Location: Commonwealth Stadium – Lexington, KY [Capacity: 67,942]
Weather Forecast: 67°F, partly cloudy, winds 5 mph
Time: 7:00 p.m. (ET)

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD
SiriusXM: 217/200
Online Video: ESPN3
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida -20; O/U 44

HOMEWORK

Need to catch up on the Gators before week four action? No problem. OGGOA has been here all week compiling a ton of information so you can do your homework on the team before its next exam Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. on the road.

Muschamp’s presser | Weis comments on offense | Quinn comments on defense

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Florida leads the all-time series against Kentucky 44-17 and has won 24-straight contests including 11-in-a-row in games played in Lexington dating back to 1988. UF is also 30-1 against UK since 1980.
» The Gators achieved more turnovers (two interceptions) against Tennessee than they did in their first two games combined (one fumble).
» Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis (of Florida) and co-defensive coordinator Rick Minter (of Kentucky) served on the same staff when Weis was head coach of Notre Dame.
» The Gators’ have half as many upperclassmen (17 seniors, 17 juniors) as they do underclassmen (36 sophomores, 35 freshmen) on the roster heading into the season.
» Florida’s offense has been impressive early this season with only three three-and-outs in 35 total offensive drives and only six punts in three games.
» UF’s offensive line has only allowed one sack this year, making them the only SEC team and one of six nationally to accomplish that feat through two three.
» The Gators defense has forced the most turnovers in the SEC (307) since 2000. Florida also has the most interceptions in the nation (70) since 2008.
» Though Florida is 15-for-16 (93.8 percent) in red zone conversions, the Gators have only scored touchdowns on nine of those opportunities.
» Teams are averaging just 1.2 yards per carry against Florida’s defense this season. The Gators are first in the country, allowing just 30.7 rushing yards per game, and are one of six teams in the nation that have not allowed a rushing score in 2011.
» Florida is No. 6 nationally in scoring defense (8.67 points per game) and No. 7 in total defense (209.33 yards per game).
» The Gators’ defense has only allowed 7-of-25 (20 percent) third-down conversion attempts to be achieved against them over the first three games.
» UF has blocked a total of two punts in three games so far this season.
» Saturday’s game is Kentucky’s SEC opener for 2011.
» The Wildcats upset then-No. 10 South Carolina last season at home.
» Kentucky is 5-0 under Phillips in games that they win the turnover margin.
» The Wildcats are 11th nationally in net punting, allowing 42.1 net yards per punt.
» UK has forced six turnovers in their first three games – all interceptions.
» Though it is early in the season, Florida is head and shoulders above Kentucky in national averages heading into Saturday’s contest. The Gators top the Wildcats in passing average 232.0-155.3 (58th-108th), rushing average 210.3-119.3 (30th-91st), points scored 37.7-19.3 (27th-100th) and points against 8.7-13.3 (6th-18th). The teams have not played a common opponent this season.

LAST TIME OUT

Florida may have started the 2010 season slow, but they still took it to Kentucky with a dominant 48-14 victory at home in Gainesville, FL. Quarterback Trey Burton scored a school record six-touchdowns as Florida helped Urban Meyer become the sixth-fastest head coach in NCAA history to reach 100 career victories. The Gators also had a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown by Jeremy Brown in the second quarter and saw starting QB John Brantley throw for a career-high 248 yards on 24-of-35 passing.

ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY

The Gators will not be featured on Saturday morning’s edition of ESPN‘s College GameDay, though former dazzler and current reporter Erin Andrews will host the 9 a.m. version and make an appearance on the primary program beginning at 10 a.m. Florida is one of two sites (the other being Madison, WI) expected to be in contention to host next week’s College GameDay. The Gators will take on Alabama on Oct. 1.

INJURIES / ABSENCES
Click to expand and read the remainder of OGGOA's Gameday Preview!

Tags: Caleb Sturgis, Charlie Weis, Chris Rainey, Commonwealth Stadium, Dominique Easley, Jaye Howard, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, John Brantley, Joker Phillips, Jon Bostic, Kentucky Wildcats, Lerentee McCray, Matt Elam, Ronald Powell, SEC, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp

Updated at 1:00 p.m.

With the Florida Gators just days away from their fourth game of the season under head coach Will Muschamp on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. against the Kentucky Wildcats, he spoke with the media during the Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference to provide some insight about where his team is at going into into week three action.

GATORS’ PUNTING SUCCESS IS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD

If you follow OGGOA on Twitter (and you should), then you may have seen a retweet we sent out Tuesday evening from a Kentucky sportswriter who believes Florida is skirting the rules on punt blocks. This was triggered by something Kentucky Wildcats head coach Joker Phillips said during a press conference on Tuesday about the Gators’ punt block team: “They’ve got big guys pulling this guy that way, and this guy that way and a little fast guy with world-class speed comes up the middle to block it. And you can’t get off the block,” he said. “We’ve got to punch them in the mouth when they try to grab you and get their hands off of you and come off and block the little guy that tries to split the gap.”

Asked about the play Tuesday, Muschamp responded with one of his (now standard) quips. “We just play hard. We play hard and coach hard,” he said. “I’m real pleased with what we do. They didn’t throw any flags on that play, did they? OK. We just ran a guy through a gap.”

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley, whose team was victimized by the punt block on Saturday, brushed off the question, too. “If we do our job, we’re not even having this discussion,” he said.

Muschamp also expanded on why Florida has been so successful blocking punts over the last few years. “We have good players – that’s the first thing that jumps out at you. We’ve got some guys that got some special ability. There’s been a huge emphasis on special teams, obviously when Urban [Meyer] was here, and I’ve carried that over. Special teams are very important to me,” he said.

“I always talk to the players in terms of, if you want the opportunity to play in the National Football League, the old Bill Parcells line, ‘If you’re not a quarterback or an offensive lineman and you don’t play special teams, you’re a selfish football player.’ I live by that. Our guys understand our best payers will play on special teams – you look at what Chris Rainey and a lot of our starters do – we have good players.

“Second thing is we have good speed. You create space plays in special teams, you got to have guys who can run. And then the third thing, I think D.J. Durkin – our special teams coordinator – does an outstanding job. He puts his guys in the right spots, he does a great job with scheming guys to get good players free in certain situations whether it’s the returning game or specialist or whatever. He takes a combination of all those things, that’s why we are where we are.”

He even discussed how the Gators blocking a punt can significantly affect the outcome of that particular game. “The percentages of winning the game go through the roof. It’s such a deflating thing for the punt team,” he said. “I don’t think off the top of my head I’ve won many games if we’ve had a punt blocked. It’s hard to do. The change in momentum, obviously you can easily score off of it either by the scoop or the next offensive possession. The momentum of the game certainly can slip pretty quickly.”

Asked to clarify his comments at the end of the SEC teleconference on Wednesday, Phillips said he was not trying to insinuate that anything Florida was doing was against the rules. “There’s nothing illegal with that. Nothing,” he said. “Everybody does it. We try to do it also. There’s nothing illegal about it. I wasn’t saying there was anything illegal about it. I was saying they do a great job of it.”

NOTES AND QUOTES
Click to expand and read the remainder of this post.

Tags: Charlie Weis, Chris Rainey, D.J. Durkin, Derek Dooley, Hunter Joyer, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, Joker Phillips, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Kentucky Wildcats, Mike Gillislee, Trey Burton

Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 88,548]
Weather Forecast: 87°F, 20% chance of precipitation
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPNU
Sirius/XM: 220/199
Online Video: N/A
Online Audio: Yahoo!
Live Updates: @OnlyGators

Odds: Florida -14; O/U 50

HISTORY and STREAKS

» Florida has won 23 consecutive regular season games, 13-straight home games and 15 regular season SEC games in a row.
» The Gators are 43-17 all-time against the Wildcats and have won 23 games in a row against Kentucky. That is the second-longest active streak for a major Division I school against a major opponent in an uninterrupted series. UF is 24-4 vs. UK at home.
» After squeaking out a 45-37 victory over the Wildcats in 2007, the Gators have won the last two meetings by an average of 46 points.
» After all three of Tennessee’s scores last week, Florida answered with a score of its own on the drive immediately following.
» The Gators have gone 8-for-8 in the red zone over the last two games with seven touchdowns and a field goal. Florida’s red zone efficiency is 84.6 percent on the season including 10 touchdowns and one field goal.
» UF has scored 30+ points in four straight games, the longest active streak in the SEC.
» The Gators lead the nation with 10 interceptions through three games.
» Florida has committed a nation-low 86 turnovers since 2005 and has had 24 games in which they did not give up a single turnover (best in the nation). Comparatively, Kentucky has not turned the ball over this season and ranks 16th nationally and second in the SEC in turnover margin at +4.
» The Wildcats come into the game ranked second in the SEC in scoring offense (44.3 points) and total offense (497.3 yards).
» Kentucky is third in the SEC in total defense (257.7) first in passing defense (109.7).
» Gators head coach Urban Meyer comes into the contest with 99 career wins.
» Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio worked at Notre Dame in 2001 on the same staff as Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips. Phillips took over as wide receivers coach on the staff after Meyer left to take the top job with Bowling Green. Phillips also coached with UF strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti while both were with Cincinnati in 1998.
» Wildcats running backs coach Larry Brinson played for the Gators from 1972-76 and achieved 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns in his college career.
» Both teams’ coaching staffs will wear the Coach to Cure MD patches on Saturday to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research.

KEEP AN EYE ON…

» Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley…who has thrown 140 consecutive passes without an interception and has a 15-1 TD/INT ratio while playing for the Gators.
» Junior running back Jeff Demps…who has achieved 150 or more all-purpose yards in each of the last three consecutive games. He is the first Florida player to do so since Percy Harvin in 2007. Demps has also led the Gators in rushing in every game this season with totals of 98, 139 and 73 yards. He ran the ball a career-high 26 times last week against Tennessee.
» Redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson…who had career-highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (83) two weeks ago against South Florida. As Brantley’s primary pass catcher, 11 of Thompson’s 13 catches this season have been for first downs.
» Sophomore WR Omarius Hines…who appears to contribute in different ways each week for Florida. Hines took a fake punt 36 yards last week against Tennessee, setting up an important and game-changing scoring drive.
» Redshirt senior WR Carl Moore…who may have had the best game of his Gators career last Saturday catching two big first downs, each of which led to touchdowns.
» Freshman QB Trey Burton…who has played multiple other positions this season including H-back, WR, tight end, fullback and special teams. He has two Wildcat formation touchdowns already this year.
» Florida’s secondary…which has intercepted seven balls this season. Senior safety Ahmad Black (three), junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins (two) and redshirt sophomore CB Jeremy Brown are leading the way for the unit with their performances. Black is also tops in the SEC with 24 tackles on the year and is the conference’s active leader in interceptions (11) and interception return yards (233).
» Sophomore linebacker Jon Bostic…who has nabbed two interceptions in three games and been a tackling machine (14 in the last two contests) for UF.
» Kentucky athlete Randall Cobb…who is second on the team in rushing with 108 yards and one touchdown on nine carries; he is also UK’s leading receiver with 12 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to WR and RB, Cobb plays quarterback, returns punts and kicks and is the holder for extra points and field goals. He is second in team history with 28 touchdowns and is second on the team and third in the SEC in all-purpose yardage averaging 145.3 yards per game.
» Wildcats RB Derrick Locke…who is the SEC’s leading rusher, averaging 124 yards per game. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in all three games this season.

INJURIES and INACTIVES
Injuries
Probable – Redshirt senior RB Emmanuel Moody (thigh)
Doubtful – Freshman WR Chris Dunkley (hamstring)
Out – Redshirt sophomore left tackle Matt Patchan (wrist)

Inactives
(Will update closer to game time)

FLORIDA ON ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY

The Gators are not set to be featured in particular during ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast beginning at 9 a.m. on ESPNU (hosted by Erin Andrews) and continuing from 10 a.m. until noon on ESPN. However, the analysts will certainly be discussing the Florida-Kentucky game at various points during the broadcast. Notes in the section are as of press time. Will be updated if something else is learned closer to the game.

Read OGGOA’s Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats preview after the jump!
Continue Reading » Week 4: No. 8 Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats

Tags: Ahmad Black, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Carl Moore, Deonte Thompson, Derrick Locke, Emmanuel Moody, Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Demps, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, Joker Phillips, Jon Bostic, Kentucky Wildcats, Larry Brinson, Mickey Marotti, Mike Gillislee, Omarius Hines, Randall Cobb, SEC, Steve Addazio, The Swamp, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer

1 » It has been more than 30 years and 15 games since the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Florida Gators in The Swamp, and while head coach Urban Meyer has been tempering expectations noting his upcoming opponent’s recently blossoming offense, Kentucky is looking to make a statement this year. “[People are going to be skeptical] until we start beating quality opponents,” Wildcats running back Derrick Locke said Monday. “Even if we do beat some, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got to beat the teams we haven’t beat, and then we’ll get respect.” Head coach Joker Phillips agrees. “[Games like this are] what you come to Kentucky for,” he said. “This team will not be a team intimidated by The Swamp or playing in a game like this.”

2 » The last time Florida played Kentucky, the Gators dominated the contest 41-7 on the road in Lexington, KY. But the emotion most took away from that game was fright, not excitement, due to then-quarterback Tim Tebow being knocked out cold with a concussion. Wildcats defensive end Taylor Wyndham was responsible for the initial hit that knocked Tebow out but hopes he is not seen as a villain. “Hopefully [I get treated] just like anybody else,” Wyndham said of walking into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday. “I’m sure I might get a couple boos, but it’s not a big deal.”

3 » Gainesville, FL, attorney Huntley Johnson, who is representing redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey for his aggravated stalking charge, told the Palm Beach Post that his client has been overcharged. He will likely have some idea of where Rainey stands by the end of the week. “It doesn’t fit the elements of the crime,” Johnson said. “This kid was never going to hurt her. She knew he wasn’t going to hurt her. The fact that he misspoke in the text is not something to crucify this kid for. […] He’s devastated. He cared and cares tremendously for this woman and he cares about being a student at the University of Florida and he cares about being on the football team. […] This is not the kid to draw the line on. I’ve represented a lot of kids over the years. It’s an easy statement to throw stones at, but this kid is a great kid. Period.”

4 » As the Gators offense continues to progress week-to-week, one important factor that must grow is redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley’s trust in his receivers. After Saturday’s game against Tennessee, Brantley says that is as high as ever. “I didn’t put the ball in the best spot, but they made me look good, that’s for sure,” he said at a media availability Monday. “I trusted them before the game and now I really trust them. If I don’t make a perfect throw or anything like that, they’re going to make up for it, they’re going to make some great catches.”

5 » Documents obtained by ESPN on Monday revealed that the Tennessee Volunteers have “self-reported several NCAA violations involving its men’s basketball team, including nearly 100 impermissible phone calls to various recruits” over a two-year period. Additionally, the documents revealed that assistant coach Jason Shay “approved lodging expenses for the parents of three recruits [who] were allowed visits that extended beyond the NCAA mandate of 48 hours.” Though the Volunteers are chocking these mistakes up to “poor record keeping or miscommunication,” Tennessee’s subsequent punishments while they await a NCAA ruling may prove otherwise.

6 » OGGOA’s thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of former South Carolina Gamecocks WR Kenny McKinley, who was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound suicide late Monday evening. He was 23. Head coach Steve Spurrier spoke about McKinkely and recently meeting with him. “I saw him here – he came to the Georgia game,” Spurrier said. “He seemed in good spirits. Great smile like he always had. I don’t understand it if it happened the way they say. It’s hard to comprehend. Kenny was certainly one of my favorite all-time players. He was a wonderful guy. It’s hard to figure out why this happened. It’s a sad day.”

Tags: arrest, Chris Rainey, Derrick Locke, Huntley Johnson, Jason Shay, John Brantley, Joker Phillips, Kenny McKinley, Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA, South Carolina Gamecocks, Steve Spurrier, Taylor Wyndham, Tennessee Volunteers, The Swamp, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

1 » Originally a second-round pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2007 NBA Draft, former Florida Gators forward/center Chris Richard was most recently playing for the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. That was until Feb. 5 when he signed a 10-day contract with the NBA‘s Chicago Bulls. In fact, the Bulls have been so impressed with his limited work that they have decided to sign Richard to a second 10-day contract as fellow former Florida F/C Joakim Noah continues to nurse his plantar fasciitis injury. Richard also played for Chicago during the preseason and saw action in six games before being released.

2 » It is tough to question new Kentucky Wildcats head coach Joker Phillips’ football credentials, seeing as he has coached Division I college football for over 20 years. But when he goes out of his way to call former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow a “goon,” well, OGGOA can certainly question his vocabulary. Asked by CBS if he senses “an opening at Florida with Urban Meyer’s status up in the air,” Phillips responded that the loss of Tebow is the real key. “Obviously, Florida won’t be the same,” he said. “They had a goon at quarterback. Usually the goon is the offensive or defensive lineman. They’ve had a goon at quarterback. That guy is a great leader. He could play anywhere. He’s a coach on the field. He’s one of those guys who rarely comes around. Now with him being gone, you hope that they take a step back. They will, definitely, in leadership.” If you want to get technical, there is a definition of goon (a man hired to terrorize or eliminate opponents) that fits Phillips’ usage…but it is a stretch to say the least. You could also argue that this BIT is a stretch. Well…so be it.

Tags: Chicago Bulls, Chris Richard, Joakim Noah, Joker Phillips, Kentucky Wildcats, NBA, NBDL, Tim Tebow, Tulsa 66ers, Urban Meyer