Florida Gators thread

[azuquita8]

Meyer quietly ignites rivalry

By LOUIS ANASTASIS
Alligator Staff Writer
Tim Casey / Alligator Staff
UF coach Urban Meyer mans the sidelines against Central Florida. Gators players say Meyer and the coaches have them psyched up for Tennessee.

The secret's out.

Out in UF's weight room, hallways and bathrooms, where Tennessee logos are posted or have been in the past.

Out - once again - in the weight room, where a clock has been counting down the seconds to every Southeastern Conference game kickoff since Coach Urban Meyer's arrival.

Out at the football practice facility, where Meyer blared "Rocky Top" (Tennessee's fight song) ad nauseam during Tuesday's practice.

With a tide-turning game against Tennessee on tap for Saturday, would you expect anything else? Would you expect Meyer, who has a degree in psychology from Cincinnati, to act any differently?

"They'll put little Tennessee Volunteer pictures up in the weight room, bathroom and stuff like that," defensive end Ray McDonald said. "It's a little extra motivation. I'm like, 'Why are there pictures of Tennessee up in here?' It gets you a little mad seeing those things up in the locker room."

With SEC supremacy on the line, Meyer and the Gators can hardly afford a loss in Knoxville. The loser of Saturday's game faces an uphill battle to regain footing in the Eastern Division. So, as players say, Meyer has taken nothing for granted.

They have confirmed rumors that the coach used motivational ploys at Utah and Bowling Green and continues to do the same in Gainesville.

"I don't know what team wouldn't do something different for a rivalry," said UF corner Ryan Smith, who played under Meyer's 2004 Utah team. "It comes with college football. When there's a rivalry game, there's going to be some things that are different from the average game."

Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas said Meyer's rivalry mind games were more important in 2005, when some players struggled buying into his "Plan to Win."

"He used to do it a lot last season," Thomas said. "At the beginning of last season, he did that a lot, but now he doesn't need to give us bulletin-board material anymore."

Yet Thomas and McDonald admit Meyer still spruces up the rivalries. And why not?

Last season, the Gators swept rivals Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State for the first time since 1996. And just look at Meyer's rivalry credentials. Meyer won three of his four rivalry games while at Bowling Green (its rival is Toledo) and Utah (its rival is Brigham Young).

"It's probably well-documented that we like to create some traditions of rivalries," said Meyer on Dec. 7, 2004 during his opening UF press conference. "I'm not going to create that here. That's here already, but there will be certain things we do to try to egg on that rivalry a little bit."

A native of Ashtabula, Ohio, Meyer looked up to legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes during his early coaching years. Story has it that Hayes refused to fill his car's tank with Michigan fuel so as to not aid the economy of the state of the Buckeyes' biggest rival.

Also during his first press conference, Meyer harped about not referring to teams like FSU by name. While at Bowling Green, the coach called Toledo "the team up north." At Utah, Brigham Young was "the team down south."

When asked Monday if he has used mind games to play up UF's rivals, Meyer responded: "If I was, do you think I would tell you in front of everybody?"

Meyer appeared hesitant to divulge information on any current tactics because he has yet to win any championships at UF.

"If stuff gets out, that's just more sparks that get out," Meyer said Monday. "We do a lot of stuff. I'm just glad you're not aware of it.

"This is a big game. We'll take care of the motivation."

After all, it's in his character to do so.

"He's a psychologist," McDonald said. "He does a good job with it, so he knows what he's doing - drilling the Tennessee logo into our heads so we get tired of it before we play the game."

[Aenir]

GOO Illini!!!

[azuquita8]

Originally Posted by Aenir

GOO Illini!!!

The Fighting Zooks?

Thank God Florida got rid of that loser.

[azuquita8]

Healed & hungry

By ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer

As the final seconds slipped away on Florida's victory over Central Florida last Saturday night, wide receiver Andre Caldwell and defensive end Ray McDonald made eye contact on the sideline and exchanged knowing nods.

They were thinking the same thing.
It's time now. Time to turn all their focus and energy on Tennessee, a game that hasn't left their thoughts over this long last year of painful rehab and nagging self-doubt.

Tennessee is always big around here. It goes beyond that for Caldwell and McDonald. Their 2005 season was shattered in The Swamp against the Vols on Sept. 17 and now its time to tee it up with the T again.

This one is special.
"It's real important," McDonald said. "I told Andre after the game Saturday night, 'We've got to step it up and make up for what happened last season.' He said, 'I know, I know.' We've talked about it, about what we have to do this weekend."

Said Caldwell: "We've had this deep down inside us for a long time. We wanted to get back to Tennessee and prove to everyone we're coming at them. We talk about it every day. This is a big game for us, we have to make things happen. It's prime time for us."

Caldwell's 2005 season ended on the second-half kickoff against Tennessee, when a UT defender slammed into his upper leg, fracturing his femur.

McDonald's season basically ended earlier that night, when he tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the first half. He would come back on a very limited basis later in the year and ended up having ACL surgery on both knees after the season.

For Caldwell and McDonald, Saturday night's game in Knoxville isn't about revenge. It's about revival.

The effects of their injuries have lingered over the long offseason and even into the start of the season. After almost a year layoff, Caldwell and McDonald were clearly tentative and a little less productive than usual in the first two games.

Now, they say it's time to start playing again.

"I'm definitely ready to take off," Caldwell said. "I'm going to try and go out there and prove to myself and my teammates that I'm worthy to wear this uniform. I just want to be there for my teammates and make plays."

McDonald said he feels compelled to do the same.

"I've got to come out and do something," McDonald said. "I knew in the first game I was going to be a little rusty. I had a better second game. I didn't have any sacks, but hopefully I'm going to change that in this game. I'm going to try and make more plays for my team. I'm getting back in the groove. I'm getting back to where I was last season. This is going to be a go-ahead game for me. I'm ready to play."

It's not surprising Caldwell and McDonald have similar feelings heading into this game. Since January, the two have been roommates and rehab partners and they have been pointing toward this game for many months.

"They made us roommates and put us on the first floor because we couldn't go up stairs," Caldwell said. "We were going through rehab together and helping each other out every day and it made us really close. We talked about this game every day."

McDonald and Caldwell say they have noticed something in each other over the past week or so. A growing confidence.

"Andre's starting to feel confident that he can make plays again," McDonald said.

"I saw Ray working on his swim move and doing the extra stuff he used to do before the injury," Caldwell said. "I see his confidence coming back and I'm seeing him making plays."

Thousands saw Caldwell making plays again - and regaining some confidence - last Saturday in the win over Central Florida. After dropping two passes in the first half, Caldwell made a leaping 25-yard touchdown catch with only four seconds left in the first half and then caught an 8-yard TD pass in the third quarter.

Maybe the most encouraging aspect of his first catch was the brutal shot he took in the end zone and how quickly he recovered from it.

"The hit knocked me out," Caldwell said. "I couldn't even remember making the catch. I remember being in the training room at halftime and then coming back in the second half. It's good to know I can bounce back and make plays after that hit. I showed my toughness.

"I feel the confidence coming back. I could feel it in the game. I had a big smile and I was real confident. I was showing coach (Urban) Meyer I'm back and I'm going to be here to make plays for you whenever you need them."

Meyer said Caldwell and McDonald are making progress, but he's not quite ready to proclaim they're all the way back.

"(Caldwell) is close. Much closer than he was a week ago," Meyer said. "I still don't think you've seen the Ray that he was before he was injured.

"They're both not back yet, but they're very close. Their hearts are in the right place and they're trying extremely hard."

Their hearts and minds have been on Tennessee for the past year.

"We're ready to play and help our team win," McDonald said. "We're ready to turn it loose."

Contact Robbie Andreu at 374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com.

[azuquita8]

Gators to pressure QB for all they're worth

By KEVIN BROCKWAY
Sun sports writer

Unlike the previous two meetings, Florida coaches can make a game plan to defend one quarterback Saturday when they face Tennessee.

That's not going to make the task any easier. Junior quarterback Erik Ainge has triggered the Vols' 2-0 start, completing 74.5 percent of his passes and seven touchdowns to two interceptions.

Florida co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said the key to Ainge's strong start has been his ability to keep everyone involved. Three receivers have caught touchdown passes, led by four from Robert Meachem.

"He's done a great job of spreading the football around," Strong said. "He's getting the ball in Meachem's hands, and he's getting the ball in Jayson (Swain's) hands. Also with their running game, with (Arian) Foster being a good back, it's not like he's just going out there not prepared. You can see that he's better prepared in what he's doing."

To prepare for Ainge, Strong said Florida won't deviate too much from what it's done the first two games. The Gators are coming off their first shutout since 2001, a 42-0 blanking of UCF.

"We just have to play our game," Strong said. "We are a pressure team, and we're going to continue to be a pressure team. We're going to play our defense."

That should translate into making things uncomfortable for Ainge as much of possible. Last season at The Swamp, Florida pressured Ainge throughout after he replaced ineffective starter Rick Clausen. The Gators had two sacks in holding Ainge to 147 yards and no touchdowns.

Ainge fared better against Florida as a freshman. Alternating with Brent Schaeffer, Ainge led the Vols late, marching them down the field in time for James Wilhoit's game-winning field goal. Ainge completed 16 of 24 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown.

Despite the game-winning drive, Ainge wasn't able to establish himself as the full-time starter until this season.

"He's been there," Strong said. "It has a lot to do with knowing the conference and knowing the people you play. There's confidence there."

Contact Kevin Brockway at 374-5054 or brockwk@gvillesun.com.

[azuquita8]

Florida-Tennessee still has drama without Spurrier

Posted: September 15, 2006

Associated Press

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The theatrics Steve Spurrier created when he had a starring role in the Florida-Tennessee rivalry were hard to top.
Now five years after Spurrier left the Gators, the dialogue isn't as punchy but there's still plenty of drama for one of the biggest matchups in the Southeastern Conference. Seventh-ranked Florida visits No. 13 Tennessee on Saturday in a game that -- as usual -- will help shape the SEC East race.

Among the leading characters in this year's act is quarterback Chris Leak, playing his final game of the series in Knoxville, where he spent many days watching his older brother C.J. and his Tennessee teammates. Then Chris spurned the Vols during recruiting and chose their arch rivals.

For Tennessee, David Cutcliffe has returned to his role as offensive coordinator coaching in his first Florida-Tennessee game since 1998. While Cutcliffe was the Vols' play-caller and mentor to Peyton Manning, Tennessee couldn't match Spurrier's Fun 'n' Gun offense and lost five straight to the Gators.

Lately, the series has been filled with special effects -- heavy rain and fumbles, Hail Mary passes, controversial penalties, game-winning kicks and botched punt fakes. Each team has won twice since 2002.

"This is a great matchup. This is what college football's all about. This is why you get up in the morning and shave and go to work and take care of yourself. You want to coach and play in games like this," said Florida coach Urban Meyer, who is going for a second straight win over the Vols.

Only Spurrier, Georgia's Mark Richt and Auburn's Tommy Tuberville have beaten Tennessee under coach Phillip Fulmer in back-to-back years.

A Tennessee player got in trouble a few years ago for telling reporters the coaches got uptight during Florida week, but it's clear this is serious business for Fulmer.

"I'm excited, and I know our football team is. How can it get any better -- national television, 108,000 fans in a wonderful setting, two teams with 2-0 records fighting for leadership in the SEC East?" he said.

A win over Florida would be huge for the Vols and Fulmer coming off last year's 5-6 campaign.

Fulmer at least won't have to deal with any more of those Spurrierisms like "can't spell Citrus without UT."

Tennessee critics backed off some after the Volunteers opened the season with a convincing 35-18 win over then-No. 9 California, breaking a six-game losing streak to top 10 teams in Neyland Stadium. One of the nation's worst offenses a year ago has looked revived with Cutcliffe in charge of developing quarterback Erik Ainge.

"It's never been frustrating," Cutcliffe said about Florida series. "It's competition. It's what you're in this for. It's what you like. It's a challenge. Every year you know it's going to be a challenge, but that's what you hope to be in in this business."

Meyer has been working on toughening his players so they will play better on the road. The Gators were 1-3 a year ago in SEC road games, and Florida faithful are hoping Meyer can show the program is headed back toward the greatness it achieved under Spurrier.

Leak knows all about playing in Neyland Stadium. He was a guest at several games, scrimmages and practices after his older brother C.J. transferred to Tennessee. But when C.J., a reserve QB, was yanked from a game he started, Chris was no longer interested in going to Tennessee.

Leak has been criticized in his career -- despite prolific statistics -- for not getting the Gators championships. Beating Tennessee would be a step toward that.

"It's going to be a special moment for myself, my family, my teammates," Leak said. "I've been watching it for years, ever since I was a kid. It's always been a great game. I'm just anticipating trying to soak everything in and sit back and make sure my teammates enjoy the game."

------

AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Florida contributed to this report.

[azuquita8]

Speedy freshman WR ready to make SEC impact
By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com


Percy Harvin has played all of two games for the University of Florida's football team, but the freshman wide receiver already knows this: "I'm the fastest guy on the field."

Maybe that shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Harvin was widely regarded as the country's No. 1 high school football prospect last year and was a five-time gold medalist in the Virginia track and field championships as a junior at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach.

It hasn't taken Harvin long to make an impact for the Gators, either. In coach Urban Meyer's spread offense, in which receivers are often asked to do much more than catch passes, Harvin has already earned the reputation of a player who can change a game each time he touches the football.

In last week's 42-0 win over Central Florida, Harvin caught a short pass and turned it into a 58-yard touchdown with his blazing speed.

"The first thing you're going to write is that he's incredibly fast," Meyer said. "He looks dynamic and fast, but there's a lot of fast people out there [who] aren't quite as competitive."

Harvin's extraordinary speed and athleticism are not the attributes that separate him from other receivers, Meyer said this week, as Florida prepared to play No. 13 Tennessee at sold-out Neyland Stadium in a key SEC game on Saturday night.

"I think I coached wide receivers for 15 or 16 years," Meyer said. "I've coached a lot of fast players. But fast players don't always turn out to be great players, because they don't have that competitive streak. The guys [who] want to go out there and compete every day are the ones [who] end up being great players. That's what separates the great ones."

Meyer saw that competitive fire in Harvin while he was recruiting the star player from the same southeast Virginia area that produced Hall of Famer Bruce Smith, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and NBA superstar Allen Iverson.

Harvin led Landstown High School to three consecutive Group AAA, Division 6 state title games, winning the championship in 2004. In the first game of Harvin's junior season, he scored two touchdowns -- one each on kickoff and punt returns -- in the first 58 seconds of the game. In the 2004 state championship game, Harvin had 476 all-purpose yards, scored four touchdowns and intercepted three passes.

"He's a phenomenal kid," Gators safety Tony Joiner said. "He has a little extra something to him. One of the first things he did that caught my attention was that he caught a slant pass in practice and almost took it to the house. He has unbelievable speed."

While Meyer credits Harvin's competitiveness for his early success in college, the player's emotional personality derailed his high school athletics career.

Harvin was suspended twice during his last two football seasons at Landstown High, including a two-game suspension last year for shoving an official during a game. During his senior basketball season, Harvin and a player from an opposing team sparked a bench-clearing brawl and the gym had to be cleared by police officers.

In March, the Virginia High School League took the rare action of suspending Harvin from all future athletic competition. Harvin appealed the board's decision but was denied, so he didn't get to defend the five gold medals he won at the state track and field meet as a junior -- a feat no Virginia athlete had accomplished since 1936.

"It was really hard because I wanted to compete," Harvin said. "I wanted to defend my five gold medals. I was watching some of the meet and guys were getting all cocky and showing off. They were showboating. But they knew they weren't the real champion."

Meyer said he was worried by Harvin's actions, but visited his high school on several occasions and got to know Harvin's teachers, coaches and mother.

"Was I concerned? Yes," Meyer said. "I think that involves dealing with that competitiveness and immaturity. I know he's a good kid who got caught up in the moment. Since he's been here, he's been fantastic."

Harvin said it has been easier for him since he stepped onto a larger stage at Florida. He's no longer the Big Man on Campus. Many of his teammates also were prep All-Americans, so he's not the biggest star on the team.

Harvin said the incident with the football official during his senior season happened after an opposing player spit in his face. Harvin said he was often targeted by players from other teams because of his stature and reputation for having a short fuse.

"In high school, I was the only star on the field," Harvin said. "Everybody here is a star, so I can just go out and play."

If Meyer has his way, though, Harvin will become a more important player for the Gators. In two games, Harvin has run six times for 69 yards and caught seven passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. Harvin averages more than 15 yards every time he touches the football.

"If you're a playmaker, you're going to touch the football in our offense," Meyer said. "We'll shovel the ball, hand it off and pitch it to receivers. All we've done with him so far are what we call jet sweeps. He's had some success with that."

Harvin also seems to have matured, thanks to the guidance of older teammates. When Harvin scored against the Golden Knights last week, he threw the football to the ground instead of handing it to an official. His actions didn't draw a penalty, but drew the ire of senior receiver Dallas Baker.

Baker immediately grabbed Harvin on the sideline and lectured him about sportsmanship. Meyer said Harvin listened intently to Baker and learned from the experience.

"We don't do that here," Meyer said. "We throw the ball to the official and we have a rule that you go find a lineman and give him a hug. I didn't have to tell him that. I heard Dallas Baker explaining it to him. That's a good indication that some of these older players are taking the baton and working with the young guys."

Harvin could learn another lesson when he plays in one of college football's toughest environments this weekend. The Gators were 1-3 in road games last season, but have won four of their last eight games in Knoxville.

"He hasn't done it in the SEC yet," Meyer said. "He's got a long way to go."


Mark Schlabach covers college football and men's college basketball for ESPN.com. You can contact him at schlabachma@yahoo.com

[azuquita8]

Florida won a close one tonight, 21-20 over the hated "Viles" up in Rocky Top.

UF started off with an INT on Erik Ainge resulting in an early 7-0 lead. The Gator D did well in containing the Vol offense for the most part, keeping Robert Meachem from separating too much that could have been lethal, and contai ning their ground attack. As much as Ainge got plays from the sideline on 3rd down that resulted in conversions the Gator D applied some pressure and Florida's own Marcus Thomas got one sack.

Mistakes were made on both sides of the ball; two of them cost the Gators 10 points due to INT's. Penalties tended to be called more on Florida than the Vols; I clearly saw two missed calls that should have been called against Tennessee (one of our guys was hauled down by his face mask close to our own end zone, and their punter Colquitt tripped our kickoff returner Brandon James on a play that would have resulted in a Florida TD.

Speaking of James, it looks as though Florida may have a long-needed weapon on special teams. This guy has some of the same qualities I've seen in players like Devin Hester and Skylar Green. He's small, quick and has the ability to break away from tackles to piuck up yardage on returns.

Aside from a stupid "slide", an INT and other mistakes Chris Leak showed confidence in running this offense and didn't lose his cool under pressure. He's learning to spread the ball around to his receivers and get plays made - Bubba Caldwell, Jemalle Cornelius, and Dallas Baker (who caught the winning TD pass) were keys to this win tonight, as well as DeShawn Wynn's rushing. Tim Tebow was used on QB-keeper plays and also picked up some yardage needed on drives.

Percy Harvin left the game with an ankle injury which I'm hoping isn't serious, but he was kept out of the 2nd half as a precaution.

K Chris Hetland was 0-for-2 on FG's tonight form long distances.

DEFENSE is the name of the game in the SEC, and once again I credit the Gator D for much of this win tonight - especially our front line and MLB Brandon Siler for helping to keep this game close.

Whoever says that the spread-option offense won't work in the SEC doesn't know what they're talking about. Tonight's game showed that it CAN work as it's designed to confuse opposing defenses and move the ball downfield. Aside from the mistakes and penalties UF is grasping a good command of it, and has the SPEED to make it work against SEC defenses.

The pre-game preparation that Urban Meyer worked on this week also helped; this win was critical as we didn't win on the road last year. The silent cadence on offense was used against UCF in preparation for this game and it turned out to be effective.

We start out our SEC schedule at 1-0, but we can't get overconfident. Every game counts, and we have a long road ahead of us. INHO this team has a legitimate shot at the SEC title game this December if (1) they want it bad enough, and (2) they prepare well for each game.

FINAL SCORE: Florida 21, Tennessee 20

GO GATORS!!!!!!!!

[azuquita8]

Florida is tough enough, beats Tennessee 21 - 20

By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS
AP Sports Writer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Dallas Baker caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Chris Leak that gave Florida the lead in the fourth quarter and the Gators held on to beat No. 13 Tennessee 21-20 on Saturday, as

Florida's Urban Meyer's first trip to Neyland Stadium as a head coach was a success, and he made it two straight against the Vols.

The No. 7 Gators (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) preserved the victory when Reggie Nelson got his second interception of the game after Tennessee went for it on fourth down at the Florida 45.

Then all the Gators needed was another first down, and they got it by inches on third down with 1:22 remaining.

Florida fans stayed to celebrate after the game ended while Tennessee fans _ very accustomed to seeing this result _ filed out silently.

Florida stuffed the Volunteers' running game and pressured Erik Ainge all night, and not even an emotional final game by defensive tackle Justin Harrell could provide the lift Tennessee (2-1, 0-1) needed to beat its bitter rivals.

Leak played in his final game in Neyland, where he often came to watch his older brother C.J. play, and managed the game well while his freshman backup Tim Tebow provided a lift all seven times he entered the game. Leak finished 15-of-25 for 199 yards with one interception.

Tennessee was held to minus-11 yards rushing, and Ainge struggled in going 17-of-32 for 183 yards.

Meyer became the first Florida coach to beat Tennessee in his first two tries since Galen Hall _ not even Steve Spurrier could do that. And Meyer joins Spurrier, Georgia's Mark Richt and Tommy Tuberville as the only coaches to beat Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer in back-to-back seasons. The Gators won last year at The Swamp 16-7.

The loss for Tennessee is sure to get the negative talk going again about Fulmer's future. The Vols finished last year 5-6, and had fans temporarily happy with two wins to open the season. Now Tennessee is in catch-up mode in the SEC East.

Trailing by six, Florida regained the lead with 6:30 to go on Leak's 21-yard pass to Baker. The drive was kept alive by Tebow's running ability. After Leak slid a yard short of the first down on the previous play, Tebow ran for 2 yards to the Tennessee 26.

[Ski-Whiz]

I watched the end of this, and I was glad the Gators finished them off..

I was worried when I saw the score on ESPN (didn't watch until the end)...

[4th and 26]

Talk about a close game, good thing the gators won. I would mentions my Illinios since our schools have ties to a coach. lol Great win AZ.

[azuquita8]

Meyer right at home in Knoxville

September 17, 2006

BY ELIZABETH A. DAVIS

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Might as well give Urban Meyer a visor.

Dallas Baker caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Chris Leak that gave Florida the lead in the fourth quarter, and the Gators held on to beat No. 13 Tennessee 21-20 on Saturday to make Meyer 2-for-2 against the Vols.

Meyer's first trip to Neyland Stadium as Florida's coach was a success. Not even Steve Spurrier, who made Vols fans cringe at the sight of his visor while going 8-4 against UT, started 2-0 against the Vols as the Florida coach.

FLORIDA 21
TENNESSEE 20

No. 7 Florida (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) preserved the win when Reggie Nelson got his second interception of the game after Tennessee (2-1, 0-1) went for it on fourth down at the Florida 45.

Then all the Gators needed was another first down, and they got it by inches on third down with 1:22 remaining.

''That was one of the finest team efforts I've ever seen -- to get down 17-7 in that type of environment against that type of talent and no one panicked,'' Meyer said.

Meyer became the first Florida coach to beat Tennessee in his first two tries since Galen Hall. And Meyer joins Spurrier, Georgia's Mark Richt and Tommy Tuberville as the only coaches to beat Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer in back-to-back seasons. The Gators won 16-7 last year at The Swamp.

After Spurrier left in 2001, Tennessee went 2-1 against the Gators and coach Ron Zook.

Meyer lectured his team about being tougher on the road, and the Gators responded with a gutty win.

''We challenged them, we criticized them and put them in situations where only tough people could survive, and I'm awfully proud of them,'' Meyer said.

Not even an emotional final game by defensive tackle Justin Harrell could provide the lift Tennessee needed to beat its bitter rival. Harrell started with a ruptured tendon in his left biceps, an injury suffered last week. Team officials had said he would miss the rest of the season. But after he was cleared by doctors, Harrell said he would play one more game.

[azuquita8]

Posted on Mon, Sep. 18, 2006

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Meyer erases questions
Coach Urban Meyer refurbished his reputation as an offensive genius with creative play-calling in Saturday's SEC road victory against Tennessee.
By MIKE PHILLIPS
mphillips@MiamiHerald.com

Urban Meyer had just won his first big road game with the Florida Gators, erasing the image that he couldn't win a critical game in an SEC stadium outside of Gainesville.

His Gators had come back with grit and toughness to beat Tennessee 21-20 in the din of Neyland Stadium, where more than 106,000 showed up Saturday night.

So why was Meyer's father giving his son a hard time?

''I call my dad after every game,'' Meyer said Sunday. 'He made a comment: `You weren't very creative.' And I kind of got into an argument with him.''

That might be the greatest statement about Florida's 21-20 victory, because not only was Meyer creative in many ways Saturday, but also he proved to critics that he could adjust -- even in the Southeastern Conference.

Meyer came to Florida after building a reputation as an innovative offensive genius whose teams at Bowling Green and Utah ran up impressive numbers with Meyer's spread-option offense.

And even Meyer was surprised last year when SEC teams such as Alabama and LSU shut down Florida. But this is the new Meyer, and his team won Saturday with a no-nonsense defense that held Tennessee minus-11 yards rushing.

''I learned to win on the road in the SEC that you don't play good defense. You have to play great defense,'' Meyer said last week as his team prepared for Tennessee.

This was the new Meyer, who never used a fullback or a tight end at Bowling Green or Utah because he was too busy spreading the field with receivers and beating opponents with speed and quickness that is the heart of the spread-option.

Meyer found out there is too much speed in the SEC to spread the field, and he added a tight end at the end of last season. Now he alternates the tight end and fullback spot to give his quarterback more protection.

He even added a wrinkle against Tennessee in one of his most creative moves, shuffling backup tackle Jason Watkins, a 6-6, 307-pound sophomore, to tight end in short-yardage situations.

Meyer was masterful in using his quarterbacks, putting in freshman Tim Tebow to run the ball on third-and-short plays. Meyer even put the game in Tebow's hands on a fourth-and-1 at the UT 28 on Florida's winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, and Tebow bulled his way 2 yards for a first down.

Meyer has created a new hybrid offense -- part spread-option, part makeshift.

''If you want to run the West Coast offense and you don't have the West Coast offense personnel, don't run it,'' Meyer said.

``Our offense is personnel-driven.''

Chris Leak, a classic dropback passer who had trouble in Meyer's offense last year, has thrown for 799 yards in three games and 10 TDs, including three against Tennessee.

Meyer and Leak have both changed, and the Gators might now be good enough to make a run at the national title. They jumped up two spots on Sunday and are now No. 5 in the country with a date to play No. 2 Auburn next month.

Meyer was creative enough to use a silent count to beat the noise, and creative enough to spread the ball around and beat Tennessee on a night when his most explosive player -- freshman receiver Percy Harvin -- left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury.

Harvin is expected to be all right -- and so are the Gators.

[azuquita8]

Published Monday, September 18, 2006
Road Games Don't Look So Scary for Florida Now

Obviously, this year is going to be different. It doesn't mean Florida will be playing in Atlanta or in a BCS bowl game. It doesn't mean that Urban Meyer has solved all of the Gators' road problems. It doesn't mean Chris Leak is finished sliding short of a first down or that he doesn't need Tim Tebow to do his dirty work.

But it does mean that this year is going to be different.

Florida got the first down when it had to, made the drive when it had to, came from behind when it had to. After a season where all of the road losses looked eerily familiar, the first away game of this season looked like nothing we have seen in a long time.

Consecutive plays where touchdowns were negated by penalties. The runback by Brandon James that reminded you of Wes Chandler. The giant blitz by Brandon Siler. The gutty performance by a defense that kept the Gators in it.

But mostly, it will be remembered as the night Florida came from behind to get Urban Meyer's biggest win as Florida's coach.

It was a night to remember for so many of these players, especially some of the reclamation projects. Like Dallas Baker, who caught two second-half touchdown passes.

This time last year, Dallas Baker was not the Dallas Baker you see now, Meyer said after celebrating with his team. We were fighting to get him the ball.

They looked done, finished when Tennessee took a 17-7 lead in the third quarter. The offense was struggling to get the most out of its drives. The defense that had done an amazing job was suddenly struggling to cover anybody.

You could feel it coming, the Big Orange avalanche buoyed by more than 100,000 throaty Rocky

Toppers who could smell Gator blood.

And based on what happened last year, it wouldn't have been a surprise if the game got out of hand. But this year is different.

That much is clear.

All the proof you needed came on the last meaningful play of the game when DeShawn Wynn picked up exactly six yards when he needed exactly six yards to ice it. The six yards put him over 100 yards, but that was the least important part of that carry.

This was DeShawn Wynn, the poster boy for what has been mind-numbing inconsistency at UF, making the play that had to be made.

On a perfect night for football, tailgating and just about anything else you could think of, Meyer's streak of beating UF's biggest rivals was extended to four.

And it was a night when Florida overcame the kind of mistakes that doomed them on the road last season.

Oh, they had plenty of gaffes - a penalty that nullified James' incredible play, a couple of poor choices by Leak, an almost-fatal personal foul penalty, Reggie Nelson catching the interception on fourth down when he should have let it hit the ground.

But the Gators never crumbled, never panicked, never wilted. They just kept coming back, stuffed a team that takes pride in its running game and made the big plays.

Because of the mistakes, Florida can't get too giddy over this win. And it was over a team that didn't make a bowl game last year and almost lost to Air Force last week. With what lies ahead on the schedule, you can't get too caught up in one win.

But on Separation Saturday, the Gators separated themselves from one team anyway. And they separated the Vols from controlling their own destiny in the SEC East. Besides the Gators knowing they can win on the road, their coaches know they have what it takes to figure it out away from home. We won't know how big this win was until many weeks from now. But we do know this - Meyer is 2-0 against Tennessee.

Pat Dooley is a writer for The Gainesville Sun.