10/4: Urban Meyer’s Monday press conference

Updated Oct. 5 at 1:15 p.m.

Head coach Urban Meyer and a small group of players meet with the media each Monday after the Florida Gators participate in a game the previous Saturday. OGGOA has compiled some of the most important notes and quotes from the event this week.

DEMPS REMAINS PROBABLE, GILLISLEE TOO

The last thing Florida needed after having junior running back Jeff Demps at less than 100 percent on Saturday was another one of its top rushers to go down; unfortunately, that is exactly what happened as sophomore RB Mike Gillislee badly bruised his ankle against Alabama. Meyer noted that both players are Probable (read: 75 percent) for Saturday night’s game against LSU. Expect them to play.

In addition to limiting him in the backfield, Demps’ injured foot kept him off of special teams with Gillislee handling kickoff returns. As long as both are able to play Saturday, expect that to continue until Demps is completely healthy and able to practice at full speed for an entire week without “sharp pains” in his foot.

RED ZONE REVERSE

Entering the Alabama game Florida had gone 14-for-14 in the red zone over the previous two games with 13 touchdowns and a field goal. In fact, the Gators’ red zone efficiency on the season was 89.5 percent including 16 touchdowns. That changed for the worse Saturday as Florida went 1-for-4 in similar opportunities, something that has certainly gotten Meyer’s attention.

WEEK FIVE CHAMPIONS

Meyer did not announce any Champions for the Alabama game because, let’s face it, there was little to be proud of when the game was over. In lieu of his accolades, OGGOA has decided to name senior punter/kicker Chas Henry our week five champion for his top-notch performances during the contest. Henry averaged 62.3 yards per punt with a career-long of 75 and, filling in for injured junior K Caleb Sturgis, knocked through field goals of 39 and 22 yards for the Gators’ only points of the game.

He also received a honorable mention from the Southeastern Conference on Monday and this statement from Meyer: “If we had won the game, his contributions would have probably been player-of-gamish.”

QUOTES (After the break…)

Meyer’s opening statement: “I’ll go through the plan to win…it failed miserably. We didn’t play well When you play like that, especially with red zone inefficiency and turnovers against a quality team in a tough environment, it looks much worse than obviously the score was.”

Meyer on tackling: “We had six missed tackles, which is fantastic.”

Meyer on the main issue: “Turnovers: That was the difference in the game.”

Meyer on the defense: “We did not play great defense. We played admirable.”

Meyer on red zone problems: “Red zone we were one of four. That was an area that was positive throughout the fall. That was a major negative. […] The red zone scoring, [if that happens] that’s a whole different ballgame. If we don’t throw two of those picks and we have red zone efficiency, we’re in that thing.”

Meyer on what was most to blame: “The one thing that happens when you fail and you fail in a big game … Who’s fault was it? Let’s fix the fault. Everybody wants to know. Who’s fault was it? What happened? That’s our job to figure it out. If it was one person’s fault, you make a change and do what you have to do. Absolutely it was not one person’s fault.”

Meyer on this loss vs. Auburn in 2006 and Ole Miss in 2008: “In ‘06 we had a fist fight basically – no we didn’t – but it was screaming and yelling. It was not a fist fight. It was a very angry group. Ole Miss was a dejected group. This group was a combination of both. Some leadership really stepped up.”

Meyer on making the offense more pass-first: “There’s reason to evaluate that. Our job is to go win that game. If that means a much higher percentage of passing, then we’ll do that. If it means managing the game, then we’ll manage the game. That’s kind of what we’ve done around here.”

Meyer on the ineffectiveness of the option this year: “We’re looking at that as well. The option serves a lot of purpose. Cleaning up defense is one of them. There’s a price for poorly executed options, too, which we’re kind of seen every once in a while. The comment would be, ‘Do you eliminate it or do you improve upon it?’ History shows we usually put a premium on improving on it and getting it better. There’s gotta be a little bit of it.”

Meyer on if he believes in luck: “It doesn’t exist. We don’t believe in luck. We believe it’s preparation. And obviously when you fail in something, it’s because you didn’t execute it enough in practice. That’s how we look at it.”

Meyer on junior safety Will Hill: “I’d say he’s still not where we need him to be at the free safety position. At times he’s played well, but we have high expectations for him. […] For his ability level, [he’s playing] average. […] It’s inconsistency.”

Meyer on senior defense end Duke Lemmens: “They had two dynamic rushers [who got] I think 100 combined – both were way below what they expect. […] Played extremely well. Played his best game.”