Following a rough first 30 minutes that left fans wondering whether or not the No. 17/18 Florida Gators were up to the task of winning a second-straight game on the road, Florida (3-0, 2-0 SEC) once again proved that they are a second-half team as they outscored the No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers (2-1, 0-1 SEC) down the stretch to take a hard-fought 37-20 victory on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN.

The Gators gained 227 yards of offense in the third quarter alone and outgained the Volunteers 555-340 over 60 minutes on the way to their eighth-straight victory against their SEC rivals. Florida outscored Tennessee 17-6 in the second half and possessed the ball for nearly seven more minutes over the course of the game.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel came through big in his second start for the Gators, going 14/20 or 219 yards and two touchdowns while adding seven carries for 81 yards on the ground. Senior running back Mike Gillislee, hampered with a strained groin heading into the contest, carried the ball 18 times for 115 yards including two breakaway rushes that helped lead UF to victory.

After kicking off to start the game and forcing a punt, Florida took over from their own 11 but was pushed back to the two after redshirt junior wide receiver Andre Debose fumbled a pitch on a reverse. The Gators were saved, however, by a 55-yard punt from sophomore Kyle Christy that flipped the field nicely.

Tennessee brought the ball across midfield on its very next possession, but redshirt senior Buck linebacker Lerentee McCray intercepted quarterback Tyler Bray on 3rd-and-12 to get the ball back for Florida. It was the first pick of his career.

The Gators did not waste much time from there as Driskel hit redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed on a 20-yard pass and junior running back Trey Burton followed that play up with a fake Wildcat handoff that he took 14 yards into the end zone.

Read the rest of his Florida-Tennessee game story…after the break!
Continue Reading » Second half surge sends No. 17/18 Florida to 37-20 victory over No. 23 Tennessee in Knoxville

Tags: Andre Debose, Cordarrelle Patterson, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, Jeff Driskel, Jordan Reed, Kyle Christy, Marcus Roberson, Mike Gillislee, SEC, Solomon Patton, Tennessee Volunteers, Trey Burton, Tyler Bray, Will Muschamp

Location: Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN [Capacity: 102,455]
Weather Forecast: 78°F, mostly cloudy, winds NNE at 4 mph
Time: 6:00 p.m. EDT

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD (Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe)
SiriusXM: 137/201 | Radio: Gator Radio Network (affiliates)
Online Video: WatchESPN.com | Mobile Video: WatchESPN app
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter

Odds: Florida +3; O/U 48

HOMEWORK

Need to catch up on what happened 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.

Florida one win away from hitting “start fast” goal | Pease: Offensive line remains the strength | Freshmen contributing defensively | QB Driskel, TE Reed can get offense rolling | Gators are tougher, more experienced

EXTRA CREDIT: Four things Florida must do to take down Tennessee in Knoxville

HISTORY / STREAKS

» Florida is looking to extend its seven-game winning streak against Tennessee, which dates back to 2005. The Gators are 22-19 all-time against the Volunteers but just 11-10 in Knoxville. Additionally, UF is 20-6 against UT (9-4 in Knoxville) since 1976.
» Saturday’s game will be featured as the host site for ESPN’s College GameDay. It is the 23rd time (15-7) that Florida will be on the road for College GameDay and the team’s 34th occasion in which they have been featured on the program. The Gators were the visiting team for College GameDay last week as well and defeated Texas A&M.
» It is the seventh time in the history of the television program that UF-UT will be featured on College GameDay (second-most all-time). ESPN will be in Knoxville with the show for the first time since 2004.
» Florida is 9-1 against unranked opponents and 0-5 against ranked teams since Muschamp took over the program in 2011. Tennessee is 13-4 against unranked teams and 0-10 against ranked opponents since Dooley took the helm in 2010.
» Muschamp and Dooley know each other well having previously worked together under head coach Nick Saban at LSU (2001-04) and with the Miami Dolphins (2005).
» The Gators and Vols are both ranked heading into their showdown for the first time since 2007. UT is ranked for the first time, period, in 64 polling weeks.
» For the first time since 1996, Florida was not slated to open its SEC schedule against Tennessee (UF played TAMU last weekend). The Gators and Volunteers game will not be aired by CBS at 3:30 p.m. for the first time in eight years.
» UF won its eighth-straight league opener last Saturday.
» Florida was 0-5 when trailing at the half in 2011 but has started the 2012 season 1-0 in that category after outscoring Texas A&M 10-0 in the second half last Saturday.
» The Gators are 5-0 under Muschamp when rushing for more than 150 yards and 0-4 when rushing for fewer than 100 yards. Florida is also 6-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points and 6-3 when scoring first.
» UF has converted just 8-of-28 third-down attempts (28.6 percent) this season.
» The Gators have held their opponents to 8-of-31 on third down (25.8 percent); UF was second nationally in third-down defense (27.3 percent) last season.
» 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.
» The Gators are outscoring opponents 23-7 in the second half and 17-0 in the fourth quarter through two games this season.
» Florida’s defense is one of 10 nationally that has not allowed a passing touchdown.
» Tennessee’s offense has eclipsed 500 total yards in consecutive games for the first time since 2000 and hit that mark in its first two games for the first time in school history.
» The Volunteers are ninth nationally in passing offense (353.5 yards per game) and 15th nationally in scoring offense (43 points per game).
» Tennessee has four scoring drives of 34 or fewer seconds through two games.
» The Vols are 10-1 under Dooley when eclipsing 25 points (13-3 when scoring 20+).
» Tennessee’s defense is +3 in turnover margin this season and nabbed four interceptions against N.C. State in the teams’ season opener.

LAST TIME OUT

Florida captured its seventh-straight victory over Tennessee when the programs met last season with the Gators defeating the Volunteers 33-23 in Gainesville, FL. UF took an early 16-0 lead on UT thanks in part to three field goals by Caleb Sturgis though Tennessee scored just before the half to reduce their deficit to 17-6. Florida wasted little time in expanding their lead, scoring two touchdowns (one an 83-yard pass from John Brantley to Chris Rainey) in the first seven minutes of the third quarter to jump ahead 30-7. The Gators’ defense softened from there as the Vols outscored them 17-3 over the remainder of the game, but Florida’s early lead catapulted them to victory and their seventh consecutive 3-0 record to start the season.

ESPN: KEYS TO THE GAME

Read the rest of the Florida-Tennessee preview including injuries and absences and which players to look out for from both sides of the field.
Continue Reading » Gameday: (18) Florida Gators at (23) Tennessee

Tags: Andre Debose, Caleb Sturgis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Curt Maggitt, De'Ante Saunders, Derek Dooley, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, Jacques Smith, Jeff Driskel, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Justin Hunter, Kent Taylor, Marcus Roberson, Matt Elam, Mike Gillislee, Neyland Stadium, Rajion Neal, SEC, Sharrif Floyd, Tennessee Volunteers, Tyler Bray, Will Muschamp

All offseason the Florida Gators were repeating the mantra instilled by head coach Will Muschamp about starting fast, winning two tough games early and going 4-0 in the month of September before taking on a treacherous four-game stretch in October that includes three preseason top-10 ranked teams and an up-and-coming program.

“Part of our motto this year is: Start fast. We go to College Station to play Texas A&M and then we go to Neyland Stadium to play Tennessee. We need to start fast in those games. I look at it as a great opportunity and a great motivating factor for our football to start the season with great opponents.”

At 2-0 (with one league victory) after defeating Bowling Green 27-14 in their season opener and Texas A&M 20-17 on the road in week two, Florida is realistically one more big win away from making that fast start a reality.

The Gators will take their seven-game winning streak against the Tennessee Volunteers on the road this season as they travel to Knoxville, TN to face-off with their long-time rivals. No. 17/18 Florida and No. 23 Tennessee are both ranked heading into the game for the first time since 2007 yet neither feels like it has a particular advantage.

Just like the Gators had the edge of already having played a game before travelling to College Station, TX, Florida is more battle-tested this week, too. While the Volunteers were at home throwing all over N.C. State and Georgia State, Tennessee has yet to either play an SEC game or face an opponent as talented as Texas A&M.

The advantage the Volunteers do have going for them, aside from being the home team of course, is their passing game, which is currently ranked ninth nationally. The Gators, however, boast one of the best secondaries in the nation, a unit that is looking forward to the opportunities that UT quarterback Tyler Bray may present them on Saturday.

“It’s a big challenge for us as a group,” UF sophomore cornerback Marcus Roberson said this week. “He’s a good quarterback. He forces balls, and he’s got a strong arm. He’s a daredevil and a good guy, just forcing the ball – we like that.”

Roberson said Florida’s secondary does not feel any added pressure heading into the game but is instead excited for the chance to make some plays now that they are facing a true drop-back passer.

“We like that as the secondary,” he said. “I trust all the guys that play. We all just trust each other with our technique and ability to make plays on the ball.”

The Gators’ defense as a whole is pumped up for the showdown.

“If I could jump from Saturday to Saturday every week, I would,” redshirt sophomore linebacker Michael Taylor said.

Read the rest of this story…after the break!
Continue Reading » Florida one win away from hitting “start fast” goal

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Jeff Driskel, Jonotthan Harrison, Jordan Reed, Marcus Roberson, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Omar Hunter, Solomon Patton, Tennessee Volunteers, Will Muschamp

A three-year starter for the Florida Gators who played under head coaches Steve Spurrier and Ron Zook, former guard Shannon Snell has joined OGGOA as a football columnist to provide his unique perspective on the team throughout the 2012 season. Snell, who played in 46 games over four seasons and started 36 contests, was named a First Team All-American by Sporting News in 2003 and spent two seasons in the NFL.

Since I never wrote a true introduction, let me say that I am very excited to give my input on the Gators each week as someone who knows the game very well after playing for so many years. While obviously, from time to time, some of you readers will not like or agree with my opinions, one thing that I know you will enjoy about me is that I’m unapologetically honest. Sugarcoating situations to make people feel better is not something I like to do; I’ve always believed in calling a ball a ball, and a strike a strike.

Offensively, the Gators actually had a good day in quite a few areas. Jeff Driskel, the sophomore starting quarterback, was solid. Very solid. Though it should be pointed out that Driskel needs to realize when a play is dead and therefore when to throw the ball away. Young quarterbacks want to make a play every single time the ball is snapped. This is just unrealistic in the long run. Losing yardage and putting your team in unmanageable situations is not playing winning football. Sometimes throwing the football away is the best play that can be made in a particular situation.

One thing I might do if I was offensive coordinator Brent Pease is sit Driskel down in the film room and show him clips of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady throwing the ball away, just to prove that a big play does not have to be made on every snap.

What is important to note is that the positives of Driskel’s performance far outweigh the negatives. He had much better control of the offense and was very productive when he pulled the ball down and decided to run. Kudos to head coach Will Muschamp; it is clear the staff made the correct choice at quarterback.

Running back Mike Gillislee still has me buying in as a true believer in his talents. With the exception of South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore, there may be no one in the SEC who is better. His toughness cannot be questioned. And I can tell you, as someone who has pulled a groin muscle, anyone tough enough to play through that (even for just another series or two) gets a big gold star in my book. It now makes sense to me why fans have been screaming for this kid to get playing time the past three years.

Hunter Joyer is a prime example of a player proving that you can be still be a star while playing fullback. Not only was he awesome on the second Gillislee touchdown run, he played with that same intensity and effort all day. Go back and take a look. He was easily the offensive player of the game in my book. Yes, he was that good.

Read the rest of this edition of Snell’s Slant…after the break!
Continue Reading » Snell’s Slant: “A big gold star in my book”

Tags: Brent Pease, Dan Quinn, Frankie Hammond, Hunter Joyer, Jeff Driskel, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Marcus Roberson, Mike Gillislee, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

It was a tale of two halves for the No. 23/24 Florida Gators on Saturday as they faced the Texas A&M Aggies for the first time in 35 years at Kyle Field in College Station, TX. Florida (2-0) struggled defensively in the first half but was dominant in the latter portion of the game, stifling Texas A&M (0-1) offensively and coming away with a 20-17 victory in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Senior running back Mike Gillislee led the Gators with 83 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries but missed most of the second half after seemingly pulling his groin on his second score. Joining him as an effective member of Florida’s offense was sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, who made his first career start but still went 13/16 for 162 yards and made plenty of plays with his legs.

The Aggies’ offense was led by freshman QB Johnny Manziel, who was 23/30 for 173 yards and carried the ball 17 times for a net of 60 yards with a touchdown. Senior RB Christine Michael also chipped in 13 carries for 33 yards and a score for Texas A&M.

The Gators defense allowed 270 yards of offense and 17 first-half points but clamped down at the end of the game, holding the Aggies scoreless and allowing them to register a total of 64 yards of offense.

Florida’s defense looked dominant on the first two plays of the game, but a 16-yard rush by Manziel followed by a personal foul penalty on sophomore cornerback Marcus Roberson gave Texas A&M the ball across midfield.

The Aggies then converted on a 4th-and-1 before being stopped in the red zone as junior safety Matt Elam and Roberson broke up consecutive fade passes. TAMU was forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal and take an early 3-0 lead.

The Gators answered back immediately with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive led by Driskel. He moved Florida down the field nicely, but UF was put in a tough spot when sophomore fullback Hunter Joyer was stopped short on 3rd-and-1 at the 16-yard line.

Florida executed a fake field goal run with junior running back Trey Burton, and a personal foul facemask added to the end of the play put the Gators in scoring position. Two plays later Burton took a Wildcat snap and handed it off to Gillislee, who tumbled into the end zone with 3:51 left in the first quarter.

Read the rest of the Florida-Texas A&M game story…after the break!

Continue Reading » Gators “gig” Aggies 20-17 in SEC initiation

Tags: Caleb Sturgis, Chaz Green, Hunter Joyer, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Johnny Manziel, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Kyle Field, Marcus Roberson, Matt Elam, Mike Gillislee, SEC, Texas A&M Aggies, Will Muschamp

Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to review his team’s 27-14 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons in the season opener for both squads on Saturday. He also discussed the game ahead this week as Florida will travel to College Station, TX to face the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

PLAYER AWARDS

Offensive Player of the Game: senior running back Mike Gillislee
Scrap Iron: senior left tackle Xavier Nixon
Defensive Player of the Game: senior Mike linebacker Jon Bostic
Ball Hawk: sophomore cornerback Marcus Roberson
Scout Team Players of the Week: junior offensive lineman Max Garcia, freshman walk-on RB Mark Herndon, freshman walk-on defensive lineman Dakota Wilson

INJURY UPDATES

Junior long snapper Drew Ferris broke his clavicle (collarbone) and is out indefinitely. [Story]

Redshirt junior tackle Matt Patchan, who was ruled out of Saturday’s game with a strained pectoral, will miss the next game as well.

“I know he’s doing everything he can do to get back,” Muschamp said of Patchan. “I know that the rehab is going well. Everything has been very positive on that end, positive from him. He’s further ahead than we thought [he would be]. We though originally four weeks, now we’re kind of edging that back a little bit. I don’t know. We’re hoping to get him back. I know Matt’s frustrated. I’m frustrated for him because he’s worked extremely hard; he had a really good offseason. I hope it’s not that much longer. We need to get him back. He’s a good football player and he can help our team.”

PREPARING FOR TEXAS A&M

Suffice to say that Muschamp is impressed with Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin and the up-tempo offense he is bringing in his first season with the team. He noted that Sumlin likes to use quick screens to enhance the run game and hopes that the Gators do not get frustrated with that like they did against the Falcons.

“They’re going to get as many snaps as they can get,” he said. “They will give you the illusion of a lot of throwing, but they’re going on run the football.”

Florida will not have the greatest opportunity to prepare for Texas A&M this week considering their opponent’s season opener was postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Issac. Muschamp feels like the Gators are at an advantage going in with a game under their collective belt but admits that the team could be a bit unprepared for what the Aggies will do offensively.

“We are in a little bit of a guessing game from the standpoint of them not playing, but that’s always with the first game,” he explained. “You go through that as a coach, and you kind of go through into it when you go into a bowl game and you have that much time off with some different wrinkles that they may give you.”

Bostic said he thinks Florida will be fine as long as the defense concentrates on the game plan and focuses on the players on the field in front of them.

“We have to be sound on our assignments. The first quarter may be a little rough, but we have to make sure everybody is paying attention, paying attention on the sidelines when we get back so when we do make our adjustments in the first quarter everybody is together,” he said.

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say Monday about Florida’s first game including issues with discipline and adding more creativity on offense.
Continue Reading » 9/3: Muschamp wraps opener, looks to Texas A&M

Tags: Andre Debose, Dakota Wilson, Dominique Easley, Drew Ferris, Frankie Hammond, Jeff Driskel, Jon Bostic, Loucheiz Purifoy, Mack Brown, Marcus Roberson, Mark Herndon, Matt Jones, Matt Patchan, Max Garcia, Mike Gillislee, Sharrif Floyd, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

No. 23 Florida Gators football (1-0) struggled a bit but eventually pulled away from the Bowling Green Falcons (0-1) on Saturday afternoon in the season opener for both teams at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. After the game head coach Will Muschamp and a handful of players discussed what occurred on the field.

MUSCHAMP’s OPENING STATEMENT

“It was good to get a win. We had some situations in the first half that killed ourselves offensively with again a couple of penalties. It put us behind in the sticks a little bit. I thought we ran the ball very well against a team that was loading the box. And we weren’t run-checking. I told Brent, ‘Run it.’ We need to develop toughness in our program and what we are trying to do. Obviously on my part [I was] probably a little hard-headed at times. [...] Pleased with the win but obviously, looking at the game and studying the tape, we did some things that we need to tie up as far as creating some plays down the field offensively, which I think the run game will do for us. [...] We just need to go back and work at it. We got a long season in front of us.”

HAS A STARTING QUARTERBACK BEEN CHOSEN?

Despite seeing the field for the vast majority (10-of-13) of the drives including all eight in the second half, sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel was not officially named the starter by Muschamp after the game.

“I haven’t made that decision,” he said. “We felt like Jacoby [Brissett] did a good job. There was nothing he wasn’t doing. I felt like the rhythm of the game dictated that we were going to need some pocket movement as far as some boots and nakeds and moving the pocket. I felt like Jeff gave us that better opportunity.”

Muschamp said the coaching staff was trying to be fair to everybody which is why Driskel got the first quarter and Brissett the second. He added that Driskel seeing the field more was not indicative of any decision and that a conversation with offensive coordinator Brent Pease on Sunday will be the next step he will take in coming to a conclusion.

He also explained why both signal callers were on the field for the first play of the game with Brissett behind center and Driskel out at wide receiver.

“I thought they both deserved to start the game,” he said. “I just felt like both of them deserved to start based on their training camp being two of our better players on the offensive side of the ball; they both deserved to trot out there and start the game. And that is what we came up with.”

Read the rest of this post for notes on the running game, penalties and numerous other occurrences during the contest…after the break!
Continue Reading » 9/1: Muschamp, players discuss season opener

Tags: Andre Debose, Bowling Green Falcons, Brent Pease, Dominique Easley, Drew Ferris, Frankie Hammond, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Josh Evans, Lerentee McCray, Marcus Roberson

The 2012 season opener was not as much of a statement game as the No. 23 Florida Gators (1-0) hoped it would be despite the fact that the home team scored the final 13 points of the contest to earn a 27-14 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons (0-1) on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

Florida jumped on the back of senior running back Mike Gillislee, who rushed a career-high 24 times for a career-high 148 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, who played the majority of the game under center for UF, added the other big score for the Gators on a 50-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. in the fourth quarter. He finished 10/16 for 114 yards and a touchdown, also taking three carries for 24 yards.

Head coach Will Muschamp surprised the crowd when Driskel and sophomore QB Jacoby Brissett were both on the field for the first offensive snap of the game. Brissett took the feed from the center with Driskel out wide but hurried off the field after handing the ball off, leaving the first two series to Driskel.

Bowling Green would strike first, ending a 12-play, 89-yard drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown by RB John Pettigrew. QB Matt Schilz completed seven-of-eight passes on the drive as the Falcons easily drove the ball down the field.

After the Gators committed two penalties on Driskel’s first series, he returned and led Florida on a 13-play, 85-yard drive that was concluded by a 15-yard touchdown by Gillislee. The Gators handed it off 11 times on the drive with Driskel only attempting (and completing) two passes but nevertheless tied the contest with 9:29 left in the first half.

Florida’s defense stepped up in a big way on the next two Bowling Green drives, forcing the Falcons into consecutive three-and-outs including a shanked 16-yard punt that fell out of bounds at their own 38-yard line.

The Gators took advantage of the miscue on the very next play as Gillislee scampered 38 yards down the right sideline into the end zone to give Florida a 14-7 lead with 5:03 remaining in the half. Brissett led the Gators on the final three drives of the half, including Gillislee’s touchdown, but did not register any additional points.

Click to expand and read the rest of the Florida-Bowling Green game story.

Photo Credit: Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

Tags: Andre Debose, Bowling Green Falcons, Caleb Sturgis, Dominique Easley, Drew Ferris, Frankie Hammond, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel, Jon Bostic, MAC, Marcus Roberson, Mike Gillislee, Omarius Hines, SEC, Will Muschamp