Gators vs. Georgia

QB Chris Leak on Monday adamantly denied suffering a concussion against Georgia.

> Leak: “There was no concussion. I got dinged. I said, ‘Coach, I don’t know if I got a concussion or what.’ … It was no more than a headache. I played through it. Took some headache medicine during the game and I was fine.”
> Leak: “(Urban Meyer) asked me how I felt and I was like, ‘I don’t know. I got my bell rung pretty good on one play.’ I didn’t know what to call it at the time. I didn’t have a concussion, but I didn’t know. … When you get your bell rung in a game like that, you don’t know what to think of it. It was no more than a headache.”

What a weird game. It was one of those games you remember watching, but you don’t remember anything about. It just… happened. But a win is a win, so let’s celebrate that “style points” aren’t factored in the BCS.

Meanwhile, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel noticed Urban Meyer’s reluctance to enjoy a close win:

When Florida Coach Urban Meyer stepped into his postgame news conference following Florida’s 15th victory over Georgia in the past 17 years, he looked like a disheartened, defeated man. Not like a coach who’d just conquered his school’s most traditional rival and moved even closer to a possible spot in the Southeastern Conference title game and maybe even the national championship game.

“We’ve got a lot of issues right now,” Meyer complained after the 21-14 victory over Georgia. “At 7-1, we shouldn’t have to deal with these issues. We’ve got to get this thing right. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

If ever there were an indication of where Meyer has taken the Gators in less than two years, this was it. While Florida State and Miami continue to circle the drain and get sucked into a cesspool of college football irrelevance, the Gators are grumbling about victories.

This is the sort of perfectionism Florida’s ultra-spoiled fans grew accustomed to under iconic coach Steve Spurrier, who was never completely content unless the Gators were hanging 50 on the Bulldogs. Then (the previous coach) took over and the mind-set changed. Under (the previous coach), the Gators began complaining about close losses. Now, they’re back to complaining about close victories. Meyer is the anti-(previous coach), the star-crossed coach who always seemed to find a way to lose the close ones. Meyer finds a way to win them.

Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun:

Florida was clearly the better team on a beautiful Saturday by the St. Johns, but somehow kept Georgia in the game with silly turnovers and penalties that stole big yards and big points.

The Gators have gone from a team that was winning games in the second half to a team that in four quarters of second-half football the last two games hasn’t scored on offensive point.

Chris Leak threw the first and last interception in four games in this rivalry and passed for a mere 163 yards. He fumbled on the first play of the game. Tim Tebow lost a fumble at a time when a turnover just could not happen. Brandon James had another electrifying punt return negated by a penalty.

Florida was penalized 10 times and only managed 113 second-half yards. …

These kinds of mistakes can’t be happening this deep in the season with so much on the line. Coaches have to coach better, players have to play smarter. The gimmicks and gadgets and experiments aren’t why Florida won. The wide receiver at tailback wasn’t the difference. The quarterback shuffle wasn’t effective.

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald:

Florida is a weird team, as lopsided as the series with Georgia.

The defense is really good. It forced five turnovers Saturday, and Ray McDonald’s short TD with a scooped-up third-quarter fumble proved to be the deciding points.

‘’Thank God for great defense,'’ coach Urban Meyer understated.

Especially because the Gators offense isn’t so good.

It pales to Spurrier’s explosive old “Fun ‘n Gun.”

It trails, statistically, even (the previous coach’s) offense.

Trick plays are de rigeur in this attack of Meyer’s, but it seems to be deceit motivated by desperation, by the fundamental lack of a running game, for example. The bells ‘n whistles are the routine stuff. A handoff and a carry off left tackle — that’s a trick play around here.

Saturday, Florida had run the ball 18 times before a running back ever carried.

Hard to imagine a team without a featured runner it trusts doing much in the long run and surviving teams better than Georgia. Then again, the record is 7-1, derived of defense, and despite the offense, but 7-1 nonetheless.

Championship dreams that have vanished from Tallahassee and Coral Gables still remain in Gainesville, and that’s your irrefutable state of Florida as the college season steams into November.

Randall Mell of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Florida coach Urban Meyer almost had to be reminded that the Gators (7-1) won after nearly blowing the 21-0 lead they built in the third quarter. Disappointed with penalties, turnovers, poor place-kicking and a sputtering offense, Meyer stopped himself in the middle of his postgame news conference.

“My wife is going to smack me right in the mouth when I get home for complaining about this,” Meyer said.

All she has to do is show her husband that Miami and Florida State lost yet again Saturday. While the Gators remain alive in their bid to win a championship, Florida’s other former powers continue their sad slide.

At times, these inconsistent Gators can look so promising with so many dynamic skill players, like they’re on the verge of putting together a masterpiece, a statement game that will set them apart from all the one-loss teams hoping to make it to the BCS title game in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 8.

They marched up and down the field early against Auburn while taking a 17-3 lead before collapsing in a 27-17 loss.

They started so strongly again Saturday.

But Florida’s offense couldn’t score in the second half against the Tigers. Ditto in the second half against the Bulldogs.

It’s a troubling two-game trend.

Despite reports to the contrary, QB Chris Leak says he didn’t suffer a concussion during Saturday’s win.

> Leak: “I didn’t have a concussion. If I had a concussion, I couldn’t have kept playing. … Maybe a little headache. That’s it.”

Urban Meyer said Sunday he was disappointed with the play of his offensive line.

> Meyer: “The throw game right now — I don’t have a lot of confidence in our dropback passing game right now. We’re having a hard time protecting Chris (Leak).”
> Meyer: “We have some guys at times who look a little bit over their head. Carlton Medder hasn’t played a whole lot of football here. He’ll get better. He’s busting his tail right now and doing everything he can.”

Scouts Inc. breaks down the Cocktail Party matchup:

QB Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions last week and Georgia isn’t good enough to overcome those turnovers against a strong Florida team, so expect the Bulldogs to show a strong commitment to the run. … All three backs are tough to bring down and are capable of wearing down the Gators. In addition, they run behind an offensive line that has excellent size and can drive defenders off the ball. However, don’t expect Georgia to break a lot of big runs against a Florida run defense that is giving up an average of just 2.5 yards per carry. … (In the pocket, Stafford) has to stay patient, take what the defense gives him and throw the ball away or secure it so it doesn’t get knocked loose when the pocket collapses.

The Gators frequently spread the field and line up in shotgun formations but they run more than they pass and they should try to establish the ground game early. … (RB DeShawn) Wynn should be productive enough between the tackles to keep the Gators out of a lot of situations with pass-heavy tendencies as a result. In addition, Florida helps Wynn and the offensive line by running a lot of reverse action before running inside. … Head coach Urban Meyer is expected to play backup QB Tim Tebow more than he has recently. Tebow is far more mobile than Leak and the Bulldogs will have to adjust, much like they do with (WR Percy) Harvin, when he enters the game. The front four has to take away any running lanes by staying in their gaps and force the inexperienced Tebow to throw from within the pocket. In addition, the back seven can’t get caught playing the run before Tebow crosses the line of scrimmage. He has good arm strength and he is capable of finding the open man when a defender leaves his coverage assignment prematurely. … Pressure clearly affected (QB Chris) Leak two weeks ago and at times during his career. He can’t afford to make any poor decisions because (UGA) safeties have good ball skills. In addition, it will be interesting to see whether losing snaps to Tebow or the loss to Auburn affects his confidence. …

Georgia’s offense simply isn’t balanced enough to keep pace with the Florida’s explosive and versatile attack. … The Bulldogs could pressure Leak into making some mistakes of his own, but he has the depth and talent at receiver to overcome them. Tebow gives Florida an excellent change of pace and his mobility should make Georgia’s pass rush less aggressive.

Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley rocks the sports world with a column suggesting the Chris Leak wants to win this weekend. Also, check out the ultra-dramatic four-paragraph, four-sentence closing.

It’s great.

Seriously.

It is.

Let’s face it, a loss to Georgia probably means that Florida will not be playing in Atlanta and that means Leak will have spent four years at Florida without a ring but with a nice collection of Outback Bowl windbreakers.

But win this game and the next two against Vandy and South Carolina and Leak has returned Florida to the promised land. You know the one with a 30313 zip code.

And that would be his legacy — the guy who quarterbacked Florida back to the SEC Championship Game. And the guy who beat Georgia three times.

That’s why Florida needs to place the game in Leak’s hands.

I’m not saying that you chain Tebow to the bench. I’m just saying that this game needs to be up to the guy with the most on the line.

He has shown he can handle it, the atmosphere and the heavy aura around this game. I know, his last few snaps against Auburn were a disaster, but he’s a senior with big-game experience and four years as a starter going against a team in disarray with a quarterback making his fourth start.

This needs to be Leak’s game. Florida has a bunch of weapons and the best way to get them the ball in open space is to have Leak toss it to them. …

“(Leak) has had success in this game. He knows this game,” (Urban) Meyer said. “We expect him to play very well in this game.”

He should.

It’s his last shot at the Bulldogs.

It could be his last shot at a ring.

It should be his game to win or lose.

The fun police at UF and UGA have asked television networks not to refer to this weekend’s game, The World’s Largest Cocktail Party, as “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party.”

Ya know, instead of putting a moratorium on the phrase, why don’t the presidents pressure Jacksonville to mix in some extra security after the deaths of two UF students in two years? It’s a warzone up there, and it’s not because of a tradition-rich moniker.

> ESPN’s Chris Fowler: “How about ‘The World’s Largest Outdoor Cleaned, Scrubbed, All-America Picnic?’”
> CBS’s Tim Brando: “If my superiors don’t want me to say (The World’s Largest Cocktail Party), that’s fine. But as a broadcaster, I’m a little offended by the assertion that our use of (The World’s Largest Cocktail Party) has any kind of influence over how people behave at (The World’s Largest Cocktail Party).”
> UGA president Michael Adams: “I’m not on any crusade. I’m trying to preach realistic moderation, which happens to be what I believe personally. But I do not think the university can condone some of the behavior that has gone on (at The World’s Largest Cocktail Party).”
> CBS’s Verne Lundquist: “If I thought not using the phrase ‘World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party’ would diminish the amount of public drunkenness (at The World’s Largest Cocktail Party), then I would be more than happy to refrain. But in my experience is that is not the case. I wish the omission of the phrase (The World’s Largest Cocktail Party) had more relevance. But I’m afraid it doesn’t.”

QB Chris Leak was spotted at last week’s Georgia game in Athens (photos).

> Leak: “Yeah, I go there every year. I have a bunch of old teammates from high school that go there. I love seeing them play - seeing how they’re doing, seeing how their families are doing. I’ve done that every year.”

The team will make a Gator Walk into Alltel Stadium on Saturday, between the J and TTs lots, next to Gate 1, two hours before kickoff.

At this time last year, the Gators had only Dallas Baker, Tate Casey and Billy Latsko as offensive weapons. The Gators are a much healthier team this year, giving the coaches a plethora of options.

> Meyer: “If you game plan around one player and he sprains his ankle in the second series of the game, you have a little problem. The good thing is I think we are developing enough depth now where you have guys like Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell and Jarred Fayson who you can kind of hand it to them and throw it too them. It’s not as risky now because we have a little depth. Last year we went into this game with a problem. Who do we get the ball to? We were banged up at tailback. We had a little bit of a different issue a year ago. We have an issue this year where we want to make sure the playmakers are touching the ball.”
> Meyer: “Playmakers win games. Get the ball in the hands of the playmakers. We’re spending an awful lot of time doing that. I came in early (Sunday) and (Monday). The scheme is all set. Now, it’s who is going to physically touch that ball? In the SEC that’s more critical maybe than any conference in the country because you only get so many shots at it.”

Overconfidence won’t be a problem for a Gator team that Urban Meyer described as mediocre.

> Meyer: “We aren’t very good ourselves and we played our worst game of the year two weeks ago, so we’ve got a lot of work to do ourselves. We were blown out, beat up and we didn’t play very well. So you are asking me if we are overconfident. There is no chance at this point.”
> Meyer: “We just have to have a good week of practice. The best thing is our players know that. They came back (Sunday) and the attitude is terrific. We’re ready to go. We played our worst game two weeks ago. That’s the biggest focus.”

In his career, Urban Meyer is 19-2 when he has over a week to prepare for a game. The Gators are coming off a bye week with Georgia looming.

> CB Ryan Smith’s theory: “I guess just preparation. Coach Meyer is big on preparation. We go into every game prepared. Having a couple of extra days gives you extra preparation.”
> Meyer: “Oh, yeah, the game plan is about done. We’ve kept the same schedule for six years when we have a bye week.”
> Meyer: “This year is a little different (coming off a bye week before the Georgia game). Last year, we made quite a few adjustments (with the offense) and we had major injury issues. This year we’re dealing with a team that’s worn out, that’s blown out and played like it (in the loss to Auburn). We’ve been a second-half team all season (but the Gators were outscored 16-0 by the Tigers in the second half).”
> LB Brandon Siler: “If you have extra time, it allows you to get ready more, to game plan more. Yes, we’ve been working on Georgia. What else are you going to do? Right when that game (against Auburn) is over, you go to the next game plan. The next game plan is Georgia.”

After the murder of UF student Tom Brown after 2005’s Georgia game, and the 2004 death of a student who fell from a parking garage, the city of Jacksonville is finally taking steps to protect football fans.

New measures include a “student safe zone” where students can meet up with friends, receive first aid or use an automobile escort service. There is also expected to be a beefed up security presence.

> Bernie Machen: “We have a responsibility to do all we can to make the game as safe as possible. We hope these measures will achieve that goal, while not taking away from the festivities surrounding the game.”

The rough patch of The Hardest Schedule in the History of Organized Football finally ends with the Cocktail Party Oct. 28. Georgia is the most winnable game of the four biggies, and the Gators should continue their dominance over the Dawgs.

Guys that could make our lives difficult: The three-headed RB monster of Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware will likely be the focus of the UGA offense. … DE Quentin Moses will be a star on Sundays, and will give the Gator line fits. … P Gordon Ely-Kelso enters his 17th season with Georgia.

Absolute worst-case scenario: The RBs perform well enough to keep QB Joe Tereshinski from having to make any plays, and a rebuilt secondary manages to stifle the Gators’ passing attack. The Bulldogs win by a touchdown.

But more accurately: Come on, seriously? Joe Tereshinski? Yecch. Ya gotta have a serviceable QB to hang in the SEC, but the Bulldogs will start a former long-snapper under center. The Bulldogs will have to replace a huge o-line, and won’t be able to protect Tereshinski or the RBs, and the Gators hold the Dawgs under 10, winning comfortably.

Likely pregame storylines: Will the city of Jacksonville be able to host such a large event without the anarchy that’s marred the game the last two years? Will Georgia ever beat the Gators again? Will the Gators finally pick up a win in the four-game stretch from Hell?

Why we’re better: The whole “Gators wear jean shorts” thing is the best they can muster against us. And it’s not even accurate. And even if it was, guys with bowl cuts and red pants probably shouldn’t be throwing stones. … 14 of 16.

WATB will be taking a game-by-game look at the Gators 2006 schedule, leading up to the opener Sept. 2. Feel free to remind us how awful our predictions were once the season gets underway.

Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley weighs in on the ridiculous campaign to curb the use of the monicker, “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”:

The efforts being made by Florida and Georgia to lean on the networks to eliminate the use of “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” are well intentioned but does anybody really believe one less beer will be consumed?

First, you have to realize that the name given to the game by former Jacksonville columnist Bill Kastelz was inspired by all the game-day drinking and tailgating that goes on, not the other way around.

Wait, it’s not the “Cocktail Party” anymore? Pass the milk.

To be honest, you hardly hear the reference anymore … until this week when it became a big story.

The bottom line is that if the universities want to do something about excessive drinking and the potential for violence, that needs to be addressed with Jacksonville officials. Getting the networks to drop the moniker may be politically correct but has all of the impact of a penny tax on Jack Daniels.

WATB got together with the boys from Every Day Should be Saturday to preview spring practice over at Paul Westerdawg’s Georgia Sports Blog. Here’s part two of my preview:

What is the most interesting position battle brewing for spring?
Running back. I was surprised that Deshawn Wynn came back for his senior season. Wynn couldn’t stay out of Meyer’s doghouse last year, and I thought he was sure to try his luck in the NFL. Wynn, Kestahn Moore and Markus Manson pretty much split carries for most of the season, and Meyer often bemoaned the fact that none of the three (plus departed Skyler Thornton) stepped up to claim the featured back role. Hopefully someone will emerge this spring.

Are you expecting any new wrinkles this Spring in scheme?
The spread option was scaled back over the course of the 2005 season. Hopefully the offense will figure it all out this spring, and we can finally get the explosiveness we expected.

Are there any big coaching changes that will impact your team this spring?
Nope, everybody’s back in the same capacity.

What is the biggest question that you do NOT expect to get resolved this spring?
The Gators have about 28 receivers on the roster, most of them woefully inexperienced or still in high school. The Meyer offense requires the receiving corps to go 10-deep, but I’m not sure how many of the youngsters will have time to master their roles.

Are you going to your spring game?
With bells on. Literally.

What is the #1 thing you’re hoping to see at the Spring Game?
I get a kick out of Meyer’s punishments during the game. Seeing Josh Portis run a fumble drill after coughing up the ball last year was absolutely hilarious.

Is there any program that you’re following this spring other than your own? Looking for tidbits?
Tennessee. It kinda got away from Phil last season, and I’m anxious to see if the Vols can come back.

Other thoughts regarding spring ball?
Not soon enough, not long enough. Right now is a lonely time of year for the college football fanatic, and just a morsel of football is welcomed. I just wish there was more.