No. 4 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to review the team’s important 37-26 victory over the then-No. 10 Florida State Seminoles and preview the next few weeks of inaction.

INJURY UPDATES

Exciting the game early, redshirt junior Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins learned that he broke a small bone in his foot and will be out 4-6 weeks. Muschamp said he was having surgery on the foot Monday and will probably miss the bowl game.

Florida is relatively healthy otherwise. Redshirt sophomore LB Neiron Ball (ankle) will be back in time for the bowl game. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel (ankle) is sore but fine coming out of the Florida State victory. Redshirt junior center Jonotthan Harrison (ankle) got dinged up and is in a boot but will be OK as well. Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Leon Orr (kidney infection) should be able to return to physical activity this week.

As far as sophomore safety De’Ante Saunders, Muschamp said he remains out for the bowl game with what was mentioned a few weeks ago to be the hamstring injury.

Reporter: “Saunders, you said a couple weeks ago wouldn’t…”
Muschamp: “Yeah, he won’t be in the bowl game.”
Reporter: “Is that injury or discipline?”
Muschamp: “Yep. he won’t be in the bowl game.”
Reporter: “Because of?”
Muschamp: “Injury.”

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 11/26: Jenkins out, players praised, bowl notes

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Caleb Sturgis, D.J. Durkin, Darrin Kitchens, De'Ante Saunders, Florida State Seminoles, Jabari Gorman, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jonotthan Harrison, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Kevin Carter, Kyle Christy, Leon Orr, Lerentee McCray, Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson, Matt Elam, Matt Jones, Mike Gillislee, Neiron Ball, Nick Saban, Quinton Dunbar, Sugar Bowl, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp

No. 6 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to review the team’s tight victory over the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns and preview Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

INJURY UPDATES

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, who went down with what is being called a sprained ankle during the third quarter on Saturday and did not return to the game, was listed as “doubtful” by Muschamp on Monday. He is currently in a precautionary walking boot and will spend Monday and Tuesday trying to rehab his ankle before being given an opportunity to test it out on Wednesday.

Joining Driskel on the “doubtful” list were redshirt sophomore linebacker Neiron Ball (ankle) and redshirt junior wide receiver Andre Debose, who hurt his knee in practice two weeks ago and has yet to play since. Specifics have not been provided.

Muschamp said he expects senior left tackle Xavier Nixon (knee), redshirt senior left guard James Wilson (knee) and redshirt sophomore running back Mack Brown (ankle) to return to practice Tuesday and be ready to play on Saturday.

He was not as optimistic about four other players that got hurt on Saturday, noting that he expects redshirt junior WR Stephen Alli (shoulder), sophomore safety De’Ante Saunders (knee), redshirt freshman defensive back Valdez Showers (shoulder) and redshirt sophomore guard Ian Silberman (shoulder) to miss practice on Tuesday. All four will be reevaluated on Wednesday, which is when a decision will likely be made as to whether or not they can play in the home finale.

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 11/12: Driskel doubtful, injuries, Florida’s case

Tags: Andre Debose, D.J. Humphries, De'Ante Saunders, Dominique Easley, Ian Silberman, Jacksonville State Gamecocks, James Wilson, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Jon Halapio, Jordan Reed, Loucheiz Purifoy, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Mack Brown, Neiron Ball, Omarius Hines, Sharrif Floyd, Stephen Alli, Valdez Showers, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

When head coach Will Muschamp chose sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel to start for the Florida Gators over classmate Jacoby Brissett back in September, he stressed that the team could win with either player and that Brissett was just “one snap away” from having the starting job to himself.

That was not meant to be an indictment of Driskel’s ability to hold on to the job, which he has done for nine games over three months, but rather the fact that a player can go down with an injury at any time and his replacement will need to step up and fill in.

Driskel going down with an injury is exactly what happened on Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette when, trying to avoid the rush on Florida’s second possession of the third quarter, he seriously injured his ankle. Brissett came on immediately to complete the series, not knowing how long Driskel would be out of action.

“I think it’s very difficult to come in the middle of a series for a quarterback,” Muschamp said after the game. “I think he did a fantastic job. … I think he handled it very well.”

Though the starter would wind up not returning to the game, Brissett entered the contest with a thin 13-10 lead. One play later, sophomore punter Kyle Christy had his attempt blocked and returned for a touchdown, meaning the back-up was suddenly put in a position where he would have to engineer a come-from-behind victory.

“You have to practice and play like that, knowing it’s one snap away like what happened [Saturday],” Brissett said. “It’s bad that it happened to Jeff at this point of time in the season but with Coach installing that one snap away [philosophy], I had to make sure that when I got my chance I didn’t make a fool of myself and that I came out and did what I had to do.”

Brissett nearly did just that on the offense’s next possession, throwing incomplete on third down and nearly having the ball intercepted. He was sacked twice on the next offensive drive and overthrew a wide open wide receiver in redshirt senior Frankie Hammond, Jr. on the following possession. Then came his moment.

Read the rest of this story..after the break!
Continue Reading » “One snap away” mantra kept Brissett going

Tags: Brent Pease, Frankie Hammond, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Jordan Reed, Quinton Dunbar, Will Muschamp

No. 6 Florida Gators football (9-1) struggled mightily but eventually came away with a tough 27-20 victory over the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (5-4) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday. Florida head coach Will Muschamp met with the media and provided some of his thoughts after the game.

HISTORY / STREAKS / STATS

» Florida is now 5-0 all time against Louisiana-Lafayette though Saturday’s win was its first since the school has adopted that name. Its previous four victories came against Southwest Louisiana.
» The Gators are 13-1 against unranked opponents under Muschamp, 10-0 when rushing for more than 150 yards (UF had 149 on Saturday), 10-3 when scoring first and 12-1 when leading at the half.
» Florida was 3-3 in the red zone and has scored on 30-of-36 trips (83.3 percent) this season, converting just 19 of those possessions (52.8 percent) into touchdowns.
» UF has converted a paltry 52-of-142 of its third-down attempts (36.6 percent) this season after going just 4-for-14 in such situations on Saturday.
» The Gators held the Ragin’ Cajuns to 2-of-12 on third down but allowed their visitors to continue drives with poorly-timed penalties. UF’s defense has held opponents to 38-of-144 on third down conversions (26.4 percent) in 2012.
» Louisiana-Lafayette was just the second team (Tennessee) to score 20 points on Florida this season. The Gators have held three teams to 17 points, two under 15 and three to a touchdown or less.
» Florida is +12 in turnover margin through 10 games after being -12 in 2011.
» The Gators are now 65-22-2 all-time on homecoming in The Swamp.

PLAYER NOTES

» Sophomore cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy blocked a punt for the second-straight game and continues to be a standout performer for Florida on special teams.
» Redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed bounced back from a tough performance against Georgia to register career-highs in receptions (five) and yards. He also matched a career-long with a 39-yard catch.
» Redshirt senior kicker Caleb Sturgis inched closer to Jeff Chandler’s school record of 67 made field goals. Sturgis connected on two more attempts and now has 17 on the year, putting him four away from tying Chandler. He is also six field goals away from tying the school single-season record of 23, which was set by Bobby Raymond.
» Redshirt junior linebacker Jelani Jenkins not only had the game-winning touchdown on a punt block return, he also led the defense with seven tackles.
» Sophomore quarterback Jacoby Brissett saw his most extensive action of the season and made the most of it, leading the Gators to a game-tying touchdown on a three-yard pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Quinton Dunbar.

OPENING STATEMENT

“We certainly make it interesting. It’s a football team that is finding ways to win games. We certainly shot ourselves in the foot enough in the game to put it in that situation. I thought we managed the game very well late in the game as far as field position was concerned and time was concerned in what we wanted to do and then our players going out and executing it. I credit our football team. I know one thing: There’s nobody questioning that character in that room and the resolve and the fight. Sometimes our decision making could be questioned, but I think our guys have continued to believe in what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and the way we’re going to get it done and they have a strong belief in that. That’s a hard thing, I know in a coaching perspective, I’ve been on the other end when you’re, ‘Oh no, here we go again’ mentality instead of embracing the station, the adversity, handling it and finding a way to do it. It ain’t just been one time this year; it’s been a bunch. I really credit our kids’ resolve in this situation.

“Obviously the penalties just killed us in this game, and they were [legitimate] penalties. We’ve talked about it. We’re going to reemphasize it again. We’ve emphasized it every day in every situation we could. We’ve benched guys and we’ve done everything we can do. I’m going to find another way. I don’t know. We’re going to meet as a staff [Sunday] and figure out what we need to do to continue to move forward and improve our team. That’s where it really hurts.”

A few minutes later, Muschamp continued speaking about the team’s resolve.

Read the rest of what Muschamp and the players had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 11/9: Florida vs. Louisiana-Lafayette post-game

Tags: Caleb Sturgis, Ian Silberman, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jessamen Dunker, Jordan Reed, Leon Orr, Loucheiz Purifoy, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Neiron Ball, Quinton Dunbar, Valdez Showers, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

The No. 6 Florida Gators came minutes away from arguably the worst loss in school history and seconds away from playing overtime at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on homecoming until a late offensive touchdown and punt block return for a touchdown with two seconds remaining clinched a 27-20 victory over the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns on Saturday in Gainesville, FL.

Leading 13-3 early in the third quarter, Florida stumbled defensively and allowed Louisiana-Lafayette to score 17 unanswered points including its own punt block returned for a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Jacoby Brissett, in as an injury replacement, led the Gators to a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 20 with under two minutes to play.

On the ensuing possession, the Ragin’ Cajuns decided to run the clock and play for overtime, but UF head coach Will Muschamp called a timeout as ULL was getting ready to punt on fourth down. Sophomore cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy promptly snuck his way inside the protection on the punt and blocked the ball, which fell into the hands of redshirt junior Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins, who charged 36 yards into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

The Gators avoided what may very well have been the worst loss in program history. UF had won 49-straight games against non-automatic qualifiers and had not fallen to such a team since Memphis State in 1988.

Read the rest of the Florida vs. Louisiana-Lafayette game story…
Continue Reading » No. 6 Gators eke out 27-20 win over Ragin’ Cajuns

Tags: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Caleb Sturgis, Clay Burton, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jordan Reed, Kyle Christy, Lerentee McCray, Loucheiz Purifoy, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Marcus Roberson, Omarius Hines, Sharrif Floyd, Terra Broadway, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp

Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 88,548]
Weather Forecast: 75°F, sunny, winds NW at 4 mph
Time: 12:00 p.m. EDT

Tickets: Starting at $10 on TiqIQ

TV: ESPN2/ESPN2HD/ESPN3D (Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Jenn Brown)
SiriusXM: 85 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: WatchESPN.com | Mobile Video: WatchESPN app
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter and SportsYapper

Odds: Florida -17, O/U 42

HOMEWORK

Need to catch up on what has been going on with the Gators over the last week? No problem. OGGOA has been here the whole time posting a ton of information so you can do your homework on the team before its next exam on Saturday.

Brent Pease wants Florida’s offense back on track | Gators’ defense stepping up as a whole, Dan Quinn says | Muschamp updates team health and injuries

HISTORY / STREAKS / STATS

» Florida and Missouri will square off for just the second time in the history of the programs. The Tigers defeated the Gators 20-18 in the 1966 Sugar Bowl in the teams’ only other meeting (see: Last Time Out).
» In its first season as a member of the SEC, Missouri is looking for its second league win. Florida, on the other hand, can win seven SEC game for the 12th time in school history and first time since 2009.
» UF is one of two teams nationally (Notre Dame) with three victories over ranked opponents this season. The Gators are only team in the country with a pair of top-10 wins and earned them in consecutive home victories for the first time in school history. » The Gators are 11-1 against unranked opponents and 3-6 against ranked teams under Muschamp since he took over in 2011. Florida is 3-1 against ranked opponents this season with wins of Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina and a loss to Georgia.
» Florida was 0-5 when trailing at the half in 2011 but have started the 2012 season 3-1 in that category with all three victories vs. SEC opponents (two ranked).
» The Gators are 9-0 under Muschamp when rushing for more than 150 yards and 1-5 when rushing for fewer than 100 yards. UF is also 11-3 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points, 9-3 when scoring first and 11-1 when leading at the half.
» Florida has scored on 27-of-31 red zone trips (87.1 percent) but have only converted 17 of those possessions (54.8 percent) into touchdowns.
» UF has converted 46-of-115 of its third-down attempts (40 percent) this season.
» The Gators have held their opponents to 30-of-116 on third down conversions (25.9 percent), which is good for fifth-best in the nation. UF was second nationally in third-down defense (27.3 percent) last season.
» Florida is averaging 34:04 in time of possession through eight games, a margin that ranks fourth nationally and just 12 seconds behind the country’s leader.
» The Gators are outscoring opponents 124-38 in the second half and 64-20 in the fourth quarter. UF was the only team in the nation that had not allowed a fourth-quarter point until three weeks ago.
» Florida had a stretch of not allowing a touchdown in nine-straight quarters and is fourth in scoring defense nationally (12.75 points per game).
» The Gators are +8 in turnover margin through eight games after being -12 in 2011. UF has forced the most turnovers in the SEC (336) since 2000.
» Florida has grabbed 11 interceptions so far in 2012 and has already surpassed its 2011 total of eight picks. UF has registered at least one pick in seven-of-eight games and has also forced seven fumbles.
» The Gators are third nationally in pass efficiency defense (90.63), sixth in total defense (280.9 yards per game) and 13th in rushing defense (100.5 yards per game).
» Florida has at least two kickoff returns for touchdowns in each of the last two seasons after never having more than one in a single season before 2010. UF has not yet registered a kick return (or punt return) in 2012.
» The Gators are first nationally in net punt average (44.48 yards per punt).
» Missouri is 16-4 in the month of November over the last five seasons.
» The Tigers are 111th nationally on third down, converting just 31.71 percent of their opportunities. Mizzou’s defense, however, is 10th nationally on third down, holding opponents to 29.73 percent on conversion attempts.
» Missouri is first in the SEC in punt return average, gaining 16.86 yards per try.
» The Tigers have recovered 14 fumbles on the season, second-most nationally to Louisiana Tech. Mizzou’s +6 turnover margin is a big reason why the team has been able to be competitive this year.

Read the rest of the Florida-Missouri preview including injuries and absences and which players to look out for from both sidelines.
Continue Reading » Gameday: No. 7 Florida Gators vs. Missouri

Tags: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Caleb Sturgis, Gary Pinkel, James Franklin, Jeff Driskel, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Kendial Lawrence, Kyle Christy, Matt Elam, Mike Gillislee, Missouri Tigers, SEC, Sharrif Floyd, Sheldon RIchardson, Will Muschamp

With the team preparing for its ninth game of the season, a noon game at home in Gainesville, FL against the Missouri Tigers, No. 7 Florida Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease met with the media Tuesday to discuss his the team’s first loss of the season and how his unit can improve on the field.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

Head coach Will Muschamp mandated that Florida was going to be a tough, physical, run-first team. Though that was successful for the Gators early in the season, Florida’s run game has been shut down over the last two contests. Part of the reason for that is how predictable UF has been with the Gators running the ball on 78 percent of all first-down plays this season.

Pease admitted Tuesday that Florida’s first-down calls have “probably [been] a little predictable” but noted that a number of factors go into choosing first-down plays.

“We’re never going to get it back to balanced because the numbers are so skewed at this time in the season. You go on a game-to-game basis,” he said. “It’s something that we really want to do but based off of game situations, sometimes when defenses sting us a little bit, we put it on the guys up front to see if we can be more efficient on first down and get ourselves ahead of the chains if the previous sequence wasn’t that good for us. We just got to be better earlier on in the game.”

Florida also continues to lack an effective vertical passing game and now has for three-straight years. Though Pease is not responsible for what happened in 2010 or 2011, he said that getting big plays down field for the Gators is a top priority.

“We have opportunities. We got to be better for certain reasons, either blocking, either catching it, even making the throw. There’s all kinds of things involved in it,” he said. “Sometimes protection is good. Sometimes the call is bad based off a blitz. It’s a situational thing. It’s not like we don’t have it in. We have it in. We just got to take advantage of it when it’s there. Sometimes it’s called but coverages dictate to you that it’s too risky of a throw and to throw down, throw to your check-downs.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

CLICK TO EXPAND and read the rest of this post.

Tags: Andre Debose, Brent Pease, Jeff Driskel, Jonotthan Harrison, Jordan Reed, Missouri Tigers, Solomon Patton

No. 7 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to review the team’s sloppy 17-9 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs and preview Saturday’s game against the No. 10 Missouri Tigers.

OPENING STATEMENT

Muschamp had plenty to say when he stepped up to the microphone on Monday. Below is how he began his weekly press conference.

“Obviously the turnovers were the killer in the game. Self-inflicted. When you turn the ball over six times, you’re going to have a hard time beating anyone. That was disappointing really at the end of the game. Really inconsistent offensively in the run game and in the pass game. Never really got some continuity going from different issues. [...]

“I thought we were really good on third down against a good third-down defense. The inconsistencies and then the turnovers really were doomsday for us offensively. Defensively, disappointed with some of the first-half run fits. I thought we missed some things that we don’t normally miss. Got those things cleaned up. The last drive obviously we had an opportunity to win the game and don’t get it done. Red zone defense, third-down defense and really in the second half up until the last drive we played pretty solid. I thought we were solid in special teams, just nothing spectacular. We didn’t do anything to really change the game, which we have for the most part this season and we need to.

“Disappointed with the results but not the effort. Our guys played hard. It’s very evident as you watch the film, we played hard. We played extremely hard in the game. We laid a lot on the line out there on the field. Very pleased with the effort. We have a very resilient group of young men in the locker room. You turn the ball over six times, you face a lot of adversity in the game and we’re driving to win the game on the last drive of the game. That says a lot about our football team. That says a lot about the guys in the locker room, that they were able to overcome a lot of self-inflicted issues to continue to fight to win the game and have the opportunity. Six turnovers, you should have walked out of there losing by four touchdowns, honestly. That says a lot about the character on our football team and what we’ve got going on in that locker room.

“It’s not the result we wanted, and I’m disappointed, that falls on my shoulders and I’ll handle that and we’ll move forward and refocus as we go but that’s all on me. No different when we win, we need to focus on Florida, be technical in our approach. I told the staff yesterday and today again, obviously there was some things we did well in the game and there are some things we need to have corrected. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to focus on us and what we need to do to get better. [...]

“That’s the tough thing about football – you got to wait seven days, you know? Billy [Donovan] and them may lose on a Wednesday and they get to go back Saturday and play, or [Kevin O'Sullivan and the baseball team], they play a double-header, they play in the morning and then in the afternoon. They can get a win and get it out of their system, and we can’t. It is what it is. I’m disappointed again with the results, not the effort of our football team. I’m very proud of the resiliency, guys continuing to fight and battle in the game. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t get the results we wanted and that’s on me.”

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 10/29: Muchamp on loss, injuries, running game

Tags: Andre Debose, Damien Jacobs, Georgia Bulldogs, James Wilson, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jordan Reed, Lerentee McCray, Missouri Tigers, Solomon Patton, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon