2012 Orange & Blue Debut – Gameday Preview

By Adam Silverstein
April 6, 2012

Event: 2012 Orange & Blue Debut
Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 88,548]
Time: 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Reference: Roster | Schedule

TV: Sun Sports (in Florida, some other national cable outlets) SiriusXM: 91
Online Video: FOXSportsFlorida.com (nationally outside of the state of Florida)
Live Updates: @OnlyGators
OGGOA Live Coverage: Live Chat from 12:45-3:30 p.m.

EVENT INFORMATION

» Gator Walk: North side of stadium, exterior, 10:30 a.m. start
» Parking: The following parking locations are available first-come, first-serve for fans wishing to attend the game – O’Connell Center garage, O’Connell Center lot (disabled), Commuter Lot (Lemerand Dr.) with shuttle
» Gates/Seating: Open gates – 7, 8, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 (west concourse closed for renovations); Open seats – general admission in open areas with gates opening at 11:30
» Former Gators in attendance: S Ahmad Black, DE Alex Brown, S Teako Brown, RB Ran Carthon, K Jeff Chandler, LB Andra Davis, WR Chris Doering, DE Carlos Dunlap, RB Ciatrick Fason, WR Jacquez Green, WR Percy Harvin, TE Aaron Hernandez, RB Terry Jackson, FB Billy Latsko, QB Terry LeCount, WR Travis McGriff, C Maurkice Pouncey, C Mike Pouncey, RB Chris Rainey, RB Errict Rhett, CB Lito Sheppard, LB Brandon Spikes, RB Fred Taylor, WR Travis Taylor, DT Gerard Warren (and more).
» 2013 Commits in attendance: WR Rodney Adams, DT Caleb Brantley, LB James Hearns, OL Roderick Johnson, RB Adam Lane, LB Dillan Lawson, LB Daniel McMillian, DB Keanu Neal, LB Quinton Powell, RB Kelvin Taylor, DB Nick Washington
» 2013 Recruits in attendance (partial list courtesy of InsideTheGators.com): WR Ahmad Fullwood, WR Reggie Davis, WR Taj Williams, WR Alvin Bailey, RB Ryan Green, DB Mackerno Alexander, DB Tre Bell, DB Leon McQuay III, DB Marcell Harris, OL Josh Cardiello, DB Adrian Baker, WR Richard Benjamin, DB Reggie Wilkerson, DE Jonathan Allen, ATH Marcus Clark, LB Keith Kelsey, Jr., QB John O’Korn, OL Joshua Outlaw, WR Carlos Burse, OL Cameron Dillard, DE Joey Bosa, DE Demarcus Walker, DB Damonte Jones, DB Jamonte Jones (and more).

Additional information including the game format, injury report, team notes and who to keep an eye on all are available…after the break!

GAME FORMAT

» Time: Four 12-minute quarters (running clock except for two-minute drills)
» Blue Team: First-team offense
» Orange Team: Second-team offense
» Colors: Offense always wears blue, defense always wears orange
» Kickoffs: To start first and third quarters only
» Punts: Yes – all are fair caught by the returner

INJURY REPORT

» Out: CB Willie Bailey (undisclosed), LB Neiron Ball (vascular condition), CB Jeremy Brown (knee), DT Dominique Easley (ACL), SS Matt Elam (groin), OL Cole Gilliam (shoulder), DE Kendric Johnson (shoulder), OL Tommy Jordan (shoulder), LB Lerentee McCray (shoulder), DE Earl Okine (back), OL Ian Silberman (shoulder), WR Ja’Juan Story (ankle)
» Also out: TE A.C. Leonard (suspension)

TEAM NOTES

» Two members of Florida’s coaching staff – offensive coordinator Brent Pease and offensive line coach Tim Davis – will make their public debut with the Gators.
» The following members of the 2012 recruiting class are early enrollees who will play in front of fans for the first time on Saturday: OL Jessamen Dunker (74), OL D.J. Humphries (70), DT Damien Jacobs (4), LB Antonio Morrison (12), WR Latroy Pittman (13). Most of the other commitments will be in attendance as will Bailey who is being held out due to an injury.
» Redshirt senior left guard James Wilson will actually be competing in his first-ever spring game as knee injuries have kept him out of the contest for five-straight years.
» There are a number of Gators to look out for who are playing and/or cross-training in new positions. Most will be occurring as players rotate positions on the offensive line, defensive line or in the secondary, but three in particular will be giving it a go at new positions: redshirt senior Omarius Hines (tight end and running back), sophomore Chris Johnson (running back) and senior Nick Alajajian (defensive tackle).
» The quarterback battle rages on as sophomores Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel continue to go head-to-head for the starting gig. That does not mean you should discount redshirt sophomore Tyler Murphy just yet. He always seems to perform well in the spring and is someone to pay close attention to on Saturday.
» Senior Mike Gillislee takes over as the starting running back even if the coaching staff is not ready to award him that title just yet. He has already flashed major talent in camp but his ability to stay healthy for the duration of the season may be more important than anything else. Redshirt sophomore Mack Brown should also see plenty of carries during the scrimmage and is working his way towards an increased role this year.
» Coaches have praised junior Buck linebacker Ronald Powell for having arguably the best spring of any player on the team. Powell showed some flashes at the end of 2011 but has yet to fully take advantage of all his physical gifts and be the dominant defender that the team needs. A big spring would confirm the coaches’ opinions.
» Head coach Will Muschamp lamented that he did not give sophomore cornerback Louchiez Purifoy more opportunities on defense in 2011 but that is not expected to be the case this year. Purifoy is currently fighting for the starting job opposite Roberson. With Roberson set to miss the game, expect to see plenty of Purifoy on the outside.
» Consistency was an issue for sophomore punter Kyle Christy during his freshman campaign; he did not even earn the starting job until mid-season, a disappointing situation for a scholarship punter. Muschamp even joked last year that he had to squeeze some of the nervousness out of him heading into the spring game. Another year older and hopefully another year wiser, Christy will be in front of a large crowd once again with plenty of opportunities to punt on Saturday.
» Pittman has been praised by Muschamp for showing some flashes in the spring but it is up to Florida’s veteran wide receivers to prove that they can be playmakers. Redshirt junior Andre Debose, redshirt sophomore Quinton Dunbar and redshirt senior Frankie Hammond, Jr. will have plenty of eyes on them hoping to see some brilliant catches and exciting plays over the course of the scrimmage.
» Expect to see a lot more motioning and shifting on offense. Though Muschamp and Pease both said that the offense would not undergo too many changes heading into the 2012 season, Pease has undoubtedly added his touches. Some of the terminology may be the same, but this is not the same Gators offense that was unveiled in 2011.
» The new strength and conditioning program installed by Jeff Dillman should be on full display Saturday as fans get the opportunity to look at the players for the first time in months. Many of them are noticeably bulkier from the change in philosophy and that added strength should be evident on the field, especially at the line of scrimmage.

2 Comments

  1. SC_Gator says:

    It makes me so very happy to see that list of gator greats returning.

  2. alex says:

    Nice job on sirius this morning

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