Head coach Urban Meyer meets with the media each Monday after the Florida Gators participate in a game the previous Saturday. OGGOA has compiled some of the most important notes and quotes from the event this week.

RAINEY, BROWN SHOULD BE ABLE TO RETURN

Redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey left Saturday’s game with what is believed to have been a concussion. Nevertheless, Meyer believes he will be able to play Saturday at Tennessee. Rainey was held out of what was a light practice on Sunday for precautionary purposes but looks to be a full go the rest of the week.

Also leaving the game early was redshirt sophomore starting cornerback Jeremy Brown. Meyer said after the contest that Brown suffered a “full body cramp,” but Brown related Monday that he actually had a strained hamstring and should be fine for the weekend. Even so, he noted that freshman CB Cody Riggs, who got a lot of playing time in his stead, did well and even complimented his exceptional speed.

In other injury news, sophomore left tackle Xavier Nixon returned Saturday from a knee injury but played as a reserve. He will likely return to his starting role against Tennessee, moving the rest of the line back to their original positions.

WEEK TWO CHAMPIONS

Meyer announced that ten Gators graded out as Champions after the South Florida Bulls game. Junior running back Jeff Demps, senior center Mike Pouncey and senior strong safety Ahmad Black were all singled out as Players of the Week. Offensively, redshirt seniors offensive linemen Marcus Gilbert and Maurice Hurt and RB Emmanuel Moody were all honored. Four players on the defense – junior CB Janoris Jenkins, redshirt senior linebacker A.J. Jones and senior defensive ends Justin Trattou and Duke Lemmens – shined throughout the game.

Additionally, Demps and Pouncey were each honored by the Southeastern Conference, respectively, as the organization’s Special Teams Player of the Week and Offensive Lineman of the Week. Demps returned two kickoffs for 95 yards, and Pouncey had a 95 percent efficiency at center.

GAME BALLS FOR EVERYONE!

For the second time in three days, Meyer pointed to the home crowd at The Swamp for its amazing passion and support throughout what he believes is one of – if not the – hottest game played at the stadium in years. He even joked that he wished he could buy game balls for all 93,000+ fans as they severely impacted South Florida’s ability to move the ball in the second half.

A BUNCH OF COMEDIANS

Redshirt senior left guard Carl Johnson is apparently a jokester, aiming some one-liners on Monday at Tennessee players, fans, former head coach Lane Kiffin and those who insist on comparing redshirt junior starting quarterback John Brantley‘s leadership to that of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Johnson quipped that it was funny the players had problems bathing (staph infection issues) and said Kiffin left for USC because he would prefer probation for two years rather than the humiliation of being beat by Florida again. “I mean, let me ask you a question,” Johnson said. “What would you prefer…to lose to Florida or can’t go to a bowl game for two years? I think we already defeated him in our minds.”

Also cracking wise Monday was Pouncey, who related a story from a trip to McDonald’s on Sunday night. “I heard it all. I was going through the drive-thru last night at McDonald’s, and as I was leaving the guy told me, he said, ‘Don’t mess up the snaps,’ and I said, ‘Hey, don’t mess up my sandwiches no more.’”

Perhaps Black was right when he said early Monday, “I just may be on the funniest team in America,” because he’s one of them, noting later in the day that his last memory about visiting Tennessee was “a bunch of drunk old people.”

QUOTES (More coming soon…)

Meyer on his team’s first away game: “We’re going to have a bunch of new players get on that plane and head to Knoxville. So much of what we do around here is routine and that is a major concern. I’m trying to fight myself right now on how to get that done and not take away from preparation time. The worst thing that happens is someone’s late walking in, forgets their tie. Someone doesn’t show up. Someone forgets their ID on the plane and goes to the room when we’re not supposed to go to the room. That just messes everything up as far as routine and we take that real serious around here. We’ll have several meetings about it and try to get that ready.”

Meyer on Florida’s upcoming opponent, Tennessee: “It’s SEC personnel from top to bottom. [They have] some dynamic players, some young players. They’re dealing with some of the same issues we have as far as lack of experience, but make no mistake about it – they’re every bit as talented as most teams in the SEC. And obviously [Neyland Stadium] one of the most difficult environments to play in.”

Special thanks to the Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel for the player quotes above.

Tags: A.J. Jones, Ahmad Black, Carl Johnson, Chris Rainey, Cody Riggs, Duke Lemmens, Emmanuel Moody, Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Demps, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, Justin Trattou, Lane Kiffin, Marcus Gilbert, Maurice Hurt, Mike Pouncey, Neyland Stadium, SEC, South Florida Bulls, The Swamp, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Xavier Nixon

Junior running back Jeff Demps rushed for a career-high 139 yards while totaling 255 all purpose yards Saturday, leading the No. 6/8 Florida Gators (2-0) to a 38-14 win over the South Florida Bulls (1-1) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools in football.

After going three-and-out on their first series, the Gators punted the ball to the Bulls, who put together a 17-play 96-yard drive resulting in a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead. Thirteen of South Florida’s 17 plays on the scoring drive were rushes, with QB B.J. Daniels carrying the majority of the load.

Florida once again had trouble getting things going offensively in the first half. The Gators’ first three drives resulted in punts, and snapping issues reared their ugly head early with a few errant balls coming from senior center Mike Pouncey. Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley corralled most of them but mishandled one which resulted in a fumble that he recovered.

Junior kicker Caleb Sturgis missed a 39-yard field goal more than halfway through the second quarter, but an interception by senior safety Ahmad Black got Florida the ball back inside USF’s 30 yard line with one minute left in the half. Brantley completed a beautiful 23-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson on first down before tossing a game-tying touchdown to redshirt senior WR Carl Moore to complete a three-play, 29-yard scoring drive in 16 seconds.

Black would end the half with his second interception of the game, sending the Gators into the locker room with all of the momentum. It was his third pick of the young season and 11th of his four-year career.

“The thing about this game is we wanted to let him try to beat us running the ball, because we knew for a fact he wasn’t going to beat us throwing the ball,” Black said after the game. “If he put the ball in the air, it was ours.”

With just over 10 minutes to go in the third quarter, Bulls RB Demetrius Murray took off on a 33-yard run to put South Florida in scoring position. Two players later, Murray fumbled the ball, which was recovered by senior defensive end Duke Lemmens at Florida’s 12. The Gators would not wait long to capitalize. Brantley completed a 21-yard pass to Thompson to give UF some breathing room before handing off to Demps, who broke away for an electric 62-yard score.

USF stalled on their next drive, kicking to junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who replaced redshirt junior WR Chris Rainey (concussion) as punt returner. Jenkins returned the ball 30 yards to the Bulls’ 35, once again putting the Gators in scoring position. Freshman WR Robert Clark got the call on a 15-yard pass reception from Brantley. Now inside the 20, redshirt senior RB Emmanuel Moody carried the load to the South Florida four, where sophomore RB Mike Gillislee rushed for a short touchdown, putting UF up 21-7.

Florida continued putting the pressure on Daniels and USF, pushing him deep into the backfield on a second-and-eight play from the Bulls’ 48. Unable to find a receiver, Daniels’ pass was intercepted by senior defensive end Justin Trattou, who returned the ball 35 yards for a touchdown and extended the Gators’ lead to 28-7.

South Florida refused to go away, however, as Daniels took advantage of UF miscue in the secondary to complete a 51-yard pass to WR Evan Landi. Down on Florida’s 19, Daniels handed the ball of twice to Murray, who reduced his team’s deficit to 14.

A 69-yard return by Demps on the kickoff put the Gators at the 31 yard line, and a subsequent 26-yard rush by the speedster got UF inside the five. Unable to capitalize, Florida called on Sturgis to make his first field goal of the season, a 22-yard attempt.

Jenkins appeared out to get Daniels on the Bulls’ next drive, sacking him on first down from the team’s 29 yard line before intercepting him on the very next play. Looking to put the game away, Brantley, Demps and Moody led the Gators on a 13-play, 57-yard drive that lasted 7:22 and ended with a two-yard touchdown reception by redshirt freshman tight end Jordan Reed (the first of his career) to give Florida a 38-14 lead.

Demps electrified the Gators throughout the game, rushing 11 times for 139 yards and a touchdown, catching one pass for 21 yards and returning two kickoffs for 95 yards. Brantley was consistent through the air, going 18-of-31 for 172 yards and two scores. Thompson and Moore each stepped up in the passing game, combining to catch 11 balls for 123 yards, while Moody and Gillislee rushed for a total of 83 yards.

Defensively, Florida nabbed four interceptions for the second-straight game and fourth time under head coach Urban Meyer. Lemmens stood out with a fumble recovery and sack, and the defensive line got consistent pressure on Daniels in the second half.

UF extended its home winning streak to 12 games and won its 22nd consecutive regular season contest Saturday. The Gators are now 10-0 against intrastate opponents under Meyer and 9-3-2 all-time against the Big East. After giving up three turnovers to Miami (OH) last week, Florida held onto the ball Saturday and simultaneously almost doubled their yardage production offensively.

The Gators hope to build on their strong second half when they leave home for the first time in the 2010-11 season next week to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, TN. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and the game will air live on CBS.

Photo Credit: Doug Finger/The Gainesville Sun

Tags: Ahmad Black, B.J. Daniels, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Big East, Caleb Sturgis, Carl Moore, Chris Rainey, Demetrius Murray, Deonte Thompson, Duke Lemmens, Emmanuel Moody, Evan Landi, Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, Jordan Reed, Justin Trattou, Mike Gillislee, Mike Pouncey, Robert Clark, South Florida Bulls, Urban Meyer

1 » New Florida Gators defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is confident, so much so that he has won over players like junior safety Will Hill. “He came in and was very direct and straightforward,” Hill said, according to The Miami Herald. “He has a lot of high expectations. We come out ready, he tells us what to do and we just do it. Nobody is bumping heads or anything.” Even though Austin lost a lot of playmakers from Charlie Strong’s unit last year, he knows Florida’s defensive prowess is not being ignored. “I don’t think anyone will overlook us,” Austin said. “They may because we did lose so many quality players, but we had quality players [behind them] in the program.” His philosophy? “Guys are going to be aggressive and take the fight to the other team. That’s the mentality. On defense, you never want to sit back. You want to dictate the offense, not have the offense dictate to you.”

2 » In case you didn’t know, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Omarius Hines is a beast. So much so, in fact, that the 224-pounder is taking snaps at a hybrid tight end role that he will be featured in this season. “I will play tight end and some slot receiver,” Hines said of his position. “It will create mismatches because I’m fast and strong and stuff, so the linebackers won’t really be able to catch me. He has plenty of fans on the team, too. “He’s one of the strongest guys on the team,” redshirt senior Emmanuel Moody admitted, per the Herald. “I don’t know if you’ve seen his physical physique, but they call him the Greek [god].”

3 » Redshirt senior WR Carl Moore, who has been up-and-down since transferring to Florida, feels he is ready to take on the challenges of being a primary pass-catcher this year. “I can say that when I first got here, I was a little more selfish. I didn’t understand the system and how it had to be. Now I understand everything and I’m all in.”

4 » As OGGOA noted briefly yesterday via Twitter, redshirt sophomore Earl Okine, who was previously a defensive end but was moved to TE during fall practice, is back working at DE now that the team feels more comfortable at the other position. Okine played some TE in high school but is better suited on the defensive front.

5 » Freshman running back Malcom Jones, a preferred walk-on who led his high school team to a 2009 District Championship on 1,449 yards and 14 touchdowns, chose to try his luck with the Gators rather than take a scholarship to Florida International, Jacksonville, Toledo or Tennessee-Martin, according to Clay Today.

6 » Interesting column published by The Gainesville Sun’s Pat Dooley on Thursday, taking a look at how everything seemed to change for Florida football 20 years ago in 1990. As he notes, the Gators were “a bit of a joke” before then, producing top-level talent but never actually winning anything substantial. “No team in college football has won more games the last two decades than Florida. A program that could not get to 10 wins in a season [prior to 1990] has averaged 10 wins a season over the past two decades. Gator teams have won almost 80 percent of their games, 83 percent if you don’t count the Ron Zook years.” Read the rest…

Photo Credit: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

Tags: Carl Moore, Charlie Strong, Earl Okine, Emmanuel Moody, Malcom Jones, Omarius Hines, Ron Zook, Teryl Austin, Will Hill

Game week practice for the Florida Gators‘ 2010 season opener is officially underway and, with their first game coming on Saturday at 12 p.m. against the Miami (OH) RedHawks, coaches and players were made available to the media after practice on Tuesday. OGGOA has compiled some of the key details.

SIXTH CAPTAIN ADDED

Five Florida football players – redshirt senior linebacker A.J. Jones and seniors safety Ahmad Black, center Mike Pouncey, defensive end Justin Trattou and DE Duke Lemmens – were voted as captains by their teammates Saturday, according to head coach Urban Meyer. On Tuesday, Meyer said that redshirt senior defensive tackle Lawrence Marsh has been added, giving the Gators six captains this year.

TWO REDSHIRTS HANDED OUT

Freshmen defensive end Lynden Trail and defensive tackle Leon Orr will both be redshirted for the 2010-11 season, according to assistant head coach and defensive line coach Dan McCarney. “They’re not ready to play in the SEC, not ready to play winning football,” McCarney said, according to the Palm Beach Post‘s Jason Lieser. Ouch!

Trail would have been – at best – the seventh DE to play this season, while Orr has at least five other players in front of him. Trail, along with tight end Michael McFarland, had his black helmet stripe removed during practice on Monday.

Meyer noted Tuesday that wide receiver Solomon Patton had his stripe taken off.

QUOTE

Redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody on redshirt junior WR Chris Rainey breaking out: “I think he’s going to have a big year this year. We’re excited to see him returning punts as well. […] He’s making plays left and right. He’s taking them to the house sometimes. He’s making people miss, making people look foolish, breaking ankles out there. One time he made a play on Jelani Jenkins and Jelani didn’t know where Rainey was. Once he gets the ball in his hands this season, it will be electric.”

Tags: A.J. Jones, Ahmad Black, Chris Rainey, Dan McCarney, Duke Lemmens, Emmanuel Moody, Jelani Jenkins, Justin Trattou, Lawrence Marsh, Leon Orr, Lynden Trail, Miami RedHawks, Michael McFarland, Mike Pouncey, Solomon Patton, Urban Meyer

1 » Former Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin returned to the field Saturday, catching two balls for 30 yards for the Minnesota Vikings. After the game, he told reporters that he was hopeful doctors have finally found what has been causing him severe migraine headaches for most of his life. “I did a test [Friday] night. They found some things that we think is the main cause of it,” Harvin said. “I know we said that a couple times, but I think this time we found what the main cause was. I’m not saying I won’t ever get a headache again, but hopefully we can slow it down a little bit.” He also spoke about the upcoming season. “I’ve got a lot of work to do as far as condition-wise,” he said, “but otherwise, it just felt good to get out there [Saturday] and have something to base my performance off of.”

2 » A new book named The Real U: 2001 to 2010: Inside the Eye of the Hurricane, which may be released in December, will allege that the University of Miami Hurricanes football team is guilty of numerous NCAA violations, according to the Miami Herald. The book is the work of Nevin Shapiro, a Miami booster who is “facing years in prison for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme,” reports the paper. Shapiro, who calls the publication “a tell-all book from the fan and booster perspective,” says it is aimed at making “the average fan aware of what really exists under [the Hurricanes] uniform. They might be great players, but they’re certainly not great people. I’m speaking of no less than 100 former players.” The book appears to be a revenge piece for Shapiro, who feels that players turned their back on him once they became professionals. The Herald lists linebacker Jon Beason, WR Devin Hester, safeties Antrel Rolle and Randy Phillips, and quarterbacks Robert Marve and Kyle Wright specifically as players who were close with Shapiro. Read the Herald’s entire story here.

3 » Interesting note about the Gators’ 2010 season opener: The Miami (OH) RedHawks were scheduled by request of former Florida head coach Ron Zook, who attended the school and hoped to play his alma mater in the future. According to the Palm Beach Post, the contract for the game was finalized in 2004, the year after Miami (OH) had just completed a 13-1 season and just a few months before Zook would be fired. “At the time the game was scheduled, Miami was looked at as a team that was headed in the same direction as Boise State,” head coach Mike Haywood said. “They were accepting all comers at that time. Unfortunately, things changed and took a different course. We’re trying to build it back to where it was at that time.”

4 » Gators sophomore running back Mike Gillislee may be third on the team’s depth chart behind junior Jeff Demps and redshirt senior Emmanuel Moody, but RB coach Stan Drayton believes that he is easily the most powerful of the bunch and will be able to earn snaps this season. “When you’re talking about playing through contact – not necessarily making people miss – but playing through contact, Gillislee is probably the best of my group,” Drayton said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “That’s Mike’s M.O. […] I can see him being used anywhere on the field, including the goal line. He’s not going to be solely a goal line back. He’s got to be a back that’s competitive in all situations for us.”

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: Antrel Rolle, Devin Hester, Emmanuel Moody, Jeff Demps, Jon Beason, Kyle Wright, Miami Hurricanes, Miami RedHawks, Mike Gillislee, Mike Haywood, Minnesota Vikings, NCAA, Nevin Shapiro, NFL, Percy Harvin, Randy Phillips, Robert Marve, Ron Zook, Stan Drayton

1 » Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow’s initial performance as a professional did little to sway his doubters – most notably former QB Joe Theismann and UCLA Bruins offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Theismann, who has been on Tebow’s case since before the 2010 NFL Draft, claims that many of his contemporaries were surprised to see the signal caller drafted I n the first round. “I would hope there isn’t anybody who would say Tim Tebow was going to come in and start for the Broncos this year,” Theismann said, according to The Denver Post. “It would have been too great an expectation for him. […] if you can’t refine his delivery, then he’s going to struggle to become a consistent quarterback. […] It’s long and low. Randall Cunningham had a long windup, but it was high. Tim’s is long and low. The ball is away from his body a long time.”

Chow agrees. “I don’t think Vince [Young] was ready because of where he came from. I don’t think Tebow is quite ready because of where he came from,” he said. “The intricacies of a pro passing game are unbelievable. It takes time. […] They said they were going to change his throwing style and that’s a bunch of bologna. You don’t change, in one summer, the throwing style a guy has been using for 20 years of his life.” Chow doesn’t even thing Tebow will survive as a running QB. “Tebow’s strength, obviously, is running the ball, and he’s not going to be able to do that in the NFL. We tried to do some of that stuff my first year with Vince, and he had a little success. But once teams figured it out – which in the NFL it usually takes them a half, or a quarter to figure things out – it wasn’t very effective anymore. All it’s going to do is you’re taking a lot of hits. And you’re not going to survive if you take a lot of hits in the NFL.”

2 » Florida Gators junior safety Will Hill knows it is his time to shine in the team’s starting secondary. Now holding the full-time job, Hill is aware that he will have an important role in the team’s success. “I feel the same responsibility as when Major [Wright] was here last year,” Hill said, according to The Gainesville Sun. “Just become a leader and help the team win the next game. […] I’ve been looking forward to [starting] for a while now. I just have to sit back and do my job and everything will come to me.”

Two more BITS on the 40-second clock and 2011 NFL Draft…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Theismann, Chow, Hill, NFL Draft

Tags: Ahmad Black, Carl Johnson, Carl Moore, Denver Broncos, Draft, Emmanuel Moody, Joe Theismann, Lawrence Marsh, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Maurice Hurt, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Norm Chow, Scot Loeffler, Tim Tebow, UCLA Bruins, Vince young, Will Hill

1 » Bad news coming out of Minnesota Vikings training camp as the team has received a roster exception for former Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin, indicating that the 2009 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year will not be returning to the team anytime soon. The specific exemption, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune is “left squad.” Harvin, who is in Minnesota, has been dealing with serious migraine headaches since his grandmother passed away a few weeks ago.

2 » Florida redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody was dismayed when running backs coach Stan Drayton and the program parted ways in 2007 but was even more excited to find out he had been rehired after last season. “I didn’t know how to handle it,” Moody said at Florida Media Day regarding Drayton’s departure. “He was a big reason I came to Florida because I wanted a relationship with my position coach and I wanted to be coached by a really good running backs coach.” Upon finding out Drayton was returning? “I was in my car when I found out. I was so excited and I think I actually did scream at the top of my lungs. […] I believe he’s the best coach in the nation at running back and he takes his job very seriously. I’ve learned so much in the four or five months he’s been [back] here.”

3 » Former Gators tight end Cornelius Ingram has not played a football game in exactly 954 days. Think he is excited to get back on the gridiron? “I definitely want to produce as much as possible when I’m out there,” Ingram told the Burlington County Times. “But just being out there is going to be an unbelievable feeling.” Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid is excited for Ingram too but does not want him to overexert himself. “He’s a competitive guy, and his juices will be flowing, but within reason,” Reid said. “He’s just got to play the game and concentrate on his assignments and catching the football and blocking and so on.”

4 » Florida outfielder Matt den Dekker, selected in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, added a solid note to the beginning his minor league career Thursday with the Savannah Sand Gnats. Powering his way to three doubles on four plate appearances, den Dekker has a .470 batting average in four games with the club. He started out with the Gulf Coast Mets but was promoted after only five games.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: Andy Reid, Cornelius Ingram, Draft, Emmanuel Moody, Gulf Coast Mets, Matt den Dekker, Minnesota Vikings, MLB, New York Mets, NFL, Percy Harvin, Philadelphia Eagles, Rookie of the Year, Savannah Sand Gnats, Stan Drayton

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and a number of players represented the team at the 2010 Florida Media Day on Tuesday in Gainesville, FL. After the break…are some of the biggest stories and most interesting quotes coming out of the event.

Continue Reading » 2010 Florida Media Day: Injuries, leadership, starters, freshmen, fall practice updates

Tags: Ahmad Black, Brandon Hicks, Carl Johnson, Chris Dunkley, Chris Rainey, Chuck Heater, D.J. Durkin, Dan McCarney, Deonte Thompson, Duke Lemmens, Emmanuel Moody, Florida Media Day, Janoris Jenkins, Jaye Howard, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, Justin Trattou, Lorenzo Edwards, Matt Elam, Matt Patchan, Mike Pouncey, Omar Hunter, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Steve Addazio, Teryl Austin, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Zach Azzanni