2008 Florida Gators
Jan. 8
2009 BCS Championship
Florida 24 … Oklahoma 14
Florida PK Jonathan Phillips broke a 14-14 tie with a 27-yard field goal early
in the fourth quarter, and following an interception from Ahmad Black, the Gator
offense marched 76 yards in 11 plays with Tim Tebow hitting David Nelson with a
jump-pass from four yards out for a game-clinching touchdown. Tebow started off
the scoring with a 20-yard pass to Louis Murphy, but OU answered 2:13 later on a
six-yard touchdown catch from Jermaine Gresham. The Sooners marched down near
the goal line on two more drives, but were stuffed on two plays from the one to
halt one march, and a Sam Bradford pass was batted and bounced into the hands of
Major Wright at the end of the half. The Gators took the lead late in the third
on a two-yard run by Percy Harvin off a direct snap, but OU tied it up in the
fourth on an 11-yard Gresham catch. Florida was able to answer right back with a
68-yard drive culminating in the Phillips field goal, which turned out to be the
winning points to give the Gators their second national title in three years.
Player of the Game:
Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 18-of-30 passes for 231
yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and ran 22 times for 109 yards.
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 26-41, 256
yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Brown, 22-110. Receiving: Jermaine Gresham, 8-62, 2
TD
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 18-30, 231 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 9-122, 1 TD.
Receiving: Aaron Hernandez, 5-57
Inside The Box Score ... 5
Thoughts on the BCS Championship
…
Quarter-by-Quarter, Play-by-Play Game Notes
… Rushing yards: Florida 249 – OU 107 … Passing yards: OU 256 – UF 231 … Fourth
quarter time of possession: UF 10:57 – OU 4:03 … Third down conversions: UF
12-of-17 – OU 6-of-13 … Florida CB Joe Haden made 10 tackles and broke up two
passes. … OU S Nic Harris made 11 tackles and an interception.
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2008 Florida Preview
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2007 Florida Season
2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
10-2
2008 Record: 13-1
Aug. 30
Hawaii W 56-10
Sept. 6 Miami W 26-3
Sept. 13 OPEN DATE
Sept. 20 at Tennessee W 30-6
Sept. 27 Ole Miss L 31-30
Oct. 4 at Arkansas W 38-7
Oct. 11 LSU W 51-21
Oct. 18 OPEN DATE
Oct. 25 Kentucky W 63-5
Nov. 1 Georgia (Jack.) W
49-10
Nov. 8 at Vanderbilt W
42-14
Nov. 15 South Carolina W
56-6
Nov. 22 The Citadel W
70-19
Nov. 29 at Florida State
W 45-15
Dec. 6 SEC Championship
Alabama W 31-20
BCS Championship
Jan. 8 Oklahoma W 24-14 |
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
9-3
2007 Record: 9-4
Sept. 1
Western Kent.
W 49-3
Sept. 8
Troy
W 59-31
Sept. 15
Tennessee
W 59-20
Sept. 22
at Ole Miss
W 30-24
Sept. 29
Auburn
L 20-17
Oct.
6 at
LSU L 28-24
Oct.
20 at
Kentucky W 45-37
Oct.
27
vs. Georgia
L
42-30
Nov.
3
Vanderbilt
W 49-22
Nov.
10 at
So. Carolina W 51-31
Nov.
17
Florida
Atlantic
W 59-20
Nov.
24
Florida State
W 45-12
Capital One Bowl
Jan. 1 Michigan L 41-35 |
Dec. 6
2008 SEC Championship
Florida 31 … Alabama 20
Florida came up with 14 fourth quarter points on a Jeffrey Demps run off the
option for a touchdown and a five-yard Riley Cooper catch to overcome a 20-17
lead. In a game of long drives and plenty of big plays, Tim Tebow threw three
short touchdown passes and led the Percy Harvin-less Gators in rushing, while
Alabama got 112 yards and an 18-yard touchdown run from Glen Coffee and a
two-yard Mark Ingram run along with Leigh Tiffin field goals from 30 and 27
yards out. The Ingram run capped a 15-play, 91-yard drive in the in the third
quarter to tie it at 17, and Tiffin’s second field goal gave the Tide its final
lead before the Gators owned the fourth.
Player of the game:
Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 14-of-22 passes for 216
yards and three touchdowns, and he ran 17 times for 57 yards
Stat Leaders: Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 12-25,
187 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Glen Coffee, 21-112, 1 TD. Receiving: Julio Jones, 5-124
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 14-22, 216 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Tim Tebow, 17-57. Receiving: Louis Murphy, 4-86
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Quarter-by-Quarter Game
Notes ... It’s not fair to say that Tim Tebow carried Florida to the
SEC title, the rest of the talented team had a lot to do with it, too, but Tebow
saved the day on offense against Alabama. The running game ignored the backs,
and there weren’t too many throws down the field. This was a win on powering the
ball, not making mistakes, and doing everything right in the fourth quarter to
put the game away. This might not have been the dominant performance like
Oklahoma had against Missouri, but it was good enough to go off and play for the
national title.
Nov. 29
Florida 45 … Florida
State 15
In a rainy downpour, Florida rolled up 502 yards of total offense and took a
commanding 28-9 lead into halftime with short scoring runs from Percy Harvin and
Tim Tebow and Tebow touchdown passes from seven and 24 yards out to Aaron
Hernandez. Florida State was able to move the ball a bit, but it only managed
three Graham Gano field goals before finally getting into the end zone midway
through the third quarter on a four-yard Jermaine Thomas run. Harvin was knocked
out of the game with an ankle injury, but the Gators were never threatened.
Player of the game:
Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 12-of-21 passes for 185
yards and three touchdowns and ran 16 times for 80 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: Florida State - Passing: Drew Weatherford,
4-15, 61 yds
Rushing: Antone Smith, 12-57. Receiving: Greg Carr, 2-24
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 12-21, 185 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Chris Rainey, 8-97. Receiving: Aaron Hernandez, 4-61, 2
TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Florida keeps on
rolling with a fully focused, relatively mistake-free attack and with continued
production on defense and on the special teams that dominates the opponents.
Florida State never had room to breathe with little from the running game and
nothing happening through the air. Now it’s on to the showdown with Alabama, and
while the Tide is also playing well in all phases, it’ll have to do something
special to pull off the SEC title if the Gators continue to be as sharp as
they’ve been.
Nov. 22
Florida 70 … Citadel
19
Florida was able to get through its light scrimmage without much of a problem a
Tim Tebow connected with Louis Murphy from 16 yards out and Riley Cooper from 43
yards again as part of a 42-point scoring run in the first 21 minutes. Cam
Turner ran and threw a touchdown pass for Citadel, but the game wasn’t
competitive at any point. Florida outgained the Bulldogs 7-5 yards to 317.
Player of the game:
Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 9-of-11 passes for 201
yards and three touchdowns and hr ran twice for 34 yards
Stat Leaders: Citadel - Passing: Cam Turner, 15-30, 160
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Asheton Jordan, 8-37, 1 TD. Receiving: Andre Roberts,
5-66
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 9-11, 201 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Chris Rainey, 7-142, 1 TD. Receiving: Deonte Thompson,
3-53, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Florida is taking
every game very, very seriously. It might not seem like a big deal to blow up
Citadel 70-19 or to throw over 700 yards of total offense on the board, but this
game showed just how focused everyone is. The team isn’t taking a play off as
it’s trying to keep the momentum going into the big showdown against Florida
State and then the SEC title game. This was a flawless, clean performance with
only three penalties and no turnovers.
Nov. 15
Florida 56 … South
Carolina 6
Brandon Spikes returned a Chris Smelley interception for a touchdown, and the
route was on. The Gators scored the first 28 points, helped by three Gamecock
turnovers, with Percy Harvin running for a 26-yard score and Tim Tebow running
for a one-yard score and throwing a 46-yard touchdown pass to Deonte Thompson.
South Carolina managed two Ryan Succop field goals, but the defense couldn’t
handle the Gator attack with Harvin putting the game well out of reach on the
first play of the second half with an 80-yard touchdown run. Florida outgained
the Gamecocks 519 yards to 173.
Player of the game:
Florida WR Percy Harvin caught one pass for six yards
and ran eight times for 167 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: South Carolina - Passing: Chris Smelley,
13-24. 92 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Eric Baker, 6-23. Receiving: Kenny McKinley, 6-37
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 13-20, 173 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 8-167, 2 TD. Receiving: Louis Murphy, 4-54
Whoopty doo. What
does it all mean, Basil? ...
Is there any question that
Florida is playing better than anyone in America? In all three phases, the
Gators are showing week after week that they have the speed, the talent, and the
weapons on both sides of the ball, and on special teams, to obliterate anyone.
Part of the issue, though, is that teams are imploding when they try to get
goofy. South Carolina had to try a few quirky things in an attempt to get
something, anything going. The toughest part now might be to keep the Gator egos
in check; the oddsmakers already have made UF a big favorite over Alabama.
Nov. 8
Florida 42 …
Vanderbilt 14
Florida won the SEC title and rolled with ease after taking a 35-0 halftime lead
and getting up 42-0 on Tim Tebow touchdown runs from 26 and eight yards out and
threw three scoring passes of 12 yards to Louis Murphy, 11 to Riley Cooper, and
41 yards to David Nelson. Vanderbilt came up with the final 14 points with two
Chris Nickson touchdown passes. Ryan Hamilton made 13 tackles for the
Commodores.
Player of the game:
Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 12-of-17 passes for 171
yards and three touchdowns, and ran 11 times for 88 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 7-14, 67
yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jared Hawkins, 11-46. Receiving: Sean Walker & Jamie
Graham, 3-22, 1 TD
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 12-17, 171 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Tim Tebow, 11-88, 2 TD. Receiving: Carl Moore, 4-31
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Florida is
unstoppable at the moment because Tim Tebow has taken his game up to another
level. He’s getting time to throw and is getting a little room to move, and now
he’s not afraid to start running a bit more, and harder, than he did earlier in
the year, but that doesn’t mean the rest of his weapons aren’t getting work. Six
players saw carries in the blowout over Vandy, and
seven players caught passes. The Gators did what a national title-caliber team
is supposed to do against a team like Vanderbilt, and now it gets a pesky South
Carolina team in The Swamp. Win that in a blowout and it’ll really be time to
get fired up.
Nov. 1
Florida 49 … Georgia
10
Georgia was down 7-3 after a 35-yard Blair Walsh field goal. And then Florida
flexed its muscle and showed off its speed going on a 42-point run with three
short rushing touchdowns from Tim Tebow to go along with a 25-yard pass to Percy
Harvin and a 44-yard strike to Louis Murphy. The Gator defense forced four
turnovers with three interceptions highlighted by an 88-yard play by Joe Haden
leading to a one-yard Tebow score. Georgia got back on the board late on a
garbage time 19-yard Aron White catch.
Player of the game:
Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 10-of-13 passes for 154
yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 12 times for 39 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Georgia - Passing: Matthew Stafford, 18-33,
265 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Knowshon Moreno, 17-65. Receiving: Mohamed Massaquoi,
5-112
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 10-13, 154 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Emmanuel Moody, 7-71. Receiving: Percy Harvin, 3-52, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... If Florida ends up
winning the SEC title and doesn’t play for the national title, there might be an
extremely empty feeling to the season. This team is humming on all cylinders
with a swarming defense that’s all over everyone and an offense that’s explosive
and consistent. Tim Tebow didn’t have his greatest statistical day in the win
over Georgia, but this might have been his best performance. He was unflappable,
sharp, and obviously very, very focused. The defense gave up a few plays here
and there, but it made up for every bad play allowed with a good one. After this
emotional game, there can’t be a letdown against Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
Oct. 25
Florida 63 … Kentucky
5
Florida came up with three blocked kicks, with the first two leading to short
scoring runs from Tim Tebow and Brandon James, and Ahmad Black picked off a pass
and took it 40 yards for a touchdown on the first play in the second half on the
way to an easy win. Percy Harvin scored twice with a 16-yard run and a 33-yard
pass, and Jeffrey Demps led the way in rushing and receiving highlighted by a
61-yard touchdown play off a short pass. Kentucky’s offense only managed a
27-yard Lones Seiber field goal.
Player of the game:
Florida RB Jeffrey Demps ran seven times for 50 yards
and caught four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Kentucky - Passing: Randall Cobb, 9-18, 78
yds
Rushing: Randall Cobb, 9-52. Receiving: Tony Dixon, 5-19
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 11-15, 180 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jeffrey Demps, 7-50. Receiving: Jeffrey Demps, 4-67, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Florida is rolling
at just the right time. The win over Kentucky was dominant in all phases with
the special teams setting the tone early, the offense opening things up, and the
defense shutting everything down. With 114 points in the last two games, Georgia
has to be prepared for a shootout next week. It helps that all of Tim Tebow’s
weapons are working with Jeffrey Demps showing off yet another side to the
attack. The Dawgs can’t just focus on the stopping Percy Harvin. Yeah, UK is
beaten up, but that’s a good defense the Gators just ripped up.
Oct. 11
Florida 51 … LSU 21
Florida got a 70-yard touchdown from Percy Harvin on the third play of the game
to kick off a 20-0 run to start the game. Harvin added a seven-yard touchdown
catch, and the route was on … sort of. LSU fought back within six on a six-yard
Jarrett Lee to Chris Mitchell touchdown pass and a three-yard Andrew Hatch run,
but the Gators answered with 21 straight points to open it up. Jeffrey Demps
tore off a 42-yard touchdown run and Brandon Spikes intercepted two passes,
taking one for a score. Florida outgained LSU 475 yards to 321.
Player of the game:
Florida WR Percy Harvin caught six passes for 112
yards and two touchdowns and ran twice for 13 yards
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: Jarrett Lee, 23-38, 209 yds, 2
TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Charles Scott, 12-35. Receiving: Brandon LaFell, 7-59
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 14-21, 210 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jeffrey Demps, 10-129, 1 TD. Receiving: Percy Harvin,
6-112, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... If Florida wanted
to get back into the national title chase, it just made its statement. LSU
really is a strong, national title-level team, and the Gators blew its doors off
with big plays from Percy Harvin as well as Jeffrey Demps and the running game.
While many will wonder if this game gets Tim Tebow back into the Heisman race,
it’s actually Harvin who’s the star of this year’s show. When he’s healthy, or
at least as close to healthy as he’ll get before the end of the year, he’s the
premier difference maker going in college football right now.
Oct. 4
Florida
38 … Arkansas 7
Florida rolled up 514 yards of total offense, but it was only up 17-7 going into
the fourth quarter. Percy Harvin ended the drama with a 21-yard touchdown catch,
and Chris Rainey added the exclamation points with a 75-yard dash for a score.
Jeffrey Demps, who ran for a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter, ran for a
48-yard touchdown in the final minute. Arkansas stayed alive with a six-yard
Michael Smith run in the third quarter, but the offense couldn’t make anything
happen in the fourth quarter. The two teams combined for 20 penalties for 285
yards.
Player of the game: Florida CB Joe Haden made 11 tackles and an
interception.
Stat Leaders: Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 17-26, 217 yds,
2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jeffrey Demps, 7-103, 2 TD. Receiving: Louis Murphy, 5-70
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 24-38, 220 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 20-133, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael Smith, 6-43
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Florida is having way too
many problems putting games away. Even with 514 yards, a great game from Tim
Tebow, a fantastic performance from the running game, and a nice day from the
pass rush, it still took a bit too long to get rid of Arkansas. The 12 penalties
were way too many, and going for it three times on fourth downs showed just how
much the coaching staff is trying to kickstart the team overall.
Sept.
27
Ole Miss
31 ... Florida 30
Jevan Snead found Shay Hodge for an 86-yard touchdown with just over five
minutes to play to give Ole Miss a seven point lead. Florida roared back with a
quick six play, 68-yard drive with Percy Harvin running in untouched for a
15-yard score, but the extra point was blocked. The Gators got one last shot,
but Tim Tebow was stuffed on a 4th-and-one play on the Ole Miss 32. Snead
started out the scoring with a one-yard run, but Florida seemingly had the game
in hand with a 17-point second quarter as Harvin scored on a 43-yard pass play
and Tebow ran for a one-yard score. Ole Miss answered in the third quarter with
17 points of its own highlighted by a 40-yard Dexter McCluster scoring run, but
Tebow answered with a one-yard touchdown run to tie it in the fourth. Florida
outgained the Rebels 443 yards to 325, but lost three fumbles.
Player of the game: In a losing cause, Florida WR Percy Harvin ran ten
times for 82 yards and a touchdown and caught 13 passes for 186 yards and a
touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 24-38, 319 yds, 1
TD
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 10-82, 1 TD. Receiving: Percy Harvin,
13-186, 1 TD
Ole Miss - Passing: Jevan Snead, 9-20, 185 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 11-60, 1 TD. Receiving: Shay Hodge,
3-133, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
It was a game of missed opportunities. Ole Miss
came through when it had to; Florida didn't. Tim Tebow had open receivers on the
final Gator drive but just overshot sure-touchdown passes. The Gators converted
just 1-of-11 third down chances and there were five fumbles, losing three, but
the offense rolled when Percy Harvin got the ball in his hands and the defense
was solid outside of the 86-yard touchdown catch from Shay Hodge, helped by a
lack of safety help. There's one important thing to remember after this
disaster; the national title is still there for the taking. However, there's no
margin for error. A one-loss SEC champion will still likely play for the whole
ball of wax, but the team has to be far sharper than it was this week.
Sept.
20
Florida 30 ...
Tennessee 6
Neither offense did much, but Florida got the big plays when needed as Brandon
James returned the opening kickoff 55 yards to lead to a two-yard Tim Tebow
touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez. The Gators turned a Tennessee fumble into a
field goal, and then James ended the show with a 78-yard punt return for a
touchdown for a 17-0 first quarter. Thanks to a 15-yard Percy Harvin touchdown
catch, the Gators got up 27-0 going into the fourth quarter before Tennessee
finally got things moving with a long drive leading to a one-yard Jonathan
Crompton touchdown run. That was it for a Tennessee offense that finished with
258 yards, but the defense did a decent job holding Florida to 243 yards.
Player of the game: Florida returner Brandon James took two punts for 92
yards and a touchdown, and took a kickoff 52 yards. .
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Jonathan Crompton,
18-28, 162 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 14-37. Receiving: Gerald Jones, 5-40
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 8-15, 96 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Emmanuel Moody, 9-55. Receiving: Percy Harvin, 2-49, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It might not be
pretty, but the offense is doing what it needs to do to help out a defense and
return game that's dominating. Brandon James is yet another weapon in the
overall arsenal, and he was able to all but end the Tennessee game with his
first half returns. However, the offense needs to start showing more on the
ground. 147 yards isn't going to get it done against the better teams, but
Emmanuel Moody wasn't bad with 55 yards on nine carries in his first real work.
Two important stats: Florida didn't turn the ball over, and the offense
converted 8-of-13 third down chances.
Sept. 6
Florida 26 ...
Miami 3
The final score doesn't reflect how tough the game was for Florida. The Gators
struggled until the fourth quarter when Percy Harvin provided some breathing
room with a two-yard touchdown run and Tim Tebow connected with Louis Murphy
from 19 yards out. Miami only managed 140 yards of total offense and a 50-yard
field goal, but the defense kept the Florida attack in check throughout most of
the game. Back after missing the season opener, Florida LB Brandon Spikes made
11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Player of the game: Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 21-of-35 passes for
256 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 13 times for 55 yards.
Stat Leaders: Miami - Passing: Robert Marve, 10-18, 69 yds
Rushing: Graig Cooper, 15-31. Receiving: Leonard Hankerson, 3-22
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 21-35, 256 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Tim Tebow, 13-55. Receiving: Aaron Hernandez, 5-58, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Florida is more experienced in key spots than
Miami, and the defense showed just how immature the Hurricane offense is, but
even in a 26-3 win there's major reason to worry. Miami was more physical and
was able to stop the Gator offense for most of the game until Tim Tebow finally
broke through in the fourth quarter. The biggest problem was the running game;
there wasn't any. Like last year, when things got tight, it was Tebow and Percy
Harvin running the ball and the running backs were non-existent. Tebow had 13
carries, Harvin five, and Chris Rainey, Jeffrey Demps and Kestahn Moore combined
for nine carries for seven yards.
Aug. 30
Florida 56 ... Hawaii
10
Florida had few problems disposing of Hawaii forcing six turnovers with Major
Wright and Ahmad Black each returning interceptions for touchdowns on the way to
a 56-0 lead before the Warriors finally got on the board in the fourth quarter.
The Gator ground game pounded out 255 yards with 12 different players getting
carries and four separate players scoring. Tim Tebow was his normal, efficient
self throwing a 48-yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy, but he didn't run for a
score. Hawaii's passing game only managed 181 yards and didn't get into the end
zone until the final two minutes.
Player of the game: Florida RB Brandon James ran three times for 16 yards
and a touchdown, caught a pass for ten yards, and averaged 23.8 yards per punt
return with a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Hawaii - Passing: Inoke Funaki, 8-11, 110
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Daniel Libre, 4-35. Receiving: Leon Wright-Jackson, 4-39
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 9-14, 137 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jeffrey Demps, 2-76, 1 TD. Receiving: Louis Murphy, 2-51,
1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... There were two
question marks Florida wanted to address against Hawaii. 1) The running game and
2) the pass defense. The ground game came through big with a varied attack with
several players combining for 255 yards. The secondary not only shut down the
high-powered Warrior passing game, but it came up with four picks, took two back
for touchdowns, and allowed just one garbage time score. No, this isn't the
Hawaii of last year in any way, but if games like these are supposed to be used
as tune-ups, mission accomplished.
2008 Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
Will Hill S 6-2 203 West Orange, N.J./St.
Peters Preparatory
Parade All-American…Competed at the ESPNU Under Armour High School All-American
Game, where he returned an interception for 62 yards...First-team all-state
selection as a senior…USA Today first-team All-American…Two-time New Jersey
Star-Ledger Offensive Player of the Year…Three-time AP New Jersey first-team
all-state selection…Multidimensional threat for St. Peters Preparatory School,
serving as a three-year starter at quarterback, safety and a returner on special
teams…Recorded three interceptions, made 36 tackles and broke up three passes
during senior campaign…Gained 960 yards on the ground while tossing for 947
yards and accounting for 26 touchdowns (19 passing, seven rushing)…Led the
Marauders to a 34-2 record in three years, including a 12-0 mark and the NJSIAA
Non-Public Group 4 Championship as a sophomore…Responsible for 3,817 all-purpose
yards and accounted for 34 touchdowns as a junior…Rushed for 682 yards (11.7
yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns as a junior while throwing for 758 yards and
11 scores…Picked off three passes as a junior and brought back to kickoffs for
touchdowns…Returned an interception for a touchdown the first time he touched
the ball in 2004
Potential Instant Impact Players
Omar Hunter DT 6-0 322 Buford, Ga./Buford
Parade All-American…First-team Class AA all-state selection as a senior…Played
in the Under Armour High School All-American Game…Ranked as the strongest player
in the Under Armour All-Star Awards… Helped lead Buford to an undefeated season
and a state title his senior year…Georgia Sports Writers’ Association Class AA
choice….Registered 93 tackles and seven sacks as a senior…Had 85 tackles, six
sacks, a fumble recovery and 13 tackles for a loss as a junior…No. 37 in the
ESPN 150 and ranked as the No. 2 defensive tackle in the position
rankings…Received five-star billing and rated the second-best defensive tackle
in the nation by Scout.com
Carl Moore WR 6-3 220 Roseville,
Calif./Cordova (Sierra C.C.)
One of the most highly-coveted junior college
players in the class of 2008 praised for his combination of size, strength and
speed…Racked up 1,068 yards on 73 receptions with 16 touchdowns during his
sophomore campaign at Sierra…Tied for fourth in total points scored and rated
sixth across the California junior college system in receptions (73) as a
sophomore…Helped lead Sierra to a second-ranked billing towards the end of the
year and played in the NorCal Junior College Championship Game against the City
of College of San Francisco…Reeled in 61 catches for 960 yards and seven
touchdowns as a freshman with a long of 65…Averaged 15.7 yards per reception in
his first year at Sierra…Also rated as a five-star recruit by Scout.com…PREP:
Hauled in 21 catches for 410 yards and five touchdowns in just three games
during his senior year at Cordova High School
Rest of the Class
Brendan Beal LB 6-3 223 Bangor, Pa./Liberty
Jeremy Brown CB 5-10 163 Orlando/Boone
Adrian Bushell DB 5-10 183 DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto
Jeffrey Demps ATH 5-8 176 Okahumpka/South Lake
Troy Epps DT 6-0 285 Union, S.C./Union (Coffeyville C.C.)
Dee Finley S 6-2 200 Auburn, Ala./Auburn
William Green DE 6-4 215 Hoover, Ala./Spain Park
Frankie Hammond, Jr. WR 6-0 170 Hollywood/Hallandale
Omarius Hines WR 6-1 205 Coriscana, Texas/Corsicana
Janoris Jenkins CB 5-10 177 Pahokee/Pahokee
Byran Jones OL/DL 6-3 305 Jacksonville/Nathan Bedford Forrest
T.J. Lawrence WR 6-0 185 Lakeland/Lakeland Kathleen
Lerentee McCray LB 6-2 205 Ocala/Dunnellon
Earl Okine DE 6-5 250 Gainesville/Gainesville
Matt Patchan OL 6-6 260 Tampa/Armwood
T.J. Pridemore LB 6-0 236 Gainesville, Ga./Buford
Sam Robey OL 6-4 275 Louisville, Ky./Trinity
Caleb Sturgis K 5-10 182 St. Augustine/St. Augustine
David Young OL 6-6 290 Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville
2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: The Gators spent last year retooling and
reloading after a national title winning 2006, and now they come out
loaded with eight starters returning on offense, including QB Tim Tebow,
eight on defense and punter Chas Henry, who helped them finish ninth in
the nation, and first in the SEC, in net punting. Not only that, but
they're even better with former USC RB Emmanuel Moody ready to roll. The
four true road games (Georgia doesn't count): Tennessee, Arkansas,
Vanderbilt, Florida State. After the trip to Knoxville, that's not that
bad.
Why to be grouchy: While Miami might not be Miami, when it
comes to battling for the national title, it's still asking for trouble
to play the Hurricanes, along with the trip to Florida State and games
against Hawaii and The Citadel. Getting Ole Miss and Arkansas from the
West is a big break, but LSU has to go to The Swamp. Most of the
starters are back on defense, but there wasn't much of a pass rush last
year and now Derrick Harvey is gone.
The number one thing to work on is: Better play from the pass
defense. Massive changes were needed in the secondary going into last
year, and it showed with the SEC's worst pass defense. The group had
problems with accurate passers, bombers, and everyone in between, and
while part of the problem was a lack of a pass rush, the corners have to
be better. The spotlight will be on Wondy Pierre-Louis and Joe Haden.
Biggest offensive loss: WR Andre Caldwell
Biggest defensive loss: DE Derrick Harvey
Best returning offensive player: QB Tim Tebow, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: LB Brandon Spikes, Jr.
2007 Recap
Recap:
Florida learned in 2007 that even defending national champions need
to regroup every once in a while. Despite sporting Heisman winner
Tim Tebow and one of the most prolific offenses in the country, the
Gators struggled to fill the gaps on a defense that was gutted by
graduations and early defections to the NFL a year ago. The result
was a solid, if unspectacular, nine-win season and Capital One Bowl
loss to Michigan, in which underclassmen played enormous roles on
every corner of the depth chart.
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Tim Tebow
Defensive Player of the Year: LB Brandon Spikes
Biggest Surprise: Tebow. Hey, everyone knew he could play,
but there was still plenty of skepticism about his ability to be a
complete quarterback, rather than a glorified fullback. Not any
longer. Without a lot of help from anyone other than WR Percy
Harvin, Tebow became the first player in NCAA history to rush and
pass for 20 touchdowns in the same season, and the first sophomore
to win the Heisman Trophy.
Biggest Disappointment: The Gators had No. 1 LSU on the ropes
on Oct. 6, but allowed the Tigers to wriggle out with a 28-24
victory. Falling victim to Les Miles’ gambles on fourth down,
Florida squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, yielding
the game-winning score with just 1:09 left on the clock.
Looking Ahead: After catching their breath in 2007, the
Gators are poised to make another run toward an SEC championship and
national title. The defense took its lumps last fall, but will
return in 2008 a little bigger, a lot wiser, and far better prepared
to slow down SEC offenses.
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