For the entire month of September, former Florida Gators national championship- and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel will be contributing his post-game thoughts about how the team performed the previous Saturday exclusively here on OGGOA at the beginning of each week.

The 1996 winner of eight football and academic awards, Wuerffel has a unique perspective as a four-year player at Florida who passed for 10,875 yards and 114 touchdowns in his college career. 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, he is now the executive director of Desire Street Ministries, which works to revitalize impoverished neighborhoods through spiritual and community development.

As I watched the Gators game Saturday, I couldn’t help but remember the countless times in my career I heard a coach harp on us about “the fundamentals” of football. Usually, though, that would be an admonishment about blocking and tackling – the two most basic fundamentals of tackle football.

For the Gators this week, I guess we were all reminded there is one more basic level that comes even before that: the snap – the fundamental exchange between the center and the QB. Without that, blocking doesn’t much matter.

But don’t be too alarmed Gators fans. The first game is often a little sloppy. This problem will be remedied quickly, and we’ll get the chance to see how our new group of athletes can truly play in the coming weeks.

My worst game my senior year was the first one but fortunately for me, no one remembers that one.

As for me, I’m still optimistic about this group of guys and the season ahead. The defense should have a very solid year, and I’m excited to see Johnny Brantley develop as our QB. I think he’s got all the tools to have a great season.

And in case you missed it…Jeff Demps is FAST!

Lots of excitement to come!

Go Gators,

By joining together people from all walks of life who are interested in redeeming the inner-city, Desire Street Ministries believes that they are bringing together leaders who actually move into the neighborhood, indigenous leaders who already live there, and neighbors who “move in” spiritually through prayer, encouragement and financial support. Please take a moment to visit Desire Street Ministries online or in person and find out how you can help support and/or donate.

Tags: Danny Wuerffel, Davey O'Brien, Desire Street Ministries, Draddy Trophy, Heisman Trophy, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, Johnny Unitas Award, Maxwell Award, National Championship, NCAA, Ring of Honor, Walter Camp Award, Wuerffel's Words

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

1 » Surveying four Southeastern Conference head coaches, ESPN’s Ivan Maisel came to one inevitable conclusion: Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow is the difference between his team and the Alabama Crimson Tide when it comes to the 2009 SEC Championship game. “The Crimson Tide don’t have a quarterback who has started 22 consecutive victories, has won a National Championship and a Heisman [Trophy], and is 34-5 overall as a starter,” Maisel writes. “Alabama doesn’t have Tebow.”

» In other Tebow news, he has been named as one of five finalists for the 2009 Walter Camp Award given to college football’s Player of the Year.

2 » Alabama QB Greg McElroy has done his job for the Crimson Tide so far in 2009. Leading the team to an undefeated regular season, McElroy’s SEC passing numbers are comparable to Tebow’s (though he does not use his legs). McElroy has also proved that he can get it done with the game on the line, like he did last week against the Auburn Tigers. Nevertheless, “he’ll need that same kind of poise Saturday (and maybe then some) against the best defense he’s faced all season.”

3 » Tebow may be getting all the press, but does it really take The Huntsville Times to point out that the Gators are about more than just their star QB? Paul Gattis writes that, “when it comes to the Gators, they are more than their brightest stars.” For example, Florida senior wide receiver Riley Cooper has more catches and receiving yards than Alabama’s Julio Jones – and twice as many touchdowns, too. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Gators’ complimentary players.

4 » Tickets to the SEC Championship showdown of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country are the hottest things going right now. Averaging $583 per seat on StubHub, ticket prices for the 2009 game in the resale market are almost $100 more than they were in 2008. The SEC has even gone as far as to alert fans to be cautious of purchasing counterfeit tickets.

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Greg McElroy, Julio Jones, Riley Cooper, SEC Championship, Tim Tebow, Walter Camp Award

From time to time, OGGOA will come across tidbits and small news items we want to share with our readers. In those instances, we present a special post: Gator Bites. Enjoy.

- Florida Gators basketball has officially announced the commitments of four-star recruits power forward Patric Young (Jacksonville, FL) and small forward Casey Prather (Jackson, TN). This was merely a formality as both had committed previously but sent in their National Letters of Intent on Tuesday.

- Senior quarterback Tim Tebow has been named to the “Players to Watch” list for the 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year award.

- Junior tight end Aaron Hernandez was announced as one of eight semifinalists for the 2009 John Mackey Award. Hernandez is first on the team is receptions and second in receiving yards and average yards per game. He is first among Southeastern Conference TEs in receiving yards, average yards per game and receptions.

- The father of former Florida quarterback Rex Grossman denounced the Chicago Bears coaching staff Tuesday, saying that the offense is “a self-perpetuating problem that is not Jay Cutler’s fault.” Grossman was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft and started for Chicago in their most recent Super Bowl appearance.

- Four-star wide receiver recruit Kenny Stills (Carlsbad, CA) has made plans to visit the Gators in two weeks. Florida safeties coach Chuck Heater has an in with Stills as he coached his father while both were with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Casey Prather, Chicago Bears, Chuck Heater, John Mackey Award, Kenny Stills, NFL, Patric Young, Rex Grossman, SEC, Tim Tebow, Walter Camp Award