From the day the participants in the 2013 Sugar Bowl were announced, a major story heading into the game has been No. 21 Louisville Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong going up against the No. 3 Florida Gators, a team he coached in one position or another for 16 of the 30 years in which he has been a coach.

After graduating from Central Arkansas, Strong took a graduate assistant job at Florida from 1983-84. He moved on to two other stops and returned to Gainesville, FL as an outside linebackers coach from 1988-89. He returned two years later to serve as assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach from 1991-94. Strong then spent seven years away before returning to UF as defensive coordinator (and assistant head coach) from 2002-09.

Central Arkansas may be his alma mater, but Florida is undoubtedly a second collegiate home to Strong. Yet while fans and the media are focused on the back story, Strong has spent little time thinking about the Gators that way. That’s not to say he will not be touched by the moment at some point before the game begins.

“Well, see, I guess [it] really hasn’t hit me yet because I haven’t seen many of the players. So probably when I walk into the stadium for the first time [Wednesday] night and look across the sideline, you see a lot of those players you were able to recruit. Then it kind of hits you,” he said on Tuesday. “Once you hear the band rev up and play the different songs that you’re so familiar with … it will be something special. I mean, you kind of sit there, I’ll probably be in a daze for a second, but I still got to get refocused and get my team going also.”

Strong knows he has to be focused because his Cardinals are going up against a formidable opponent. He did not waste much time before praising UF as he lauded his former school as part of his opening statement on Tuesday.

Continue Reading » Sentimental Strong ready to lead Louisville

Tags: Charlie Strong, Jon Bostic, Louisville Cardinals, Matt Elam, Sugar Bowl, Will Muschamp

On New Year’s Day 2012, Florida Gators fans were likely worried about the future of the program as their team was getting ready to face Ohio State in a showdown of underperforming .500 teams in the Gator Bowl. Only the most optimistic among them could have imagined that exactly one year later, their Gators would be ranked No. 3 in the country and back in a BCS bowl game for the first time since the 2009 season.

Nevertheless, that is exactly what Florida is faced with on Wednesday, a big-time contest against the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals in what will no doubt be an exciting game for both fan bases.

For the Gators, a victory on Wednesday will be a near-perfect ending to a bounce back season. Florida undoubtedly hoped to have a chance at the national title but will instead be focused on putting the rubber stamp on a newfound toughness that Muschamp started instilling in the team during bowl practices one year ago.

Continue Reading » Florida focused on preparation and execution

Tags: BCS, Dan Quinn, Louisville Cardinals, Sugar Bowl, Will Muschamp

No. 3 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp and No. 21 Louisville Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming 2013 Sugar Bowl and their respective teams heading into the game. Below are some choice notes and quotes from the media sessions.

» Muschamp on freshman standouts: “You look at Antonio Morrison, [Jonathan] Bullard and [Dante] Fowler. Those three guys have been as productive as any freshman I’ve been around.”

» Muschamp on becoming a head coach: “It’s taking the right job. I had other opportunities before the Florida job came. It’s about taking the right job. It’s about the right situation, the right people, the right circumstances, being in a situation where you think you can be successful. All the critical factors as far as recruiting base, support from the administration, all of those things need to be in place.”

» Muschamp on Florida’s lagging Sugar Bowl ticket sales and if the numbers worry him: “Obviously right now economically we’re going through a tough time in our country. I think that certainly has affected everyone, not just Gator fans. And so that’s a tough time right now and there’s different ways to get tickets other than going through the University Athletic Association. Obviously we’re seeing a little bit of a loophole those things happening as well. … I don’t worry about that. I worry about third down and stuff like that. I let Jeremy [Foley] worry about that.”

» Muschamp on an injury update: “We’re fine. We’re good to go for the game.”

» Muschamp on playing in a dome and what the team has had to do to prepare: “Adjusting to the lights. We’ve worked it all week, as far as seeing the punt catchers and kick off and receivers working and catching the football because it’s a little different with the lights in the stadium there. We’ve worked on that. And kicking in an environment for [Caleb] Sturgis is good for us. We can probably be at the 38 yard line and be in range for a 55-yard, 56-yard [field goal] maybe even to the 40 [yard line].”

» Muschamp said sophomore cornerback Marcus Roberson will be the punt returner while sophomore CB Loucheiz Pufioy and redshirt junior wide receiver Andre Debose will both be back for kick returns.

Read the rest of what Muschamp and Strong had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 1/1: Muschamp, Strong talk teams, Sugar Bowl

Tags: Andre Debose, Antonio Morrison, Big East, Caleb Sturgis, Charlie Strong, Dante Fowler, Jeff Driskel, Joker Phillips, Jonathan Bullard, Loucheiz Purifoy, Louisville Cardinals, Marcus Roberson, SEC, Sugar Bowl, Teddy Bridgewater, Will Muschamp

No. 3 Florida Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease and a handful of players met with the media after practice on Sunday to preview the 2013 Sugar Bowl against the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals and provide thoughts on the team heading into the game.

SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR JEFF DRISKEL IN 2013

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, fresh off a regular season in which he led the Gators to 10 wins in his 11 starts while posting an 11-3 touchdown-interception ratio (with four more scores on the ground), is only scratching the surface. That according to Pease and his teammates, who all believe that by the time he is done at Florida, Driskel could be one of the all-time greats.

“Tim Tebow is a great quarterback, I don’t want to take nothing from him,” senior running back Mike Gillislee told the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar Thompson on Sunday. “But I think Driskel is going to be a lot better. I think after this year he’s going to be a lot better.”

Both Gillislee and redshirt senior wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. described Driskel as a humble leader who is focused not on his numbers but rather ensuring that the offense runs smoothly and everyone on the field gets involved.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Hammond, who noted that Driskel’s ability to call plays at the line of scrimmage is a big-time characteristic he already possesses. “It’s a great advantage. Having trust in the quarterback like that and knowing that he will get us guys in the right situation. When we are all on the same page and we all see it through his eyes, how he sees it, then everything starts clicking.”

Pease on Sunday called Driskel “a good kid” and “a good player” who showed that he took steps every week, increased his knowledge and became a better leader. For those reasons, he is in the position to take a huge leap in his second year as a starter as he, the players around him and the offense as a whole continues developing.

Read the rest of what the Gators had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 12/30: Driskel’s future, Gillislee’s present

Tags: Adrian Bushnell, Brent Pease, Frankie Hammond, Jacoby Brissett, James Wilson, Jeff Driskel, Joker Phillips, Jon Halapio, Louisville Cardinals, Mike Gillislee, Sugar Bowl, Will Muschamp

According to the Palm Beach Post’s Jason Lieser, the Florida Gators are preparing for a pair of juniors – defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and safety Matt Elam – to declare for the 2013 NFL Draft but are also expecting to keep at least two other prominent third-year players.

Two sources told the paper that “[junior defensive end] Dominique Easley and [redshirt junior Will linebacker] Jelani Jenkins are coming back for their senior seasons.”

Floyd and Elam have long been considered the two likeliest juniors to turn pro after the 2013 Sugar Bowl as each is expected to be selected in the first or second round.

The Gainesville Sun‘s Pat Dooley reported on Dec. 10 that “Floyd is gone.”

Sources close to Elam have told OGGOA throughout the season that his brother, Kansas City Chiefs safety Abram Elam, will play a big part in helping decide his future. Abram has told Matt in the past that he would prefer that he stay in school unless he assured of being a first-round selection.

Easley and Jenkins may be joined for one more year of college football by redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed, who remains a “wildcard,” according to Lieser.

Dooley also reported in early December that Floyd, Elam, Jenkins and Reed submitted paperwork to be evaluated for the NFL Draft. Easley did not.

Floyd, Elam and Easley all deflected questions about their respective futures during media opportunities this week in New Orleans, LA.

The Gators have not had an underclassman declare for and get selected in the draft since cornerback Joe Haden, center Maurkice Pouncey, DE Carlos Dunlap, S Major Wright and TE Aaron Hernandez were all chosen in the first 113 picks of the 2010 NFL Draft. S Will Hill left early but went undrafted in 2011.

Tags: Dominique Easley, Draft, Jelani Jenkins, Jordan Reed, Matt Elam, NFL, Sharrif Floyd, Sugar Bowl

No. 3 Florida Gators defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and a handful of players met with the media after practice on Saturday to preview the 2013 Sugar Bowl against the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals and provide thoughts on the team heading into the game.

ELAM’S IMPORTANCE AND FUTURE

Not every team has player as passionate and tough as junior safety Matt Elam. A first-team All-American who may very well be playing his final game at Florida, he was asked on Saturday what play he will remember from the 2012 season. “Maybe the LSU game. That strip was a big play. That saved the game. That probably was the biggest play of the year,” he said.

His teammates agree. “Right after they showed that the ball did come out and they said it was our ball. That might be the play,” senior linebacker Jon Bostic noted.

Elam is Florida’s best playmaker on the defensive side of the ball but may very well be taking his talents to the next level. According to Dwyer High School head coach Jack Daniels, who spoke to the Palm Beach Post, Elam’s time in the orange and blue may be through on Wednesday. “I think he’s got his mind made up. He’s gone,” Daniels said.

Whether or not he does decide to leave, something that neither he nor the coaching staff plan to discuss until after the bowl game, he has made a huge fan out of his defensive coordinator.

“The biggest transformation to me that I’ve seen from my first year of coaching Matt to now is how physical he is. And I think that really has to stem from the time and effort that he spent in the weight room changing. He’s getting stronger,” Quinn said.

“We play him at the line of scrimmage a lot, whether it’s at safety or nickel. And I think he can blitz. He can cover. But to me the physical style he plays with is one of the things that really jumps out on your team. He can blitz. He can cover. But just the physical nature that a guy can bring to your club really is a huge advantage.”

Read the rest of what the Gators had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 12/29: Elam, Bostic, Jenkins, Brissett, Floyd

Tags: Antonio Morrison, Dan Quinn, Dominique Easley, Jacoby Brissett, Jelani Jenkins, Jon Bostic, Jordan Reed, Josh Evans, Loucheiz Purifoy, Matt Elam, Michael Taylor, Neiron Ball, Omar Hunter, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Sugar Bowl, Will Muschamp

No. 3 Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp and a handful of players met with the media after practice on Friday to preview the 2013 Sugar Bowl against the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals and provide thoughts on the team heading into the game.

NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR GRANTED

On Thursday, Muschamp discussed why it was critical for the Gators to win their 12th game of the 2012 season. One day later, he explained when Florida hit rock bottom one year ago and how the program has pulled itself up by the bootstraps.

“The month of October [2011] wasn’t a whole lot of fun,” he said. “Two games – Alabama and LSU – we got physically dominated. We had our opportunities in some other games. We didn’t make enough good decisions as coaches or players to put ourselves in position to win those games.”

Senior left tackle Xavier Nixon acknowledged that the coaching staff identified the problem soon after those losses and began working to put the Gators back together. “We had a problem with complacency and we found out how to deal with that, and we’ve become a better team,” he said.

Now Florida is back at the top of the heap, a great accomplishment for a second-year coach like Muschamp but one he promises that the program is not taking for granted.

“Certainly when you’ve hit the bottom of the barrel, so to speak, at a place like the University of Florida, it makes you appreciate things a little bit more,” he said. “That’s something where you’ve got to stay grounded in your approach as a player and a coach to understand you don’t just roll the hat out there and win football games. It takes work, it takes preparation, it takes recruiting, it takes development, it takes strength program, it takes character building, it takes all of those things to encompass to have the type of program you want to have at Florida.

“We understand that every day. I understand getting out of bed every day knowing that just because it happened yesterday doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. You got to make it happen and that’s what I think these players understand a little bit more.”

That never-say-die attitude has defined the Gators’ season. Including the awful performance against Georgia, in which Florida was perhaps a play or two away from potentially winning the game, it always found a way to make lemonade out of lemons.

Junior cornerback Jaylen Watkins pointed to a strip-fumble made by junior safety Matt Elam on a deep pass during the LSU game as one play in particular that was a paradigm of the entire 2012 campaign.

“I think that play defined our season. It just showed that we won’t quit,” he said. “Every game we’ve showed it. That’s one play that’s come out that’s shown it. He could have gave up on the play or could have just made the tackle, but he went the extra mile to make the strip.”

That is why Wednesday’s game is so critical. In addition to giving the Gators the 12th win they are pining for, it also shows that the turnaround is complete.

“This is a very important game for the program. I believe it’s a statement game,” redshirt senior Buck linebacker Lerentee McCray said. “Coming out of the season last year, we had to make a statement versus Ohio State going into the season of what it was going to be. Ohio State finished undefeated. We beat them last year and we finished 11-1. It’s a big statement to finish strong in your bowl game.”

Read the rest of what the Gators had to say…after the break!
Continue Reading » 12/28: Sugar Bowl importance, Lewis’s return

Tags: Chaz Green, Dominique Easley, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Kyle Christy, Kyle Koehne, Lerentee McCray, Louisville Cardinals, Matt Elam, Mike Gillislee, Omarius Hines, Sugar Bowl, Will Muschamp, Xavier Nixon

No. 21 Louisville Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong met with the media on Thursday upon his team’s arrival in New Orleans, LA to preview the 2013 Sugar Bowl against the No. 3 Florida Gators and provide updates on his team.

» Strong’s opening statement: “I was here three years ago on the other sideline coaching at the University of Florida preparing for Cincinnati. The next day I left for Louisville and our goal the first season was just get to a bowl game. It was the same scenario we had this season when we had to go to Rutgers and pull off a big win. […] We know we are playing an excellent football team in the University of Florida. We are happy and excited, and it’s really great for the school and the city of Louisville and the administration. To represent them is such an honor.”

» Strong on moving Florida senior Jon Bostic from safety to linebacker: “Bostic is a really good football player and I went to visit him as many times as the administration would let me. Bostic was too big to play safety and it was just a matter of time before he could eat his way into playing linebacker. But I have to hand it to the university for giving me the opportunity to recruit such a talented player like him.”

» Strong on coaching the Gators: “My success started at Florida. I was a part of two national championship teams and worked for so many outstanding coaches. One after the next, those coaches gave me opportunities and built tremendous programs with tradition. That same tradition is what we are trying to establish at Louisville as the program continues to get better each year. Though, it was a great experience at Florida and a lot of fun.”

Continue Reading » 12/27: Strong, Louisville talk Florida, Sugar Bowl

Tags: Charlie Strong, Louisville Cardinals, Sugar Bowl, Teddy Bridgewater