Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer and senior quarterback Tim Tebow (along with other players and coaches) speak with the media every Monday afternoon. Here are some notes from their press conferences. More information and quotes will come later.
Continue Reading » Monday press conference – Gators vs. Razorbacks
1 » Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer sought the advice of his mentors and fellow coaches in making a decision regarding quarterback Tim Tebow. He spoke with current ESPN analyst Lou Holtz, former Ohio State Buckeyes coach Earle Bruce and two current coaches whose names he kept private. “I learned a lot these past two weeks,” Meyer said.
2 » Tebow, middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, wide receiver Riley Cooper, defensive end Jermaine Cunningham and kick returner Brandon James have been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 23 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL.
Each week following the conclusion of a Florida Gators game, ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive will grade the team position-by-position on how it performed in that match-up. This week, we look at how the Gators fared against the LSU Tigers in Death Valley.
QUARTERBACK: A
Tim Tebow was asked to tone it down and be a game manager, something that is not necessarily in his nature. Nevertheless, knowing the significance of the injury he came back from and the wishes of the coaching and medical staff, he did exactly that. An inexplicable interception late was Tebow’s only flaw on the night, and the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback made good throws when they were called.
RUNNING BACKS: A
No huge game-breaking runs from the Gators attack Saturday, but that is not something you can expect against the Tigers. Running back Jeff Demps was a madman, gaining 86 tough yards on 16 carries while Emmanuel Moody took some of the power rushing load off Tebow with six carries for 42 yards of his own. Moody showed up when he was needed the most, and that is what counts.
Continue Reading » Grading the No. 1 Florida Gators game at LSU
1 » While Florida Gators doctors were stressed about the eventual results of quarterback Tim Tebow‘s tests on Saturday, Tebow was more scared Friday afternoon while he was flying into the game. Tebow, a notoriously bad flier, often gets sick on flights – especially when there is a lot of turbulence. “I didn’t get sick, which was a great test for the doctors,” Tebow said. “Honestly, I think God kept me healthy on that plane ride, because most of the time I would probably have gotten sick on that plane ride, and that would have looked bad as far as me playing.”
2 » Saturday night’s game was not all about Tebow, as the Gators have another leader out there on the field. Middle linebacker Brandon Spikes finished with a team-high 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Spikes lined up all over the field, playing both middle and outside linebacker positions as well as at defensive end. “Spikes felt like he got called out earlier in the day on ESPN by (Kirk) Herbstreit. He felt like he got called out, so I guess he stepped up tonight,” senior linebacker Ryan Stamper said.
3 » While Florida made a name for themselves on the ground in Death Valley, the biggest play of the game was through the air when Tebow hooked up with wide receiver Riley Cooper for the game’s only touchdown. “Coop’s a playmaker and we gotta keep going to him,” tight end Aaron Hernandez said. “When we need to take a shot, Coop’s the one to go to.”
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Wrapping up Florida at LSU
Senior quarterback Tim Tebow took the field for the No. 1 Florida Gators two weeks after suffering a concussion and wore down Southeastern Conference-rival No. 4 LSU Tigers 13-3 Saturday night in Baton Rouge, LA. While Tebow was able to start for the Gators, it was the Florida defense that stole the show in Death Valley, holding the Tigers to three points and only 162 total yards.
The largest crowd in Tiger Stadium history at 93,129 was no match for a passionate Florida team, which sacked LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson five times and compiled 327 total yards on offense. The Gators (5-0, 3-0) won their 15th straight game while snapping LSU’s (5-1, 3-1) 32-game winning streak at home during Saturday night games.
Florida ran the ball 48 times in the contest, with Tebow grabbing 38 yards on 17 carries and running back Jeff Demps leading the attack, touching the ball 16 times for 86 yards. RB Emmanuel Moody also contributed on the ground, earning 42 yards on six rushes. Through the air, Tebow completed 11 of 16 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown. He also through an inexplicable interception late in the game. Wide receiver Riley Cooper caught the sole touchdown of the game while tight end Aaron Hernandez led the receivers with six receptions for 70 yards.
On special teams, kicker Caleb Sturgis was shaky at best, missing a 25-yard field goal while also kicking a concerning extra point and 32-yarder that both ended up good. Kick returner Brandon James was held silent by punts directed out of bounds and one kickoff that went through the back of the end zone.
LSU’s offense never really got going with running back Charles Scott only touching the ball 13 times for 53 yards. Jefferson was pressured all night long as Florida collapsed the pocket and blitzed from all angles. Gators middle linebacker Brandon Spikes finished with 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks on the evening, and cornerback Joe Haden grabbed an interception at the end of the first half.
The Gators return to Gainesville, FL, next weekend for their homecoming game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Game time has not been set, though CBS plans to air it either at 3:30 p.m. or as its night game.
Location: Tiger Stadium – Baton Rouge, LA [Capacity: 92,400]
Time: 8:00 p.m. (EST)
Weather Forecast: 72-65°F – 40% chance of precipitation
TV: CBS-HD
Sirius XM: XM 215 (Gators), XM 214 (Tigers)
| Florida Gators | LSU Tigers |
| Head Coach: Urban Meyer | Head Coach: Les Miles |
| Record: 4-0 (2-0) | Record: 5-0 (3-0) |
| Division: SEC East | Division: SEC West |
| Roster | Schedule | Roster | Schedule |
Odds: Florida -9, O/U 45.5
Head-to-Head Stats: Gainesville Sun
KEEP AN EYE ON…
- Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow…who is currently second all-time to former Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker in Southeastern Conference rushing touchdowns with 48. He needs one more to tie Walker’s record.
- Wide receiver Deonte Thompson…who makes his return to the Gators after injuring his hamstring against the Troy Trojans in the second week of the season. With Thompson out and both WR Riley Cooper and tight end Aaron Hernandez ill a few weeks ago, Florida’s receiving core is finally healthy and looking to break out.
- LSU Tigers running back Charles Scott…who had season highs of 19 carries and 95 yards last week against Georgia. The Tigers want to get him more involved.
- The winner of the Florida/LSU game…who has gone on to win the National Championship each of the last three seasons.
STREAKS:
- The Gators are in the middle of their longest winning streak in school history with 14 consecutive victories. They also hold the longest active winning streak in the NCAA.
- Florida holds a 29-23-3 series lead over LSU in 55 all-time meetings.
- The Tigers have won 32 consecutive Saturday night games in Tiger Stadium, a streak that has been going on since 2002.
- LSU is listed as an underdog for only the fourth time in the last nine seasons when playing at home. The Tigers are winless in their last three meetings as home underdogs.
- Since joining the Gators, head coach Urban Meyer has a 6-1 record against opponents ranked in the top five and a 10-2 streak against top 10 teams.
- When ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, Florida is 18-4 all-time. LSU is 2-8-1 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.
Read OGGOA’s complete Florida at LSU GameDay preview after the jump…
Continue Reading » Week 6: No. 1 Florida Gators at No. 4 LSU Tigers
1 » No. 1 Florida Gators have very much been a one-dimensional team so far this season, earning their keep with a running game that is part power, part finesse. Led by running back Jeff Demps, the Gators are averaging 307.5 rushing yards per game (leading the nation) but have only put up 124 passing yards, on average, in their first two SEC games. In 2008, Florida had a nearly perfect balance in this area, averaging 229.8 and 212.6 yards, respectively. The legitimate reason for this disparity? Injury and illness. Wide receiver Deonte Thompson has missed the last two games while rehabbing a sore hamstring while both WR Riley Cooper and TE Aaron Hernandez played through the Tennessee Volunteers game with the flu. As the schedule gets tougher and the Gators invade Tiger Stadium to face No. 4 LSU Tigers Saturday night, the offense must even out in order to keep the Bayou Bengals on their heels.
2 » South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier is often credited with bringing the University of Florida football program into national prominence. As a coach, he earned the Florida Gators their first National Championship, second Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Danny Wuerffel, 10 Associated Press Top 10 finishes and winning a whopping 86% of his SEC games in his UF career. He also never won fewer than nine games in a season while coaching the Orange & Blue. Yet while all that is true, Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal brings up the question: Was it Florida that made Spurrier and not the other way around?
LSU Tigers fans are famous (make that “infamous”) for acquiring the cell phone numbers of opponents’ players and leaving messages on said players’ voicemails. Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow knows this well; he was the victim of numerous prank calls the week before UF visited Tiger Stadium in 2007. In fact, you may very well have seen him dial on his hand and put it up to his ear after he scored a rushing touchdown during that game.
In what should come as a surprise to no one, LSU’s fans are at it again, prank calling head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, wide receiver Riley Cooper, QB John Brantley and others.
While I see this as good-hearted fun, it is a bit disturbing how easily these fans (or one fan in particular) seem to be acquiring these numbers. More importantly, I am quite sure that the messages left on these players’ phones are “Go Tigers.” Instead, they are most likely vulgar and profanity filled.
So I ask you, the OGGOA reader, to be unbiased and comment below. Is this phone call prank fair or foul?
Taurean Green (@TaureanJGreen):
"Yes yes....my #GatorBoys in the Elite 8. All u jive time turkeys that thought Marquette was gonna win can sit down and go to sleep!"
The Silver Lining is an exclusive column written by Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com for Yahoo! Sports and Rivals.com affiliate InsideTheGators.com. OGGOA readers can receive a special discount on a subscription to InsideTheGators, which can be accessed by clicking the image above!
