1 » Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow may have been eliminated from the NFL Playoffs on Saturday, but CBS would like to keep him around for a while. According to USA Today, which spoke with CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus, the network has reached out to Tebow to sit in as a guest analyst for the studio show the way Detroit defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh did last week. There has not been a public response from the Tebow camp as of press time.

2 » ESPN recently spoke with former players who were once coached by new Florida Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease and asked each what one should expect from him as a coach. Former Kentucky wide receiver Derek Abney classified Pease as someone who coaches “through discipline and assertiveness” but noted that his team was winning thanks in part to his methods. He also noted that Pease “didn’t make you fit into his scheme. He recognized your strengths and played to them and avoided weaknesses,” something that should undoubtedly have Gators fans smiling considering the offense is still on its way to becoming a complete pro-style team.

3 » A pair of Gators tennis players won consolation singles titles in separate events over the weekend. Junior Caroline Hitimana captured a victory at the 2012 Freeman Memorial Championships over Duke’s Ester Goldfeld, while sophomore Michael Alford came away a winner at the 2012 SEC Coaches’ Indoor Championships by taking down both Kentucky’s Ryuji Hirooka and South Carolina’s Kyle Koch. The women’s and men’s tennis programs enter the 2012 regular season ranked No. 1 and No. 8, respectively, despite the men’s team losing 2011 No. 6 Alexandre Lacroix and the No. 17 team of Lacroix and Sekou Bangoura, Jr. from a year ago.

Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Tebow, Pease, tennis, Swamp, WBK

Tags: Alabama Invitational, Alexandre Lacroix, Amanda Butler, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Brent Pease, Caroline Hitimana, cross country, Denver Broncos, field, Freeman Memorial, Jordan Jones, Kemal Mesic, Michael Alford, NFL, Playoffs, SEC Indoors, Sekou Bangoura, Stephen C. O'Connell Center, tennis, Tim Tebow, Todd Morgan, track, women's basketball

1 » The word “dominate” is thrown around a lot, but that is exactly what No. 6/5 Florida Gators softball (39-7, 17-4 SEC) did Wednesday evening, shutting out the North Florida Ospreys (23-27) 22-0 and 8-0 in a doubleheader at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, FL. The Gators won each game in five innings, hitting seven total home runs (six in the first game – tying UF single-game record) and scoring 30 runs. The 22 runs that crossed home plate in the first game of the series (14 in the third inning alone) set a school record. Wins were achieved by junior Stephanie Brombacher (26-5), who began a no-hitter with five strikeouts in three innings, and freshman Ensley Gammel (12-2), who struck out six and only gave up three hits.

Senior outfielder Francesca Enea (18), freshman first baseman Brittany Schutte (14), junior OF Kelsey Bruder (10), junior catcher Tiffany DeFelice (7), senior third baseman Corrie Brooks (8) and freshman OF Kelsey Horton (4) hit the first six bombs, with DeFelice (8) adding a second in the late game. Schutte’s moon shot also broke Florida’s freshman home run record, last set in 2008.

2 » Gators women’s basketball added its sixth 2010-11 commitment Monday when Santa Fe College sophomore point guard Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, FL) signed a National Letter of Intent to join the University of Florida. “Lanita is a dynamic scoring point guard, who brings experience in the point guard position,” head coach Amanda Butler said. “She’s been in the Florida Junior College system for two years, which is consistently the most competitive in the country.”

3 » Also increasing its talent level is Florida’s track and field team, which added a commitment from Luc Lawrence (Fort Walton Beach, FL), Lawrence, who can run both track and cross country, began running in eighth grade and caught the eye of cross country coach Todd Morgan almost immediately.

4 » As OGGOA first reported on Twitter early Wednesday, Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow officially had the top selling jersey in the month of April according to sales figures from NFLShop.com. Tebow’s new Broncos jersey was only available for eight days of the month (he was drafted on April 22), yet it easily surpassed jersey sales for new Washington Redskins QB Donovan McNabb, who was traded away from the Philadelphia Eagles on April 4 and came in second overall on the list.

“I think it’s an honor for people to want my jersey and want to have it and want to wear it,” Tebow told the Denver Post on Wednesday. “It is somewhat surreal to have it sell more than some of these people I grew up idolizing.”

Photo Credit: University of Florida

Tags: Amanda Butler, Brittany Schutte, Corrie Brooks, Denver Broncos, Donovan McNabb, Ensley Gammel, field, Francesca Enea, Kelsey Bruder, Kelsey Horton, Lanita Bartley, Luc Lawrence, NFL, North Florida Ospreys, Philadelphia Eagles, Pressly Stadium, Santa Fe College, Stephanie Brombacher, Tiffany DeFelice, Tim Tebow, Todd Morgan, track, University of Florida, Washington Redskins, women's basketball

Bubble Watch » All four teams riding the 2010 NCAA Tournament bubble \in action Tuesday won their respective contests. South Florida (20-11) took down DePaul 58-49, Rhode Island (22-8) defeated Saint Joseph’s 87-76, Dayton (20-11) lit up George Washington 70-60 and Seton Hall (19-11) was victorious over Providence 109-106.

1 » In the first of what will be a 10-game homestand, No. 6/7 Florida Gators baseball (8-2) took down the Illinois State Redbirds (4-6) 8-2 Tuesday night at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, FL. Freshman starter Hudson Randall (2-0) tossed five innings of one-run ball along with five strikeouts as the Gators carried a 8-1 lead into the top of the eighth inning. Freshman first baseman Austin Maddox went 1-4 with a home run in the sixth, three RBI and two runs; sophomore outfielder Tyler Thompson supported him with a 2-4 performance with two RBI; and freshman OF Kamm Washington was 3-4 with an RBI and three stolen bases.

2 » A team filled with mostly freshman, Florida lacrosse has already had a remarkable inaugural season. Looking to put a feather in its cap Tuesday, the Gators (3-2) took the No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas (2-1) to the wire, falling 13-11 in just under two hours. Freshman goalkeeper Cara Carrington (3-2) got the loss as fellow freshman Caroline Chesterman contributed three goals and five shots in 65 minutes of field time. Each team accounted for 33 shots and 11 ground balls, but Georgetown cleared more shots than Florida – 17/17 to 12/16. The Hoyas outscored the Gators 10-5 in the first period, but UF came roaring back with a 6-3 total in the second period.

Two more BITS on awards given to the Florida Gators…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Baseball wins, lacrosse falls to No. 5

Tags: Alex Pantelodis, Austin Maddox, baseball, Cara Carrington, Caroline Chesterman, Charlotte Browning, Christian Taylor, field, Georgetown Hoyas, Hudson Randall, Illinois State Redbirds, Kamm Washington, lacrosse, McKethan Stadium, Mike Holloway, NCAA Tournament, Todd Morgan, track, Tyler Thompson, USTFCCCA

1 » Numerous Florida Gators football players have been named finalists for national college football awards set to be announced during the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Senior quarterback Tim Tebow – Maxwell Award (Best All-Around Player), Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback); senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes – Chuck Bednarik Award (Best Defensive Player); junior cornerback Joe Haden – Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back); junior punter Chas Henry – Ray Guy Award (Best Punter); junior tight end Aaron Hernandez – John Mackey Award (Best Tight End).

2 » Edward Aschoff over at the Gainesville Sun has compiled a comprehensive list of high school football players expected to visit Gainesville, FL, for the Florida vs. Florida State Seminoles game on Saturday. Among them are 12 current commitments (Elam, Christian, Brown, Burton, Watkins, Patton, Orr, Silberman, Ball, Trail, Haden, Van) as well as 5-star, 4-star and 3-star recruits. OGGOA reported via twitter that five-star safety commit Matt Elam rescheduled his official visit for Dec. 12, but he may also visit unofficially this weekend.

3 » No. 5 women’s cross country finished in seventh-place at the 2009 NCAA Championships on Monday afternoon. The highest finish in program history, the Gators were the only Southeastern Conference team competing in the event. The top-10 finish was the first in program history, according to the Sports Information Department. “We’ve had a tremendous year, cross country coach Todd Morgan said. “We won the SEC and the South Regional Championships and today, we finished top 10 in the country for the first time. We’re definitely leaving here feeling like we didn’t run totally on cylinders, which is a great thing because we still finished so well.”

4 » On Sunday, senior Florida libero Elyse Cusack moved into second place on the SEC’s all-time career digs list. Her great weekend was capped off with an SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor announced by the conference on Monday. This is Cusack’s 12th time winning the award, her third this season. Since the SEC started handing out this award for volleyball in 2003, the Gators have won it 22 times – more than any other program.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Chas Henry, Chuck Bednarik Award, cross country, Davey O'Brien Award, Elyse Cusack, Jim Thorpe Award, Joe Haden, John Mackey Award, Matt Elam, Maxwell Award, NCAA Championship, Ray Guy Award, SEC, Tim Tebow, Todd Morgan, volleyball

1 » Florida Gators student-athletes get plenty of respect but not much is ever written about their parents who, in some cases, are truly amazing people in their own right. Sure, some are ex-football or basketball stars, but there are others like right tackle redshirt junior Marcus Gilbert’s father Jeff who is a Secret Service agent for President Barack Obama. One of these such parents is freshman left tackle Xavier Nixon’s mother Fotini, a United States soldier in training to acquire the rank of E-9. After learning her son was earning his first start in the Orange and Blue, Fotini cried. But it was Xavier who had reason to be emotional just a few weeks prior when he heard about the shootings at Fort Hood, where his mother is stationed as she trains in the Sergeant Major Academy. “Thank God she was safe,” he said.

2 » Redshirt sophomore Rebecca Lowe was named South Regional Female Athlete of the Year while head coach Todd Morgan was named South Regional Women’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association on Wednesday. Lowe, a standout for the No. 5 Gators, won the 2009 NCAA South Region Championship and 2009 Southeastern Conference individual title this season, leading the third-ranked Florida team to their third regional title in the program’s history. She was also named the 2009 SEC Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year last week. She will try to continue her hot streak as the Gators compete in the NCAA Championships on Monday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, IN.

News on Reggie Nelson, baseball, softball, swimming and diving after the jump…
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Nixon’s mom at Fort Hood, Lowe & Morgan honored, Nelson struggling, new commits

Tags: Alana Pezevic, Alicia Mathieu, All-Rookie Team, Barack Obama, baseball, cross country, diving, Elizabeth Beisel, Hannah Rodgers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacob Tillotson, Julia Treible, Kaitlin Frehling, Marcus Gilbert, NCAA Championships, NFL, Rebecca Lowe, Reggie Nelson, SEC, softball, Stephen Lichtner, swimming, Todd Morgan, track & field, Trish Regan, Xavier Nixon