Each night ESPN compiles a Top 10 plays of the day and airs the segment on SportsCenter. Thursday evening, a pair of plays made by Florida Gators held the top two spots. The No. 2 play featured is an alley-oop from senior point guard Erving Walker to sophomore center Patric Young in the Florida-North Florida basketball game. The No. 1 play, of course, was Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow‘s 20-yard, game-winning touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
Tebow’s touchdown was also SportsCenter‘s Highlight of the Night:
ESPN’s Outside the Lines, an “Emmy Award-winning investigative series [that] examines topical issues off the playing field,” will center on one person in particular on Sunday – Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
Below is the network’s preview for the program along with a video clip:
Tim Tebow is currently a backup QB whose jersey ranks among the best sellers in the NFL. To some, he’s the greatest college football player ever. To others, he’s an overrated product of media hype. Is his well-publicized faith at the center of his polarizing nature?
ESPN reporter and former Florida Gators dazzler Erin Andrews filled in for Kelly Ripa as co-host of Live with Regis & Kelly Wednesday morning in an appearance met with rave reviews by fans of the television program.
Andrews, who has extended her brand recently by appearing on Dancing with the Stars and Good Morning America while also doing endorsements for Reebok’s ZigTech brand and helping raise awareness for prostate cancer and the implementation of anti-stalking laws, spent all morning with notorious Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan Regis Philbin on the nationally syndicated program.
Below are two videos of her appearance courtesy of Timothy Burke. The first is the beginning of the show, and the second is a five-minute clip of Andrews playing with a bunch of puppies. You can view them after the break. Continue Reading » Erin Andrews fills in for Ripa on Regis & Kelly
ESPN and the Southeastern Conference have announced the match-ups set for their 2012 Super Tuesday showcase, and Florida Gators basketball will be featured in four of the contests. Below is the official 2011-12 non-conference schedule with the four additional ESPN Super Tuesday games added at the end:
*NOTE: Videos below are on “autoplay” so pause each to play one at a time.
On Monday, ESPN took a special look inside the Florida Gators football program with complete coverage on their television shows, radio station and website. OGGOA is following the coverage step-by-step throughout the day. Stay tuned.
Interview on Mike and Mike in the Morning:
Though ESPN‘s All-Access piece did not technically begin until 9 a.m., head coach Will Muschamp did a little promotional work in the morning by jumping on the radio (listen here) at 7:20 a.m. Asked by the hosts about redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley, Muschamp once again reiterated his confidence. “I don’t have a whole lot of concern,” he said. “The first two days he has been really on. I think he is much more comfortable in what we’re asking him to do maybe as opposed to last year.”
Jesse Palmer says “good morning” to the team:
Opening up SportsCenter at 9 a.m. was a video of Palmer in the hallway of Florida’s team hotel at 7:30 a.m. in the morning. He proceeded to introduce the Inside the Program feature before blowing an air horn and subsequently waking up the team.
Former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer, now a college football analyst on ESPN, was asked on SportsCenter Thursday evening if he had any problem with NFL analyst Merril Hoge’s criticisms of his former player and now Denver Broncos second-year quarterback Tim Tebow. Meyer agreed that Hoge had every right to criticize him but did note that the analyst’s was relatively “harsh.” He also said that he believes part of the reason so much vitriol is thrown at Tebow is because of the immense success he has achieved and the non-stop coverage of him at every level of his career.
Tebow, who was interviewed by Denver Post columnist Woody Paige on Wednesday, expressed angst and uncertainty about his role on the team going forward this year. Below are excerpts from the one-on-one interview, which can be read in its entirety as a feature story in the Denver Post by clicking here.
On Orton not being traded: “My dream, since I was a young boy, of being a starting quarterback in the NFL seemed to be coming true. Then, I felt like it was grabbed back away.”
On if learning of the change affected him: “I didn’t have a good day on the field (last) Saturday, but I think in the other practices I’ve thrown well and improved each day.”
On blocking out the critics: “I’m trying to insulate myself from what people in the media are saying, but I’ve seen some of it, and it hurts because it’s coming from people who haven’t seen me practice, haven’t seen me play, haven’t seen what I can do. I did an interview the other day with someone on the NFL Network who said last year I’d never play a down in the NFL. He was wrong. Others who say I won’t make it are wrong. They don’t know what I’m capable of and what’s inside me. My family and my friends have been bothered by what’s gone on, and I tell them to pay no attention to it.
“I’m relying as always on my faith. I’ll always use the negativity as more motivation to work even harder and become even stronger. I’ll practice as good as I can, but I know that I play even better, with the qualities I have — leadership, my ability to make something happen in games, winning. And I know there are a lot of people who believe in me as a player and a person, and I don’t want to let them down.”
Even though the Florida Gators have closed their fall practices to fans and the media, the team has decided to make an exception for ESPN and will provide studio analyst Jesse Palmer, writer Chris Low, a cameraman and a photographer with an all-access pass for a special behind-the-scenes look at the program on Monday, Aug. 8.
Titled Inside the Program: Live with the Gators, the feature will allow Palmer to “conduct live interviews with head coach Will Muschamp, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and multiple players throughout the day,” according to an official press release from ESPN.
These segments, along with some other elements (mentioned below), will air at least once per hour on SportsCenter, First Take and College Football Live; each will streamed live on ESPN.com for those without access to a television.
Additionally, College Football Live will televise a practice drill live at 3:30 p.m.
Additional elements include:
» Still photographer posting images on ESPN.com throughout the day
» Video of training room, cool tubs, etc.
» A ride-along on the bus to the stadium
» Live shots during breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Gator Room
» Video and interviews with players
» Post-practice interviews
OGGOA will have live coverage on Twitter throughout the day but will also compile the segments in a post at the end of the day here on OnlyGators.com.
1 » ESPN reporter and former Florida Gators dazzler Erin Andrews will be up on the silver screen in the near future after filming a cameo in the upcoming movie I Hate You, Dad staring comedian Adam Sandler. Andrews, who will have a very small part in the movie, is part of a cast that also features such big names as Leighton Meester, Susan Sarandon and James Caan. Other actors/celebrities also appearing in the film include Andy Samberg, Will Forte, Ciara, Vanilla Ice and Dan Patrick. “I had like four lines, and it was the coolest thing ever,” she told Complex.com. According to IMDB, the movie is about “A disagreeable father who moves in with his son before he’s about to get married.” It is currently filming and does not have a scheduled release date.
2 » Whether you want to call it a gaffe on his part or a case of someone else taking a comment a bit too seriously, a thought provided by Gators head coach Will Muschamp at the 2011 SEC Media Days a few weeks ago has the University of Florida’s faculty union president John Biro perturbed. Asked about what it takes to build a quality team, Muschamp responded, “You can’t have union guys. Those are the guys who make a great play and then take the next play off because they think they are in a union.” According to The Gainesville Sun, Biro (who confessed that he does not pay attention to football) was not amused by this comment. “Obviously he’s been watching too much TV and all the union-bashing going on,” Biro told the paper.
