While OGGOA was prepared to drop the entire Brandon Spikes eye gouging story following our last post on the subject, a new piece of video and comments by members of the media have caused us to revisit it one last time. Since Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer handed down a first half suspension of Spikes and the Southeastern Conference accepted it, some talking heads have been up in arms saying it was not strict enough. ESPN’s Mike Golic called it “a joke” while Michael Wilbon went the sarcastic route. “Of course the SEC is [OK with the punishment],” Wilbon said. “They try to favor Florida in everything they do. How lame is the SEC governing Florida?”

A new piece of video posted by YouTube user PoliticAl2008 shows Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Nick Williams taking a cheap(er?) shot at Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow well after he handed the ball off to running back Jeff Demps. This serves as just one example of a blatant personal foul that was not only uncalled for in the game but currently remains unpunished on the part of the Bulldogs. Some could even argue that Williams’ move was worse and more loathsome considering Tebow’s concussion history.

As Tebow said earlier today, “I don’t think that we did anything in that game that they didn’t do. You can see on the film, too. It was an intense game.” Ivan Maisel, also of ESPN, criticized Tebow’s statement on twitter saying he was “better than that.” Apparently Tebow’s statement holds credence. Maisel, did you watch the game? Did you look at the entire story? Common Ivan, I thought you were “better than that.” And Mr. Wilbon…”how lame is the SEC in governing” Georgia?

Tags: Brandon Spikes, ESPN, Georgia Bulldogs, Ivan Maisel, Jeff Demps, Michael Wilbon, Mike Golic, Nick Williams, SEC, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

Rather than write you a long, worthless introduction, just go ahead and make the jump for a ton of recruiting news on the following recruits: Matt Elam, Jeff Luc, Chaz Green, Christian Green, Chris Dunkley, Kardon Boone, James Louis, Cody Riggs, Lamarcus Joyner, Sharrif Floyd and Ronald Powell.

Continue Reading » Status updates for UF’s top recruiting prospects

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Chaz Green, Chris Dunkley, Christian Green, Cody Riggs, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, James Louis, Jeff Luc, Kardon Boone, Lamarcus Joyner, Lane Kiffin, Matt Elam, North Carolina Tar Heels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas Tech Red Raiders, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, USC Trojans

While the rest of the media and the thousands of so-called “Gator Haters” out there want to drag this incident out, the story ends here.

Official statement from the Southeastern Conference:

“The Southeastern Conference has reviewed and accepted the disciplinary actions taken by the University of Florida regarding football student-athlete Brandon Spikes. The university suspended Spikes for the first half of its next game (vs. Vanderbilt, Nov. 7) for an unsportsmanlike act during the Gators’ last game (vs. Georgia, Oct. 31).”

Official statement from Florida Gators LB Brandon Spikes:

“I accept responsibility for my actions and I accept the consequences of my actions. I would like to apologize to my team and the coaching staff and Washun Ealey. Football is a very physical and emotional game, but there is no excuse for my actions.”

Tags: Brandon Spikes, eye gouging, Georgia Bulldogs, SEC, Urban Meyer, Vanderbilt Commodores, Washun Ealey

Probably one of the most interesting Florida Gators weekly Monday press conferences took place today with head coach Urban Meyer and senior quarterback Tim Tebow at the helm as usual.

Meyer got right to the altercation involving senior linebacker Brandon Spikes gouging the eyes of Georgia Bulldogs running back Washaun Ealey, After watching the video and speaking to Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive, Meyer decided to suspend Spikes for the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday. “I don’t condone that,” Meyer said. “That’s not who [Spikes] is. That’s not who we are. He got caught up in emotion. He has our full support.”

In support of his teammate, Tebow would later say, “I don’t think that we did anything in that game that they didn’t do. You can see on the film, too. It was an intense game.” Tebow and Meyer both indicated that Spikes had his eye gouged earlier in the game – not that it’s an excuse. Just as OGGOA said.

Updating the status of injured RB Chris Rainey (shoulder), Meyer said his arm remains in a sling making him questionable for Saturday’s game. Do not expect Rainey to play as Florida will probably use the Vanderbilt game to rest injured starters and get reserves extra playing time if the game gets out of hand.

Also of note are statements from both Meyer and Tebow that the Gators offense did not utilize a single no-huddle “banzai” play the entire game. Back to basics, it seems.

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Chris Rainey, eye gouging, Georgia Bulldogs, Mike Slive, SEC, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Vanderbilt Commodores, Washaun Ealey

Covering the Florida Gators as close as I do every day, I often find the need to vent regarding some of the coverage the team receives, what occurs on the field or things that happen as it relates to the Gators. Normally I will express these opinions outside of OGGOA, but on rare occasions like this, I feel the need to put my thoughts into print.

1. Brandon Spikes’ eye gouge incident

Did Spikes eye gouge Georgia Bulldogs running back Washaun Ealey? You bet he did. Does he deserve to be held accountable and handed a suspension and/or punishment for his actions? Of course he does. (He has been suspended for the first half Saturday against the Vanderbilt Commodores.) My issue comes with the media coverage and fan reaction to this incident. Ladies and gentlemen, this is football. If you think that a dozen eye gouge attempts (and worse actions) do not go on every game in piles and at the end of plays – you are kidding yourselves. Spikes’ issue is that he did it where people could see it. He also happens to play for the No. 1 team in the country – a team that is one of the most hated in the nation. People are up in arms about Spikes’ eye gouge like it was as bad as Oregon Ducks’ RB LeGarrette Blount’s post-game punch. It wasn’t. Punishment was deserved. Don’t rake this guy over the coals for feeling he needed retribution for the eye gouges and helmet rip-offs he experienced all game long at the hands of Georgia. At some point, anger and the need for retribution do take over. Even so, there are no legitimate excuses for his actions. He is not the only one at fault here, though he is the only one who will receive punishment.

2. Lil’ Wayne gives Lane Kiffin a shout out on new mixtape [after the jump...]

Continue Reading » CHOMPING: On Spikes, Lil’ Wayne lyrics and Slive

Tags: Brandon Spikes, ESPN, eye gouging, Georgia Bulldogs, Lane Kiffin, LeGarrette Blount, Lil' Wayne, Mike Slive, Oregon Ducks, SEC, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow, Washaun Ealey

Each week following a Florida Gators game, ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive will grade the team position-by-position based on each unit’s performance. This week, we look at how the Gators fared against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, FL, at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

QUARTERBACK: A+
After two consecutive weeks of below-average play, Tim Tebow came back big against Georgia in his hometown of Jacksonville. Four total touchdowns including two on the ground as well as 85 rushing yards helped Tebow secure two all-time SEC records (rushing touchdowns, rushing yards by QB). 15-of-21 passing was respectable, though Florida seemed to shy away from putting the ball in the air in the second half. All-in-all, this was one of Tebow’s career-best days and the leader of the Gators offense deserves kudos for a great performance.

RUNNING BACKS: B
It is tough to expect this unit to make an impact when the three main players combined for 16 total attempts. Jeff Demps averaged 6.2 yards per carry while Emmanuel Moody had 3.7 and Chris Rainey had 3.0. Four-star freshman Mike Gillislee got some playing time late in the game and exploded on a 49-yard run but was injured on the play. For avoiding mistakes and contributing when given the opportunity, these guys played just fine.

Continue Reading » Grading the Florida vs. Georgia game

Tags: A.J. Green, A.J. Jones, Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Aron White, Brandon James, Brandon Spikes, Caleb Sturgis, Carlos Dunlap, Charlie Strong, Chas Henry, Chris Rainey, Dan Mullen, David Nelson, Deonte Thompson, Emmanuel Moody, Georgia Bulldogs, grading, Janoris Jenkins, Jaye Howard, Jeff Demps, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Lawrence Marsh, Major Wright, Mark Richt, Michael Moore, Mike Gillislee, Riley Cooper, Ryan Stamper, The Swamp, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Will Hill, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

1 » Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow broke two all-time Southeastern Conference records (rushing touchdowns, rushing yards by a QB), his team clinched the SEC Eastern division title and a berth in the SEC Championship game and the offense got back on track following a few sluggish outings.

2 » According to Tebow and senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, the two team leaders got into a “skirmish” at some point after the Mississippi State Bulldogs game last week. “Me and T’s friends, brothers. It wasn’t nothing,” Spikes said. “It was all positive. We came together me and him, got the team together and we kind of got things right.” Tebow admitted the story was true. “There was [an issue],” Tebow said. “A lot of turmoil this past week.”

3 » Head basketball coach Billy Donovan visited the Gators football team Thursday night to discuss the difficulties in defending a national title. Donovan told the team that sticking together through adversity was important. “He motivated us,” Tebow said. “He talked to a lot of the leaders on our team and really challenged us.”

4 » Kicker Caleb Sturgis may have nailed a game-winning field goal two weeks ago, but he has never been more impressive than he was in his performance Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs. Sturgis hit a career- and Florida-Georgia series-long 56-yard field goal in the second quarter and followed it up with a 44-yard shot in the fourth. He also made all of his extra points. “I thought that was a big momentum-changer for us,” head coach Urban Meyer said of the 56-yarder.

5 » While plenty of praise was offered to Tebow, wide receiver Riley Cooper and the entire offensive performance on Saturday, New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, who was at the game acting as a member of the press, lauded the play of the Gators’ linebackers. “I told [Spikes] he has something you just can’t coach, that you’re born with it,” Seau said. “He has leadership, and (I told him) not to take any of it for granted. He has that skill that Tebow has on offense, which is allowing your actions, your words to grab other people around you so they can elevate their games.”

6 » Not all of Spikes’ actions were in good taste Saturday. Could a suspension be coming for him? Spikes, who was victimized with an eye poke and had his helmet ripped off twice during the game, obviously felt the need to get even and took out his aggression on running back Washaun Ealey. While he may have been wronged often during the game, retaliation is not acceptable. A suspension from playing in the Vanderbilt Commodores game next week is a possibility. However, if the SEC does not voice any particular displeasure, Meyer may simply punish Spikes in practice. [UPDATE:] Sunday morning, Meyer said Spikes is a “very emotional player, and if that’s the case I’ll have a very serious talk with him.”

Tags: Billy Donovan, Brandon Spikes, Caleb Sturgis, Georgia Bulldogs, Junior Seau, Mississippi State Bulldogs, New England Patriots, NFL, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Vanderbilt Commodores, Washaun Ealey

No. 1 Florida Gators have clinched the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title and earned a spot in the SEC Championship game after a 41-17 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday afternoon and a 31-13 win by the Tennessee Volunteers against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the evening.

This will be the Gators third SEC title game appearance in the last four years. Florida won the last two contests and earned berths to the BCS National Championship games in those respective seasons (2006 vs. Arkansas and 2008 vs. Alabama). The 2009 game will be played on Dec. 5 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.

Tags: BCS, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Dome, National Championship, SEC, SEC Championship, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers