five have been on passes of 15 yards or over.

He also has great
taste in body art.

Even worse, Tennessee sports one of the SEC's best receiving corps.  Justin Hunter (11), who is coming off a three-touchdown game against Georgia State, and junior college transfer Cordarrelle Patterson (84), who has proved himself over the last two games with 360 all-purpose yards.  Luckily, returning star, Da'Rick Rogers transferred to Tennessee Tech last month.  Look for Muschamp to keep a nickel/dime package on the field most for most of the game and utilize our depth at secondary.





Turnovers - The Gators aren't making any.  I'll preach it every week until we start, but the critical piece missing in the Gators defense is turnovers.  It's hard to teach forcing fumbles or being at the right place at the right time, but what the defense can focus on is not letting the right opportunities slip through their fingers (sometimes literally).  Several potential interceptions were dropped against Bowling Green, and I do recall a fumble that was knocked to the sidelines for no turnover at College Station.  The offense can't capitalize off turnovers if the defense doesn't seize these opportunities.


Injuries - Texas A&M didn't go down without a fight, and they took Jelani Jenkins and Cody Riggs with them.  Neither are expected to return today, and when you combine them with the still missing Ronald Powell, the defense is getting thinner.  True freshman Antonio Morrison (12) will be stepping in for Jenkins, while the pretty deep cornerbacks group moves around to fill in for Riggs.  Mike Gillislee strained a groin running in a touchdown but is expected to play.  He, along with Dominique Easley and Josh Evans have suffered minor injuries in the first two games so they'll at some risk of aggravation.

Stopping the Run -  There's a defensive strategy in football that basically says, "slow down their best components but stop their weaker ones."  The idea here is, Tennessee is a pass-centered team with a good quarterback and great receivers, but there's no such thing as a one-dimensional winning team.  The Gators need to focus and slowing down Bray, yes, but by stopping the run, which they're more than capable of doing, much more pressure gets put on Bray.  Our decent secondary and fast pass rush should take care of the rest. 



Tale of Two Defenses - This is what we saw at Texas A&M.  The first half defense allowed the first three Aggie drives to end in scores and the fourth was thankfully ended by the clock.  The yards allowed for those drives are as follows: 66, 81, 79, and 44.  Yards allowed in the second half per drive: 8, 1, 6, 5, 9, and 22.  Impressed?  So am I.  Will Muschamp finally found something to motivate his defense and provide them with something they didn't have during the Bowling Green game or the first half at Texas A&M.  Like I said last week, these guys were top recruits.  They're out of excuses and it's nice to see they can actually stand up to their potential but in the end, it's a discipline issue.  There's nothing I can reference to prove they'll show up again today.


Arnaldo's Prediction:

Florida win 34 - 20

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.

Another One Bites the Dust: Charlie Weis

by Arnaldo

It's been rough few years for coaching at the University of Florida.  In case you haven't noticed, we've lost a top coach (head, offensive or defensive coordinator) every year since 2008: Dan Mullen, Charlie Strong, Urban Meyer, Charlie Weis.  It's clear we've been feeling the effects.  Stability is one of the most important aspects of a coaching staff; where would we be as a country if we switched presidents every year?

Someone pointed out we don't need
his "fupa" around anyway.

Since Charlie's hiring as Florida's offensive coordinator, many fans have had mixed feelings about his possible contributions and whether or not he would fit in the culture we have. As I've said, I was a Weis fan, along with many Gator fans. Dub, however, stands on the other side of the ropes. He feels Weis was a big sexy hire by a new coach who felt like he had to make a splash to get Gator fans excited.

We have the most demanding fans in the nation, at any level, in any sport. It's a culture that was rebuilt by Urban Meyer and his all-star coaching staff, which can only lead to heartbreak. From 2005-2009 (Urban's glory years at Florida) we had one single digit win season, and three 13 win seasons, all of which resulting in a BCS National Championship or BCS Bowl victory. Our team was so hypercompetetive, that we as fans grew to accept nothing less than elite national contention year in and year out.

Coach Muschamp stepped into a position where he had to make noise immediately. He had to get someone as flashy and as storied as the Florida program had been during it's streak of absolute dominance. He went after the man who coached the offense of the New England Patriots during their historic "3 out of 4" Super bowl run, circa 2001-2004.


So What Now?


First and foremost, there's a bowl game to be played.  In situations like these, a departing coach makes the decision to stay to coach the bowl game, or get a head start at his new institution, familiarizing himself with the team, fellow coaches, perhaps hire new coaches, recruiting, etc.  When Dan Mullen accepted a head coach position, he stuck around to coach the 2008 National Championship game, but it seems a 6 win Gator Bowl isn't enough to keep Charlie Weis around.  This promotes current running backs Brian White to interim offensive coordinator, which has its advantages and disadvantages.  On the one hand, he hasn't called plays since 2007 at Syracuse, but on the other, Ohio State has absolutely nothing to study and must prepare for everything.

Now let's look at some candidates to replace Charlie Weis.


Leading Candidate: Kerwin Bell


Who's Kerwin Bell?  Kerwin Bell is probably Florida's most prolific quarterback not to win a Heisman Trophy.

He's even in the "Gator Legends" painting.

Suck it Palmer!

Bell walked on to the 1983 Florida team as a quarterback and earned a scholarship and the starting job the following year.  He led that team to a 9-1-1 record, an SEC championship (later vacated), and a No. 3 AP end-of-season ranking.  The following year was a repeat 9-1-1 record and atop the SEC (though ineligible to hold title or bowl game).  Bell was awarded SEC Player of the Year in 1984, finished honorable mention All-American in 1985 and 1986, first team All-SEC in 1985, and received Florida's Fergie Ferguson Award as a team captain his senior year.  While at Florida he passed for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns.  In 1997, he was inducted into UF's Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great".

No joke: voted 2nd ugliest football
uniforms ever on an ESPN fan poll.

Drafted in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins, Kerwin Bell didn't see the field despite being traded twice.  He played for several non-NFL teams before landing a spot in 1996 for the Indianapolis Colts where in week 15 was put in late for his only NFL appearance.  Interestingly, he completed five for five passes and one touchdown, giving him the highest passer rating in NFL history.

Bell began coaching as the offensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts for the 2000 and 2001 seasons.  He then was the head coach for Trinity Catholic High School from 2001 to 2006, where he briefly coached our very own John Brantley, and led the Celtics to a state championship.  This led to the head coaching job at Jacksonville University.  He took a 3-8 Dolphins squad and made them a 9-4 Pioneer Football League champions in 2007.  2008 had Bell recognized as the PFL Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson award.  His 2010 squad went 10-1 and ranked No. 22 in the FCS, an all-time high for the young program.


It is clear that Kerwin Bell has an immense talent for coaching, and has sufficient experience in running an offense as a quarterback, coordinator, and head coach.  Also, he is very familiar with the recruiting landscape in Florida, having played and coached almost exclusively therein.  Will Muschamp has stated he is looking for a coordinator who is very proficient with a pro-style game and assures the Gator Nation he will hire "the nation's best offensive coordinator."  He has already interviewed Bell, but the nature of the interview was kept private.  No official decision has been made.

Secondary Candidate:  Brian White


Brian White, as mentioned earlier, will be the interim offensive coordinator for the Gator Bowl this January.  He is officially our running backs' coach and is one of the only staff members retained by Will Muschamp from Urban Meyer's administration.  Meyer hired him days after the 2008 National Championship game as the tight ends' coach.  White served the University of Wisconsin for 11 years, under icon Barry Alvarez, as running backs' coach and offensive coordinator in 1999.  He led the Wisconsin offense to its Big Ten prominence it still enjoys today, and earned an Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2004.  He was the unfortunate collateral damage of Alvarez's retirement from coaching in 2005.  White made his way to Washington and Syracuse as offensive coordinator before Urban Meyer brought him to Florida.

It is uncertain if he's been interviewed for the position since he is already part of the program.  However, White has a giant opportunity calling plays at the Gator Bowl to impress Muschamp and secure his future at Florida.

His advantage over Kewin Bell: extensive resume.  His disadvantage: his extensive resume.  Let me explain.  Assistant coaches who have high level experience (offensive/defensive coordinator) coupled with success, do not last.  They'll receive head coaching jobs elsewhere that will pay much better.  One of the reasons behind hiring Weis was that he already tried head coaching and was not very successful; we thought it was unlikely he would receive, or accept, head coaching offers.  If we choose Brian White and have a successful year, there is a risk he'll be noticed again and picked up.  Kerwin Bell, on the other hand, has no FBS experience and shouldn't be offered another job, no matter how much success he has, for at least three years.  Keep in mind that what the Gators need now more than ever is stability.

We aren't in the business of speculation so we won't go into detail on any other possible candidates.  However, he is a list of some being mentioned:

Todd Monken - Oklahoma State offensive coordinator
Major Applewhite - Texas co-offensive coordinator
Greg Davis - Former Texas offensive coordinator