Spring practice for the Florida Gators football program begins on Wednesday, March 13 and lasts for 15 practices concluding with the 2013 Orange & Blue Debut spring game on Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m. Below is the second half of OGGOA‘s new two-part series that takes a look at the team on a position-by-position basis.

PART ONE: Offense

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Returning starters (0/2): None
Fresh faces: Junior Darious Cummings, redshirt freshman Quinteze Williams

The Gators have plenty of holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball and it will be up to new defensive line coach Brad Lawing and assistant defensive line coach Bryant Young to figure out how to plug up the middle. With Sharrif Floyd set to become a top-five pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and Omar Hunter finally graduating after five years at the school, Florida will be looking to replace both of its starters. Senior Damien Jacobs, a junior college transfer who played in 12 games during his first season with the Gators, likely has the edge for one of the jobs but will still go up against Cummings (a 2013 JUCO transfer from the same school as Jacobs), Williams and redshirt junior Leon Orr, all of whom will compete for the two positions.

DEFENSIVE ENDS
Returning starters (1/2): Senior Dominique Easley
Fresh faces: Redshirt freshman Bryan Cox, Jr., redshirt freshman Alex McCalister, freshman Joey Ivie

Easley started all 12 regular season games at defensive tackle in 2011 and will be used inside some in 2013 despite starting 11 games at defensive end last season. His flexibility leaves the door open for a number of other players to make an impact. Sophomore Jonathan Bullard earned a pair of starts in 2012 and got rave reviews from the coaching staff; he is next in line to start and/or see major field time as a pure defensive end. McCalister, who won three Scout Team Player of the Week awards and was named Most Valuable Defensive Scout Team Member at the team banquet in Dec. 2012, was praised by head coach Will Muschamp at the end of the season.

Florida’s defense also features a Buck, which can line up with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end or upright as a linebacker. (For the purpose of this feature, Buck has been included in this position group.) Redshirt junior Ronald Powell was praised as much as any member of the team in the 2012 offseason but wound up missing the entire campaign with consecutive ACL tears. Lerentee McCray started in his place but graduated after his redshirt senior season. Though Powell will not participate in spring practice, he will retake his role as starter in the summer assuming he is medically cleared. He will be joined by sophomore Dante Fowler, Jr. – Powell’s heir apparent – and McCalister.

Continue Reading » Gators 2013 Spring Football Preview: Defense

Tags: Alex Anzalone, Alex McCalister, Andre Debose, Antonio Morrison, Austin Hardin, Brad Lawing, Brad Phillips, Brian Poole, Bryan Cox, Bryant Young, Cody Riggs, Damien Jacobs, Daniel McMillian, Dante Fowler, Darious Cummings, Darrin Kitchens, Dominique Easley, Drew Ferris, Jabari Gorman, Jaylen Watkins, Jeremi Powell, Jeremy Brown, Joey Ivie, Jonathan Bullard, Kyle Christy, Kyle Crofoot, Leon Orr, Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Maye, Marcus Roberson, Matt Rolin, Michael Taylor, Neiron Ball, Quinteze Williams, Rhaheim Ledbetter, Ronald Powell, Valdez Showers, Will Muschamp

The last time the Florida Gators saw a handful of juniors move on to the NFL Draft was the 2009 season and fans have certainly not forgotten how the team looked in the two years subsequent to those departures.

And while Florida now has four junior starters having declared for the 2013 NFL Draft to go along with the nine senior starters departing the program, the Gators are in a better position to move forward next season even if there may be a few bumps in the road.

On offense, Florida will lose five starters including left tackle Xavier Nixon (senior), left guard James Wilson (redshirt senior), running back Mike Gillislee (senior), wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. (redshirt senior) and tight end Jordan Reed (draft).

Continue Reading » Gators must replace 13 starters from 2012 team

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Austin Hardin, Colin Thompson, D.J. Humphries, Damien Jacobs, Daniel McMillian, Dante Fowler, De'Ante Saunders, Dominique Easley, Draft, Frankie Hammond, James Wilson, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Jonathan Bullard, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Kent Taylor, Leon Orr, Matt Elam, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, NFL, Omar Hunter, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

No. 3 Florida Gators defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and a handful of players met with the media after practice on Saturday to preview the 2013 Sugar Bowl against the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals and provide thoughts on the team heading into the game.

ELAM’S IMPORTANCE AND FUTURE

Not every team has player as passionate and tough as junior safety Matt Elam. A first-team All-American who may very well be playing his final game at Florida, he was asked on Saturday what play he will remember from the 2012 season. “Maybe the LSU game. That strip was a big play. That saved the game. That probably was the biggest play of the year,” he said.

His teammates agree. “Right after they showed that the ball did come out and they said it was our ball. That might be the play,” senior linebacker Jon Bostic noted.

Elam is Florida’s best playmaker on the defensive side of the ball but may very well be taking his talents to the next level. According to Dwyer High School head coach Jack Daniels, who spoke to the Palm Beach Post, Elam’s time in the orange and blue may be through on Wednesday. “I think he’s got his mind made up. He’s gone,” Daniels said.

Whether or not he does decide to leave, something that neither he nor the coaching staff plan to discuss until after the bowl game, he has made a huge fan out of his defensive coordinator.

“The biggest transformation to me that I’ve seen from my first year of coaching Matt to now is how physical he is. And I think that really has to stem from the time and effort that he spent in the weight room changing. He’s getting stronger,” Quinn said.

“We play him at the line of scrimmage a lot, whether it’s at safety or nickel. And I think he can blitz. He can cover. But to me the physical style he plays with is one of the things that really jumps out on your team. He can blitz. He can cover. But just the physical nature that a guy can bring to your club really is a huge advantage.”

Read the rest of what the Gators had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 12/29: Elam, Bostic, Jenkins, Brissett, Floyd

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Dan Quinn, Dominique Easley, Jacoby Brissett, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Loucheiz Purifoy, Matt Elam, Michael Taylor, Neiron Ball, Omar Hunter, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Sugar Bowl, Will Muschamp

No. 10/11 Florida Gators defensive coordinator Dan Quinn met with the media on Wednesday to discuss a number of topics concerning his unit including its personnel as well as how it is preparing for Saturday’s game against the No. 4/3 LSU Tigers.

IT CAN ALWAYS GET BETTER

Florida may be rolling into Saturday’s showdown ranked No. 17 nationally in total defense (305.00 yards per game) and No. 10 in scoring defense (12.75 points per game), but the team is bested by LSU in both categories (fourth at 217.80 YPG and ninth at 12.60 points per game, respectively).

As far as Quinn is concerned, the Gators have plenty of room for improvement on the defensive side of the ball. And on Wednesday he detailed the areas in which he thinks the unit can improve.

“From a coverage standpoint, I think there’s been some good matchups in terms of how the guys are playing routes and that way. From a communications standpoint on the back end, we would like to still see that improve where you play some no-huddle teams that move fast and that type of thing,” he explained. “In the run game, I’d like to see that area squared up at the line of scrimmage where we just didn’t maybe fit a run exactly like we needed to. And then the final phase for our area of improvement is getting the ball back.”

Florida’s 1.25 turnover margin (seven gained, two lost) is 18th best nationally. UF being able to take the ball away from LSU, which has coughed up the ball eight times already this season, could go a long way in helping fuel the upset.

THUMBS UP AT LINEBACKER

As head coach Will Muschamp announced during the weekly SEC teleconference on Wednesday, redshirt junior Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins returned to practice and has been cleared for game action on Saturday. Quinn said that Jenkins is already relatively comfortable with the cast he is wearing on his thumb (some of his other fingers are free) and is once again bringing experience and talent to the defense.

“I think the more they have it on, you kind of get used to it. It might be harder the first time you go out and practice. I think he would absolutely take it over not playing, so it’s good to have him back,” he said. “Through practice this week I’ve been pleased with what we’ve seen from him.”

Jenkins returning to the lineup means that linebackers redshirt sophomore Michael Taylor and freshman Antonio Morrison will see fewer reps than they have been used to over the last two-plus games. Quinn is still confident that they will be able to contribute plenty this week.

“With the other guys who backed him up, I really have a lot of trust in those guys, in Mike an Antonio. In that way, no differentiation for us with whose in the game,” he said. “I think what Jelani adds in experience and playmaking ability, he adds value for us and we certainly need to get him in there. But we’ll certainly still play Mike and Antonio in the ball game.”

STEPPING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME

Redshirt senior defensive tackle Omar Hunter claimed on Tuesday that winning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week following the Kentucky game was not a big deal for him. However, the award was indicative of the vast improvement he has made this season, going from underperforming reserve to the fourth-leading tackler on the team. Quinn said Wednesday that Hunter’s improved strength and pop off the ball has made a major difference this season.

“His practice preparation leading up into Kentucky, into the bye week and going into LSU week – he’s been really practicing well. His pad level, his hand placement, all the things you’re looking for in a defensive tackle he’s been doing in practice. And that’s why, for him, it’s carried over into the game,” he noted.

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Dan Quinn, Jelani Jenkins, LSU Tigers, Michael Taylor, Omar Hunter, SEC, 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.

After consecutive weeks of tight, close-call games, it was nice to see Florida put together an overall dominant performance against a clearly outmatched Kentucky team. Games like that one are great building blocks that teams can use to improve their confidence before heading into a bye week or big game (such as LSU in two weeks).

Jeff Driskel has become the clear leader of the Gators’ offense. He is, for the most part, making sound decisions and legitimately looking good while doing it. His scrambling ability has – and will continue to be – a threat until people start to respect it, which will only open up things in the passing game even more for UF.

Offensive coordinator Brent Pease appears to be confident enough in the sophomore quarterback’s abilities and, despite the fact that Florida remains a run-first team, may very well call more vertical plays than one might expect against LSU. Pease and the Gators are now in the position where they can call passing plays with confidence instead of trepidation. This will be a huge step considering LSU’s defense is on another level compared to that of any of Florida’s first four opponents.

Praising Mike Gillislee has become a standard feature of this column over the last few weeks, and I have no problem maintaining that he is still the best running back in the SEC. But how about Matt Jones? He received double-digit touches out of the backfield this week and did a solid job. This guy is a beast. He has a nasty downhill running style and will only get better with age. It’s impressive how it seems to always take more than one defender to bring him down.

Jordan Reed continues to be an offensive nightmare for opposing defenses. It was shocking that he was able to hold on to the ball after taking that big hit over the middle, especially considering it was announced this week that he suffered a head injury. Talk about fearless. That’s the kind of toughness you want to see out of every player.

Read the rest of this edition of Snell’s Slant…after the break!
Continue Reading » Snell’s Slant: It was nice to see Florida dominate

Tags: Brent Pease, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jordan Reed, Matt Jones, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Will Muschamp

Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp met with the media on Monday to review his team’s dominant 38-0 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday while also previewing the bye week and the activities planned for the Gators over the next few days.

INJURY UPDATES

Redshirt sophomore tackle Chaz Green (ankle), junior defensive end Dominique Easley (knee), junior running back Trey Burton (back), junior defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (shoulder) and redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed (head) “should be fine for LSU based on the information I have,” Muschamp said Monday. He also noted that Reed suffered a head injury (read: concussion) and not a shoulder injury as initially reported.

Furthermore, redshirt junior Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins (thumb) will be reevaluated on doctors by Wednesday as it will be determined whether he can begin practicing and potentially return to the field on Saturday with a club on his hand.

Redshirt junior OT Matt Patchan, on the other hand, will miss yet another game while continuing to deal with his strained pectoral and torn muscle.

“Yeah, I expect him to play this year. I certainly do,” said Muschamp when asked if Patchan would miss another season. “If we played this week, no, I would say probably not LSU [either] but maybe the week after. That’s what I’m hoping based on meeting with our medical staff [Sunday]. We’re hoping to hopefully get him some work next week on the field. How healthy he’ll be at that point, I don’t know. It’s a pec strain; he had some tear on the muscle. It’s a painful injury and up front you’ve got to be able to use that to block. Rehab has gone well. He’s worked extremely hard as far as that is concerned. We’re just hoping we can get him some snaps. But he will play this year, yes.”

BYE WEEK BENEFITS

In addition to giving Florida the opportunity to rest and heal, the bye week coming early for the Gators this year will also help the team clean up a number of issues.

Muschamp wants the offense to focus on figuring out how to make the passing game a bit smoother. He envisions the timing between the quarterback and wide receivers improving so that Florida can convert more third downs and throw the ball vertically to move down the ield. The Gators will also work on short-yardage and goal line plays while figuring out how to block better on the perimeter.

“That’s where you get big runs is when you’re blocking on the perimeter and finishing blocks down the field,” he said.

Defense has been pretty solid for Florida so far though Muschamp wants the Gators to get better pressure while rushing four guys without a blitz. He also hopes to see improvement in red zone defense as UF has allowed seven touchdowns in 10 total opponent trips through four games this season.

Where Florida may be able to take the biggest leap is special teams. The Gators must find a way to produce better in the return game, especially on punts. “We’ve got some explosive guys. We need to settle on a guy and get a guy back there that’s, number one, going to field the ball but, number two, can get the ball north-and-south, stick your foot in the ground and get north-and-south,” Muschamp said.

UF has also yet to block a single punt this season despite Muschamp and special teams coordinator D.J. Durkin calling a handful of designed punt block plays. Florida no longer has Chris Rainey to count on in that regard but does still feature junior Solomon Patton and other young, speedy and elusive players.

PLAYER AWARDS

CLICK TO EXPAND and read the rest of this post.

Tags: A.J. Mobley, Alex McCalister, Chaz Green, De'Ante Saunders, Dominique Easley, James Wilson, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jeremi Powell, Jon Halapio, Jordan Reed, Kyle Christy, Kyle Koehne, Loucheiz Purifoy, Matt Patchan, Michael Taylor, Omar Hunter, Omarius Hines, Sharrif Floyd, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

It may have taken a few possessions for the No. 14 Florida Gators to get rolling, but the end result was yet another dominating victory over the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL. Florida (4-0, 3-0 SEC) picked off Kentucky (1-3, 0-1 SEC) three times in the first half on their way to a 38-0 thrashing that extended the Gators’ winning streak over the Wildcats to 26 games dating back to 1987.

Florida enters the bye week with a 4-0 record for the fourth-straight season, earning their fourth victory by shutting down Kentucky offensively (303-219 in total offense) and being extremely efficient on third down (12-of-17). The Gators out-passed the Wildcats 203-60 on the afternoon, dominated time of possession 37:41-22:19 and shut out a Southeastern Conference opponent for the first time since Sept. 29, 2001.

Failing to move the ball on their first two offensive drives, Florida found the red zone on their third possession. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel took a bootleg 38 yards down to Kentucky’s 20 on the first play with the ball moved to the 10 after Driskel was taken down by his facemask. Senior running back Mike Gillislee ran to the three with a seven-yard carry, but UF concluded the drive with an incomplete pass, false start and bad snap, settling for a 27-yard field goal by redshirt senior kicker Caleb Sturgis.

A missed 54-yard field goal by UK gave the ball back to the Gators, which put together a 10-play, 63-yard scoring drive to take a 10-0 lead with 12:04 left in the first half. Driskel hit redshirt senior wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. for a 24-yard reception on third down to extend the drive, and Gillislee carried six times for 31 yards on the possession (including his one-yard touchdown run).

Read the rest of the Florida-Kentucky game story…after the break!
Continue Reading » No. 14 Florida starts slow, rolls Kentucky 38-0

Tags: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Caleb Sturgis, De'Ante Saunders, Frankie Hammond, Jacoby Brissett, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jordan Reed, Kentucky Wildcats, Mack Brown, Matt Jones, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Quinton Dunbar

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