No. 4/6 Florida Gators football (6-0, 5-0 SEC) kept the positive momentum going on Saturday with a 31-17 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-4, 1-3 SEC) at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, TN. The Gators became bowl eligible with the victory and matched their win total from the 2011 regular season while getting off to the team’s best start since 2009. Florida head coach Will Muschamp spoke with the media and provided some of his thoughts after the game.

HISTORY / STREAKS / NOTES

» Florida now holds a 22-game winning streak against Vanderbilt including 21-straight in the annual series dating back to 1992. Those 21-straight wins rank second-longest nationally in an uninterrupted series (UF’s 26-in-a-row over Kentucky ranks first).
» The Gators have started the season 6-0 for the first time since 2009.
» UF is 11-1 against unranked opponents and 2-5 against ranked teams since Muschamp took over the program in 2011.
» Florida is 9-0 under Muschamp when rushing for more than 150 yards and 0-4 when rushing for fewer than 100 yards. UF is also 10-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 21 points and 8-3 when scoring first.
» The Gators had been converting 41.7 percent of their third-down attempts this season but went just 2-of-11 (18.1 percent) against the Commodores.
» Florida had been holding opponents to 25.3 percent on third-down conversions but allowed Vanderbilt to convert 7-of-17 attempts (41.2 percent) on Saturday.
» UF out-possessed opponents by an average of 10:38 through five games but let VU win the possession battle by 6:20.
» The Gators are outscoring opponents 98-23 in the second half and 54-10 in the fourth quarter. The Commodores’ 10 fourth-quarter points on Saturday were the first UF has allowed all season.
» Florida had not allowed a touchdown in nine-straight quarters before Vanderbilt scored on on its opening drive Saturday.
» The Gators are +7 in turnover margin through five games after being -12 in 2011. UF has forced the most turnovers in the SEC (329) since 2000.
» Florida did not grab an interception for the first time this season.
» Vanderbilt sold out a home football game for the first time since 2008.

INJURY UPDATES

Redshirt junior Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins (hamstring), who was expected to be active for the game, was indeed dressed but did not play as his injury gave him issues. Muschamp believes he will be fine for the South Carolina game.

Redshirt senior left guard James Wilson, who had started all five games this season, injured his eye in practice on Wednesday and could not make the trip, Muschamp explained. He is expected to miss practice on Monday, return Tuesday and be able to play against USC.

Junior defensive end Dominique Easley, who tore his ACL last season and has experienced swelling in his knee throughout the season, had more again this weekend and did not dress for the game. He should also be able to play next week.

Five players got injured on Saturday. Senior left tackle Xavier Nixon (upper body), redshirt junior center James Harrison (arm), freshman wide receiver Latroy Pittman (ankle), freshman tight end Kent Taylor (ankle) and redshirt junior TE Jordan Reed (eye/head) all got hurt with Reed the only one to return to the game. Muschamp did not have more extensive updates on the players but said he would on Monday.

“I’m extremely pleased to be able to rush for that many yards and have three starting offensive linemen down. That says a lot about our guys stepping up and ‘man down and man up,’” Muschamp said, pointing to freshman LT D.J. Humphries, redshirt sophomore LG Ian Silberman and senior senior C Sam Robey. “When you run for 300 yards, you’ve done something right. Very pleased with those guys stepping up and doing a nice job for us.”

Read the rest of what Muschamp had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 10/13: Florida at Vanderbilt post-game report

Tags: Andre Debose, D.J. Humphries, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, Ian Silberman, James Harrison, James Wilson, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Kent Taylor, Latroy Pittman, Sam Robey, SEC, Solomon Patton, Trey Burton, Vanderbilt Commodores, Vanderbilt Stadium, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

The Vanderbilt Commodores gave the No. 4/6 Florida Gators everything they could handle on Saturday night at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, TN, but it simply was not enough to pull off the upset as Florida (6-0, 5-0 SEC) always had an answer for Vanderbilt (2-4, 1-3 SEC) and picked up a hard-fought 31-17 victory.

The Gators out-rushed the Commodores 327-126 in an effort led by Florida sophomore Jeff Driskel, who scored three rushing touchdowns and bested Tim Tebow by setting a school single-game record for a quarterback with 177 rushing yards.

Vanderbilt got on the board first, completing a six-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in quarterback Jordan Rodgers’s first touchdown pass since the second week of the season. The Commodores benefited from a 15-yard penalty at the beginning of the drive when kick-catch interference was called on Gators sophomore cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy for hitting the punt returner too soon after he caught the ball.

Purifoy then got beat by wide receiver Chris Boyd for a 37-yard reception, and Florida junior safety Matt Elam was leapt over in the end zone three plays later as WR Jordan Matthews hauled in the touchdown. It was the first touchdown UF had given up in nine quarters dating back to the Tennessee game in week three.

The Gators finally registered some points on their first possession of the second quarter. Florida took over at its own nine yard line and put together an 11-play, 91-yard drive to score its first points of the game. Senior running back Mike Gillislee tallied 27 yards on the possession, but it was sophomore QB Jeff Driskel who scampered 37 yards down the left sideline for the touchdown.

UF then decided to go for two and converted as junior RB Trey Burton took a keeper into the end zone on a spread-out formation to give the Gators an early 8-7 lead.

Read the rest of the Florida-Vanderbilt story…after the break!
Continue Reading » QB Jeff Driskel’s 177 yards, three touchdowns lead No. 4/6 Florida over Vanderbilt 31-17

Tags: Caleb Sturgis, De'Ante Saunders, Earl Okine, Jeff Driskel, Jon Bostic, Jordan Rodgers, Josh Evans, Loucheiz Purifoy, Matt Elam, Mike Gillislee, Neiron Ball, Omarius Hines, SEC, Solomon Patton, Trey Burton, Vanderbilt Commodores, Vanderbilt Stadium

Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp made an appearance Wednesday during the Southeastern Conference‘s weekly coaches teleconference and touched on a number of topics surrounding his team and its upcoming game against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at 12:21 p.m. live on SEC Network.

INJURY UPDATES

The injury situation up to this point has not been as devastating for the Gators as it has been in years past though some key players are still on the mend and attempting to rejoin the team this season.

Muschamp announced Wednesday that redshirt junior Will linebacker Jelani Jenkins received a new hand cast for his broken thumb recently and has a very good chance of being ready to play against LSU after the bye week. “In eight days they’re going to pull the pin out of there and take another look at it, but he’s going to start lifting and running [Wednesday] as far as getting back into the swing of things, getting his body back. We’ll go from there,” he said.

The news was not as positive for junior defensive end Dominique Easley and fifth-year redshirt junior tackle Matt Patchan.

Easley, who looked like he may have re-injured his knee (torn ACL against Florida State last season), did not do any major damage but still has swelling in the area and is “questionable” for Saturday’s game against Kentucky. Patchan (pectoral) continues to be out and Muschamp does not know when he will be back despite the fact that his injury was only expected to cost him a few weeks.

CONFIDENCE A HUGE FACTOR FOR FLORIDA

Starting the 2012 campaign with a 3-0 record including two big road victories against tough SEC opponents has been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Gators. Muschamp believes the team’s overall maturity, coupled with this confidence boost, is what has Florida rolling right now.

“Any time you win and have success it brings some confidence to you as a player. Confidence is such a key part of athletics,” he said. “When you feel good about something and you think positively about something. I always tell the players: A positive attitude doesn’t guarantee anything but a negative one does. Any time you’re negative or you think in a negative way, you’re not usually going to have much success. Our guys expect to play well. Our guys expect to win in every situation. That’s what you want in your program and that’s what happened around here for a long time. We got a lot of tradition in our program. Guys came here to Florida to play in games like they’ve played and they’ll play in again on Saturday at 12:21 p.m.”

Though the Wildcats are 1-2 with losses to Louisville and Western Kentucky and their sole win at home against Kent State, Muschamp said UF’s players have not begun looking ahead and are completely zoned in on this week’s game.

“My approach has always been every game counts as one regardless of the situation or circumstances of where you play or who you play,” he said. “That’s how we try to approach every game for that reason. I thought we had very good practice [Tuesday]. I thought we had really good tempo. Our guys went out and worked. We need to clean some things up, but I thought their focus was there. I thought they were tuned into what we were trying to do in the meetings and those sorts of things.”

NOTES AND QUOTES
CLICK TO EXPAND and read more of what Muschamp had to say.

Tags: Andre Debose, Brent Pease, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jordan Reed, Kentucky Wildcats, Latroy Pittman, Matt Elam, Matt Patchan, Omarius Hines, Quinton Dunbar, Raphael Andrades, SEC, Solomon Patton, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp

With the team preparing for its fourth game of the season, a 12:21 p.m. home contest on Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats, Florida Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease met with the media Tuesday to discuss improvements being made by his side of the ball and some of the standout players on offense.

PLAYER THOUGHTS

» On the game slowing down for sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel: “He’s just starting to see the whole picture. He’s understanding what defenses are doing to him, how the moving parts are going to take place at the snap of the ball. Your anticipation is much better where before he might have been waiting for things to happen, hoping for receivers to get there. Now he’s seeing them get open, knowing the zones they are going to get into or the man match-ups before they actually happen.”

» On junior wide receiver Solomon Patton: “Solo, he’s such a threat on the edge. The kid’s fast. He gets good, productive yards. He’s very smart as a football player, and his role is growing. You saw him do a great job on Jeff’s scramble, make a catch and get his toes down on the sideline. He’s worked at it, and you give him a lot of credit. He’s practiced hard, and he’s getting better.”

» On sophomore fullback Hunter Joyer: “He’s really improved on his blocking. He’s developed a form of physicality that we need. It is a thankless job sometimes. He brings a threat that – he can catch some passes for us. Occasionally he’s going to have the ball in his hands. And he never complains about what the situation is. He’s smart; he understands all the movement of everything. He just brings that hard work ethic. I guess I kind of relate it to like a Mike Alstott when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That type of guy that just works like that and never complains, goes out and he doesn’t get a lot of credit all the time because he doesn’t have rushing yards and touchdowns and all that. If it wasn’t for him, our plays wouldn’t break the way they do.”

» On junior running back Trey Burton’s six touchdown game against Kentucky in 2010: “I’ve heard about it. He informs me every day.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

» On running the Wildcat and how it benefits the offense: “Wherever we’ve been we’ve always had that little package. Having Trey, especially when you hit an 80-yarder like that, it forces the defense to play a different hand, make different calls. There’s ways of defending it, but you got to have some answers to it and somewhere along the line they’ll probably have some things we’re not prepared for that they can defend it with.”

» On if he makes a lot of adjustments for the offense at halftime: “There’s not a lot of adjustments. There’s some minor things. You kind of eliminate some things that haven’t worked. [...] We got to make our adjustments to how we’re going to attack them. I told the kids at the half that we have to turn this into a little bit of a throwing game because they were hitting us pretty well on our inside run stuff.”

» On Florida’s notorious short-yardage issues through three games: “Penetration. We just got to get in and block our gaps better, especially on the goal line. I probably did a bad job on the second call down there. Mike hit it down to the one. I thought we could get it in from the one. The next call I probably should have done something different than putting the kids in the situation I did. I can help them out. I can go back and look at the calls. But we still got to, up front, cover people up, get our cleats in the ground and move people. We should be able to move people in that situation with the kids that we have.”

» On redshirt senior WR Frankie Hammond, Jr. going for big yards-after-catch twice already this year: “Once you kind of develop that motor habit then you get good at it. I think the kids, all of them, have done a good job of that at practice. Frankie’s is noticeable because he went 75 yards. And he had to make kind of a touch catch because his route was going back out and Jeff threw it inside a little bit because of the urgency of the pressure and that’s where it had to be. All the guys – you don’t notice the kid that’s catching the five-yard route and just knifing through to get to eight yards. That’s big in the coaching aspect of things, too. You guys don’t see that as much because he’s not taking it that far. But he’s putting us in a 2nd-and-2 situation, whoever that is. And all the kids work to get that. They understand what vertical cutting is all about.”

» On the other side’s perspective when on a long losing streak against a particular team: “We [at Kentucky] knew at that time we had to be on our game. We couldn’t have a lot of mistakes. We had to keep the game close.”

Tags: Frankie Hammond, Hunter Joyer, Jeff Driskel, Solomon Patton, Trey Burton

Following a rough first 30 minutes that left fans wondering whether or not the No. 17/18 Florida Gators were up to the task of winning a second-straight game on the road, Florida (3-0, 2-0 SEC) once again proved that they are a second-half team as they outscored the No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers (2-1, 0-1 SEC) down the stretch to take a hard-fought 37-20 victory on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN.

The Gators gained 227 yards of offense in the third quarter alone and outgained the Volunteers 555-340 over 60 minutes on the way to their eighth-straight victory against their SEC rivals. Florida outscored Tennessee 17-6 in the second half and possessed the ball for nearly seven more minutes over the course of the game.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel came through big in his second start for the Gators, going 14/20 or 219 yards and two touchdowns while adding seven carries for 81 yards on the ground. Senior running back Mike Gillislee, hampered with a strained groin heading into the contest, carried the ball 18 times for 115 yards including two breakaway rushes that helped lead UF to victory.

After kicking off to start the game and forcing a punt, Florida took over from their own 11 but was pushed back to the two after redshirt junior wide receiver Andre Debose fumbled a pitch on a reverse. The Gators were saved, however, by a 55-yard punt from sophomore Kyle Christy that flipped the field nicely.

Tennessee brought the ball across midfield on its very next possession, but redshirt senior Buck linebacker Lerentee McCray intercepted quarterback Tyler Bray on 3rd-and-12 to get the ball back for Florida. It was the first pick of his career.

The Gators did not waste much time from there as Driskel hit redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed on a 20-yard pass and junior running back Trey Burton followed that play up with a fake Wildcat handoff that he took 14 yards into the end zone.

Read the rest of his Florida-Tennessee game story…after the break!
Continue Reading » Second half surge sends No. 17/18 Florida to 37-20 victory over No. 23 Tennessee in Knoxville

Tags: Andre Debose, Cordarrelle Patterson, Dominique Easley, Frankie Hammond, Jeff Driskel, Jordan Reed, Kyle Christy, Marcus Roberson, Mike Gillislee, SEC, Solomon Patton, Tennessee Volunteers, Trey Burton, Tyler Bray, Will Muschamp

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

Though things could still change over the next five days, the Florida Gators on Monday morning released the team’s first official depth chart for the 2012 season. As was noted by head coach Will Muschamp last week, sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel will both play against the Bowling Green Falcons though who will take the first snap has not yet been determined.

Florida omitted players who are not participating in the season opener, therefore the below depth chart is not the “best case scenario” version. A list of those players can be found at the end along with some additional explanations.

QB: Jeff Driskel OR Jacoby Brissett
RB: Mike Gillislee, Mack Brown
FB: Hunter Joyer, Trey Burton
WR (X): Frankie Hammond, Jr., Latroy Pittman/Andre Debose
WR (Z): Quinton Dunbar, Solomon Patton
F: Trey Burton, Omarius Hines
TE: Jordan Reed, Clay Burton

LT: Xavier Nixon, Kyle Koehne
LG: James Wilson, Ian Silberman
C: Jonotthan Harrison, Sam Robey
RG: Jon Halapio, Jessamen Dunker
RT: Chaz Green, Trip Thurman

Click to expand and check out the rest of the week one depth chart.

Tags: Andre Debose, Antonio Morrison, Bowling Green Falcons, Chaz Green, Clay Burton, Damien Jacobs, Dante Fowler, Darrin Kitchens, Dominique Easley, Drew Ferris, Frankie Hammond, Hunter Joyer, Ian Silberman, Jacoby Brissett, James Wilson, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Jelani Jenkins, Jessamen Dunker, John Crofoot, Jon Bostic, Jon Halapio, Jonotthan Harrison, Jordan Reed, Kyle Christy, Kyle Crofoot, Kyle Koehne, Latroy Pittman, Leon Orr, Lerentee McCray, Louchiez Purifoy, Mack Brown, Michael Taylor, Mike Gillislee, Neiron Ball, Omar Hunter, Omarius Hines, Quinton Dunbar, Sam Robey, Sharrif Floyd, Solomon Patton, Todd Fennell, Trey Burton, Trip Thurman, Tyler Murphy, Xavier Nixon

With the 2011-12 athletic season now in the books and the 2012-13 season about to begin, the focus has shifted to the return of Florida Gators football. For the second-straight year, OGGOA will take a look at every player of substance on the roster, counting down by jersey number, in this series: The Countdown.

89 – Stephen Alli (Toronto, ON)
Redshirt junior wide receiver
6’6” 217 lbs.

Quick Bio/Career Stats: The only Canadian on the team, Alli made the SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll in 2009 despite not seeing the field in his true freshman season. He played in all 13 games in 2010 but spent most of his time on special teams, hauling in a total of three receptions for 17 yards on offense.

2011 Season: Though Alli played in all but one game in 2011, he saw almost all of his action on special teams and did not record any statistics.

2012 Outlook: Singled out as a leader by head coach Will Muschamp during spring practice in 2011, Alli did not get the opportunity to follow through on offense during the season. He was listed as the second X-receiver on the depth chart for the second-straight year in March but missed a number of spring practices with a groin injury. Muschamp said on May 8 that Alli would miss approximately three months of action after having successful surgery on a stress fracture on his leg. He rejoined the team in the middle of August but has not stood out as of yet among the receivers that have been getting regular repetitions during training camp.

88 – Clay Burton (Venice, FL)
Sophomore tight end
6’4” 232 lbs.

Quick Bio/2011 Season: The younger brother of Florida junior running back Trey Burton, Clay was an early enrollee as a freshman defensive end but transitioned to tight end in the fall of 2011 due to depth issues. He dressed for six games but only saw action in one, playing sparingly against UAB.

2012 Outlook: Still in the process of making the transition to tight end, Burton was listed as a reserve on the spring depth chart and is going head-to-head with plenty of others for playing time. Though the coaching staff has complimented his progress, Burton has a ways to go until he develops into a true tight end that can contribute on a regular basis.

Check out five more players in this edition of The Countdown…after the break!
Continue Reading » The Countdown: Florida Gators roster (89-80)

Tags: Brent Pease, Clay Burton, Colin Thompson, Frankie Hammond, Raphael Andrades, Solomon Patton, Stephen Alli, Tevin Westbrook, Trey Burton, Will Muschamp