Showing posts with label Chris Rainey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Rainey. Show all posts

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Florida-Vanderbilt Preview

It's time for the annual grudge match between two hated rivals. Vandy's coming to town!!! The past few years, the Dores have managed to make it to the Florida game with a decent shot at making a bowl. That's not the case this year. Bobby Johnson's bunch have stumbled and fumbled their way to a 2-7 mark.

I really don't have much to say about this game. I hope the Gators are more fired up and ready to play than I am to watch it. I've already begun the countdown to South Carolina.


5 Keys to the Game

1. Play With Emotion - The Gators certainly need to play with more emotion than I have for doing this preview. If Florida comes out flat, they will struggle against yet another inferior SEC opponent. This shouldn't happen. Florida can see the finish line and they should be willing to do all that they can to reach that line undefeated.

2. Score Touchdowns in the Red Zone - Getting a little success in the red zone during this game could go a long way in determining how the Gators will finish the season. I like Caleb Sturgis and all, but I only want to see him on the field to kick extra points and kick-offs after touchdowns.

3. Pad Tebow's Stats - Tebow is still in the race for this year's Heisman. I'm never one to call for an individual to pad his stats. However, securing his second Heisman Trophy would pretty much seal Tebow's fate as one of the greatest college football players of all time. What better chance to pad your Heisman stats than against a Vandy team that just gave up 50+ points to Georgia Tech?

4. Don't Give Rainey The Ball - For one, he's coming off an injury. No need to risk further damaging it before the South Carolina game. For two, Rainey seems to always stall the offense when he's in the game. Florida will be driving down field, ripping off 5 yards a play. Then the ball would go to Rainey. Stuffed at the line. Happens all the freakin' time.

5. No Eye Gouging - This shouldn't be a problem as Brandon Spikes has now officially taken himself out of the entire game this week.


5 Players That Need To Step Up

1. Brandon Hicks - Hicks will probably get the starting nod on Saturday with Spikes out of the line-up. Believe it or not, there shouldn't be too much of a drop in production. Hicks could easily be the best linebacker on every other team in the conference. He's that damn good.

2. Brandon James - I'm still waiting on Brandon James to do something in the return game. We haven't seen anything that exciting since the Charleston Southern game. He should get some opportunity against this Vandy squad. I also think James should get more touches coming out of the backfield. We've completely gone away from that this season.

3. David Nelson - In order for Tebow to pad his passing stats, he's gonna need someone other than Riley Cooper and Aaron Hernandez to step up. I'm tired of talking about Deonte Thompson, so I'm gonna turn my attention to Mr. Nelson. He should have a big day against a very weak Vanderbilt secondary.

4. Emmanuel Moody - With Rainey dinged up and Manny running better and better each week, there's really no reason why he shouldn't get the bulk of the carries this week. Moody had himself a good day last year against a much better Vandy defense. I expect him to break the 100 yard mark for the first time this season.

5. Duke Lemmens - Duke has really been stepping his game up these past few weeks. If he continues to play this well, he will just be another dangerous weapon in Florida's front 7 defensively. Cunningham, Trattou, Dunlap and Marsh should get some rest this week, so expect Lemmens to come up big.

Here's some highlights from last year's Gators victory over the Dores.




Here's some Vandy fan's take on Meyer calling out the refs for the no-call on the late hit to Tebow last week.

I know, it's hard to believer for me too. There actually is such a thing as Vanderbilt fans.



My Prediction:

Florida - 55

Vanderbilt - 12

Sunday, September 6, 2009

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.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Gator Running Backs: A Study in Genetic Freakiness

It has become a tradition in Gainesville every year to wonder aloud who will be the feature running back. In the past this question came about out of general concern. No real running back ever stood up to take over the helm. Not since C-4 graced the Swamp with his glorious presence had the Gators had a running back that they could turn to in dire situations. This year, the problem is a little different.

Last season, the Gators had an explosion of awesome out of the backfield. Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps and Percy Harvin provided defensive coordinators with fits. Coming into the 2009 season the Gators face an enviable problem. They have too many talented running backs. Who's gonna be the premiere back? Who will lose a lot of carries and disappear from the mix? Here's my completely accurate take on the situation.

Jeff Demps

Needless to say, Jeffrey Demps is the fastest of the Gator backs. This fact seems to get all of Gator Nation riled up and more excited than a redneck at Daytona. Every time I have the audacity to tell someone that Demps is just not a complete back yet, I get met with a lot of yelling and profane language. I think Demps will be the starter, and deservedly so. However, I think there are a few other backs on our roster that are just better all around. Of course, I won't care too much about all around play when Demps is breaking one loose against the Vols for a 75 yard touchdown run.




Chris Rainey


Rainey is one of those backs that I feel is a better all-around player than Demps. He has the speed, the elusiveness and he is a bit bigger than Demps. He does have a tendency to dance around too much, but I have the feeling Running Backs Coach Kenny Carter will get that straightened out this season. If Rainey can cut back on the amount of times he's dropped for a loss, his playing time could skyrocket.




Here's a little peak at what the two are capable of.




Emmanuel Moody
Moody is my personal favorite of the bunch. I still have not seen Moody go down on first contact. Unfortunately for Moody, and the Gators, he can't stay healthy. He was oft-injured last season, but when he played, he played great. Manny has already established himself in Gator lore. The supposed reasoning behind Urb calling those last minute timeouts against UGA was to get Manny more totes. He can add to his mystique by going off for 275 yards and 7 td's against against LSU in Tiger Stadium. The LSU fans will then rush the field, pushing their own players out of the way, to get to Moody and carry him off the field on their shoulders.

Eye candy.




Brandon James
Everyone knows about B. James as a kick returner, but he is a capable threat coming out of the backfield as well. Out of all the true Gator running backs, James is the most polished receiver. He an take a quick slant from Tebow and turn it into a huge gain. I don't know if James will see too much time in the backfield. But his carries will definitely increase with the departure of Harvin.




Highlights of James, including the greatest run back I have ever seen with my beautiful blue eyes.



Andre Debose
Debose is the one man on the roster capable of replacing Percy Harvin. That might not be this year though. He'll probably line up more at receiver this season. But look for him to take a lot of snaps in the "Percy" position.





Do I dare? Yes, I do...



Christopher Scott and Vincent Brown

These are two guys that will get some carries in blowouts this season. Scott has been impressing coaches all Spring, but I just don't see him overtaking the players listed above him. Brown got some playing time last season, and I see him getting about the same this year.

Don't forget about these guys coming out of the backfield either!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

SEC Championship Preview

I feel like a kid again. I have so many memories of watching Florida and Alabama playing each other for the SEC Championship. Back in those days I wasn't the awe-inspiring die hard Gator fan that I am today. I would route for my Gators, but it wasn't the end of the world if they lost. All I cared about was that for three hours, I got to see the Gators play. Plus, I was up past my bedtime!

Now, of course, things are different. I am a deranged Gator fan that watches every second of every game three times. Now, a Gators loss really does feel like the end of the world. Whenever the Orange and Blue fall, I shut myself off from everybody until the next game.

And I hate 'Bama now. I hate Nick Saban. I hate their stupid chants. I hate their boring uniforms. I hate the fact that their mascot is a god damn elephant. Granted my hatred for the Tide is not as large as my hatred for Georgia, Tennessee or Florida State, but it's pretty close. The only good thing about Bama is that the SEC Championship always seems better when it's Florida v. Alabama. This year should be no different.



5 Keys to a Gator victory

1. Stop Alabama's running game.

You know Nick Saban is going to try to eat as much clock as possible. The only way to slow down this Gator attack is to keep them off the field. It seems that in the past, when the Gators have fallen in big time games, it was mainly due to their inability to stop the running game. Mark Ingram, Glenn Coffee and Terry Grant don't need to become Travis Henry, Warrick Dunn and Jamaal Lewis reincarnated on Saturday. If the Gators can stop Bama's rushing attack early, they should be able to cruise to a victory. However, that is a very big IF.




2. Improve kick-off coverage.

The Gators kick off team has been porous at best lately. This is a frustrating aspect of the team to me. Our special teams dominate in every way possible EXCEPT for kick off coverage. Last week, the lone bright spot for the Seminoles was the play of kick returner Michael Ray Garvin. Even the Citadel put together a couple of decent returns against the Gators. I can tell you one thing, Alabama's Javier Arenas is on a whole other level when it comes to the return game. The Gators are going to have to step it up big time if they want to slow down my fellow Robinson High School grad.





3. Win the field position battle.

This goes hand in hand with my previous two points. Alabama's whole game plan relies heavily on winning the field position battle. If they can establish the run this may be a lost cause. Also, the Gators will definitely need to improve their kick off coverage if they want to take this one. Luckily for Florida, they have the best punter in the league to reverse the field position if need be. It wouldn't hurt if Brandon James could return to early season form either.







4. Play Percy Harvin.

I don't care if Percy Harvin really is hurt. Florida needs to dress him and play him. I figure there are three different levels in which Percy could be hurt. The Gators can find a way to play him at all three levels.

Level one- Not hurt at all. Percy is as good as usual. The head coaching staff finds a way to get him the ball whenever possible.

Level two- Bothered by the injury, but not severe. At this level, the Gators could still find ways to get Percy the ball. Just put extra tape on his ankle and run him on a sweep, or a go route.

Level three- Pretty damn hurt. Florida could still use Harvin at this level. He would be the ultimate decoy. As long as Percy is on the field, the Alabama defenders will be forced to focus on him.



5. Get Demps and Rainey the ball in space.

This could be a huge factor if Harvin falls into the level three category above. I know 'Bama has athletes on D. But there's no way they have anybody that can stop Demps or Rainey in the flats on a consistent basis. Rainey has perfected the spin and change direction move, and Demps is simply just faster than everybody. Run a couple screens or even reverses to get these guys out in the flats one on one with some d-linemen and linebackers. And don't give up if it doesn't work at first.





5 Gator players that need to step up

1.Chas Henry- I bet you though you'd never see a punter on this list. Henry may be the most underrated player on the Gators squad. His ability to reverse bad field position when need be will be huge on Saturday.

2. Tim Tebow- I just wanna see Tebow run across the middle and bulldoze Rashad Johnson like he did Jamie Robinson last week. It's funny how much vitriol is being spewed Tebow's way by the Tide faithful. Jealous much?

3. Chris Rainey- I think that out of the trio of Rainey, Demps and Harvin, Alabama may be the must unprepared for Rainey. I look for Chris to get the bulk of the carries (Sorry Manny....).

4. Javier Estopinan. It's gonna fall on the interior of the d-line to stop the 'Bama rushing attack. Unfortunately for the Gators, the injury bug has bit this position as of late. On the bright side, the last time I picked a DT in this segment(Terron Sanders) he went on to have a monster game.

5. Brandon Spikes- All-Everything linebacker Brandon Spikes will be their to clean up anything that gets beyond the line of scrimmage. Mr. Spikes has also become a threat in the interception department this season. JPW better keep his eyes on him.


Here's a glimpse at what the two teams have done against common opponents this season.

Alabama......Florida
Arkansas W 49-14...... W 38-7
Georgia W 41-30...... W 49-10
Kentucky W 17-14...... W 63-5
Ole Miss W 24-20...... L 31-30
Tennessee W 29-9....... W 30-6
LSU W 27-21...... W 51-21


Here's a video from the last time the Gators made an appearance in ATL.




Check out what's being said about the game at a Tide forum. It's funny how it's been hijacked by people rooting for Florida.



Time for my prediction. I was pretty damn close last week. Just needed a late Caleb Sturgis field goal. Where's Randy Shannon when you need him?

Florida 38

Alabama 24

Sunday, October 5, 2008

The Most Frustrating 31 Point Win Ever.



The Gators stumbled their way to a 38-7 victory over Arkansas on Saturday. The first half was almost unbearable to watch. There was a period when the Gators were flagged on 6 straight plays. Florida is used to being a heavy penalized team, but yesterday was just ridiculous. If not for a Michael Smith muffed punt return, the game could have easily been tied at the half. Even with that fumble, the Gators needed a Jeff Demps 36 yard touchdown run on first and 30 after two more Gator penalties.

Tim Tebow had a solid showing, despite his first interception in 204 pass attempts. Timmy distributed the ball better than he has all year. On the drive following his interception, Tebow put together the best drive of this short season, going 7 for 7 and hitting Harvin for a touchdown.

The major bright spot of the day was the Florida running game. Speedster Jeff Demps ran for two scores, while Rainey had his first 100 yard rushing game as a Gator. Rainey pulled off the best touchdown run of the year late in the third quarter. It was nice to have a running game outside of Harvin with the absence of Emmanuel Moody.

Here's the stats from the game:

FLORIDA PASSING
Tim Tebow 17-26 217 yards 2 tds 1 int
John Brantley II 2-3 19 yards

FLORIDA RUSHING
Chris Rainey 10 103 yards 1 td
Jeff Demps 7 103 yards 2 tds
Percy Harvin 6 37 yards
Tim Tebow 12 32 yards
Brandon James 2 4 yards

FLORIDA RECEIVING

Louis Murphy 5 70 yards
Carl Moore 2 39 yards
Percy Harvin 3 37 yards 1 td
Deonte Thompson 2 29 yards
Brandon James 3 24 yards 1 td
Aaron Hernandez 2 15 yards
Riley Cooper 1 15 yards
Jeff Demps 1 7 yards

FLORIDA INTERCEPTIONS

Joe Haden 1 24 yards

FLORIDA KICK RETURNS

Brandon James 2 48 yards

FLORIDA PUNT RETURNS

Brandon James 2 25 yards

FLORIDA KICKING

Jonathan Phillips 1/1

FLORIDA PUNTING

Chas Henry 3 46.o avg

Player of the Game

Chris Rainey - Running Back

Even though Jeff Demps had the same amount of rushing yards and 2 touchdowns compared to Rainey's one, I gotta go with Chris on this one. His touchdown run is probably the most electrifying play of the year for the Gators this season. Also, Demps' second touchdown run came in the closing minutes anyway. Hopefully this is the first of many 100 yard rushing games for the former Lakeland Dreadnaught.








The Gators are going to have to play 6079679 times better to beat LSU next week. The Tigers are too good of a football team for Florida to overcome so many penalties and miscues .

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Where's Moody

Where the hell is this guy:





I was all kinds of pumped up when Sir Emmanuel Moody announced he was transferring to the greatest institution known to man.

"Finally," I thought, "We have a dangerous back that will take some of the load off of Tebow and Harvin." Whenever I attended a Gator game last year, I made sure to spot Moody on the sideline. I would elbow my annoyed girlfriend and say, "That guy right there is the answer."

Not since C-4 donned a Gator jersey had I been so excited about a Gator running back. Deshawn Wynn was ok, but I always felt that his power running style didn't fit in with our offense. And don't get me started on Kestahn Moore.

Heading in to week 1 and our momentous showdown against the Hawaii Warriors I was jacked to see this Gator offense in action. I wasn't disappointed. Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Brandon James had tremendous games at the running back position. Our rushing attack was stellar, and we didn't even need Tebow to help out. All of this excitement was somewhat diluted by the fact that I didn't get to see Mr. Moody do his thang.

2 carries?!?! Are you serious?!?!?! 2 carries?!?!?! I couldn't believe that Urban Meyer found a way to get the ball in the hands of every running back on his squad EXCEPT for Moody. I heard all kinds of reports after the game that Moody was a little dinged up and Meyer was a little hesitant to use him. However, I also heard that Moody was still struggling to pick up the offense. I have to say I believe the latter a little more than the former.

Week 2 came, and went. This time Moody didn't tote the pill even once! Granted our offense struggled all night against a very good and speedy Miami Hurricane defense. But we're talking about a guy who won PAC-10 Freshman of the year two years ago. Instead of giving him a chance, Meyer and Dan Mullen decided to give the ball to Kestahn Moore. Why we still hand the ball off to Moore is way beyond me.

This week the Gators will travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee. While I don't expect a blowout on par with last season's whoop-ass, I do expect the Gators to win comfortably. That is, unless we hand the ball off to Kestahn over 5 times.

Moody transferred to Florida to escape the extremely crowded backfield at USC. With the likes of Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps, Brandon James, Mon Williams and even Kestahn Moore, our backfield is a little crowded too. However, I know Moody is a more talented back than all of these guys. He may not have the speed of Demps, the elusiveness of Rainey or the shittiness of Moore, but he IS a better all-around back.

I hope to see, at the very least, more than 2 carries for Moody this week. I guess we'll see what happens.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Perfect Player

Every now and then a perfect player comes along that can do everything right. Just like Tim Tebow. However, for the most part, no matter how good a player is, there is always a certain area that he has a weakness in.

I want to play the mad scientist for a minute and create the perfect player. Since I am a genius, one day I may be able to find a way to concoct such a player. Until then, here is what I'm looking for.

I'll break down the positions into 5 categories that I feel are essential to that position.


Quarterback

Mobility - Pat White, West Virginia. There has been a very large influx of dual threat quarterbacks in CFB recently. None have been more mobile than Mr. White. The guy is more of a threat running the ball than he is passing it. Appalachian St.'s Armanti Edwards was a close second.

Arm Strength - Matthew Stafford, Georgia. You knew this kid was going to have a strong arm when we found out his favorite hobby is keg slinging. If I were Mark Richt, whenever I wanted to give Knowshon Moreno a break, I would just call all go routes.

Accuracy - Rudy Carpenter, Arizona St. The Sun Devils burst back into the national scene last season. One of the main reasons for their insurgence was the precision passing of QB Rudy Carpenter. This guy is NFL ready right now.

Decision Making - Sam Bradford, Oklahoma. Last year, Bradford only threw 8 interceptions for the Sooners. One of the reasons why he should be a Heisman contender this season is his decision making while in the pocket. Oklahoma should have a better running game this season, which would help out Bradford tremendously.

"It" Factor - Tim Tebow, Florida. No other position in football requires the "it" factor more than the QB position. There's just something about Tebow that makes him special. Urban Meyer is not that far off when he says that Tim may be one of the best college football players ever.



Running Back


Speed - Chris Rainey, Florida. Rainey may be one of the fastest football players in America. He will share time with USC transfer Emmanuel Moody this season in the Gator backfield. However, don't be surprised if he's getting more carries as the season goes on.

Power - Jorvorskie Lane, Texas A&M. Lane is a beast. He's bigger than some of the Aggie offensive linemen. While some of his carries will be lost to Mike Goodson this season, there is still no running back in America I would rather have in short yardage situations than Lane.

Vision - James Davis, Clemson. No one is better at the art of cut-backs than James Davis. This guy is amazing. Every time I watch Clemson play, Davis pulls off an incredible run where he finds a hole on the opposite side of the field than no one else could find. He's definite NFL talent.

Elusiveness - Noel Devine, West Virginia. Devine is another running back that is in the same mold as James Davis. He is great at the cut-back run and is very hard to tackle. It doesn't hurt Devine's cause that he is so tiny. It's hard to find him coming out of the backfield.

Durability - Chris Wells, Ohio St. Beanie Wells is the prototypical hard nosed Big Ten running back. He will be the workhorse of the Buckeye offense this season. Good thing for Ohio St. Wells is one tough s.o.b.



Wide Receiver

Hands - Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech. Michael Crabtree may have the best hand is all of America. Crabtree and QB Graham Harrell form a very dangerous combo for the Red Raiders. Crabtree can pretty much catch anything you throw his way.

Speed - Jeremy Maclin, Missouri. It took every thing in my power not to make the homer pick and chose Percy Harvin for this category. Harvin's injury will slow him down a little this season and Maclin has world class speed. He can really stretch a defense in a hurry.

Break Tackles - Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina. Nicks doesn't get nearly the respect he deserves. Whenever the Tar Heels needed a play last season they went to Nicks. I've seen him break tackle after tackle to get the extra yardage necessary for a first down.

Blocking - Brian Robiskie, Ohio St. One of the more overlooked aspects of a wide receivers game is his blocking ability. This is a critical part to an offense's success. Robiskie is a very solid blocker at the wide receiver position. When he's not making plays for himself, he'll be clearing the way for Chris Wells in the open field.

Big Play Ability - Arrelious Benn, Illinois. Benn flashed signs of greatness last season. I expect him to make even more big plays this season. Benn is sort of like a cross between Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. He has the body like T.O., but he'll go up and get anything like Moss.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Will a real tailback please stand up!

For some time now, the Florida Gators have had one of the better offenses in the nation. Steve Spurrier was an offensive guru that revolutionized the way college football is played. Even during the dark ages under Ron Zook, the Gators still sported a rather potent offense. Now, under the direction of Urban Meyer, Florida is once again at the top of college football offenses.

Despite the offensive brilliance in Gainesville, there has always been a question mark at the running back position. With the notable exceptions of Fred Taylor and Earnest Graham, the Gators have not had a consistent ground game. There was the one year of serviceable Robert Gillespie, as well as the one year of Ciatrick Fason (who had potential to be the greatest of Florida's backs.) But a list that includes Ran Carthon, Elijah Williams, Deshawn Wynn, Terry Jackson and Kestahn Moore as starters, there is plenty of room for improvement.

This year the Gators have 5 potential starters at tailback after Spring. While this could be seen as a good thing, it's kind of disturbing that not one of these five players have clearly risen above the rest.

I'm going to break down the five in the order I believe they should play on the depth chart.







1.The Speedster.- Chris Rainey needs to be starting for UF this fall. The best place for him to start will be tailback. If you watched any of UF's Spring game then you know how special this guy can be. The move he put on Ahmad Black to stroll into the end-zone was unbelievable. Chris Rainey and Percy Harvin as the two options with Tebow would vault UF to the top running offense in the history of college football.










2. The New Star.- You would not believe how excited I was to learn that Emmanuel Moody had decided to transfer from USC to Florida. Conversely, I was just as disappointed to learn that Moody was struggling with UF's offense even after a year to sit and learn under it. Moody did flash some signs of life at the Spring game. Despite his fumble in the end zone, Moody was the most pleasant surprise of the afternoon. To watch his speed and elusiveness to get out of the backfield and then his power to run over tacklers in the open field mad me as giddy as a school girl.












3.The Embattled One.- I always thought Mon Williams would eventually become a starter and a star for the Gators. Unfortunately injuries have slowed him down. Williams would have been a perfect lightning to Deshawn Wynn or Kestahn Moore's thunder. Now that he's fully healthy he has a speedier Chris Rainey and a back with almost an identical but better running style in Emmanuel Moody. Although he won't start, Williams should see plenty more playing time this Fall.






4. The Incumbent.- No Gator player has ever frustrated me as much as Kestahn Moore. This include Kyle Jackson because I knew he was garbage so there was nothing to be frustrated about. Moore, however shows signs of a good running back at times, only to follow it with moments of utter horribleness. Moore's game against LSU last season may have been the worst game I've ever seen a Gator tailback play. Although Moore is serviceable, the Gators need to find another answer.







5. The Specialist.- Brandon James might just have more talent as a pure runner than anyone else on the team. The diminutive back provided spells last season for Moore and outperformed the starter. However, I think the Gators need to keep James as a return specialist and only use him in the offense for special situations. Perhaps Urban can develop a package with James as the premiere back and utilize his open field skills on set screens.