On Senior Day, the Florida Gators hoped an emotional spark from senior forward Dan Werner coupled with the need for a marquee win would earn them a berth in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Instead, the Gators (20-10, 9-6 SEC) fell 64-60 to the No. 13/19 Vanderbilt Commodores (23-6, 12-3 SEC) at home at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

Werner played well for most of the game, contributing eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with five rebounds and two steals, but an accidental tip-in of a Commodores layup late in the second half may very well have cost Florida the game.

Redshirt junior transfer center Vernon Macklin was a rock for the Gators, scoring 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting with a game-high nine rebounds. However, freshman guard Kenny Boynton shot a paltry 2-for-15 from the field (1-of-6 from downtown), sophomore point guard Erving Walker only added five points on 1-of-9 shooting (0-for-3 from beyond the arc) and junior F Chandler Parsons – the team’s spark plug and most reliable player – barely contributed, only shooting the ball four times for three points.

Read the rest of OGGOA’s Florida vs. Vanderbilt game story after the break!
Continue Reading » Tourney chances slip away as UF falls to Vandy

Tags: A.J. Ogilvy, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, Erving Walker, John Jenkins, Kenny Boynton, O'Connell Center, Ray Shipman, Senior Day, Vanderbilt Commodores, Vernon Macklin

Covering the Florida Gators as close as I do every day, I sometimes find the need to vent regarding some of the coverage, news, opinions and general sentiments surrounding the program. In those instances, OGGOA presents CHOMPING On:

Redemption.

When it comes to sports, that word is one of the most highly sought after experiences while simultaneously being one of the most rarely achieved.

Men like Scott Norwood (Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXV), Bill Buckner (Boston Red Sox, 1986 World Series) and Chris Webber (Michigan Wolverines (1993 NCAA Championship) only dream about having the opportunity to right their wrongs, while few others like Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees, 2009 MLB postseason) have been able to overcome obstacles and achieve some form of salvation.

Florida Gators senior forward Dan Werner, in the last home game of his career on Tuesday, has a chance to do just that. No, Werner is not going to score a career-high in points (20), and he is not likely to have the ball in his hands for a game-winning shot (again), but he can indeed turn his legacy around with one effort-filled performance.

Read the rest of CHOMPING On: Dan Werner’s swan song…after the jump!
Continue Reading » CHOMPING On: Dan Werner’s swan song

Tags: Billy Donovan, Dan Werner, National Championship, NCAA Tournament, NIT, SEC, Senior Day, Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Vanderbilt Commodores

Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 12,000]
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPN/ESPNHD
Online Video: ESPN360.com
Live Updates: OGGOA on Twitter

Odds: Florida -3, O/U (OFF)

KEEP AN EYE ON…
» The dynamic backcourt of…sophomore point guard Erving Walker and freshman guard Kenny Boynton who are averaging a combined 29.4 points per game in conference play this season.
» Speaking of Walker and Boynton…they have hit 64 treys in SEC action. After struggling from downtown, Boynton went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc Saturday.
» Junior forward Chandler Parsons…who has scored in double figures in seven straight games and has two double-doubles in those contests. He has helped dish the ball and run the point while averaging 17.7 points and 8.4 rebounds and shooting 56.3 percent.
» Double-digit scoring by Vernon Macklin…the Gators are 13-3 when the redshirt junior transfer center finishes in double figures.
» Junior F Alex Tyus…who is looking to rebound from his worst outing of the season. Tyus went 0-for-4 from the field for no points against Georgia. He is averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds this season.
» Senior F Dan Werner…who is playing his final game in the O’Dome after four years in the Orange and Blue. Werner, stuck in the middle of the worst season of his career, is averaging 4.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and two assists per game.
» Commodores’ senior G Jermaine Beal and sophomore F Jeffery Taylor…who are averaging 14.6 and 14.3 points per game, respectively, this season. Taylor also contributes 5.3 boards per game.

STREAKS:
» Vanderbilt leads the all-time series against Florida 62-56, though the Gators have won 15 of the last 19 meetings. Billy Donovan is 18-10 against the Commodores and 11-2 when facing them at home (eight straight).
» Florida has won nine of its last 12 conference games; the Gators hope to reach 10 league wins for the ninth time in the last 12 years and first time since 2007.
» UF is 6-4 in games decided by five points or less compared to 4-6 in such games last season; they are also 5-2 in the last seven contests that were that close.
» The Gators are 13-3 at home this year and can finish league play 7-1 at the O’Connell Center with a victory.
» Florida only got to the line 10 times Saturday after shooting at least 24 free throws in three-straight games. The Gators are 6-1 when getting to the line that many times.
» Parsons needs just 18 points to reach 1,000 for his career.
» Florida is surrendering 76.0 points per game in its nine losses, while holding opponents to 59.7 points per game in its 20 wins.
» Ranked second in the SEC, Vanderbilt is averaging 78.8 points per game and hitting 47.9 percent from the floor. The Commodores have won five of their last six games.

Tags: Alex Tyus, Billy Donovan, Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner, Erving Walker, Jeffery Taylor, Jermaine Beal, Kenny Boynton, Kevin Stallings, O'Connell Center, SEC, Vanderbilt Commodores, Vernon Macklin

Off to a strong start in 2010, No. 5/7 Florida Gators baseball (4-0) held on for a 7-6 win over the Central Florida Knights (3-1) Wednesday night at McKethan Stadium. Up 7-0 at the end of the sixth inning, Florida relievers allowed UCF consecutive three-run innings in the seventh and eighth before closing it out in the top of the ninth.

Read the rest along with women’s basketball and men’s tennis news…
Continue Reading » Florida baseball holds on to defeat UCF 7-6

Tags: baseball, Bob Van Overbeek, Bryson Smith, Central Florida Knights, Chris Duffy, Freshman of the Week, Greg Larson, Hudson Randall, Josh Adams, Kevin Chapman, Matt den Dekker, McKethan Stadium, Memorial Gymnasium, Mike Zunino, Nick Mardone, SEC, tennis, Vanderbilt Commodores, women's basketball

1 » Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer spoke candidly with The Gainesville Sun’s Pat Dooley after National Signing Day on Wednesday. He was surprised there was not a worse reaction to his temporary resignation but actually had fun dispelling numerous rumors about his next job. “[Five-star defensive end Ronald Powell called me at 3 a.m. and] wanted to know if I was going to ESPN to replace Lee Corso,” Meyer said. That’s what he had been hearing. I just laughed.” Four-star offensive lineman Chaz Green, Florida’s last commitment, had the same question. In the end, for a man dealing with stress, his 2010 recruiting class gave him the best gift of all: relaxation. “I left my phone on (Tuesday) night but I went to sleep,” he said. “I got up, no messages. What is that? That’s the first time since I have been married I wasn’t on the phone at midnight the day before Signing Day. And we were done with the faxes by noon.”

Five more BITS including Tim Tebow’s new organization, Emmitt Smith’s upcoming honor, the women’s basketball team’s loss and much more after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: 2010 class, Tebow, Smith, awards

Tags: All-American, All-Pro, Azania Stewart, Chaz Green, cross country, Dallas Cowboys, Dwyer, Emmitt Smith, Erick Montoya, Estero, Janoris Jenkins, Matt Elam, MVP, National Signing Day, NFL, O’Connell Center, Pro Bowl, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Ring of Honor, Ronald Powell, Sharielle Smith, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXVII, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow Foundation, Urban Meyer, Vanderbilt Commodores, women's basketball

In the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams, the Florida Gators (11-4) fell to the Vanderbilt Commodores (12-3) 95-87 Saturday afternoon in Nashville, TN. Vanderbilt won its sixth straight game while Florida ended a three-game winning streak by losing its first SEC opener since 2001.

The Gators, who have won 15 of the last 18 meetings against the Commodores, were shredded by junior center A.J. Ogilvy who scored 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor while going 10-for-12 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Jermaine Beal added 22 points for Vanderbilt.

Freshman G Kenny Boynton and sophomore point guard Erving Walker led Florida with career-highs in points (28, 22) in 34 and 36 minutes, respectively. Boynton was 10-for-21 (6-of-14 from three) while all five of Walker’s 10 total shot attempts were treys. Redshirt junior C Vernon Macklin (two points in 14 minutes) and freshman forward Erik Murphy (four points in 13 minutes) both fouled out early as the Commodores absolutely dominated the Gators in the paint and on turnovers (13-7).

Florida returns home to face the No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Thursday at 9 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN.

Tags: A.J. Ogilvy, Erik Murphy, Kenny Boynton, SEC, Vanderbilt Commodores, Vernon Macklin

1 » REMINDER: Florida Gators basketball begins 2010 Southeastern Conference play Saturday at noon on ESPN2 against the Vanderbilt Commodores on the road in Nashville, TN. Just an hour later at 1 p.m., the U.S. Army All-American Bowl will air live on NBC. OGGOA will have live coverage of both games.

2 » Former Florida running backs coach Kenny Carter said that, though his move to the Louisville Cardinals appears to be a lateral one, it will help advance his career. “Florida has been great to me,” Carter told the Orlando Sentinel. “I learned so much from Urban [Meyer]. I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s a dream job for 95 percent of coaches. But there are a lot of factors that go into a coaching move while most people think it has something to do with the team they are leaving. I want to be a head coach one day, and in order to be a head coach, there are things involved in that process. Helping a program from the ground up and working for Charlie [Strong] really intrigued me.” Carter will also help organize special teams with Louisville.

3 » In its first meet of the 2010 season, No. 4 Gators gymnastics fell to the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners 195.275 to 196.250. Florida won the vault but lost on bars, beam and floor while competing on the road in Norman, OK.

4 » Cardinals head coach Charlie Strong officially announced Friday that former Gators cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford has been hired as his defensive coordinator.

5 » Conflicting reports emerged that three-star running back recruit Shontrelle Johnson (Deland, FL) received a scholarship offer from Florida earlier this week, but in the end none of them truly matter. Johnson, who claims he received an offer from the Gators to play defensive back, has reaffirmed his commitment to the Iowa State Cyclones. “They want me to play DB,” Johnson told Chris Hays of the Sentinel. “I’m a running back. I run the ball. That’s what I do.”

6 » Four-stars athlete/safety recruit Dietrich Riley (La Canada, CA) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback commitment Andrew Hendrix (Cincinnati, OH) will be visiting Gainesville, FL, this weekend according to Rivals.

Tags: All-American, Andrew Hendrix, Army, Charlie Strong, Dietrich Riley, gymnastics, Iowa State Cyclones, Kenny Carter, Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oklahoma Sooners, SEC, Shontrelle Johnson, Urban Meyer, Vance Bedford, Vanderbilt Commodores