1 » You will be seeing plenty of center Joakim Noah on ESPN during the 2013-14 NBA season and not just because the Chicago Bulls are expected to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Noah was chosen to star in one of ESPN‘s comical NBA on ESPN tour bus television advertisements, which you can check out below.

Though Noah has recovered from the plantar fasciitis that forced him to miss large chunks of the last two seasons, he was recently shut down for the remainder of the preseason due to a groin injury. According to the Chicago Tribune, he is in “serious jeopardy” of not being available for the Bulls’ season opener, though the player is not concerned. “I want to be out there,” Noah said. “We’re looking good. But I have to be healthy. It sucks, especially this early in the season. … Of course I would rather be playing right now. But we have to do the right thing. This is the right thing to do. Just move forward and let it heal. I’ll be back in no time.”

Read three more BITS of Florida Gators news…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Noah, Foley, Mizzou, Donovan

Tags: Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Jeremy Foley, Joakim Noah, Missouri Tigers, NBA, Will Muschamp

The eighth regular season editions of the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and Associated Press Top 25, along with the first edition of the BCS standings for the 2013 season, were released on Sunday with the Florida Gators nowhere to be found for the first time since the conclusion of the 2011 campaign.

Florida (4-3, 3-2 SEC) was knocked out of the rankings after being defeated for the second time in as many weeks and falling 36-17 to the Missouri Tigers, which moved up to No. 7 in the USA Today poll and No. 5 in the AP top 25 before being listed No. 5 in the BCS on Sunday night.

The Gators’ other two losses this season also came to ranked opponents. The Miami Hurricanes are listed at No. 7 in the BCS, No. 6 by USA today and No. 7 by the AP, and the LSU Tigers checked in at No. 13 in all three rankings.

The Alabama Crimson Tide remain the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation.

UF’s 2013 opponents in italics.

BCS STANDINGS
This Week 1-5: Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Ohio State, Missouri
6-10: Stanford, Miami, Baylor, Clemson, Texas Tech
11-15: Auburn, UCLA, LSU, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma
16-20: Texas A&M, Fresno State, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Louisville
21-25: South Carolina, Michigan, UCF, Nebraska, Oregon State

Check out the rest of the polls after the break!
Continue Reading » Gators out of top 25 polls for first time since 2011

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, BCS, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Missouri Tigers, SEC, Top 25

An unrelenting offensive attack from the No. 14/14 Missouri Tigers (7-0, 3-0 SEC) dominated an injured No. 22/22 Florida Gators (4-3, 3-2 SEC) defense, picking up a 36-17 victory on Saturday afternoon at in Columbia, MO.

The Gators allowed the Tigers to rack up 500 yards of offense, the most given up by Florida in 2013, as Missouri became the first Southeastern Conference team in 14 tries to post more than 20 points in a single game against UF’s stout defense.

The visitors were outmatched all afternoon as the Gators struggled on the way to gaining just 151 yards of offense. Florida was 3-for-15 on third down as the Gators’ offensive line allowed six sacks and failed to adequately protect the quarterback throughout the contest or open up holes in the running game most of the afternoon.

After Florida deferred until the second half, Missouri started on offense and got on the board in just 22 seconds.

Quarterback Maty Mauk completed a 41-yard pass on the first play of the game to wide receiver L’Damian Washington, and the Tigers gained 15 additional yards on the play after a targeting penalty was called against Gators redshirt junior safety Cody Riggs. He was subsequently ejected from the game. On the very next play, Mauk hit WR Bud Sasser for a 20-yard touchdown.

Florida went three-and-out on its first possession, running the ball three-straight times, but lucked out on the ensuing punt, which was muffed and recovered by junior cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy.

Facing first down at Missouri’s 24-yard line, UF gained 17 yards on a rush by freshman running back Kelvin Taylor before stalling and settling for a 23-yard field goal by redshirt junior kicker Frankie Velez.

Continue Reading » Missouri Tigers maul Florida Gators 36-17

Tags: Cody Riggs, Frankie Velez, Kelvin Taylor, Loucheiz Purifoy, Maty Mauk, Missouri Tigers, SEC, Solomon Patton, Trey Burton, Tyler Murphy

Location: Farout Field at Memorial Stadium – Columbia, MO [Capacity: 67,124]
Weather: 50°F (feels like 45°F), sunny, winds WSW at 14 mph
Time: 12:21 p.m. EDT

TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Cara Capuano) [Affiliates]
SiriusXM: 112/200 | Radio: Gator Radio Network [Affiliates]
Online Video: ESPN3.com | Mobile Video: None
Live Updates: @OnlyGators on Twitter

Odds: Florida -3 | O/U: 43.5

KEEP UP WITH THE GATORS

Busy during the week? Miss a feature, story or post on OnlyGators.com? No worries. Catch up on what you missed via the links below!

Story: RB Matt Jones out for the season | Notebook: Will Muschamp previews Missouri | Notes: Updated depth chart | Story: Limping, struggling Gators down but not out | Notebook: Muschamp updates injuries, kicking game | Notebook: Brent Pease talks RB Kelvin Taylor, pass protection | Friday Final: Florida controls own destiny, players speak

HISTORY / STREAKS / STATS

» Florida and Missouri are 1-1 in the all-time series against each other with UF picking up a 14-7 victory in Gainesville, FL, last season. It was the first meeting between the teams since Mizzou joined the SEC.
» The Gators will be playing in Columbia for the first time. Saturday’s game is also the furthest north Florida has traveled for a game since 1991.
» Last week, the Tigers beat a top-10 opponent on the road for the first time since 1981.
» Last week, the Gators fell to a top 25-ranked opponent for the fourth time in their last five opportunities dating back to Oct. 27, 2012.
» Missouri has not hosted a ranked opponent since Oct. 23, 2010. A victory that evening was also the last time the Tigers started a season 7-0.
» Florida is 15-0 under Muschamp when rushing for more than 150 yards (7-10 when rushing for fewer than 150 yards). The Gators are also 18-4 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points, 13-3 when an opponent rushes for fewer than 100 yards, 14-4 when scoring first (8-6 when an opponent scores first) and 18-1 when leading at the half (4-9 when tied or trailing at the break).
» UF has registered a nation-leading 104 interceptions since 2008. Florida is also first in interceptions returned for touchdowns (17) and interception return yards (1,830).
» The Gators have forced the most interceptions among SEC teams this century (360).
» Florida has at least one turnover in 17-straight games.
» Missouri has at least one turnover in 36-straight games, the longest active streak in the nation among BCS teams.
» The Gators’ top-ranked defense and Tigers’ top-ranked offense will provide one of the best match-ups of the season. Florida is ranked third in total defense (235.3 yards), fourth in scoring defense (13.0 points) and first in passing efficiency defense (85.52), while Missouri is 12th in total offense (515.7 yards), eighth in scoring offense (45.7 points) and 15th in passing efficiency (158.02). UF is fourth in first down defense (84 allowed) and eighth in third down conversion defense (.271), while Mizzou is 11th in first down offense (164 gained) and 10th in third down conversion percentage (.519).
» Florida is also first in time of possession (37 minutes), second in passing yards allowed (152), fourth in rushing defense (83.3 yards), sixth in kick return defense (16.88 yards) and 13th in red zone defense (.692).
» Missouri is also first in interceptions (13) and fourth in turnover margin (+9).
» The Gators have gained more than 400 yards of offense in three of six games; UF had the same number of 400+ yard games in 13 contests in 2012.

Read about the injuries and absences and much more…after the break!

Continue Reading » Gameday: No. 22 Florida Gators at No. 14 Missouri

Tags: Damien Jacobs, Farout Field, Gary Pinkel, Memorial Stadium, Missouri Tigers, Ronald Powell, Tyler Murphy, Will Muschamp

The No. 22/22 Florida Gators are on their way to Columbia, MO, to take on the No. 14/14 Missouri Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 12:21 p.m. As a long-time special OnlyGators.com feature, the following is the flight information for the Gators, which are flying over on an American Airlines Boeing 757-200 twin-jet.

You can also track the flight live while it is in the air!

ORIGIN: Gainesville Regional Airport (KGNV)
DESTINATION: Columbia Regional Airport (KCOU)

DURATION: 1 hour and 52 minutes

DEPARTURE: 2:55 p.m. EDT [scheduled 2:30 p.m. EDT]
ARRIVAL: 3:47 p.m. CDT [scheduled 3:33 p.m. CDT]

Tags: flight, Missouri Tigers, SEC

No. 22/22 Florida Gators coaches and players spoke this week ahead of Saturday’s road game against the No. 14/14 Missouri Tigers scheduled to kick off at 12:21 p.m. from Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO, and air live on SEC Network affiliates.

Below are some stories, notes and quotes that fell through the cracks and did not make it into one of the six posts already published here on OnlyGators.com (see links).

Monday: RB Matt Jones out for the season | Will Muschamp recaps LSU, talks injuries, previews Missouri
Tuesday: Updated depth chart | Limping, struggling Gators down but not out
Wednesday: Injury and kicking game updates from Muschamp
Thursday: Brent Pease talks RB Kelvin Taylor, pass protection (plus more notes from Pease and D.J. Durkin)

FLORIDA CONTROLS ITS OWN DESTINY

With every team in the East division already having dropped a league game – with the exception of Missouri, a team Florida could hand a loss to on Saturday – the Gators are very much in control of their own destiny, at least as far as the Southeastern Conference is concerned. Florida still has all of its goals in sight – winning the division, moving on to the SEC Championship in Atlanta, GA – a fact that was not lost on the coaches or players this week.

» Redshirt junior quarterback Tyler Murphy: “A lot of people brought up saying we could still win the East, we still have a chance to get to Atlanta. That’s our number one goal. Everyone was just saying we really need to focus in and have a great week of practice and get ready to go on the road and put forth a great effort to beat Missouri. We have a bye week the week after so this is a big week for us. Nothing would be worse than losing to Missouri going into a bye week. That’s in the back of everyone’s head. Everyone’s ready to go and ready to get this game on the road.”

» Senior safety Jaylen Watkins: “We definitely turn our eyes towards the East now. We definitely would like to have that game, but we do have everything still in front of us that we want to accomplish his season, which is the Sec East and going to the SEC Championship. We just have to regain our focus and get ready to go play Missouri.”

» Junior cornerback Marcus Roberson: “We haven’t lost to a team in the East yet, so we just have to win on out from Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri is coming up. We just have to win out and keep a positive mindset. We can’t let the past or the games we lost affect our season ahead of us. We control our own destiny, so if we play good and just do and trust what the coaches [tell us], we’ll win.”

Continue Reading » Friday Final: Florida to square off with Mizzou

Tags: Cody Riggs, D.J. Humphries, Jaylen Watkins, Jon Halapio, Kelvin Taylor, Mack Brown, Marcus Roberson, Max Garcia, Michael Taylor, Missouri Tigers, SEC, Tyler Murphy

Florida Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin met with the media on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively ahead of the seventh game of the season against the Missouri Tigers on Oct. 19.

A CHANGE AT RUNNING BACK

Freshman running back Kelvin Taylor has displayed great ability with the ball in his hands during his limited action this season and impressed Pease on Saturday with his poise and flashes of ability. With sophomore Matt Jones now sidelined, Taylor’s role will continue significantly increase going forward.

“I think Kelvin did really well. I mean, he ran the ball hard. You see he made some good vertical cuts and did a good job in space and ran tough,” Pease said. “He did his job. So, I think it’s good experience for him. I think he showed us something. And, you know, he really actually gave us a little spark in running the ball there for a while.”

Pease believes Taylor is ready to handle a large number of carries but said the player has to “zero in” because he’s going to have a lot more pressure on his shoulders and responsibilities other than toting the rock.

“It just can’t be all hand-offs to him. There’s some things that he didn’t do that he needed to do. The expectation on every down,” he said. “But I’ll tell you, the kid is a physical runner. He put it north and south. We missed a couple guys. Just his speed how he hit the holes, he made them miss, especially down in the red zone. And he got good, positive yardage. When we were in that position, we kind of kept going to him a little bit. When he got the ball, he was gaining five, six, seven [yards].”

Though many fans were frustrated that Taylor, outside of the Toledo game, had not seen much action, Pease said Taylor was accepting of his previously limited role.

“The thing about him, leading up to this point and not having so many turns, is that he never complained about it. He never said it’s not fair or this isn’t equal or anything like that. He just continued to work, tried to find some consistency in what he was doing and said when my opportunity comes, I’m gonna do it. Now it’s there. I’m happy for him, and I think he’ll just continue to get better and better.”

Continue Reading » 10/15: Pease talks Taylor, Gators’ pass protection

Tags: Ahmad Fulwood, Brent Pease, D.J. Durkin, Jabari Gorman, Jeff Driskel, Kelvin Taylor, Missouri Tigers, Solomon Patton, Tyler Murphy, Will Muschamp

No. 22/22 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp made his scheduled appearance Wednesday on the Southeastern Conference‘s weekly coaches teleconference and touched on a number of topics surrounding his team heading into Saturday’s road contest against the No. 14/14 Missouri Tigers.

INJURY UPDATES

Muschamp updated the status of redshirt junior Sam linebacker Ronald Powell (ankle), noting that he did not participate in practice on Monday or Tuesday but should be cleared to return to the field on Wednesday.

He also said that sophomore running back Matt Jones (torn meniscus) had successful surgery on Monday. “We feel like he came out of that surgery well, and we’ll see how that progresses,” he said.

Gators senior defensive tackle Dominique Easley (knee) tweeted Tuesday that he was headed to Pensacola, FL on Wednesday for surgery. Muschamp confirmed that Easley would be going under the knife with Dr. James Andrews performing the procedure. Easley will have surgery at Andrews’ Gulf Breeze, FL, facility.

FIELD GOAL KICKING

Clarifying the situation regarding Florida’s kickers, Muschamp confirmed that redshirt junior walk-on Frankie Velez would continue getting most field goal attempts, trying every kick from 47 yards out or closer.

Redshirt freshman Austin Hardin does have a stronger leg, he noted, so he would likely be called on for any exceptionally long field goals. Hardin will also continue handling kickoffs.

The competition remains open on a week-to-week basis.

NOTES AND QUOTES

» On if the defense needs help from Florida’s offense: “We just need to play well defensively. Our defense doesn’t need to worry about what our offense does. They need to play well, and we didn’t play well Saturday in Baton Rouge.”

Tags: Austin Hardin, Dominique Easley, Frankie Velez, Matt Jones, Missouri Tigers, Ronald Powell, SEC, Will Muschamp