Each week following a Florida Gators game, ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive grades the team position-by-position based on each unit’s performance. This week, we look at how the Gators fared against the Miami (OH) RedHawks in the first game of the 2010-11 season, which took place at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL.

QUARTERBACKS: C+
Starting off with perhaps the most difficult position to grade after Saturday, we have redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley, who did some things right but also had a role in a number of miscues throughout the game in regard to the team’s snapping issues. If you look strictly at his numbers, going 17-of-25 for 113 yards and two touchdowns is a pretty solid day, but a few of his incompletions were bad misses and his second touchdown was basically a wounded duck he threw up on a fourth down that was luckily brought down by redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey in the end zone. Though it is tough to tell not being on the field, Brantley did not seem to show much leadership and even mishandled some bad snaps that he certainly could have corralled in. The offensive play calling did not help him either.

RUNNING BACKS: B-
Speaking of not getting a lot of help, the offensive line seemed unable to open up a single hole for the running backs at the start of the game. Aside from his 72-yard TD run, junior Jeff Demps carried the ball seven times 26 yards. The same goes for sophomore Mike Gillislee, who only notched 14 yards on five carries if you take away his 41-yard breakaway. But the truth is, both players did have those nice long runs and the rushers showed flashes as the game went on. We will also include freshman QB Trey Burton’s Wildcat snaps here, one of which went for a TD. Overall, the unit could have played better, but you have to give them some credit for putting the game out of reach.

Read the rest of Florida’s grades from the season opener after the jump…
Continue Reading » Grading the Florida Gators vs. Miami (OH) game

Tags: A.J. Jones, Ahmad Black, Andre Debose, Armand Robinson, Caleb Sturgis, Carl Johnson, Carl Moore, Chas Henry, Chris Rainey, Defensive Lineman of the Week, Deonte Thompson, James Wilson, Janoris Jenkins, Jaye Howard, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, Jeremy Brown, Joe Haden, John Brantley, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Lorenzo Edwards, Marcus Gilbert, Matt Elam, Miami RedHawks, Mike Gillislee, Mike Pouncey, Moses Jenkins, NFL, Omarius Hines, Scot Loeffler, SEC, Steve Addazio, Teryl Austin, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer, Will Hill, Zac Dysert, Zach Azzanni

The No. 3/4 Florida Gators (1-0) pulled out a 34-12 win Saturday against the Miami (OH) RedHawks (0-1) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL, but not without raising plenty of questions about how prepared the team is to play this season.

Senior center Mike Pouncey had trouble with his snaps all day, tossing numerous balls past redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley right from the get-go; Brantley also had problems reeling in many of Pouncey’s snaps, letting one get by in the beginning of the first quarter which led to an early Miami field goal. There were a total of 13 “questionable” snaps experienced throughout the game by the offense and eight total fumbles, three of which resulted in turnovers after being recovered by the opposition.

Redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey coughed up the team’s second fumble in the first quarter, but Florida was able to negate the miscue with an aerobatic interception by sophomore linebacker Jon Bostic on the following drive.

After failing to score early, the Gators got on the board quickly just minutes into the second quarter when junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins intercepted RedHawks QB Zac Dysert and returned the ball 70 yards for a touchdown.

Seeing their first punt of the game blocked, Miami completed a fake punt on their next attempt but failed on another fake later on, allowing Florida to take over on their 21-yard line and score their first offensive touchdown of the season on a 10-yard pass from Brantley to sophomore WR Omarius Hines.

Florida’s defense stayed on their toes, leading senior safety Ahmad Black to the team’s second pick of the quarter, which he returned for 40 yards to the RedHawks’ two. Two plays later, freshman QB Trey Burton scored on a keeper, putting the Gators up 21-3.

Miami would then go on to score three-straight field goals against Florida, cutting the lead to 21-12 in the fourth quarter. On the first play following the RedHawks’ final field goal, Gators junior running back Jeff Demps propelled his team to a 27-12 lead by taking a hand-off 72-yards for his first touchdown of the season.

Looking for some positives late in the fourth quarter, head coach Urban Meyer allowed Florida to go for it on 4th and 15. Brantley completed a pass to Hines to get UF into the red zone, but sophmore RB Mike Gillislee fumbled the ball just one play later while fighting for additional yardage. After an interception by Gators redshirt sophomore CB Jeremy Brown (initially ruled incomplete but overturned), Gillisslee made up for his mistake with a powerful 41-yard run down the field.

Another bad snap forced Florida into a 4th and 21, which Meyer once again had the Gators attempt. Brantley, running out of bounds, threw up a prayer into the end zone that was luckily brought down by Rainey for a 25-yard score to put Florida ahead 34-12.

Adding to UF’s mistakes, junior kicker Caleb Sturgis missed a 44-yard field goal early in the game and shanked the extra point on Demps’ TD.

Brantley finished the day 17-of-25 for 114 yards and two touchdowns, while Miami’s Dysert went 24-of-42 for 188 yards with four picks. Demps led the Gators with 97 yards on eight rushes; Gillislee posted 57 yards on six carries. Hines was Florida’s leading receiver, hauling in three balls for 48 yards; Rainey caught a team-high seven passes for 36 yards, and redshirt junior WR Deonte Thompson finished with only three grabs for 24 yards after dropping a TD early in the first quarter.

Florida looks to rebound from its shaky start next Saturday when they take on the South Florida Bulls at The Swamp. Kickoff is set for 12:21 p.m., and the game will air live on SEC Network (check your local listings).

Photo Credit: Rob C. Witzel/The Gainesville Sun

Tags: Ahmad Black, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Caleb Sturgis, Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson, Jeff Demps, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, Jon Bostic, Miami RedHawks, Mike Gillislee, Mike Pouncey, Omarius Hines, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer

1 » Former Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin returned to the field Saturday, catching two balls for 30 yards for the Minnesota Vikings. After the game, he told reporters that he was hopeful doctors have finally found what has been causing him severe migraine headaches for most of his life. “I did a test [Friday] night. They found some things that we think is the main cause of it,” Harvin said. “I know we said that a couple times, but I think this time we found what the main cause was. I’m not saying I won’t ever get a headache again, but hopefully we can slow it down a little bit.” He also spoke about the upcoming season. “I’ve got a lot of work to do as far as condition-wise,” he said, “but otherwise, it just felt good to get out there [Saturday] and have something to base my performance off of.”

2 » A new book named The Real U: 2001 to 2010: Inside the Eye of the Hurricane, which may be released in December, will allege that the University of Miami Hurricanes football team is guilty of numerous NCAA violations, according to the Miami Herald. The book is the work of Nevin Shapiro, a Miami booster who is “facing years in prison for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme,” reports the paper. Shapiro, who calls the publication “a tell-all book from the fan and booster perspective,” says it is aimed at making “the average fan aware of what really exists under [the Hurricanes] uniform. They might be great players, but they’re certainly not great people. I’m speaking of no less than 100 former players.” The book appears to be a revenge piece for Shapiro, who feels that players turned their back on him once they became professionals. The Herald lists linebacker Jon Beason, WR Devin Hester, safeties Antrel Rolle and Randy Phillips, and quarterbacks Robert Marve and Kyle Wright specifically as players who were close with Shapiro. Read the Herald’s entire story here.

3 » Interesting note about the Gators’ 2010 season opener: The Miami (OH) RedHawks were scheduled by request of former Florida head coach Ron Zook, who attended the school and hoped to play his alma mater in the future. According to the Palm Beach Post, the contract for the game was finalized in 2004, the year after Miami (OH) had just completed a 13-1 season and just a few months before Zook would be fired. “At the time the game was scheduled, Miami was looked at as a team that was headed in the same direction as Boise State,” head coach Mike Haywood said. “They were accepting all comers at that time. Unfortunately, things changed and took a different course. We’re trying to build it back to where it was at that time.”

4 » Gators sophomore running back Mike Gillislee may be third on the team’s depth chart behind junior Jeff Demps and redshirt senior Emmanuel Moody, but RB coach Stan Drayton believes that he is easily the most powerful of the bunch and will be able to earn snaps this season. “When you’re talking about playing through contact – not necessarily making people miss – but playing through contact, Gillislee is probably the best of my group,” Drayton said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “That’s Mike’s M.O. […] I can see him being used anywhere on the field, including the goal line. He’s not going to be solely a goal line back. He’s got to be a back that’s competitive in all situations for us.”

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: Antrel Rolle, Devin Hester, Emmanuel Moody, Jeff Demps, Jon Beason, Kyle Wright, Miami Hurricanes, Miami RedHawks, Mike Gillislee, Mike Haywood, Minnesota Vikings, NCAA, Nevin Shapiro, NFL, Percy Harvin, Randy Phillips, Robert Marve, Ron Zook, Stan Drayton

The 2010 version of the Florida Gators is going into their second week of fall practice and, while the activities were closed to both the media and public, some notable things did occur during the morning session. OGGOA has compiled some of the key details learned throughout the early portion of the day…more later…

PLAYERS RETURN

Both senior linebacker Brandon Hicks (dehydration) and redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey (accelerated heartbeat) returned to practice in full on Monday.

JENKINS PULLS AHEAD

LB coach D.J. Durkin told reporters that redshirt freshman Jelani Jenkins is currently ahead of sophomore Jon Bostic, but they are not necessarily playing the same position right now and may both start. It is expected that only one of the two will be able to start alongside Hicks and redshirt senior A.J. Jones.

MORE STRIPES REMOVED

Three more freshmen – quarterback Trey Burton and defensive tackles Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley – had their black helmet stripes removed by the coaching staff. That is now a total of six frosh who no longer have their stripes on.

Some are reporting that safety Matt Elam and WR Quinton Dunbar lost theirs over the weekend. This is likely considering how the staff raved about them after the scrimmage.

MEYER STILL SPECIAL

Senior punter Chas Henry noted that head coach Urban Meyer, not special teams coach Durkin, remains in charge of the punt return and coverage units. Perhaps Durkin is handling the kickoff and field goal teams at this point.

QUOTES

Defensive line coach Dan McCarney on Floyd and Easley: “They really scrimmaged well. They’re showing each day that they belong on the field this year, and they’re going to help our defense as true freshmen. I’m proud of them. They’re physical guys. We felt they were two of the better players in the country last year. They were two of the guys we targeted from the beginning. We’ve still got a ways to go, but in the scrimmage and all the practices, they don’t look one bit out of place. They look like they belong. The look like they belong on the field this year.”

Running backs coach Stan Drayton on sophomore RB Mike Gillislee: “He had a phenomenal scrimmage. He toughed it out, played through some injuries. He made plays. He had some explosive plays down the sideline in the run game. He protected in the pass game. I’m really excited about where GIlly is at this point. [The light] is definitely coming on for him. He’s feeling it. He knows he’s being counted on to play for us. He’s ready to go. He’s getting himself ready to play a game.”

Drayton on freshman RB Mack Brown: “His potential is phenomenal. But he’s still playing slow because he’s thinking a lot. We threw a whole big playbook at him in a week. He’s sitting there trying to assess all that, then execute the play. He’s playing slow, but the ability is there. When we are able to just give him something he knows, you see the flash of a great talent. That will all come in time.”

Special thanks to The Gainesville Sun here and here for the above quotations.

Tags: A.J. Jones, Brandon Hicks, Chas Henry, Chris Rainey, D.J. Durkin, Dan McCarney, Dominique Easley, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Mack Brown, Matt Elam, Mike Gillislee, Quinton Dunbar, Sharrif Floyd, Stan Drayton, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer

With the Florida Gators 2010 spring practice sessions now complete, there was plenty of newsworthy information coming out from the 2010 Orange & Blue Debut on Sat., April 10. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. Football returns in full-force in the summer.

Check out OGGOA’s full coverage of the 2010 Orange & Blue Debut…
Continue Reading » OGGOA’s 2010 Orange & Blue Debut news, notes

Tags: A.J. Jones, Ahmad Black, Andre Debose, Brandon Hicks, Brandon Spikes, Brendan Beal, Caleb Sturgis, Carl Moore, Carlos Dunlap, CFL, Chris Leak, Chris Rainey, Cody Riggs, D.J. Durkin, Deonte Thompson, Emmanuel Moody, Janoris Jenkins, Jaye Howard, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, John Brantley, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Joshua Shaw, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Matt Elam, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Gillislee, Montreal Alouettes, Orange & Blue Debut, Riley Cooper, Ronald Powell, Ryan Stamper, Scot Loeffler, Scott Brantley, Sharrif Floyd, Shelley Meyer, Steve Addazio, Tim Tebow, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer, Will Hill

Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 88,548]
Time: 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Weather Forecast: 72°F, Sunny

Live Online Coverage: OGGOA
Live TV: N/A, all replays on Sun Sports
Replays: 04/11 (9 a.m.), 04/18 (9 a.m.), 04/21 (3 p.m.), 04/27 (11 p.m.), 05/02 (9 a.m.)
Live Online Video: GatorVision ($9.95 per month)
Live Radio: Gator Radio Network | Sirius 216 | XM 199 | Yahoo!
Spring Roster: GatorZone

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION:
» Free admission for University of Florida students (with IDs), Gator Boosters, F Club Letterwinners and Alumni Association members with membership cards.
» $5 general admission: Online | Gator Ticket Office

ORANGE & BLUE DEBUT GAME FORMAT:
» Time: Four 10-minute quarters, running clock in the second half.
» Blue: First-team offense, second-team defense, driving to south end zone
» Orange: Second-team offense, first-team defense, driving to north end zone
» Colors: Offense always wears blue, defense always wears white
» Kickoffs: None, drives start at the 35-yard line after a score
» Punts: Yes, but all are fair caught by returners

All of your 2010 Orange & Blue Debut notes and more…after the break!
Continue Reading » Florida Gators 2010 Orange & Blue Debut Preview

Tags: A.J. Jones, Adrian Bushell, Ahmad Black, Andre Debose, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Carl Moore, Chas Henry, Chris Rainey, D.J. Durkin, Deonte Thompson, Duke Lemmens, Emmanuel Moody, Frankie Hammond, Gerald Christian, Ian Silberman, James Wilson, Janoris Jenkins, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, Jon Halapio, Jordan Haden, Jordan Reed, Joshua Shaw, Leon Orr, Matt Elam, Maurice Hurt, Mike Gillislee, Mike Pouncey, Moses Jenkins, Neiron Ball, Nick Alajajian, Omarius Hines, Orange & Blue Debut, Robert Clark, Solomon Patton, Stan Drayton, Stephen Alli, Teryl Austin, The Swamp, Trey Burton, Will Hill, William Green, Xavier Nixon, Zach Azzanni

With the Florida Gators 2010 spring practice now in full swing, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. We continue this series with a look at a team scrimmage from Mon., March 29.

Absences/Injuries:
» Redshirt senior wide receiver Carl Moore no-showed practice Monday. Either the staff is keeping the reason for his absence secret, or they really did not know at the time (see quotes section below). The Gainesville Sun reports that Moore was “seen leaving the field after practice [on Saturday] visibly upset.”

» Redshirt sophomore cornerback Adrian Bushell returned to practice Monday but did not wear pads. Head coach Urban Meyer suspended him from team activities for two weeks for grades and other off-the-field issues. He will also not be given pads at Wednesday’s practice but should return to full activity on Friday.

» Redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody remained out of practice with an injured ankle. There is not an official date for a return.

Check out many more practice, notes and interesting quotes…after the break!
Continue Reading » Gators spring practice news and notes – 03/29

Tags: Adrian Bushell, Andre Debose, Carl Moore, Chas Henry, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody, Frankie Hammond, Jaylen Watkins, Jemalle Cornelius, John Brantley, Jordan Reed, Major Wright, Mike Gillislee, NFL, Orange & Blue Debut, Robert Clark, Scot Loeffler, Solomon Patton, Stan Drayton, Teryl Austin, Trey Burton, Urban Meyer, Wildcat, Will Hill, Zach Azzanni

With the Florida Gators beginning spring practice for the 2010 season last Wednesday, there is plenty of newsworthy information around the program. Rather than publishing it all in long form, OGGOA thought it would be best to lay it out piece-by-piece. We continue this series with a look at the start of week two.

» Be sure to read over 1,000 words on the return of head coach Urban Meyer and the start of spring practice in OGGOA‘s first post on the subject. Then supplement your reading with more notes from over the weekend!

More notes from Monday 03/22:
» ESPN‘s Ivan Maisel interviews redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley:

» Sitting out: running backs junior Jeff Demps and redshirt junior Chris Rainey, redshirt freshman wide receiver Andre Debose (hamstring) and redshirt seniors guard Carl Johnson and defensive tackles Lawrence Marsh and Terron Sanders
» Absent: redshirt sophomore cornerback Adrian Bushell (academics, disciplinary)
» Injuries: sophomore safety Josh Evans (knee/leg) and redshirt freshmen tight end Desmond Parks (wrist/hand) and guard/center Kyle Koehne (shoulder, 3-6 weeks)

» Senior linebacker Brandon Hicks may have had the play of the day with a one-handed interception on Brantley on an inside route.

» Senior Duke Lemmens is starting at defensive end with the first team. In fact, he is also switching to tight end on some plays, too – we’re guessing mostly so the other DEs have a big body to fight against.

» Both secondary specialists, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and co-defensive coordinator Chuck Heater are splitting the duties in the defensive backfield. Austin is spending much of his time with the cornerbacks, while Heater continues to handle the safeties like he has previously.

» Sophomore RB Mike Gillislee is really impressing coaches and spectators with his play thus far and could be in line to steal some carries away from Demps and redshirt senior Emmanuel Moody. Moody, especially, must be careful as Gillislee is currently out-performing him head-to-head.

More quotes on Urban Meyer‘s return:
» Offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and former interim head coach Steve Addazio: “[Meyer’s] involvement is becoming greater. It’s unscripted, you know what I mean? Ultimately, you’re in uncharted waters. I mean, he’s doing great, so there’s nothing negative or anything like that. He’s doing fantastic. I’m going to help him wherever I can with the workload wherever I need to take it.”

» Heater: “This week, he’s really been back in earnest. How he basically crystallizes what the expectations are, what your role is and having those meetings, communicating those things to me, I was, ‘OK, I’ve heard these things before.’ So his energy was certainly there. He’s excited about being back. That’s the part that’s fun for all of us.”

Check out Florida Gators spring practice videos from March 19-20 after the break!
Continue Reading » Second week of spring practice underway (notes)

Tags: Adrian Bushell, Andre Debose, Brandon Hicks, Carl Johnson, Chris Rainey, Chuck Heater, Desmond Parks, Duke Lemmens, Emmanuel Moody, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, Josh Evans, Kyle Koehne, Lawrence Marsh, Mike Gillislee, Steve Addazio, Terron Sanders, Teryl Austin, Urban Meyer