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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2013 20:29:27 GMT -5
David, it's too soon to say. We should know a lot more by tomorrow afternoon. Depending on the timing of the cold front, it could go into Louisiana and then turn east north east. It could affect LSU at MSU, Ole Miss at Auburn, and bama vs a non-entity than the Florida schools.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2013 20:29:51 GMT -5
Donovan: Yeguete, Carter won't be available at start of practice By Kevin Brockway Staff writer Published: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 8:23 p.m. Florida will be banged up and short-handed heading into its first practice of the season. Florida coach Billy Donovan confirmed Wednesday that both forward Will Yeguete and guard Eli Carter won't be available when practice starts Oct. 11. Yeguete underwent surgery last May to repair cartilage in his knee. “(He's) still not cleared to play, don't know when he'll be cleared to play,” Donovan said before Wednesday night's Jimmy V Classic Gala in New York City. “Will not start practice our first day. He's still in the process of rehabbing.” Donovan said Carter “still is in the process of recovering” from a broken leg he suffered last February that ended his sophomore season at Rutgers. With Carter and Yeguete out, Florida starts practices perilously thin. Senior point guard Scottie Wilbekin remains suspended from the team indefinitely and is working out separately from the team. With that in mind, it's easy to understand why Florida chose not to start practice until Oct. 11. The Gators could have began practices last weekend, but would have had to spread out 30 sessions over 42 days before their Nov. 8 season-opener against UNF. “We just felt like it would be a great opportunity to work with our guys individually, help them continue to get better and focus on strength and conditioning,” Donovan said. “Also, starting on Oct. 11 gets us more into a flow instead of practicing three days, then taking two days off. This way we can get a little bit of consistency. Based on our first game and where we're starting, we really felt like we had plenty of time to get ready.” Florida will face Memphis in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York City (9 p.m., ESPN). Tickets for the event went on sale beginning Wednesday and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2013 20:39:18 GMT -5
By Chris Harry GatorZone.com Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The news first broke on Twitter (as news often does these days), but Eli Carter was sacked out with the flu Monday morning when awakened by a friend’s cell phone call.
“Hey man, you’re cleared!”
Carter, the transfer guard from Rutgers, already was a Gator, but when the NCAA signed off on the waiver request to grant the 6-foot-2 guard immediately eligibility, Carter became a Gator who can play basketball in the 2013-14 season.
“I was pretty confident it would happen,” Carter told GatorZone.com Wednesday. “I didn’t stress it too much.”
Now, it’s a matter of getting healthy.
Carter, the Paterson, N.J., product who led the Scarlett Knights with 14.3 points per game the last two seasons, broke his leg Feb. 16 in a game against DePaul. The injury not only ended his sophomore season, but has been slow to heal since he officially arrived at UF in time for the summer “B” session.
Gators coach Billy Donovan said this week that Carter has not been cleared for practice, which starts Oct. 11, and likely will not be ready when Florida opens the regular season Nov. 8 against North Florida.
“It’s going to be a process,” Donovan said. “Right now, he’s way, way behind. He’s behind in terms of his conditioning and being able to play. He’s only been able to do a few workouts by himself.”
That’s better, though, than where Carter was even a month ago, when his progress was not nearly as encouraging.
“I’ve tried not to get too frustrated,” Carter said. “But it’s been frustrating, yeah.”
When healthy, Carter has an all-around backcourt game the Gators have seen first hand. Two seasons ago, Rutgers stunned No. 10 Florida 85-83 in double-overtime, with Carter practically single-handedly doing the damage with a career-high 31 points (12 of 24 from the floor), seven rebounds and seven assists in 46 minutes.
And, yes, that game has come up in conversations with his new teammates.
“We joke around sometimes about it,” Carter smiled. “It was a good game ... a great game, actually.”
Yeah, for Carter.
That’s the guy the Gators remember and the guy Donovan hopes will help a team in need of backcourt help after saying good bye to starting guards Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario, plus the perimeter shooting touch of stretch forward Erik Murphy, now with the Chicago Bulls.
Carter played at the prep basketball factory of Jersey City (N.J.) St. Anthony’s, the same school that produced Rosario, another Rutgers-to-UF transfer. Carter came to Florida for the same reason as his predecessor.
“The winning culture,” Carter said.
He believes his tools will help UF build on the run of 13 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 15 years, including three straight ventures to the Elite Eight.
“I’m a scorer, but I also get after it on the defensive end,” said Carter, who suffered through a pair of losing seasons at Rutgers and ultimately picked UF over Maryland. “I bring experience, leadership and just an edgy side. I’m someone who is going to be ready to play each and every day.”
But not until that leg heals up to the satisfaction of the medical staff.
“I think it’ll be a little while longer, but I’m not really putting myself on a timetable,” Carter said. “I just know I’ll get there.”
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2013 20:44:54 GMT -5
By SCOTT CARTER GatorZone.com Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The loss of starting defensive tackle Dominique Easley to a season-ending knee injury last week was certain to cause some ripples for the Florida defense.
One of those ripples bumped defensive end Jonathan Bullard inside to play more on the interior line.
Bullard started the Kentucky game at defensive tackle and had three tackles and 1 1/2 sacks. The Gators will take that every game from the 6-foot-3, 265-pound sophomore from Shelby, N.C.
Jon Bullard
"It ain't the easiest thing to do, but it's what I've got to do,'' Bullard said. "I'm adjusting fast. We're really working on my pad level and my leverage on blocks."
Bullard received significant playing time last season and gave the Gators a young and dangerous tandem at defensive end along with fellow sophomore Dante Fowler. Bullard will still see some snaps on the outside but the Gators need him to help fill the large void left by Easley's injury.
"Jon is a very talented player. He was playing both inside and outside before,'' Gators defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin said. "He's a guy that is tough to block. He is good at the point of contact. He's played a lot of football for us.
"I think it's good that he gets different matchups [inside]. Sometimes he's on the tackle, sometimes on a guard. That's something we can take advantage of."
Florida head coach Will Muschamp said Bullard played well at Kentucky. While not as bulky as the 285-pound Easley, Bullard is an inch taller and is quick off the snap.
"Jon’s a guy that we really trained in August camp to play inside just in case something happened,'' Muschamp said. "He’s a big-bodied guy. He’s got some fast-twitch for an inside player. He can give us a push inside. But he’s going to play both end and tackle for us."
Bullard said the biggest adjustment is facing more double teams.
"At end, you usually have an outside shoulder free,'' he said. "You usually don't go against two 300-pounders as much as you do on the inside. I've got to step in and do the best I can."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2013 20:59:33 GMT -5
TIME OF POSSESSION
The Gators lead the nation in time of possession, controlling the ball an average of 38 minutes, 58 seconds per game.
Running the ball nearly 70 percent of the time and moving the chains consistently is Florida's not-so-secret recipe.
Muschamp said there is no direct correlation between time of possession and winning games, but there is no doubt the hold-onto-the-ball approach is working well for Florida, especially as they have transitioned Murphy into his new role in the wake of Jeff Driskel's season-ending leg injury.
"Good from the standpoint that their offense isn’t on the field,” Muschamp said.
Pease has stuck with what has worked in the first quarter of the season. Still, he understands the Gators are going to need to rely on Murphy's right arm more as the season progresses.
"To say that we’re always going to carry it, have that time of possession, is probably not our total plan,” Pease said. "You still stress that you want to have explosive plays and you hope you get those where you’re scoring in two or three [minutes], which limits your time of possession. That wasn’t the way it worked out [at Kentucky].
"So I think there’s some give and take in it."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 9:27:06 GMT -5
Written by Franz Beard, October 3, 2013
The rest of the college football season has been cancelled because Georgia won the national championship Saturday night. Don’t believe it? Just ask them. It is brutal living up here right now. You would think that the Bulldogs won the game with LSU by three touchdowns. Based on the talk you hear around town, you would have no idea that a fortuitous dropped punt created a 14-point swing in a game where both teams seemed to score on every possession. Nope, Georgia proved to the world that they are unbeatable and now it is just a matter of waiting until December when their unstoppable offense will score a hundred points on Alabama in the Georgia Dome. Uh-huh.
Meanwhile, Florida and Alabama have other plans. The Crimson Tide defense returned to normal against a decent Ole Miss team Saturday and pitched a shutout. Nick Saban has no intentions of seeing his team continue to give up thirty points. Make no mistake it is defense that has made the SEC the premier conference in college football. Maybe 44-41 scores belong in the PAC 12 or the Big 12 but not the SEC. This is important if the SEC wants to continue its streak of national championships. If UGA or Texas A&M or LSU get to the national championship game they may very well be no match for an Oregon or Ohio State because you beat those teams with defense not offense. Defense is what has dominated these last seven national championship games for the SEC.
One thing Georgia fans have been quick to point out this week is that Florida could only muster 24 points against lowly Kentucky. If you watched the game and have any real understanding of the game of football you know that the Gators could have scored 45 or more had that been the game plan. The television coverage made a big production of pointing out that Florida averages 31 seconds per offensive play. Oregon averages in the upper teens. The Gators hold onto the football for almost two-thirds over every game. This is by design. Florida’s defensive talent is superb but some of the dominance is due to the fact that the other team’s offense only gets around twenty minutes per game on the field. No matter how good your quarterback is he cannot throw a touchdown pass from the sideline.
Head coach Will Muschamp absolutely let the air of the ball in the second half against Kentucky. Like most Gators I was kind of hoping he would turn the offense loose for at least the third quarter, build a real nice lead and play some of the freshmen. However, that is not the Muschamp way and the Muschamp way gives Florida the chance to win every game they are play. If at any point in a football game Muschamp determines that the opposing team can only beat him if he helps them he will play keep away for the rest of the game. Equate it to the old Dean Smith four corners offense. One constant about prolific offenses is that you cannot let them get into a rhythm. Once that happens they will light up the scoreboard. Virtually every team that beat Steve Spurrier’s Gators did so by running the ball down Florida’s throat and keeping the Fun ‘N’ Gun from getting in rhythm.
When one of those high flying offenses figures out that they are only going to get a handful of possessions they force things and make mistakes. Suddenly, they are throwing the ball at the receivers’ feet on a screen play or horribly overthrowing a pass downfield and soon they are faced with third and longs. This is why Florida leads the SEC in third down defense. With the run play off the table and third and long, Dante Fowler and Ronald Powell can pin their ears back and meet at the quarterback. Then the grinding Gator offense is back out on the field using every second of each play clock and frustrating the opposing offensive coordinator. This philosophy is not pretty but it wins football games. In fact, about the only way it fails is if the Florida offense gets generous and turns the ball over. It is reasonable to believe that Muschamp’s Gators will not lose any game where they win the turnover battle and keep the penalties at least in check.
Of course, Florida has not faced the better teams on their schedule just yet. LSU, UGA and FSU will all be far more potent on offense than anyone the Gators have played in this young season. And before we get ahead of ourselves, Arkansas brings a pretty good offense to The Swamp on Saturday. This will be a step up from Tennessee and Kentucky, which means it will also be an opportunity to continue improving as a team with hopes of reaching the level it will take to defeat LSU in Baton Rouge on October 12. More importantly, from my perspective, at least, is enough improvement by November 2 to beat Georgia. I might have to move if the Bulldogs win that game again this year.
I, like most Gator fans, continued to be haunted by that Miami game. That game should have been a Florida victory and the public perception of the Gators would be different now. However, all of the goals are still intact and if allowed to do things his way, Muschamp could actually lead the Gators to an 11-1 regular season again. That may prove to be too big a task this season but I will all but guarantee that those predicting a five-loss season after the Miami game were wrong. For now Florida has to follow that most overused of all coachspeak and take them one game at a time. Arkansas can beat you if you do not play your best game. Get this one in the win column and then things get REAL interesting.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 10:12:42 GMT -5
Games to Watch - Week 6 September 30, 2013 By Brian Edwards VegasInsider.com
Arkansas at Florida
Most books opened Florida (3-1 SU, 1-3 ATS) as a 10.5-point favorite. The Gators have won their first two SEC games over Tennessee and Kentucky. They more than doubled UK’s yardage output (402-173) in a 24-7 win in Lexington as 11-point favorites. UF got a career-high 176 rushing yards from Matt Jones, who scored on a two-yard run and also had three catches for 20 yards. In his first career start, Tyler Murphy completed 15-of-18 passes for 156 yards and one TD. He also produced 36 rushing yards and one score on seven totes. UF leads the SEC and is eighth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 12.8 points per game. The Gators are second in the country in total defense, limiting foes to 202.5 yards per contest. Arkansas (3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS) hung tough against Texas A&M before dropping a 45-33 decision. The Razorbacks got the money as 13.5-point underdogs. QB Brandon Allen, who had missed a 28-24 loss at Rutgers the previous week due to a shoulder injury, wasn’t expected to face the Aggies until his status was upgraded to ‘probable’ late Friday. Allen threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns, but he was intercepted twice. Alex Collins rushed for 116 yards and one TD on 14 carries. For the season, Allen has an 8/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio in four games. Collins, a freshman RB out of Miami, leads the SEC in rushing with 597 yards. He has run for three TDs and is averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Arky senior DE Chris Smith leads the SEC in sacks with six. Since joining the SEC in 1992, the Hogs have lost all eight head-to-head meetings against UF.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 10:23:42 GMT -5
By Chris Harry GatorZone.com Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Chris DiMarco came to the Tennessee game two weekends ago, but arrived just after former Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel did his honorary "Mr. Two Bits" performance before kickoff.
"I was mad because I missed him," DiMarco said. "I thought it would have been so cool to see it."
That's OK. Instead, he'll get to live it.
DiMarco, the PGA Tour veteran and UF Hall of Famer, will be the third Gator great to perform the "Mr. Two Bits" celebrity pre-game ritual Saturday when 17th-ranked Florida (3-1, 2-0) takes on Arkansas (3-2, 0-1) in the first night game at the "Swamp" in nearly two years.
A three-time All-American for the Gators and 1990 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, DiMarco hopes to get the crowd going the same way Wuerffel did for the Volunteers and Errict Rhett, the school's all-time rushing leader, did before the season-opening win against Toledo when the tribute to George Edmondson was first unveiled.
DiMarco, with three career victories on the PGA and nearly $23 million in earnings in 23 years, was brought back to Florida Field a few years ago and introduced to the crowd for his post-UF achievements.
"That day, being cheered by all those fans, it made my hair stand on end," he said. "So I can't imagine what this will be like."
DiMarco, wife, 2BitsNot to put any pressure on the guy, but DiMarco will be the first non-football alum -- though certainly not the last -- to do the new "Mr. Two Bits" thing. And, yes, his wife of 22 years already has brought him a yellow shirt and orange-and-blue striped tie.
DiMarco, now 45, actually has seen quite a bit of the real "MTB," with his Gator Booster game-day parking space relatively close to Edmondson's. In fact, DiMarco has a photo (right) of he and wife Amy toasting the 1995 Florida State victory at Gainesville -- the one that gave UF its first undefeated regular season -- with Edmondson at a local watering hole.
Now DiMarco gets to toast the man in the ultimate salute.
"I'm honored, flattered, pumped ... all those things," DiMarco said. "I don't know if the fans will all know who I am, but the ones who do know me know how much I bleed orange and blue. And they'll certainly see my passion out there Saturday night."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 10:28:35 GMT -5
Rejuvenated Arkansas looks to upset No. 18 Florida By The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Arkansas at No. 18 Florida
The rejuvenated Razorbacks put a scare into Texas A&M before eventually falling 45-33 last weekend. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has made a commitment to running the ball and his team does it very well, ranking second in the SEC averaging 237 yards on the ground per game. Now the Razorbacks must face a Florida defense that's the best in the SEC at stopping the run, giving up just 53.5 yards per game.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 10:43:24 GMT -5
Right now, the piggy at UF game looks safe. However, the hurricane center has the storm making landfall as a tropical storm, could be minimum hurricane, right on top of my house (also Steaksauce's condo): www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/145003.shtml?5-daynl#contentsOle Miss at AU will be affected. Maryland at FSU? It depends on how much of an east turn it takes with the approaching cold front. Bama against the nobody will be far enough north and west of the center and track to be affected.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 13:20:55 GMT -5
ESPN considers UF as a team likely to improve. There are six in the insiders article. FSU, UGA, and LSU are on the list. I don't know who the other two teams are. This on UF:
Granted that there are greater challenges ahead, beginning next week at LSU, but QB Tyler Murphy has given the Gators a desperately needed offensive spark. Maybe it isn’t a spark, really, so much as a balance to the excellent defense that is currently first in the SEC in yards-per-play allowed (3.8).
In our new QBR metric, Murphy, in two games, has a rating of 96.1. Former starter Jeff Driskel, who went down in Week 3 with a season-ending knee injury, had a 40.5 rating in two-plus games. He was at 48.1 a year ago. Driskel played enough that it simply wasn’t a trend, and wasn’t something that could be pinned on the offensive line or receivers.
Murphy is learning on the job. But he's also a junior, someone not new to the program. There’s a fluidity with him that the coaches had hoped to see from Driskel; it just had not yet developed.
Some of the competition has noticed, and they'd prefer to face the other guy.
“Teams had a better shot with Driskel playing,” one SEC coach told me this week.
If Murphy continues to steady the offense, the Gators -- despite a schedule that includes road games at LSU and South Carolina -- might have a better shot in the East than many think.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 13:42:13 GMT -5
I do not like the way Damien answered questions 4 and 5. Maybe this is something the wet behind the ears reporter shouldn't have reported as it has bulletin board material for the piggies. Hey Damien, don't you want to rephrase that since this is going out to the public?:
By Zach Abolverdi Correspondent
Published: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 at 9:01 p.m.
Q: How do you feel the defensive tackles performed against Kentucky without Dominique Easley?
A: I think we did OK. We can definitely do better. Just getting off blocks quicker and getting more penetration.
Q: How much of an opportunity does Easley's injury create for you?
A: I'm going to have way more reps than I thought I would have this year. It's my last year also, so it's a big opportunity for me to get myself on the (NFL) market.
Q: Has your role changed at all?
A: It got a little bigger. It didn't necessarily change because I was doing a lot of leadership things when he was out there, too. But it's a little bit more important now because that's one senior gone and a voice that's out of the young guys' ears. So I've got to be more vocal.
Q: What do you see from Arkansas' offensive line?
A: They're real physical. I think they're a little chippy, a little dirty. So we're going to have to be ready for it all this week.
Q: In what ways do you think they're dirty?
A: I just see, from film, a lot of stuff after the play. Especially with the center, No. 64 (Travis Swanson). He'll get after you. He'll make you want to do some things to him. So we're going to have to try to keep our temper and keep cool on that.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 14:25:10 GMT -5
Kasey Hill bonding with tean:
Hoops Scoop Hill bonding with teammates Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 12:57 by Kevin Brockway
Florida coach Billy Donovan said it’s too early to tell what kind of impact freshman McDonald’s All-American point guard Kasey Hill will have on the Gators this season.
“It’s really hard to say right now because we’ve done a lot of small group workouts,” Donovan said before Wednesday night’s Jimmy V Gala in New York City.
But Donovan has been pleased with how Hill has blended in with his teammates. The former Montverde Academy standout came into summer and fall workouts humble, similar to how former Gator standout freshman guard Bradley Beal adapted to his teammates before the 2011-12 season.
“The biggest thing I can say is that his attitude has been really good,” Donovan said. “He’s eager to learn, eager to get better. I think he’s done a great job creating some real good relationships, being a freshman, with some of the older guys.”
How that translates on the court remains to be seen, but it doesn’t hurt for a point guard to gain the trust and rapport of his teammates. At times during the 2011-12 season, Donovan felt that Beal was unselfish to a fault, not wanting to take shots from established veterans Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker despite his superior ability. It wasn’t until March that Beal put the Gators on his back, helping lead Florida to the second of three straight Elite Eight runs.
The Gators are going to need the 6-fooot-1 Hill to contribute immediately. Returning starting point guard Scottie Wilbekin remains suspended from the team indefinitely, and Donovan confirmed that he will sit out an undisclosed amount of games to start the 2013-14 season. Wilbekin is working out separately from the team and may or may not return to team activities when Florida opens practice on Oct. 11.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 16:38:46 GMT -5
October 3rd, 2013 03:00pm
Zach’s Mail Stack 10/3
by Zach Abolverdi
Saturday’s matchup against Arkansas will be the first night game in The Swamp since 2011, but Florida has a light visitors list on tap.
The Gators were supposed to host New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr teammates Speedy Noil and Gerald Willis III on official visits, but they have pushed back their trips to the Vanderbilt game on Nov. 9. They previously planned to visit for the Tennessee game before deciding on this weekend, and their latest delay isn’t a good sign for the Gators.
But UF still has some important recruits coming Saturday, and I’ll have a visitor preview up tomorrow.
On to the questions!
Does Lane Kiffin’s firing at USC affect our status with five-star athlete Adoree’ Jackson and other possible California recruits? — Foreverag8r, Tay
The only prospects from that state who the Gators have a realistic shot with are Jackson and linebacker Dwight Williams, his teammate at Junipero Serra (Calif.) Gardena.
Both have been leaning toward Florida since the summer, and for the time being, Kiffin’s firing only increases UF’s lead. If the Trojans make the right hire, the coaching change could help their chances.
However, Florida’s coaches will have put in more than a year’s worth of recruiting them and building relationships before Southern Cal’s new staff even meets Jackson and Williams. They plan to take official visits to UF late in recruiting process, which also bodes well for the Gators.
Are we going to lose out on a top-flight OT for the third straight year? John Theus, Laremy Tunsil, and now David Sharpe? — Rob, Tampa Gator, ATLG8R, Jesse
Things are starting to look that way. He has seen Georgia play in person on three occasions this year, including two trips to Athens (the other was for Clemson-UGA). Conversely, he cancelled his plans to attend the Florida-Tennessee game and will visit FSU this weekend instead of UF.
The Jacksonville Providence prospect has said a decision could come from him during his senior season, and now he won’t have another opportunity to see the Gators for a home game until Vandy.
Sharpe won’t name his top school publicly, but someone close to him told me Georgia has the edge over UF. One of the reasons, the source said, is because Sharpe was turned off by Florida’s offense with Jeff Driskel prior to his season-ending injury. The quarterback change with Tyler Murphy has helped, but what the ‘Dawgs are doing offensively is carrying more weight.
The source added that whoever receives Sharpe’s last trip will likely land his commitment because the most recent school he visits always seems to gain the lead. After Sharpe, the Gators don’t really have any options remaining at offensive tackle as far as top-flight linemen are concerned.
What are the odds Muschamp can pull Bo Scarborough away from Alabama? If we can land him, is it possible that he fills our LB need for this cycle rather than RB? — Jake, Rob, Robert, ReRockRemix
In mid-September, the odds were very promising for the Tuscaloosa native out of Bradenton IMG Academy. He was scheduled to be at the Tennessee game and return for an official visit later in the year. But Scarbrough didn’t make it for Florida’s SEC opener because he had to take his ACT, which was the third time his plans to visit Gainesville fell through. Now he isn’t sure if he will even take an official to UF.
Florida tight end commit C’yontai Lewis told me Scarbrough, his cousin, could have made it to the Tennessee game if he really wanted to. He also said Florida State is the school with the best shot to steal Scarbrough from Alabama. There will be more opportunities for UF to get him on campus, but that has to happen multiple times if the Gators are going to change his mind. Oh yeah, and he’s a running back all the way.
Zach, now that he’s committed to UGA, can you shed some light on DE Keyon Brown? His tape is really good, he fits our system and I heard he was a Gator fan. What’s the deal? — AH, Robert
The Florida staff evaluated him at Wauchula Hardee in the spring but never offered. They asked him to come visit and/or camp but he never did. For whatever reason, his relationship with UF just never materialized.
He was a Gator fan as you mentioned, and I assume the coaches were aware of that and knew they could get him if they wanted to. But with limited scholarship numbers and guys like Lorenzo Carter on the board at defensive end, they weren’t ready to pursue yet and he wasn’t willing to wait on an offer.
Is the fact that UF offered JUCO Tennessee WR commit Eric Lauderdale a sign that Travis Rudolph, Speedy Noil, etc. aren’t coming to UF? — Mike
Noil was never coming, but Rudolph has been trending toward Florida State lately after once having UF in front. The West Palm Beach wideout was in attendance for the Florida-Miami game, and I think the Gators’ poor performance that day hurt them somewhat.
Moreover, UF signed five receivers last year, landed Ermon Lane for 2014 and have a shaky situation at quarterback. The ‘Noles, on the other hand, have Jameis Winston lighting it up through the air this season. Although Rudolph’s recruitment is still up for grabs, I think FSU is more appealing to him right now.
As for Lauderdale, who plays for Mission Vejo (Cali.) Saddleback C.C., he was offered by Joker Phillips on Monday and plans to set up an official visit to Florida despite his verbal to the Vols.
Please list the recruits on Florida’s board and a percentage of our chances. — Jesse
Signing day is four months away, so this list of recruits and UF’s chances with them will change. These are also just the known recruits on Florida’s board. I’m sure there are other targets the media and public aren’t aware of at this time.
RB Bo Scarbrough — 25% RB Joe Mixon — 5% WR Josh Malone — 10% WR Speedy Noil — 15% WR Travis Rudolph — 50% TE Bryce Dixon — 5% TE DeAndre Goolsby — 35% OL Damian Prince — 10% OL David Sharpe — 45% DT Thomas Holley — 20% DT Gerald Willis III — 15% DE Lorenzo Carter — 75% DE Lorenzo Featherston — 40% DE Da’Shawn Hand — 25% DE Cory Thomas — 20% LB Raekwon McMillan — 15% LB Clifton Garrett — 30% LB Dwight Williams — 90% CB Jalen Tabor — 35% DB Jamal Adams — 85% ATH Adoree’ Jackson — 90%
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2013 16:46:57 GMT -5
In a close game, we'll need a catch or two out of a true TE. Kent Taylor can catch, but he can't block well at 238 pounds. I hope Colin Thompson can get back in the saddle soon. He has size for blocking and pass catching skills. Clay "hands of stone" Burton and Tevin Westbrook are blockers only:
By Robbie Andreu Staff writer
Published: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 3:59 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 3:59 p.m.
Even though Florida's tight end position has produced only one reception for one yard this season, Will Muschamp said he's not totally dissatisfied with the overall play at the position.
“We've been very good as far as the blocking,” he said. “Clay Burton had his best game as far as that's concerned up at Kentucky. Tevin Westbrook has done a nice job. Very disappointed Colin Thompson hurt his foot again. Colin was really turning the corner for us and becoming a more dependable guy who was going to really, really help us.
“Kent (Taylor) has been banged up with an ankle and just got back this week. A little frustrated, to be honest, as far as the production in the passing game. We would like to get more out of it.”
UF's leading receiver last season was tight end Jordan Reed, who had 45 receptions for 559 yards and three touchdowns.
Muschamp said senior wide receiver Trey Burton is filling Reed's role.
“He's done a really nice job in the slot,” Muschamp said. “Very similar to how we used Jordan last year, by design to be our leading receiver. (Reed) was a very good weapon for us in the passing game. Trey has been, too, and really has been a guy we have counted on in the passing game.
“We've gotten the production from the position, just with a different type of body doing it, maybe a different type of label as far as the position is concerned.”
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