No. 1 Prospect Ronald Powell
Posted by Marc on February 5, 2010 under Video | 
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Gators Tops in the Nation Again
Posted by Phil on under Gator Nation | Be the First to Comment
Looks like the good times will continue to roll for the mighty Gators. Buy some new gear to show your excitement for a promising 2010 season.
Urban Meyer plans to coach Florida during spring football
Posted by Marc on January 24, 2010 under Gator Nation | Be the First to Comment
GAINESVILLE — Florida coach Urban Meyer said he plans to coach the Gators during all of spring football, which starts March 17. But he will still take a short break after national signing day on Feb. 3.Meyer, at Saturday’s Gator basketball game against South Carolina, said at halftime that he has gained 20 pounds and is feeling much better. He said he hasn’t traveled as much during recruiting, because he was told to but is still heavily involved. more
Unfortunate turn of events at UT
Posted by Marc on January 13, 2010 under Gator Nation | Be the First to Comment
In a nutshell, the Vols will be a better team and a better program without Lane Kiffin (aka Lame Coachin). Tennessee lucked out on this one.
Sugar Bowl: Florida 51 – Cincinnati 24
Posted by Marc on January 2, 2010 under Gator Nation | Be the First to Comment
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tim Tebow and coach Urban Meyer stood together in one corner of the Louisiana Superdome, sang the school fight song and then offered a final gesture… more
Sugar Bowl Press Conference (gatorsports)
Posted by Marc on under Video | Be the First to Comment
Sugar Bowl Preview
Posted by admin on January 1, 2010 under The Visor | Be the First to Comment
(Author’s note: I want to dedicate this season’s articles and analysis in loving memory of my mother, Lenore Papas, who was always supportive of any of my endeavors in life.)
If you’re wondering why this review came out so late, I wonder if it’s because of a little bit of news involving the Florida football program outside of just the game……you think? LOL.
Drama has followed this program for at least 40 years, and it may have reached a crescendo this past week with the news of Coach Meyer’s “resignation”, followed the next day with his decision to accept a “leave of absence”. Not to mention the health issues, the possible recruiting impact, the coaching staff in flux, and other minor things……geez.
How do you focus on only the game with all of this going on? That’s the task of the players and coaches as they face Cincinnati in the final game for one of the great recruiting classes in Gator history. After the disastrous performance against Alabama that shattered any hope of becoming one of the few teams in history to win 3 national championships in 4 years, what’s left? Hopefully, the will to show the country and each other that they truly are a great team, and send out the seniors and some coaches on the winning note they deserve.
On offense, the Gators should be able to do whatever they please, as the Bearcat defense is suspect at best, and sometimes just plain bad. I certainly think that after the debacle of play-calling in the SECCG, that the running game should be unleashed again, including more of the speed option to the edges to let Tim Tebow, Jeff Demps, and Chris Rainey dictate the tempo of the game. The OL had jelled the last 3 games with Xavier Nixon at LT and Carl Johnson at LG, and even the pass protection had begun to come around. UC’s secondary has holes as well, and Aaron Hernandez and Riley Cooper should be able to break some big plays when called upon.
The defense has no excuse to not play lights-out after their embarrassing collapse against Bama, and also should send Coach Strong out in style. Cincinnati has a high-scoring offense with Bunnell native Mardy Gilyard having an A-A season at WR. Tony Pike has a decent arm at QB, but has zero mobility and scrambling ability, and could be a sitting duck if the Gator secondary can lock down the WRs for a few seconds. I would not be surprised at all to see Zach Collardo getting certain series to try and confuse the Gator defense with more spread running plays. Pead is a solid RB, but nothing the Florida defense can’t handle. Brandon Spokes needs to lead the defense in an emotional display. The return of Carlos Dunlap will be felt — by the Bearcat offense.
Will Florida put on another putrid show, like Bama did against Utah last year? I just can’t see it. There is too much leadership to allow it, and the fact that Coach Meyer may be out of the spotlight for a while after this game should be more than enough extra impetus for an inspired Gator effort.
I’ll be back with a National Signing Day recap in February, which (unfortunately) will be more stressful than originally thought, as Florida tries to keep together what was until a week ago the #1 class in the country.
Prediction: Florida 45 Cincinnati 28
Urban Meyer Opts For Leave Of Absence
Posted by Marc on December 27, 2009 under Gator Nation | Be the First to Comment
NEW ORLEANS — Less than 24 hours after he resigned, Florida coach Urban Meyer is instead taking an indefinite leave of absence and expects to be on the sideline leading the Gators when next season opens.
“I do in my gut believe that will happen,” he said Sunday at a Allstate Sugar Bowl news conference.
Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio will run the team during Meyer’s absence, but Meyer will coach against Cincinnati on New Year’s Day. more…
Alabama Review
Posted by Marc on December 24, 2009 under The Visor | Be the First to Comment
It was a totally stunning and deflating defeat in Atlanta — a complete collapse of the defense, coupled with a bizarre offensive gameplan that went completely away from Urban Meyer’s “plan to win”.
Where to begin? I suppose the defense gets most of the blame, playing a listless, sloppy affair from start-to-finish. There was something wrong from the very start just from the eyeball test watching the players on the field.
The week began ominously enough, with the suspension of Carlos Dunlap for a DUI offense — shocking for someone who had been a model citizen until then. It would come to light in the days following the SECCG that there were many significant players at the same party. The loss of Dunlap was glossed-over by many, but not me, as I stated my concern in my preview article. Little did I know that after a year of distractions, that this one was more deep-seated than all of the others.
There was no energy of life in the defense from the outset, and the tackling (or lack thereof) was the worst since 2007. The only signs of life came when Coach Strong started bringing the house in the second quarter, forcing Bama to finally punt. But after the Gators closed to 12-10, the corner blitz was burned for a 60+ yard screen pass to Ingram, leading to a short TD run a few plays later that swung the momentum right back to the Crimson Tide. It seemed the defense was never in the game again, making an average Alabama unit look like the 2005 USC Trojans. Unreal.
On offense, the play-calling was curious at best, and a seemingly complete departure from what had been successful for almost 2 seasons. 4 carries for the RBs? No speed option to the edges? It appears in retrospect that the staff actually panicked to an extent when they saw the defense struggle so much from the start. The funny thing is that the O-Line probably did it’s best job of protecting Tebow all season, and the passing game was working. Cooper and Hernandez were getting open, and David Nelson came to life, catching the only TD scored by the Gators.
But the lack of running plays to the edges to spread the field was shocking — and a real indictment of Coach Addazio in his first year as Offensive Coordinator. When the lights shone the brightest and hottest, he failed. I can understand going against tendencies with the passing game, and it had some success. But the complete lack of balance killed Florida against a quality defense and a defensive mind like Coach Saban. Unacceptable.
The most disturbing revelation to come from this game is the word leaking out that a handful of players, including some prominent starters, completely got away from the preparation and focus they had exhibited for 22 straight games. Even more troubling are the strong rumors that a group of guys did not lay it on the line for this game, with thoughts of a possible NFL future and money being first priority.
Wow — no wonder Tebow looked so devastated after the game. He already knew that there was a serious lack of focus permeating the locker room, and it showed on the field clearly for all to see. This outcome is so shocking that it has the entire Gator Nation shaking it’s head — and has caused serious rifts between fans, players, and possibly some of the coaches. It was an open secret that Charlie Strong was probably going to Louisville. But the sudden departure of WR coach Billy Gonzales, who was miffed that his input on playcalling was limited and that he wasn’t going to be promoted to the Offensive Coordinator position, was a surprise, made worse with his accepting a spot at L$U — an annual SEC rival.
Coach Meyer and his staff have a major task ahead in trying to re-focus the team on a strong showing in the Sugar Bowl. Cincinnati is dealing with it’s own drama, losing it’s Head Coach to Notre Dame, but they are a dangerous offensive team. It will be very interesting to see if the Gators resemble the sleep-walking Bama team that got run off the field by an inspired Utah team last year.
I’ll be back in a few days with my Sugar Bowl preview. Until then, Happy Holidays from The Visor.
Next Up – Cincinnati – January 1 – Sugar Bowl
Posted by Marc on December 6, 2009 under Gator Nation | Be the First to Comment
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