Questions Stll Unanswered

There's really not too many questions that could have been answered against the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern. But last night ended pretty much how it started.

The receiving corps still seems to be shaky. Outside of Riley Cooper, there really wasn't much to speak of in terms of receiver production. On consecutive plays, Deonte Thompson was called for a false start and then dropped a sure touchdown pass. Brandon James also dropped a touchdown pass as he played the slot. At least Aaron Hernandez didn't disappoint. Hernandez showed why he is considered one of the nation's best tight ends.

I don't know if it's Scott Loeffler's doing, but Tim Tebow looked extremely sharp last night. Tebow could have easily ended the night with 3 touchdowns if Thomson and James could have made their respective catches. The only throw that was off target was Tebow's first deep pass to Riley Cooper. Cooper had to adjust to the under thrown ball. Otherwise, Coop could have had himself a touchdown.

The running game was on point. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey dazzled once again. Manny Moody made some spectacular runs as well. Even Mike Gillislee showed what he is capable of.

I would ;ole to say that we should learn more against Troy next week, but the Trojans were embarrassed by Bowling Green this week. We may have to wait until the Tennessee game to know what these Gators are all about.

Here's the stats:

Passing

Tim Tebow 10-15 188 yards 1 td
John Brantley 8-12 67 yards 2 tds

Rushing

Jeff Demps 5 rushes 89 yards 2 tds
Emmanuel Moody 9 rushes 86 yards
Chris Rainey 1 rush 76 yards 1 td
Mike Gillislee 6 rushes 41 yards 1td
John Brantley 6 rushes 44 yards
Tim Tebow 2 rushes 1 yard 1 td

Receiving

Riley Cooper 5 recs. 105 yards
Aaron Hernandez 4 recs 79 yards 1td
Omarius Hines 3 recs 31 yards
Justin Williams 2 recs 11 yards 1 td
Cade Holliday 1 rec 9 yards 1 td

Kickoff Returns

Brandon James 85 yards 1 td

Defense

Interceptions

Major Wright 1

Tackles

Jon Bostic 7
Joe Haden 6
Lorenzo Edwards 5

Player of the Game

Riley Cooper - White Receiver

Cooper showed up in a big way last night. Coop maneged to amass 105 yards receiving on just 5 catches. There was a stretch when Tebow connected with Riley on 3 straight plays. This was vomit inducing to the Charleston Southern secondary as well as to Cooper, who was seen throwing up while coming off the field. Hopefully next week, Mr. Cooper with have some help.

Florida - Charleston Southern Preview

Yes. This is a preview of a football game that features a 73 point underdog. The CSU Buccaneers come into Gainesville as the largest underdog since..... well ever.

It's gonna be hard for the Gators to get incredibly jacked up for a game that Urban Meyer has already called ridiculous. The fact that they haven't hit someone in a different color in nearly 8 months should help a little. But you get the feeling this will be the Orange and Blue Debut Part Deux.

The fact that this game doesn't matter to anyone outside of Gator Nation doesn't matter to me. I've been dying for some college football, and especially some Gator football. Saturday can't get here soon enough.

Here are my thoughts on this monumental clash between two titans for the collegiate gridiron.


5 Keys to the Game

1. Show Up - No real strategy needed. the Gators just need to make sure they get off the buses, make the Gator Walk, get dressed and be on the field by the 7 o'clock kickoff. If they do that, they win.

2. Avoid Injuries - The last thing the Gators need is to have a major contributor get injured during this horrible excuse for a game. I might boycott the season if someone major were to go down in a heap against the Bucs. In fact, I hope Meyer treats this game like the string of 4th NFL preseason games coming up this weekend. Let the starters play for a series or two at the most. Then, hopefully up 14-0, put the reserves in and don't look back.

3. Protect the Ball - I know. I know. There's no way the Gators lose to Charleston Southern even if they turn the ball over 37 times. Still, you don't want to develop bad habits. A couple of fumbles in this game could lose to a lack of discipline in some games that might actually matter later in the season. Of course, this wasn't the case after the Ole Miss loss last season, but you never know...

4. Give Brantley Plenty of Reps - I want to see John Brantley in the game for at LEAST 3 full quarters. Give him a chance to run the offense for an extended period of time. Let him throw for 6 or 7 touchdowns to build his confidence up. This could help when Meyer decides to throw Brantley in the fire in Baton Rouge later in the year.

5. Give Moody the Damn Ball! - I told you I was gonna keep screaming this until the coaching staff actually listened. Besides, Moody does his best work against FCS teams. Just look at last year's Citadel game. He looked like an All-American!





5 Players That Need To Step Up

1. Emmanuel Moody - I already mentioned Manny's superstar like status when facing FCS opponents. The introduction of the I-Formation should only help his ability to dominate lesser opponents. Time for Manny to go for 250+ with 4 tds.

2. John Brantley - Brantley should be the star of the game Saturday. He will see the bulk of the action at QB, if all goes well. If all goes too well, he may even be spelled by Jordan Reed late in the game. Still, Brantley should have the best game of his career. Something that he can build on throughout the season.

3. Mike Gillislee - I'm real anxious to see what this guy can do. I've heard so much about him leading up to the season. I'm ready to see what he's all about. Granted, whatever he does against Charleston Southern can't be taken too seriously. But at least it will give us more to go on than just practice.


4. Jonathan Phillips - Phillips' leg should see plenty of action this Saturday. He might even be able to mix in some field goals with the 20 or so PATs he'll be attempting. This will be a good chance for Johnny to get a head start on the comp for the Lou Groza award.

5. Jon Bostic - Bostic is another freshman that I can't wait to see in action on Florida Field. He should get plenty of playing time once the starters take to the bench early in the game. From what I hear, Bostic may even be mixed in some with the starting unit. Either way, this will be his first chance to shine.




No Florida v. Charleston Southern highlights exist for obvious reasons. Instead, here' a nice highlight reel re-capping Florida's 2008 season.



Here's what they're saying about this historic contest.

My Prediction

Florida - 76

Charleston Southern - 9