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

Five in a row!

Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators dismantled the Florida St. Seminoles yesterday at a soggy Doak Campbell Stadium. The Gators racked up over 500 total yards of offense en route to the victory.

Tebow helped increase his Heisman chances with another dominating performance against the School Out West. Tebow accounted for four touchdowns including one rushing and three passing. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Percy Harvin was carried off the field in the second quarter after suffering a right ankle sprain. Seminole fans could be heard cheering as Harvin lay on the ground in pain. Tebow admitted that this helped motivate him to bust someone's ass out there. (Of course those are my own words.)

Now the real task of preparing for 'Bama and the SEC Championship awaits the Gators. Hopefully Harvin will be ready for next week. If you remember, the last time UF was in the SEC Championship, Harvin took home MVP honors as a Freshman.


Here's some highlight from the game. Look for Florida St. Safety Jamie Robinson to get his shit ruined at the 1:23 mark:




Here's some stats:

Passing
Tim Tebow 12-21 185 yards 3 tds

Rushing
Chris Rainey 8 97 yards
Jeff Demps 9 89 yards 1 td
Tim Tebow 16 80 yards 1 td
Emmanuel Moody 5 40 yards
Percy Harvin 6 13 yards 1 td

Receiving
Aaron Hernandez 4 recs 61 yards 2 tds
Louis Murphy 2 recs 49 yards 1 td
David Nelson 2 recs 36 yards
Brandon James 1 rec 13 yards
Jeff Demps 1 rec 11 yards
Carl Moore 1 rec 10 yards

Tackles
Ahmad Black 6
Brandon Spikes 6
Joe Haden 5
Major Wright 5

Interceptions
Brandon Spikes 1 26 yards
Major Wright 1 2 yards

Sacks
Carlos Dunlap 2
Jay Howard 1
Jermaine Cunningham 1


Player of the Game

Tim Tebow - QB, Ruiner of Shit, Destroyer of Safeties

Tebow put together another highlight reel type game. The image of him leaving the field after scoring his lone rushing touchdown will live on in UF-FSU lore for all time. There was no Geno Hayes this year to pump Tebow up. He didn't need it. Timmy led the Gators to over 500 yards of total offense. Next up: SEC Championship.

Florida - S.O.W. Preview

It's time for the annual Florida - Florida St. game. Thanks to both schools victories over Miami earlier in the season, this will be a true battler for the esteemed Seminole War Canoe trophy.

Finally, FSU is playing with a full roster and no suspensions. Unfortunately for them, this Gators team is possibly playing the best football in the history of the Florida program. Florida St. D's may actually be talented enough to keep up with the Gators on Saturday. Then again, we said the same thing about South Carolina.....



5 Keys to a Gator Victory


1. Score Early.

Florida has been absolutely dominant in the first half of their recent ball games. Playing in a hostile environment like Doak Campbell, it will be all that more important to get out in front early and shut the FSU faithful up. I don't know how effective scoring early will be at quieting the crowd though. I've seen FSU fans do their stupid little spelling thing after their team just picked up a first down in the fourth quarter of a 45-12 losing effort!



2. Instill Fear With Tebow.

Last year, the Seminoles seemed to give up once Tebow started running wild. I'd like to see if a feeling of deja vu came over the FSU D if Tebow started to repeat last season's performance. With all the NFL talk lately, this may be Tebow's last shot at FSU. You know he'll be fired up for this one!








3. Run Percy Harvin

Before there was Geno Hayes calling out Tebow only to get steamrolled. There was Myron Rolle calling out Percy Harvin only to get run right by. Two years ago, Rolle sated that Harvin didn't scare anybody on their D. He also said something to the effect that once he caught Harvin he would lay the wood on him. Harvin responded with something like Rolle couldn't catch him anyway so he wasn't too worried about it. Of course Harvin was correct. I wonder if FSU players are sick of eating crow?




4. DB's Make A Play

You bet your ass that's a picture of Avery Atkins making a play against the 'Noles. That happened to be the best game of Atkins' life. Someone from the Gators' secondary is gonna have to play that type of game on Saturday. Our cornerbacks are tiny compared to FSU's receivers, although that wasn't much of a problem against Georgia. Ahmad Black could be the key in our secondary. It would be a long day for the Noles offense if our secondary provided support for Mr. Spikes and company.






5. Invite UF's chapter of Phi Beta Sigma to Tally

Imagine if you will. You're a Florida St. receiver. You're running your route, hoping Ponder looks your way. Out of your ear hole you hear a blood curdling sound, "SIGMA!!! YOU KNOW!!!!". You immediately turn your head to see this:





You immediately give up on the play and charge into the stands to "take care of ya buness."


5 Players that need to step up


1. Louis Murphy - Murphy had a huge game last season. Plus he's a senior this year. Dallas Baker and Bubba Caldwell both had big games against the Seminoles in their final season. Time for Murphy to continue that tradition.

2. Percy Harvin - I expect Harvin to come close to the 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving feat again. He'll probably be the go to guy out of the backfield, and I look for Tebow to throw to him more often than not.

3. Joe Haden - Haden will probably draw the assignment of Greg Carr this weekend. Carr has Haden dominated size wise. However, Haden is a rockstar, and if he plays like the ALL-SEC corner that he should be, Carr should be shut down.

4. Will Hill - With every game that asses, Will Hill sees more and more playing time. This can only be a good thing as Hill is a bona fide superstar. I wouldn't be surprised if he got a pick this weekend.

5. Emmanuel Moody - Of course I had to put Moody on this list. He finally got over 100 yards last week. Albeit against 1-aa Citadel.


Here's some highlights from last seasons beatdown to wet your whistle.




Here's what some Florida and Florida St. fans are saying about the game over at Topix. It's amazing how some Nole fans are trying to play the character card. Really??? Florida St. Fan??? Character???? Wow, they get one bright light (Rolle) and all of a sudden they're the Ivy League of the South.


My prediction

Florida - 48

Florida St. - 15 (All Gano field goals.)

Gators' Run Game Dominates

The Gators rushing attack left S.O.S. in one hot mess on Saturday. Now the 'Ol Ball Coach knows what the opponents felt like when he was roaming the sidelines in Gainesville. Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Tim Tebow ran all over the Gamecocks' vaunted defense en route to a 56-6 blowout victory.

All the talk coming into the game was how the Gators' O would continue to dominate against the extremely tough SC defense. I think that question was answered rather emphatically. Florida closed out SEC play with a string of dominating performances that hasn't been seen since the 1996 National title squad.

South Carolina didn't do anything to help itself out on Saturday. Chris Smelley threw two early interceptions, one of which was returned for a score by Brandon Spikes. For some unknown reason, the OBC dialed up a trick play on a kick return after a Gators score. The result: first and goal for the Gators at the 1 after a SC fumble.

I was extremely impressed with the Gators' D. If you watched this game with no prior knowledge of either team, you would have thought the Gators were the team with the top ranked defense. They completely shut down the Gamecock offense, giving up only two field goals. All the talk about the Gamecocks' D may have actually sparked Spikes and Co. to come out and dominate the way they did.



Here's some highlights of the contest:






Player Stats

Passing
Tim Tebow 13-20 173 yards 2 tds


Rushing
Percy Harvin 8 167 yards 2 tds
Chris Rainey 7 55 yards 1 td
Emmanuel Moody 7 46 yards
Jeff Demps 4 43 yards 1 td
Tim Tebow 14 39 yards 1 td


Receiving
Louis Murphy 4 recs 54 yards
Deonte Thompson 3 recs 66 yards 1 td
Aaron Hernandez 2 recs 26 yards 1 td
Jeff Demps 2 recs 5 yards
Carl Moore 1 rec 16 yards
Percy Harvin 1 rec 6 yards


Tackles
Jermaine Cunningham 8
Joe Haden 5
Justin Trattou 5
Will Hill 5


Interceptions
Will Hill 1 30 yards
Brandon Spikes 1 12 yards 1 td
Ahmad Black 1 7 yards


Sacks
Carlos Dunlap 1
Ryan Stamper 1
Brandon Hicks 1
Jermaine Cunningham .5
Justin Trattou .5


Player of the game


Percy Harvin - The Man

Harvin probably deserve to be in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy at the end of the year. Unfortunately for him, Mr. Heisman is hogging all the national attention on this Gator club. Could it actually be said that Harvin is under appreciated? I think he is. I wonder if people really realize that this is something special we're witnessing. It's not usual to have a player like Percy Harvin on your ballclub. I hope the fans start appreciating him soon, because he's a first rounder in next year's draft.

Everything is back to normal

After last year's aberration, the Gators have resumed control of the WLOCP. I don't know if the celebration last year meant anything for last night. All I know is the Florida Gator football team hosted a nice little shindig for 3 1/2 hours on Saturday.

Tim Tebow threw his name back into the Heisman race after after an impressive 5 touchdown performance against the Dawgs. Those td's included 2 passing and 3 rushing. Percy Harvin was Percy Harvin once again as he caught a touchdown pass and ran for another one.

Despite the 49 points the seemingly unstoppable Gator offense put on the board, it was the Florida D that paved the way for victory. The Gators' defense held Mr. Moreno to only 65 rushing yards last night. This is the same man who had his coming out party against the Gators to the tune of 188 yards the previous season. The D also picked off the supposedly better passer in the game, Matthew Stafford, 3 times. Joe Haden, Ahmad Black and Dustin Doe all recorded an interception.

Earlier in the week, I listed a few Gators that were poised to step up this week. I'm glad to report that all of them, for the most part, had a big game against UGA. Terron Sanders recorded a sack and returned a fumble to the Georgia 9; Emmanuel Moody came in late to rush for 71 yards; Louis Murphy caught a long touchdown pass that helped break the game wide open; and Joe Haden provided perhaps the play of the game by picking off Stafford and running it all the way back to the 9.

Here are the stats for the super bad ass Florida Gators:


Passing
Tim Tebow 10-13 154 yards 2 tds
John Brantley 3-4 34 yards 1 tds


Rushing
Emmanuel Moody 7 71 yards
Tim Tebow 12 39 yards 3 tds
Percy Harvin 4 37 yards 1 td
Jeff Demps 7 19 yards
Chris Rainey 6 11 yards
John Brantley 1 6 yards
Brandon James 1 2 yards


Receiving
Percy Harvin 3 recs 52 yards 1 td
Deonte Thompson 3 recs 34 yards 1 td
Riley Cooper 2 recs 22 yards
Jeff Demps 2 recs 8 yards
Louis Murphy 1 rec 44 yards 1 td
Aaron Hernandez 1 rec 18 yards
Tate Casey 1 rec 10 yards


Tackles
Joe Haden 10
Brandon Spikes 7
Will Hill 5
Major Wright 5

Interceptions
Joe Haden 1 88 yards
Ahmad Black 1 64 yards
Dustin Doe 1 0 yards


Sacks
Carlos Dunlap 1
Brandon Spikes .5
Jermaine Cunningham .5


Player of the Game

Joe Haden - CB, Rockstar, Ears O' Plenty

Haden heeded my advice and stepped up in a major way against the Dawgs. Haden pick and subsequent return was the absolute biggest play of the game. Haden showed his athletic ability on the run back that allowed him to get all the way down to the 1 yard line, setting up a Tebow td run. Joey was also the only Gator to record double digit tackles in the game. I'm really liking Haden and Janoris Jenkins patrolling the corners for this D.

That's what I'm talking about!

The Gators absolutely dominated LSU last night. The Tigers came in ranked number 3 in the country and left the Swamp with bruised arses. The only bad thing about last night was the fact that professional douche jockey, Ricky Jean-Francois was not in town to witness the beatdown. The Gators were so impressive that they have climbed back into the top 5 of the ESPN poll. We'll have to wait and see where they'll land in the much more important CFB 365 power poll.

Tebow seems to have reverted back to his old self. The fire and intensity that looked to be missing thus far this season, was evidently back last night. Tebow hopped, Gator chomped, and ran over defenders all night long. Harvin was great once again, and the rest of the receiving corps was incredibly solid. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of last night's victory was the Gators' running game. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey ran wild through the vaunted Tiger defense. Even much maligned Ketsahn Moore scored a touchdown.

If Florida's run game was impressive, their ability to stop LSU's was phenomenal. Brandon Spikes, Janoris Jenkins and Joe Haden were all over the field. Spikes picked off two Jarrett Lee ducks and returned one for a score. I'm getting more and more comfortable with Janoris Jenkins as the starting corner opposite Joe Haden. If anything, Jenkins' play has actually cast a shadow over Haden. Even that asshole Lundquist noticed that Haden was having some trouble covering LSU's receivers.

This was obviously a great football game. The Gators put together the best all-around performance I have seen in recent years. They were dominant in all phases of the game. Perhaps this game will shut up those dumb asses that call themselves Gator fans that have been calling for Dan Mullen's job.

Here's the stats:

Florida Passing
Tim Tebow 14-21 210 yards 2 tds


Florida Rushing
Jeff Demps 10 129 yards 1 td
Chris Rainey 11 66 yards
Kestahn Moore 4 23 yards 1 td
Tim Tebow 12 22 yards 1 td
Percy Harvin 2 13 yards
Brandon James 2 12 yards


Florida Receiving
Percy Harvin 6 recs 112 yards 2 tds
Louis Murphy 1 rec 37 yards
Deonte Thompson 2 recs 26 yards
Riley Cooper 2 recs 19 yards
Jeff Demps 1 rec 11 yards
Aaron Hernandez 2 recs 5 yards


Florida Punting
Chas Henry 2 59 yards



Florida Punt Returns
Brandon James 2 47 yards


Florida Kick Returns
Brandon James 2 53 yards
Javier Estopinan 1 8 yards


Florida Interceptions
Brandon Spikes 2


Florida Field Goals
Jonathan Phillips 3/3


Florida Tackles
Janoris Jenkins 9
Major Wright 7
Joe Haden 6
Brandon Spikes 5
Lawrence Marsh 4
A.J. Jones 4
Jacques Rickerson 3
Justin Trattou 3
Terron Sanders 3
Ahmad Black 3
Duke Lemmens 2
Markihe Anderson 2
Justin Williams 2
Will Hill 2
Jermaine Cunningham 2
6 others with 1

Florida Sacks
Janoris Jenkins 1
Duke Lemmens 1
Jermaine Cunningham 1


Player of the game.


Jeff Demps - Running Back, Lightning in a Thimble

In such a great win, there's always plenty of candidates for player of the game. This game was no different. There were several Gator players deserving of player of the game honors. Percy Harvin was amazing once again, Tim Tebow put his name back in the Heisman race, and Brandon Spikes and Janoris Jenkins led the dominant Gator D. There's one man, however that stole the show. That man was human blur, Jeff Demps. Demps ran for 100 yards in back-to-back SEC games. And since I overlooked him last week in favor of running mate Chris Rainey, it's only fair that I recognize him this week. One thing that impressed me the most about Demps was his poise and intelligence during the post game interviews. It's nice to know the future of Gator football is in good hands with this guy.

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 .

Fumbles and a blocked extra point doom the Gators

I know it's kind of late to be doing a post game from yesterday's game. But I'm just now getting over my depression from the loss. What a good and bad game. Our offense finally seemed like it was starting to click. Moody ran well until he was injured, Harvin finally worked his way back into the offense, and Tebow finally got his rushing touchdown.

Yet it was 5 fumbles, 3 lost fumbles, and a blocked extra point that ruined the Gators' shit. I guess you could call it karma. Two years ago, we broke South Carolina's heart by blocking an extra point and two field goals to win it 17-16. How often do you see a blocked extra point? I have always said, if a team really tries they could probably block every single one of them.

One good thing to take from this game is Tebow's press conference afterwords. Tebow swore the Gators would be back with a vengence. He also nearly broke down in tears while he apologized to us Gator faithful. I would really hate to be an Arkansas Razorback right about now.

Here are the UF stats from the game.



Florida Passing
Tim Tebow 24-38 319 yards 1 td


Florida Rushing
Percy Harvin 10 82 yards 1 td
Emmanuel Moody 3 16 yards
Chris Rainey 3 9 yards
Brandon James 1 9 yards
Tim Tebow 15 7 yards 2 tds
Kestahn Moore 1 2 yards


Florida Receiving
Percy Harvin 13 186 yards 1 td
Aaron Hernandez 4 52 yards
Louis Murphy 4 41 yards
Riley Cooper 2 28 yards
Kestahn Moore 1 12 yards


Florida Interceptions
Major Wright 1 5 yards

Florida Kick Returns
Brandon James 4 116 yards


Florida Punt Returns
Brandon James 3 26 yards


Florida Kicking
Jonathan Phillips 1/1


Florida Punting
Chas Henry 4 138 yards


Player of the game

Percy Harvin - Wide Receiver, Running Back, Man 'O Fumbles

Yes Harvin had another classic day in a Florida uniform. Yes Harvin flirted with a 200 yard receiving day. And yes Percy nearly accomplished 100 yards rushing AND receiving once again. However, Percy fumbled, and fumbled and fumbled the damn ball! His stats alone make him the player of the game, but some people could make him the goat of the game as well. Percy has never had a problem protecting the ball before. I hope this isn't the start of a new, horrible trend.








Good thing for Florida, Arkansas may be the worst team in the SEC. They looked like shit once again yesterday against Texas. If we don't play very impressive against the Hogs we might as well make travel arrangements to Tampa or Orlando for our bowl game now.

Remembering Bernie Mac: CFB Style

I'm sure you know by now that comedic legend Bernie Mac passed away Friday. One of the original "Kings of Comedy", I thought it best to do a memorial to the man.

Besides, Bernie Mac was funny as hell!


I've decided to do a little word association with Bernie Mac's movie titles. Below is a list of Bernie's movies. I have listed an aspect of college football that I think fits in well with the title.




Old Dogs - Joe Paterno & Bobby Bowden.
The buzz is growing stronger and stronger around these two legendary coaches' future. Bowden has already stated that he is not going anywhere until he rights the ship at Florida St. Paterno, on the other hand, hasn't really given a definitive statement on his future. This has led to a lot of talk concerning his potential replacements.

Soul Man - Tim Tebow.
The returning Heisman Trophy winner may have more soul than just about anyone else in college football. When he's not running over SEC linebackers, Tebow is busy performing circumcisions while on missions.

Transformers - Clemson.
It's always hard to predict which Clemson team will be showing up on a week to week basis. Some games, the Tigers look like the best team in America. Some games, Clemson looks like the biggest collection of douche jockeys known to man.

Ocean's Thirteen - Nate Davis.
This Ball St. QB could be a Heisman dark horse this season. With Dante Love to throw the ball to, Davis should put up some pretty big numbers. He will be competing with Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan all year for top billing among MAC QB's.

Pride - Temple.
Pride was a movie about some Philly teenagers that fought for every inch of respect they received. The same can be said for Temple this year. They will have to build upon last year's successes to earn the respect of people everywhere.

Guess Who - BYU.
BYU is the favorite to crash the BCS party this season. The Cougars play Washington and UCLA in non-conference games this year. If they can get through that part of the schedule unscathed, they could very well run the table in the Mountain West and gain a BCS bowl berth.

Ocean's Twelve - Colt McCoy.
All eyes in Austin will be on Colt McCoy this season. The success of the Longhorns is pretty much riding on McCoy's arm. He struggled a bit early last season, but seemed to pick it up towards the end of the year. We'll see if he can continue that form.

Mr. 3000 - Percy Harvin.
I know it will never happen, but Percy Harvin has a better chance of anybody of combining for 3,000 yards receiving and rushing. Harvin will get even more attention from Tebow now that Cornelius Ingram is lost for the season. Also, no matter how many running backs the Gators have, Urban Meyer will still not be able to resist getting the ball to Percy in the backfield.

Bad Santa - South Florida.
The Bulls have an excellent chance of playing Bad Santa to West Virginia this season. The two teams meet on December 6th. I expect West Virginia to be in the thick of the title race by then. However, just like the Pittsburgh game last season, the Mountaineers will falter vs the Bulls.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - Notre Dame.
Charlie's Weis' bunch will be going full throttle for him this season. The Irish will be trying to forget a disastrous 2007. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, I expect them to be just about as bad.

Head of State - Jim Tressel.
Jim Tressel will be looking to lead his Ohio St. Buckeyes back to the BCS Championship for the third straight season. Of course, Tressel will be praying that another SEC team doesn't make it back there with him.

Ocean's Eleven - Hawaii's Defense.
In a complete reversal of past seasons, the Hawaii Warriors will be relying almost exclusively on their defense this season. Unfortunately for Hawaii, the eleven men on defense won't be enough to avoid a losing season this year.

What's the Worse That Could Happen - LSU vs. Appalachian St.
Michigan was asking itself this very same question going into last season's opener. The Mountaineers provided a very loud answer to the Wolverine's question. Will LSU receive the same kind of answer this season?

Life - Rich Rodriguez.
Double R will be starting year 1 of his lifetime ban from the state of West Virginia this year. I'm sure Rodriguez is disappointed he can't step foot back in that shit dump of a state.

The Players Club - Georgia.
A movie about a bunch of thugs getting into all kinds of trouble? Sounds like a documentary about the Georgia football program to me.

How To Be A Player - Mark Richt.
Someone's gotta teach those ass clowns how to behave like a Bulldog.

BAPS - BCS.
Confusing initials that lead to hours of boringness. That sums up both the movie BAPS and the BCS.

Booty Call - Houston Nutt.
We'll see if Nutt can control himself at his new position this season. I feel sorry for him because the level of talent in Oxford is far greater that Fayetteville.

Get On The Bus - Jorvorskie Lane.
Texas A&M will be relying on Lane's broad shoulders and his running mate Mike Goodson to lead them back to a bowl game. New coach Mike Sherman will try to find more ways to get the ball into Lane's hands this season.

Don't Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice In the Hood - Mark Sanchez.
Now that Sanchez is the man at USC, he'll need to try harder to stay out of trouble. Mitch Mustain will be praying Sanchez slips up.

Reasons - Greg Robinson.
I still don't know the reasons why Greg Robinson is still the head coach at Syracuse. Hopefully this is the last year of Robinson's tenure of shittiness.

Friday - Louisville, Boise St., & Fresno St.
ESPN will be showing a boat load of Friday night games this season. Louisville, Boise St. and Fresno St. will all make 3 appearances on Friday night. This is more than any other schools.

The Walking Dead - Idaho.
The Vandals are terrible. That's all I got.

Above The Rim - Kansas.
As soon as there was talk about Lawrence becoming a football town, the basketball team had to go and win a national title. Todd Reesing and the football Jayhawks will try to take back some of that thunder this season.

House Party 3 - SEC.
The SEC will be looking to make it 3 national champions in 3 years. The favorites are Georgia, Florida and LSU. Auburn has a chance, and Tennessee is a very big long shot.

Who's The Man - Andrew Hatch & Jarret Lee.
These two QB's will be vying for playing time at LSU. Hatch is the favorite to start opening day for the Bayou Bengals. However, I don't expect the Harvard transfer to keep Lee on the bench for long.

Mo' Money - Nick Saban.
I really could have went with any coach from the SEC, but it's always fun to pick on this dingleberry. Saban looks to lead the Tide to a more respectable record this season. With the recent motivation provided by Les Miles, the SEC West could get very interesting this season.

Maxwell watch list

The Maxwell Award watch list was just announced. There are a total of 76 players included on the list.



As you know, the Maxwell award is giving out to the top offensive player in the nation. Last year, Tim Tebow aka Mr. Wonderful took home the award.



Timmy is back on the watch list this season along with fellow Gators Percy Harvin and Emmanuel Moody.



Here is the entire list.



You better read every single line. It took a lot of effort to copy and paste this damn thing.



Travis Beckum Wisconsin TE
Arrelious Benn Illinois WR
Todd Boeckman Ohio St. QB
Sam Bradford Oklahoma QB
Kenny Britt Rutgers WR
Demetrius Byrd LSU WR
Hunter Cantwell Louisville QB
Rudy Carpenter Arizona St. QB
Greg Carr Florida St. WR
Jimmy Claussen Notre Dame QB
Chase Coffman Missouri TE
Michael Crabtree Texas Tech WR
Jonathan Crompton Tennessee QB
Chase Daniel Missouri QB
James Davis Clemson RB
Nate Davis Ball St. QB
Noel Devine West Virginia RB
Jarrett Dillard Rice WR
Damion Fletcher Southern Miss RB
Arian Foster Tennessee RB
Brandon Gibson Washington St. WR
Mike Goodson Texas A&M RB
Jermaine Gresham Oklahoma TE
Matt Grothe South Florida QB
Max Hall BYU QB
Cullen Harper Clemson QB
Graham Harrell Texas Tech QB
Percy Harvin Florida WR
Keegan Herring Arizona St. RB
Darrius Heyward-Bey Maryland WR
P.J. Hill Wisconsin RB
Chase Holbrook New Mexico St. QB
Juaquin Iglesias Oklahoma WR
Javarris James Miami RB
Eugene Jarvis Kent St. RB
Ian Johnson Boise St. RB
Stafon Johnson USC RB
Aaron Kelly Clemson WR
Derek Kinder Pittsburgh WR
Jorvorskie Lane Texas A&M RB
Dan LeFevour Central Michigan QB
Jake Locker Washington QB
Marlon Lucky Nebraska RB
Jeremy Maclin Missouri WR
Colt McCoy Texas QB
LeSean McCoy Pittsburgh RB
Kenny McKinley South Carolina WR
Joe McKnight USC RB
Emmanuel Moody Florida RB
Knowshon Moreno Georgia RB
DeMarco Murray Oklahoma RB
Curtis Painter Purdue QB
Todd Reesing Kansas QB
Javon Ringer Michigan St. RB
Zac Robinson Oklahoma St. QB
Brian Robiskie Ohio St. WR
Mark Sanchez USC QB
Antone Smith Florida St. RB
C.J. Spiller Clemson RB
Matthew Stafford Georgia QB
Sammie Stroughter Oregon St. WR
Tyrell Sutton Northwestern RB
Ben Tate Auburn RB
Tim Tebow Florida QB
Mike Thomas Arizona WR
Willie Tuitama Arizona QB
Patrick Turner USC WR
Tiquan Underwood Rutgers WR
Drew Weatherford Florida St. QB
Chris Wells Ohio St. RB
Pat White West Virginia QB
Jaison Williams Oregon WR
Keiland Williams LSU RB
Derrick Williams Penn St. WR
John Parker Wilson Alabama QB

The top 25 players: SEC

I have to find a new way to pass the time before the CFB season actually starts. What better way to do so than to list the top 25 players from every conference.

I'll do a conference a day until I break down all 1-a conferences.

Of course, I will be starting things off with the greatest thing to hit CFB since JoePa's broken leg: The SEC.

1.Tim Tebow - QB Florida- Of course the reigning Heisman trophy winner would get the number one spot. Who in the SEC could be better than the best player in the land?
2. Percy Harvin - WR Florida- I had a tough choice between Harvin and Knowshon Moreno. I went with Harvin because of his versatility. He is dangerous in the open field, and is among the fastest players in the nation.
3. Knowshon Moreno - RB Georgia - Again, Moreno could have easily been the number 2 player behind Tebow on this list. If Moreno could develop more as a pass catcher coming out of the backfield, we may have back to back Sophomore Heisman trophy winners.
4. Eric Berry - DB Tennessee - Eric Berry is the best defensive player in the SEC. He may be the best defensive player in the nation. If the Vols hope to make it back to the SEC title game, they will need to rely on Berry and their defense.
5. Greg Hardy- DL Ole Miss - Often overlooked because he plays for the woeful Rebels, Greg Hardy has consistently been one of the better defensive linemen in the nation.
6.Michael Oher - OL Ole Miss- Working against Hardy in practice has enabled Oher to take on all opposing pass rushers in the SEC. He's my choice as the top offensive lineman in the conference.
7. Matthew Stafford - QB Georgia- I have a feeling that this spot may be a little too generous for Stafford. However, he is the QB for the team that is expected to win it all. If he can build upon last year's success, Stafford could be moving up.
8. Brandon LaFell - WR LSU- LaFell will be hindered by the QB situation in Baton Rouge. Whoever Les Miles calls on will have one of the better receivers to throw to in Brandon.
9. Captain Munnerlyn - DB South Carolina- Munnerlyn is a straight up play maker for this Gamecocks defense. Who would have ever thought that a Steve Spurrier coached team would be stronger on the defensive side of the ball?
10. Brandon Spikes- LB Florida- Spikes is a candidate for the Bronko Nagurski award this season. He is a consensus pick to be the top LB in a very good SEC class.
11. Anthony Dixon - RB Mississippi St. - There's just something about Anthony Dixon that I really like. His running style is a thing of beauty. He might be my favorite non-Gator player in the nation.
12. Andre Smith - OL Alabama - Smith is HUGE. Of all the players listed on here, Smith may have the best NFL potential.
13. Keiland Williams - RB LSU - Williams may lose a little bit of his touches this season to speedster Trindon Holliday, but he is still among the best at his position.
14. Jonathan Luigs - OL Arkansas - Luigs is another top NFL prospect from the SEC West. Now I see why the West always has better ground games than the East.
15. Derek Pegues - DB Mississippi St. - The Bulldog defense should once again be very solid this season. Pegues will be a big reason for that.
16. Jasper Brinkley - LB South Carolina - Brinkley is coming off an injury-plagued season. Before last year he was among the best LB's in the nation. I look for him to return to his old form this year.
17. Ricky Jean-Francois - DL LSU - Francois also missed most of last year for the Bayou Bengals. He did come back in time to play against Ohio St. in the BCS National Championship. Ask any Buckeye fan how good he is.
18. Gino Atkins - DL Georgia- The best defensive player on one of the better defensive units in the nation. If Atkins can stay out of trouble, he will have a monster year.
19. Rolando McClain - LB Alabama - McClain will lead the Tide's defense as they try to climb back to respectability under Nick Saban.
20. Kenny McKinley - WR South Carolina - McKinley has been underrated his whole career in Columbia. With an uncertain QB situation brewing for the Gamecocks, that probably won't change.
21. Cornelius Ingram - TE Florida - Ingram is perhaps the most freakishly athletic player in the conference. I expect (and hope) Ingram will have a huge year for the Gators.
22. Anthony Parker - OL Tennessee - Even when Tennessee struggles, their running game is always good. A big part of that recently has been offensive linemen like Anthony Parker.
23. Jamar Chaney - LB Mississippi St. - Chaney made some of the biggest plays last year from the LB position. Sylvester Croom's defense looks to lead the way for the Bulldogs to make it back to back bowl berths.
24. Rico McCoy - LB Tennessee - I admit I'm still a little skeptical about McCoy. However, Rico has the skill set to be one of the best at his position.
25. Mike Wallace - WR Ole Miss - I really expect big things from Wallace this year. Like McKinley at South Carolina, Wallace has been underrated his entire career.

Next up: Whatever the hell conference I feel like doing next.

Gator superlatives

I feel like I have been neglecting my Gators lately. I've been going on and on about every other program in the nation and it seems I almost forgot the best one of all, the University of Florida.

So I decided to do an entire blog about the Mighty Gators. This one is for those fans that may not be as familiar with the program as my awesome self is.

Here are a few superlative categories among the Florida football team. Enjoy and tell me what you think or how great I am in the comment section.

MVP- Tim Tebow QB. There are a lot of choices on the team for this one, but there is no way you can go against a returning Heisman winning QB. At times last season, Tebow was THE Gator football team. Florida needs him to stay healthy if they want to make a title run.

Best Newcomer- Omar Hunter DT. I don't remember more excitement around an incoming freshmen since......well since Timmy. Hunter should get playing time right away on the D-line. If the defense performs as bad as it did last season, look for Hunter to make a few starts.

Fastest player- Deonte Thompson WR. There are so many choices on the squad for this. There have been all kinds of 40 times thrown all over the place. But I've seen the entire team in person and Deonte is FAAAAAAAAAST! He edges out Chris Rainey, Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin.

Best Runner- Percy Harvin WR. Now there is a difference between being a good runner and a fast runner. Harvin happens to be both. That makes him the best runner.

Breakout star- Major Wright S. I wanted to go with Chris Rainey on this but everyone is expecting him to takeoff. I think a lot of people are sleeping on Wright in the secondary. I look for Wright to have a Reggie Nelson type season. He is already known as the Eraser 2.0.

Most likely to succeed at next level- Percy Harvin WR. This is Harvin again. Percy is in the Reggie Bush/ Darren McFadden type level. That pretty much assures that he will be a VERY high draft selection.

Defensive leader- Brandon Spikes LB. Tebow has this wrapped up on the offensive end, but when it comes to defense it's all about Mr. Spikes. Spikes speaks volumes with his play as well as his vocal leadership. Brandon is the best of a great group of linebackers.

Most likely to be famous outside of football- Joe Haden CB. Haden is a character. If you talk to anyone on the team they all use the same word to describe Haden: Rock Star.

Top Heisman candidate- Tim Tebow QB. This was a close call between Tebow and Harvin. Whenever it's too close to call it's usually a good idea to go with the safer bet. That would be the incumbent in this case, Mr. Tim Tebow.

Player I'd like to hang out with- Wondy Pierre-Louis CB. He's Creole. I'm Creole. There would be some good food and a lot of hot sauce.

There's my short list. I may make another one in the future. If you have any more categories to add, just let me know. If not, screw you.

Ramblings from Urban the Great

Urban Meyer recently spoke to the Capital Gator Club in Tallahassee. Thanks to the Orlando Sentinel, we have some of Mr. Meyer's talking points.


**Percy Harvin is off crutches and is wearing a boot to protect the heel that underwent surgery earlier in the spring. Meyer said Harvin is lifting weights three days per week but is not yet ready to start running. He remains on schedule to be ready in time for two-a-days.

**Other injury items -- Backup QB John Brantley's broken hand continues to heal and needs at least another week before he can rejoin his teammates in full conditioning. G Maurice Hurt has received medical clearance to play after dealing with severe stingers in his neck and shoulders over the last year. LB Brendan Beal's surgically-repaired shoulder is improving, as is LB A.J. Jones' injured wrist.

**DT Torrey Davis, who missed a chunk of spring practice to receive extra academic help, needs to pass two classes this summer to be eligible in the fall. Meyer said he expected Davis to do so, and that the rest of his roster looks fine to be eligible.

**DT Omar Hunter, LB T.J. Pridemore and OL Sam Robey enrolled to start Summer A on Monday, Meyer said. Pridemore could have shown up in January, but UF's scholarship numbers left the team without room. Pridemore, Hunter's high school teammate, will play both offense and defense during August's two-a-days. Robey, meanwhile, is paying his own way through the first summer session and participating in early workouts.

**Meyer gave the audience an audio tour of the new football facility set to open in mid-July. The centerpiece of the ground floor lobby will be a 16-foot bronze Gator, he said, which will include some sort of tribute to the 2006 national championship team. The lobby will also feature black granite bricks with the name of every first-team All-American. Fans can then walk up a large staircase and find three sections at the top -- the two crystal ball national championship trophies, a case with all the national individual awards Gators have on, and a case with all the Southeastern Conference championship trophies. "I promise you you'll be taken aback," Meyer said. "It's unbelievable. It's spectacular."

**Meyer again spoke about his mid-February, Nike-sponsored trip to Mexico, which he credits for reinvigorating his coaching career. He said he stayed positive from the bowl game until Signing Day, but that the time between the end of recruiting and the trip ranked among the longest of his career. "The human element took me over, and I was awful at my job," Meyer said. "Two weeks after recruiting was done, and I had to swallow what happened in the Capital One Bowl in the fourth quarter. I was a mess."

**Save Davis, academics are strong all the way around. The Gators posted a 2.86 grade point average for the spring, highest in program history, according to UF's sports information department. Meyer said G Jim Tartt and TE Cornelius Ingram, players who didn't believe they could finish school when the coach arrived, each sit two classes from graduation.

**To wrap up his speech, Meyer reflected on coaching Heisman Trophy-winning QB Tim Tebow, whom Meyer has called one of the great players of this era. "Every morning, I say thanks for giving me the opportunity to coach that kid," he said. "Don't ask me when you're going to get another Tebow. I've been doing this 25 years, and I don't know that. I can't answer that question."

Perhaps the most important of these issues is Percy Harvin's injury. I'm glad to see everything is healing as it should be.