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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2013 20:01:53 GMT -5
— many are starting to believe the Wildcats are in an excellent position to end their 26-game losing streak to the Gators. I am among them. LOL....What a damn fool.....He's trying to use the ol reverse psychology thingy.....
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2013 20:29:12 GMT -5
— many are starting to believe the Wildcats are in an excellent position to end their 26-game losing streak to the Gators. I am among them. LOL....What a damn fool.....He's trying to use the ol reverse psychology thingy..... Shock journalism. He's got a lot of Gainesville Sun UF sports readers pissed off. (G)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2013 20:49:52 GMT -5
Tyler Murphy's Time Has Arrived:
By SCOTT CARTER GatorZone.com Senior Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Peter Murphy wanted to be here Saturday night. He wanted to be at Commonwealth Stadium for Florida's game at Kentucky. He wanted to watch Florida's No. 3 make his first career start.
But duty calls.
Instead of watching son Tyler Murphy take his first snap as the Gators' starting quarterback in person, Peter will find a good spot back home in Wethersfield, Conn. -- a suburb located a few miles south of downtown Hartford -- to watch the game.
"I'll be the nervous guy chewing my fingernails,'' he said. "I shouldn't be that hard to find."
And then on Sunday, Lt. Peter C. Murphy of the Hartford Fire Department will report to work at Company 14 on Blue Hills Avenue for his regular shift in charge of Ladder 4.
The schedule was too difficult to adjust on short notice for Murphy to make Florida's SEC road opener against the Wildcats.
Murphy isn't complaining, though. He has attended nearly every Gators home game the past three years, including last week's win over Tennessee.
Each trip to Gainesville he wondered if this would be the game Tyler finally gets to play quarterback. The answer was always no.
That was until last weekend.
Peter was sitting behind the Florida band in the lower north end zone when Gators starting quarterback Jeff Driskel went down with a season-ending leg injury early in the first quarter.
Murphy was in full fan mode until the play Driskel got hurt. Suddenly, he realized what was about to happen.
Tyler, a redshirt junior who had watched five quarterbacks take snaps for the Gators since he arrived, started to prepare to take his first.
"Prior to him going into the game I was over there yelling with the band,'' Peter said. "Then he gets in the game and I got nervous. I couldn't really enjoy the game."
He had nothing to worry about.
Tyler came on in relief to lead the Gators to a 31-17 win, throwing for 134 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for 84 yards and a score.
Back at Company 14 Peter's crew of firemen had the game on TV. The texts started pouring into his phone when Tyler came in. Peter turned off his phone so he could concentrate and watch the son who used to tag along to his dad's flag football games on weekends.
He finally exhaled when the game was over.
When Peter showed back up to work earlier this week, he was no longer Lt. Murphy.
"Now I'm Tyler Murphy's dad,'' he said.
As Gators coach Will Muschamp said after the game, one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity.
That old saying came true for Tyler the moment Tennessee's Marlon Walls fell on Driskel's lower right leg, breaking his fibula. Driskel underwent successful surgery on Wednesday but will miss the rest of the season.
Tyler has taken the drastic turn of events in stride, concerned about his friend's injury but determined to seize his opportunity.
"There have been times when I felt like giving up,'' Tyler said. "Sitting on the bench isn't fun. I was blessed with an opportunity this week."
*****
Since his moment in the sun against Tennessee, Murphy has turned into a mini-celebrity around Wethersfield.
The Hartford Courant published a story on Murphy on the front of the sports section. Peter has taken several calls from reporters and answered countless questions from friends and colleagues. They have talked about Tyler on the local news.
Travis Meyer is a former assistant coach at Wethersfield High and now runs a service that offers private lessons for young quarterbacks. He started to work with Tyler when Murphy was a junior.
Meyer is largely responsible for Murphy signing at Florida. Murphy committed to Temple after his senior season. Then-Owls coach Al Golden was the only one who offered Murphy a chance to play quarterback.
Syracuse recruited him as an athlete. Connecticut wanted him to play defensive back. There were several offers from Division I-AA programs.
Meyer started to send clips of Murphy to bigger schools and got a response from the Gators.
"His ability to pass, his ability to run, I don't think that was ever questioned, at least not by me or any of his coaches up here,'' Meyer said.
Former Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, now head coach at Boston College, was impressed when he first saw video of Murphy in early 2010.
He wanted to know more, so Addazio, a Connecticut native who has strong recruiting connections in the area, traveled to Wethersfield to meet Tyler and Peter.
"At the time we were really looking for that dual-threat guy that pumps up places, isn't that highly recruited,'' Addazio said. "He's a great-looking kid in terms of, he had size; he had great athleticism.
"You could tell he was a real special kid in the school. Everyone spoke of his character."
Soon, Addazio understood why. The Gators offered Murphy a scholarship.
Already committed to Temple, Tyler and Peter sat down for a heart to heart.
One part of Tyler told him to keep his commitment to Temple, the only program that offered him a chance to play quarterback; the other side told him that it's Florida. If the Gators want you, you go.
"He was such a high-character guy that it was hard for him not to go to Temple,'' Addazio said. "To his credit, he was not one of those guys that make reservations. He was really going. We just kind of worked through it.
"This is a great opportunity for you,'' Addazio told him. "No one can really look you in the eye and fault you for wanting to go to Florida. You are not making a lateral move here."
Peter called former Temple receivers coach Kelvin Gilbride, who was Tyler's primary recruiter. He was relieved when Gilbride said he understood why Tyler had to check out Florida. Gilbride told Peter there were only "two or three schools" that Temple would uphold its offer while Murphy checked his options.
Florida was one. Murphy was soon a Gator.
"I'm not afraid of competition,'' Murphy said this week. "And you can't beat a University of Florida degree."
*****
Murphy grew up in an athletic family.
Peter was a walk-on basketball player at Providence who switched to football and played receiver his junior and senior seasons. His sister Morgan is a sophomore forward at Binghamton (N.Y.) University.
Murphy started to play football around the time he turned 7 and as an 11-year-old led the Hartford Wildcats youth team to a national championship appearance at Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona.
And he always played quarterback.
The opportunity at Florida presented a huge challenge. For Murphy to get on the field, some suggested he should change positions. As time passed, others asked if he would be better off transferring.
To the surprise of many, Murphy stayed.
"Tyler is very optimistic about everything,'' said teammate and roommate Jaylen Watkins. "I never witnessed him getting down about playing time. He's always prepared like his chance was going to come. So when he went into the game, nobody was scared, and nobody was shocked at what he was doing."
Meyer kept close tabs on his pupil and was always impressed by how Murphy remained optimistic despite being buried on the depth chart.
While sympathetic toward Driskel, Meyer rushed to his TV on Saturday when his brother-in-law called to say Murphy was coming into the game.
"It was hard to even know what to think: here we go, this is it,'' Meyer said. "For me it was a lot of relief, because I helped him get down there. I was the one who sent the tape, talked to the coaches, and then he doesn't play.
"I felt so bad for the kid. I never pushed him to transfer. I did bring it up a few times. I felt it was part of my responsibility, at least raise the question to him. And he never really entertained it. I think that defines Tyler. Once he committed to it -- that was it. I don't think he'll ever say it, but he's still there partly to show this is where he is going to play."
Boston College was off last weekend. Addazio still watches the Gators on TV if he can and happened to have the game on Saturday.
His eyes locked in first on Driskel, and then on Murphy.
"I felt so bad for Driskel because I was there for the recruiting of him as well. My heart kind of broke for him,'' Addazio said. "And then I saw Murph come in. I just felt great that here is a guy who showed great loyalty and had an opportunity to go in there and do something great for his team.
"He was really a high-character guy who had ability. I really felt that if you gave him a chance, he would develop. He's got a lot of pressure on him right now. He's a guy who obviously hasn't played much. Everyone has got to be fair to this guy. He's got ability, he's got character, but there is a learning curve. I hope everyone understands that and gives him a chance to develop to be the quarterback he can be."
*****
Murphy will take the field here Saturday night with 14 attempts and eight completions on his career ledger.
He passed his first test, but the exams get more difficult as the SEC season gets thicker and thicker.
Peter will continue to text Tyler his three P's the way he does before every game: pray, prepare and protect. As in protect the football.
"I guess he was paying attention," Peter said of Murphy's performance against the Vols. "He was ready."
Muschamp and Gators offensive coordinator Brent Pease are on board with Peter's three P's.
They know for any young quarterback's confidence, limiting mistakes is critical to building confidence.
"He's always prepared like he was going to be the starter,'' Pease said. "He's a mature kid. He'll be fine. That's just his demeanor. That's his personality. It's business as usual."
The Gators don't plan to make any wholesale changes on offense. They want Murphy to use his athleticism, make smart decisions in the passing game, and play with the poise he showed in his debut.
The formula is much the same as with Driskel.
"We have a lot of confidence in him,'' Muschamp said. "He's really taken a step forward. He's a guy that never complained. He always handled things perfectly."
Those back home in Wethersfield probably aren't surprised to hear that. That is the Tyler they knew when he was growing up.
Murphy said he has heard from a lot of those folks over the past few days. Like Peter, they will be watching when Tyler makes his first career start Saturday night.
Murphy hopes to deliver another memorable performance for them to talk about at Company 14.
"My town has been very supportive of me,'' he said. "That means the world to me. I'll have butterflies, I'm sure. Once I get hit, I think I'll be fine. I'm not trying to go out there and be a hero. We have a really good defense, one of the best in the country."
Sounds like a son who listens to dad's three P's.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2013 21:35:05 GMT -5
Robbie Andreau - a defeatist or trying to give UF some bulletin board material?: www.gatorsports.com/article/20130927/ARTICLES/130929561?p=1&tc=pgBottom line - UF has better players and a better team. It's silly to even conjecture any other team, SEC or otherwise, will feel sorry for UF because of all the season ending injuries. On the bright side, UF has 78 ship players so there will be a good team with depth on the field. The lone exception is at QB. Skyler Mornhinweg is a reshirt frosh while Tyler Murphy is a redshirt junior who has much more maturity and has seen far more game conditions than Skyler. UF could be like Walt lamenting about SC only having 59 ship players. I'll take the cards UF is playing with thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 18:05:34 GMT -5
83-6=77
Forgot about Nick Washington being out - UF is down to 77 ship players after 6 season ending injuries.
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Go Bucks!
Now THIS here...is a member
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Post by beuycek on Sept 28, 2013 18:10:03 GMT -5
Wow, that is interesting for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 18:15:30 GMT -5
37-34 UGA 41-37 LSU 44-41 UGA 1:42 left in game
44-44 a push with LSU getting a chance to tie or win it.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 18:18:16 GMT -5
Gators up 7-0 on UK after completing its longest drive of the year.
Tyler Murphy looks like a veteran.
IMO, Matt Jones is running too straight up. He needs to get his pad level down a bit.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2013 22:05:35 GMT -5
Final UF 24 UK 7
Mark Stoops took a play out of Les Miles playbook. UK's only score came on a fake FG attempt from the UF 25. The Gator D played well enough to put up a goose egg.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 8:14:41 GMT -5
Last game out 2 weeks ago, UK lost at home 27-13 to Louisville. Mark Stoops will have the mildcats playing good defense. It'll be interesting to see if the UK offense can match the production they had against Louisville. Even with Jeff Driskel and Dominique Easley out, I'm thinking UF wins by 17. Nailed it. Final 24-7 UF
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 8:24:59 GMT -5
Written byFranz Beard, September 29, 2013, 0 Comments,
Print Friendly
STICK TO BASKETBALL, DICK
Memo to Dick Vitale. Stick to basketball. That’s what you’re good at. Vitale tweeted Friday that Kentucky could beat Florida in football, something that hasn’t happened since the Reagan administration. It didn’t happen Saturday because Florida has the nation’s best defense even without Dominique Easley dancing and disrupting. Without Easley, Will Muschamp put the Gators in a 3-4 for most of the game and that stuffed Kentucky’s running game. Inside linebackers Michael Taylor and Antonio Morrison were there to snag any Kentucky runner who managed to squirt past the line of scrimmage. When the Wildcats tried to throw the ball, Dante Fowler, Jonathan Bullard and Bryan Cox were there to pressure the quarterback. Ronald Powell didn’t have a sack but he was active and disruptive. The secondary was on lockdown with Vernon Hargreaves III picking off his third pass of the season. With defense that good, all Florida’s offense had to do was take care of the football and strive for efficiency. The result was a 24-7 win that wasn’t nearly as close as the score might indicate. This is the nation’s best defense, something Dick Vitale needs to remember before he tweets about Florida football again.
GO BACK TO YOUR DAY JOB MATT STINCHCOMB
“If that wasn’t targeting I don’t know what is,” ESPNU color analyst Matt Stinchcomb said in the third quarter when Florida’s Jabari Gorman laid out Kentucky wide receiver Alexander Montgomery with about as perfect a form tackle as you could ask for. Gorman didn’t lead with the helmet to either the head or neck area as Stinchcomb claimed. Replays clearly showed that Gorman stuck his face into Alexander’s sternum but Stinchcomb didn’t have the guts to admit that he was dead wrong. In addition to being wrong on the play, Stinchcomb is flat our boring. Suggestion: ESPN should pair him with Beth Mowins and they will have the cure for insomnia.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 9:16:56 GMT -5
By Chris Harry GatorZone.com Senior Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Florida defense had done its part, thwarting a promising first drive by Kentucky and forcing a long field-goal attempt on fourth-and-9.
As is often the situational case, the UF defense stayed on the field for the kick.
Then ... Wham!
“They just caught us in something,” junior defensive back Cody Riggs said Saturday night, shrugging off the Wildcats’ lone highlight in a 24-7 victory for the Gators. “Give them credit.”
Kelly Mason’s snap went to holder Jared Leet. That much looked normal.
But then placekicker Joe Mansour took off to his right and Leet flipped him the ball.
Meanwhile, a wingback positioned off the right side of the line took off diagonally across the Gators secondary, dragging safety Jaylen Watkins away from the action and opening what looked like an area code of green grass -- practically a third of the field -- up the right sideline.
Apparently, both of Mansour’s feet work very well; not just the one that kicks. He looked awfully fast racing untouched for a 25-yard touchdown that temporarily tied the game at 7-7, sent the home crowd into an early tizzy and sent UF’s coaches scurrying for their clipboards.
“We have to clean up things with our field-goal block team, as far as responsibilities,” Coach Will Muschamp said. “We need to have someone on the edge to make sure that doesn’t happen to us.”
It was an excellent call by UK coach Mark Stoops, whose staff had a week off and probably recognized a vulnerability in Florida kick-blocking scheme.
Sometimes that’s how it works.
“We adjusted to it,” Riggs said. “It won’t happen again, I guarantee you that.”
Junior cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy shrugged it off, too.
It’s easier to shrug, after all, following a victory.
“Yeah, it was wide open, so we couldn’t do a whole lot about it,” Purifoy said. “But they weren’t going to beat us all night with a bunch of trick plays.”
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 9:22:39 GMT -5
UK game box score:
First downs 22 12 Rushing 14 4 Passing 7 7 Penalty 1 1 3rd Down Efficiency 8-13, 62% 1-8, 13% 4th down efficiency 2-2, 100% 2-4, 50% Rushes-Yards 45-246 21-48 Passing Yards 156 125 Return Yards 14 58 Completions-Attempts-Int 15-18-1 17-26-1 Sacks-Yards Lost 1--5 5--33 Punts 0 3 Punts-Average � 38 Fumbles Lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties - Yards 5-28 3-25 Time of Possession 38:09 21:51
Florida Passing Player Cmp Att Yds TDs Int T. Murphy 15 18 156 1 1
Kentucky Passing Player Cmp Att Yds TDs Int M. Smith 12 20 90 0 1 J. Whitlow 5 6 35 0 0
Florida Rushing Player Carries Yds Avg TDs M. Jones 28 176 6.3 1 T. Murphy 7 36 5.1 1 M. Brown 6 18 3.0 0 T. Burton 2 16 8.0 0
Kentucky Rushing Player Carries Yds Avg TDs J. Mansour 1 25 25.0 1 J. Kemp 3 19 6.3 0 R. Sanders 5 16 3.2 0 J. Whitlow 3 9 3.0 0 R. Timmons 1 9 9.0 0 D. Mobley 2 6 3.0 0 J. Blue 1 -3 -3.0 0 D. Collins 1 -11 -11.0 0 M. Smith 4 -22 -5.5 0
Florida Receiving Player Rec Yds Avg TDs T. Burton 6 66 11.0 1 Q. Dunbar 2 48 24.0 0 M. Jones 3 20 6.7 0 S. Patton 3 12 4.0 0 D. Robinson 1 10 10.0 0
Kentucky Receiving Player Rec Yds Avg TDs A. Montgomery 4 47 11.8 0 R. Timmons 6 40 6.7 0 J. Blue 3 16 5.3 0 D. Robinson 1 13 13.0 0 R. Sanders 3 9 3.0 0
Florida Interceptions Player Int Yards V. Hargreaves 1 0
Kentucky Interceptions Player Int Yards J. Forrest 1 39
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 9:24:55 GMT -5
That 25 yard run by UK was the fake field goal for a TD. It's a shame the Gator D didn't put up a shutout.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 9:28:16 GMT -5
Facts
Three things
1. Quarterback Tyler Murphy came up big in his starting debut, throwing for a touchdown and rushing for one in a highly efficient performance that saw him complete his first 13 passes on the night.
2. Looking completely recovered from a preseason viral infection, sophomore tailback Matt Jones had a career game, rushing for 176 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
3. The UF defense was in control throughout, producing five sacks and an interception in the end zone by Vernon Hargreaves III. The Gators limited UK to 173 total yards. -- Robbie Andreu
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