1 » When out-of-conference opponents speak about the Southeastern Conference or the Florida Gators specifically, speed is usually one of the factors that noticeably separate them from the pack. Miami (OH) RedHawks head coach Michael Haywood has noticed it on video, calling the Gators’ speed “unbelievable” and a major factor on Saturday. “Most people look at it as skill positions,” Haywood said, “but when you watch their defensive front and you watch their defensive ends come off the ball, I mean they are exploding off the ball, dipping and ripping and turning that corner, and that poses a problem for you. You get less people out in the passing game because you have to [block] with backs, you have to leave the tight end in to help out.”

Miami sophomore quarterback Zac Dysert adds that even watching Florida on film is scary. “We don’t really get a chance to practice [against that kind of speed] out here,” he said. “You’ve just got to be ready for everything they’re doing. If you know everything they’re doing, you know where they’re going to be. Speed’s going to be a factor and you’ll have to make quick decisions. You can’t be late on anything.”

2 » Featured on the front page of ESPNU.com the No. 6 Gators volleyball (2-0) are set for three matches (Albany, Bowling Green and Colorado State) in two days this weekend after defeating two top-10 opponents (No. 9 Iowa State, No. 2 Nebraska) last week. “We’re encouraged by how hard the team played in that atmosphere,” head coach Mary Wise told ESPNU, “but we know we have a long way to go. The words ‘a work in progress’ were stated before the weekend and that hasn’t changed after the weekend.” Florida’s two victories were led by junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy, the AVCA Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week, who shined even though the Gators playing in front of a large group of people. “We’ve had some great wins, but we’ve never played in front of a crowd like that before,” Murphy said. “It definitely gives us a lot of convidence. It reassured us that everything we’d been doing over the summer and everything we’ve been doing so far in preseason has been working.”

Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Tags: AVCA, Kelly Murphy, Mary Wise, Miami RedHawks, Michael Haywood, Player of the Week, SEC, volleyball, Zac Dysert

OGGOA had the opportunity to participate in Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer’s Southeastern Conference teleconference on Wednesday (we will be doing so every week). Below are some notes from Meyer’s media availability (full transcript later):

» Meyer answering OGGOA’s question about redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey’s importance to the offense: “It’s his year. He’s gonna perform. He’s ready for it. He’s up to almost 180 – 178 he told me yesterday. He’s stronger than he’s ever been. He’s now focused on a position that really his body is more trained to be. And he has to give us the home run shot, and he’s got the ability. There’s really not an offense who can function without a home run hitter. And he’s either one or two on our list of guys that can take it to the distance.”

» Asked about whether or not he was concerned about junior running back Jeff Demps returning kickoffs, Meyer said the team is being “very cautious” but “hopefully we don’t return many kicks.” He also noted that Demps getting injured is one of the team’s main concerns; he no longer participates in “non-essential running” drills during practice and the team is “very cautious” with him throughout the week. “He just goes 40 yards every time he touches it at warp speed.”

» Meyer refused to pick either redshirt sophomore Jeremy Brown or senior Moses Jenkins as the team’s No. 2 cornerback, saying the duo is both competing in practice and will split time.

» He went out of his way to give shout-outs to freshmen quarterback Trey Burton and safety Matt Elam, redshirt freshman linebacker Jelani Jenkins and sophomore LB Jon Bostic as four players who will soon become household names among Florida fans.

» Read the rest of what Meyer had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 9/1: Florida coach Meyer’s SEC teleconference

Tags: A.J. Jones, Chris Leak, Chris Rainey, Gator Nation, James Bates, Jeff Demps, Jelani Jenkins, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Matt Elam, Matt Flynn, Moses Jenkins, Norm Carlson, Ryan Stamper, SEC, Steve Spurrier, Terron Sanders, Tim Tebow, Trey Burton, Tyler Murphy, Urban Meyer

1 » Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer reached out to redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley’s father recently to let him know that his son has really impressed him. “I said, ‘Enjoy the ride. Your son has grown up to be a man,’” Meyer explained. “I hope I get that same text some day from someone. That’s really cool. It’s the truth. What he’s done here in the last year has been exactly what we needed to have happen, and that is he’s grown up. He’s the leader of this team, and he’s Johnny Brantley. That’s good enough for us.” John Brantley III, a former Florida quarterback himself, was certainly proud.

2 » Saturday’s game against the Miami (OH) RedHawks is big for a number of Gators but perhaps no one is relishing the moment more than redshirt sophomore cornerback Jeremy Brown. “Words can’t explain. It’s a very special moment for me and my family because two years ago, I ran out the tunnel and couldn’t play. I wasn’t officially a Gator. To be able to contribute is a special moment,” Brown said. “A lot of times I feel like some people take football and the opportunity to be at a prestigious program like Florida – they take it for granted. They take practice for granted. Workouts, things you get every day – they take stuff like that for granted. When you’re on the verge of not playing football gain, you learn to appreciate things a lot more. You learn to appreciate the uniform. I was close to losing everything.”

3 » Two Florida women were honored with Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for their respective sports. Volleyball’s junior right-side/setter Kelly Murphy and soccer’s redshirt sophomore midfielder McKenzie Barney were each awarded Monday for their outstanding performances in their teams’ first week of 2010 action.

4 » Providing opportunities for kids to play organized sports, The C.I. Foundation (sponsored by Philadelphia Eagles tight end Cornelius Ingram) is attempting to raise money by giving way a fantastic seven-day, all-inclusive vacation (including airfare) to Sandals Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Their newest campaign, called “$10.00 for C.h.I.l.dren,” allows for fans and generous individuals to donate as little as $10 for the opportunity to win this fantastic trip. A winner will be announced on Sept. 15. For more information on how you can donate and enter, you can click right here.

Tags: C.I. Foundation, Cornelius Ingram, Jeremy Brown, John Brantley, John Brantley III, Kelly Murphy, McKenzie Barney, Miami RedHawks, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Player of the Week, SEC, soccer, Urban Meyer, volleyball

With the Florida Gators 2010-11 football season set to begin on Sept. 4, ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive is making a concerted effort to provide our readers with additional perspective from someone who has plenty of experience inside the huddle at The Swamp. On Tuesday, former national champion and multiple award-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel agreed to join OGGOA as a guest blogger for the entire month of September.

There are four games scheduled for Florida next month – Sept. 4 vs. Miami (OH), Sept. 11 vs. South Florida, Sept. 18 at Tennessee and Sept. 25 vs. Kentucky – and Wuerffel will be contributing his post-game thoughts and keeping readers abreast about how he thinks the team performed each Monday following the Gators game.

The 1996 winner of the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Unitas Award, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, NCAA QB of the Year Award, Draddy Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award (also 1995), Wuerffel has a unique perspective as a four-year player at Florida who passed for 10,875 yards and 114 touchdowns in his Florida career.

A first-team All-America selection in 1995 and 1996, many of Wuerffel’s numbers remain the best in Southeastern Conference history and the second-best in national history. In 1995, his efficiency of 178.4 set a single-season collegiate record, and in his Heisman year of 1996, his 3,625 yards (SEC record), 39 TDs (led nation, SEC record) and efficiency rating of 170.6 made him the first QB to ever post a rating of 170 or more in back-to-back years. Wuerffel led the Gators in passing in each of his four seasons (1993-96) and still holds Florida records for most career passing touchdowns and most passing touchdowns in a season (in which he also holds second place). In fact, one out of every 9.74 passes Wuerffel threw in his career would be scored for a touchdown.

Enshrined in the team’s Ring of Honor in 2006 and set to be immortalized in a statue outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2010, Wuerffel is now the executive director of Desire Street Ministries, which works to revitalize impoverished neighborhoods through spiritual and community development.

Keep a look out for his contributions exclusively here on OGGOA as the season begins!

OGGOA RELATED: Exclusive interview with Danny Wuerffel

Tags: All-American, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Danny Wuerffel, Davey O'Brien Award, Desire Street Ministries, Draddy Trophy, Heisman Trophy, Johnny Unitas Award, Maxwell Award, National Championship, Ring of Honor, SEC, The Swamp, Walter Camp Award

The Southeastern Conference officially announced the Florida Gators basketball team’s 2010-11 conference schedule on Thursday.

Jan. 8 vs. Ole Miss (CSS)
Jan. 11 at Tennessee (ESPN)
Jan. 15 vs. South Carolina (SEC Network)
Jan. 20 at Auburn (ESPN/ESPN2)
Jan. 22 vs. Arkansas (FSN)
Jan. 25 at Georgia (ESPN/ESPN2)
Jan. 29 at Mississippi State (CBS)
Feb. 1 vs. Vanderbilt (ESPN)
Feb. 5 vs. Kentucky (ESPN)
Feb. 9 at South Carolina (SEC Network)
Feb. 12 vs. Tennessee (ESPN/ESPN2)
Feb. 20 at LSU (ESPN/ESPN2)
Feb. 24 vs. Georgia (ESPN/ESPN2)
Feb. 26 at Kentucky (CBS)
Mar. 1 vs. Alabama (ESPNU)
Mar. 5 at Vanderbilt (ESPN)
Mar. 10-13 – SEC Tournament (Atlanta, GA)

» And here is the out-of-conference slate:

Oct. 28 vs. Florida Tech (Gainesville, FL)
Nov. 3 vs. Georgetown College (Gainesville, FL)
Nov. 12 vs. UNC-Wilmington (Gainesville, FL)
Nov. 16 vs. Ohio State (Gainesville, FL)
Nov. 18 vs. North Carolina A&T (Gainesville, FL)
Nov. 21 vs. Morehead State (Gainesville, FL)
Nov. 23 vs. Florida Atlantic (Gainesville, FL)
Nov. 28 at Florida State (Tallahassee, FL)
Dec. 1 vs. Central Florida (Orlando, FL – Amway Center)
Dec. 5 vs. American (Washington, D.C.)
Dec. 9 vs. Kent State (Gainesville, FL)
Dec. 18 vs. Kansas State (Sunrise, FL – BankAtlantic Center)
Dec. 20 vs. Jacksonville (Gainesville, FL)
Dec. 22 vs. Radford (Gainesville, FL)
Dec. 28 vs. Fairfield (Gainesville, FL)
Dec. 31 vs. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH)
Jan 3 vs. Rhode Island (Gainesville, FL)

» NOTES
- Florida has 12 conference games on national television.
- The Gators will hold Senior Day on Mar. 1 vs. Alabama.
- Florida does not end the season against Kentucky for the first time since 1999.

Tags: ESPN, SEC

During an ESPN conference call yesterday, former Florida Gators quarterback now network analyst Jesse Palmer spoke at length about the upcoming college football season. OGGOA had an opportunity to participate in the discussion and got Palmer to talk a bit about the 2010 version of the team. Read it all…after the break:
Continue Reading » ESPN’s Jesse Palmer on the 2010 Florida Gators

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, All-American, Andre Debose, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, Charlie Strong, Chris Leak, Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson, Desmond Howard, Jelani Jenkins, John Brantley, Justin Trattou, Maukrice Pouncey, Neyland Stadium, NFL, Riley Cooper, SEC, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Will Hill

When most college football fans think about the Florida Gators 1996 season, two names in particular come to mind: head coach Steve Spurrier and starting quarterback Danny Wuerffel. Winner of seven individual awards in 1996 including the Heisman Trophy (and another Davey O’Brien Award in 1995), Wuerffel led the Gators to their first National Championship in his final effort after a four-year career in which he threw for an astounding 10,875 yards and 114 touchdowns.

A first-team All-America selection in 1995 and 1996, many of Wuerffel’s numbers remain the best in Southeastern Conference history and the second-best in national history. In 1995, his efficiency of 178.4 set a single-season collegiate record, and in his Heisman year of 1996, his 3,625 yards (SEC record), 39 TDs (led nation, SEC record) and efficiency rating of 170.6 made him the first QB to ever post a rating of 170 or more in back-to-back years. Wuerffel led the Gators in passing in each of his four seasons (1993-96) and still holds Florida records for most career passing touchdowns and most passing touchdowns in a season (in which he also holds second place). In fact, one out of every 9.74 passes Wuerffel threw in his career would be scored for a touchdown.

Enshrined in the team’s Ring of Honor in 2006 and set to be immortalized in a statue outside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2010, Wuerffel is now the executive director of Desire Street Ministries, which works to revitalize impoverished neighborhoods through spiritual and community development.

OGGOA spoke to Wuerffel on Tuesday and, even though our interview was feared lost by a technical difficulty, it was recovered at the end of the day. How lucky are we?

ADAM SILVERSTEIN: Coming out of Fort Walton Beach, was attending the University of Florida an easy choice for you – something you always knew you wanted to do?
DANNY WUERFFEL: “Actually, we were living close to Florida State and my sister was attending Florida State. By default, I was more of a Seminole fan in high school. I took three visits – one to Alabama, one to Florida State and one to Florida. At the end of the day, the two things that drew me to Florida were, firstly, the quality of the education with so many different directions – I wasn’t centered or decided on a major and Florida just had so many highly respected colleges and majors to choose from – I was really impressed with the school, and then secondly, the opportunity to play for coach [Steve] Spurrier – too much to pass up.”

AS: When deciding on Florida, did you know your high school coach wanted to eventually go back to the Gators, or did that happen afterward?
DW: “Coach [Jimmy Ray Stephens] – he played at Florida and had coached at Florida and he was always hoping to get back there – I think that was one of his goals. It was a year or so after I got signed, a year or so after that, coach Spurrier gave him the opportunity to come.”

AS: You played four years at Florida – which is not something a lot of quarterbacks really get the chance to do – but obviously broke out in your final two seasons in 1995 and 1996. Was there a particular switch that turned on for you, was it a measure of the talent around you – what was the difference?
DW: “Practically what happened – both my freshman and sophomore year I was splitting time with Terry Dean – so in terms of snaps and reps, [I] didn’t get as much. For both the 1995 and 1996 team[s], there were some really, really dynamic players and folks that came along and we had two really good teams those two years. And it just happened those were the two years I was in the driver’s seat. When you’re in the right place at the right time with the right coaches and the right players, a lot of cool things can happen, and those were definitely some good years.”

Read the rest of our exclusive interview with Danny Wuerffell…after the break!
Continue Reading » QB Danny Wuerffel: “The opportunity to play for coach Spurrier – too much to pass up.”

Tags: All-American, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Campbell Trophy, Chicago Bears, Desire Street Ministries, Draddy Trophy, Florida State Seminoles, Heisman Trophy, Houston Texans, Hurricane Katrina, James Bates, Jarvis Moss, Jimmy Ray Stephens, John Brantley, Kerwin Bell, Lawrence Wright, Mike Ditka, MVP, National Championship, New Orleans Saints, NFL, NFL Europe, Ring of Honor, SEC, SEC Championship, Shane Matthews, Steve Spurrier, Terry Dean, The Promise, Tim Tebow, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Washington Redskins, World Bowl