The Gators look to turn things around in Jacksonville

[travisduncan]

The view from the upper level at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium ICON Sports

By Travis Duncan

"You cant play like you're a team that is floundering around .500. You have to play like you're a team that's looking to run the table. That's how you've got to play."

"Running the table starts with one at a time."

So are the thoughts and attitude of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis as the Gators approach the biggest game of the season to date.

Having lost three straight, and floundering at 4-3, the Gators need a win if they want to have any hope of winning the SEC east and playing in Atlanta. Georgia has won five straight after losing to Boise State and South Carolina to open the season.

John Brantley has been named the starting quarterback for Saturday's titanic tilt which kicks off Saturday in Jacksonville at 3:30 p.m ET and on CBS-TV.

"John Brantley has continued to progress for us pretty through the week. I expect him to go unless something shocking comes up in the later part of the week," coach Will Muschamp said Wednesday.

If Brantley can't go, the Gators will go with freshman Jacoby Brissett, over fellow freshman Jeff Driskel. That decison was made because of Brissett's play in games thus far and his performance in practice according Weis.

Besides losing hope for the SEC title game, losing four straight games has all kinds of connotations and consequences which add to the tension leading up to the rivalry game.

While the challenge of the Bulldogs in Jacksonville looms over the Gators, the future of the program is also on a lot of people's mind.

Christian and Clark Transfer

Two student-athletes from Urban Meyer's 2010 class, will transfer midseason. Both tight end and receiver Robert Clark, will transfer. They met with Muschamp and it sounds like there was little or no discussion. It's an untimely distraction to say the least.

"It's a disappointment to him, but he didn't argue with us to stay," Christian told the Palm Beach Post. "I don't want to say he didn't want me around, but since we didn't want to be there, he wasn't trying to keep us there."
Even their high school coach is upset that they would chose to do so in the middle of the season.

“Both of these players have expressed a desire for more playing time and felt it would be in their best interests to transfer,” Muschamp said. “We wish them both the best of luck and appreciate their contributions to the program.”

At tight end the Gators will be welcoming in Colin Thompson next fall, one of the highest rated tight ends in the nation, who will join Jordan Reed, A.C. Leonard and Omarius Hines at the position. At wideout the Gators have a verbal commitment from LaTroy Pittman out of North Marion High in Citra, FL plus a host of other wideouts (Andre Debose, currently a redshirt sophomore, Quinton Dunbar a redshirt freshman, and Frankie Hammond a redshirt junior)

What happens behinds closed doors has been kept pretty tight in the Muschamp regime, but one could imagine what would make an athlete want to stop particiapting with the team for the season, when they will be forced to sitout a year whenver they transfer.

When pressed on the matter Wednesday Muschamp said, "The discussions are private, let's talk about the game, those two young men aren't a part of our team anymore."

Either way Gator Nation is already counting the scholarship numbers, and the two now made available which will makes Muschamp's first full recruiting class maybe his biggest over the next several years.

Muschamp on the importance of Saturday's Game

"My approach is that everygame is important," Muschamp said Wednesday. "Certainly I don't think I have to explain to them in the team meeting room and explain to them how important this rivalry is to the University of Florida and to understand what is at stake for us to win the game and go to Atlanta. We need to win the game to go to Atlanta (SEC Championship Game)."

"There's certainly some extra juice in this one," he added.

Muschamp on the psychology of having Brantley under center

"There's no question psychologically, as a senior quarterback, and how well he was playing and how well we were playing offensively, when he was in the game it was a psychological advantage for entire football team."

Aaron Murray

The Georgia quarterback is playing pretty well this season, completing 60-percent of his passes 120/198 with 16 TDS but 7 INTs. He has been sacked 15 times, which should indicate the Bulldogs are vulnerable up front.

Jeff Demps

Muschamp says that the running back will be at full strength for the first time since injuring his ankle a few weeks back against Alabama. He missed the game two weeks ago against Auburn.

Series History

The series between Florida and Georgia dates back to 1915 and the Bulldogs hold a 46-40-2 all-time advantage. In Jacksonville, UGA holds a 40-37-1 lead in the series over the Gators. Although Georgia leads the overall series, UF has been dominant in recent history. Since
1990, Florida is 18-3 against UGA, including an 8-2 mark in the last 10 meetings.

In 2010, the Gators defeated Georgia 34, 31 in overtime. Chas Henry connected on a 37-yard field goal to give UF the win in the firstever overtime game in the series. Will Hill intercepted Aaron Murray’s pass on UGA’s possession in the extra period.

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Leave your comments, thoughts and predictions about the game below. (Georgia is a 3 point favorite according to Vegas.)

 

[DRU2012]

Never mind "The SEC East"...we need to get "that first win" that begins any "string", as you say--and the key to THAT, obviously, will be OFFENSE. If we do some scoring, keep the time-of-possession fairly close for the sake of our defense's health and energy-level when it IS in there, we can win this game and maybe build on it, deal with what's in front of us.
Since we have no idea who the QB will be, predicting a score seems futile. I'll say this: we can win it with either of the freshman quarterbacks in there--but one of them will HAVE to raise his game, play significantly better than either has shown thus far. Otherwise we're in the same bind we were in against Auburn, with similar results: even with fewer mistakes across-the-board, our defense will get worn down, with little hope the offense can out-SCORE the opposition. Of course, a healthy Brantley back in mid-season form gives us a MUCH better shot.
With decent QB play: 27-17, Gators.
Otherwise: Name your frustrating wrong-ender--I'll say 9-17, 'Dogs (though I choke on the thought).

 

[DRU2012]

(Wee hours, Sat. morning: Tip-off to the general ambivalence here is the fact that no on has anything to say, indeed hardly anyone (including myself) has even been around much the later in the week it has gotten--ie. the closer we've gotten to this next game. I don't doubt we want it badly, as badly as ever, this "Cocktail Party"--we just don't know what to make of our team and its chances, at this point. Meanwhile, so much is at stake, really: either we dig in and make a stand, begin to turn things around here, or the season is pretty well a write-off. I may have given up on an SEC-Championship and any illusions about a BCS-game, but I STILL see the value and opportunity of a New Year's Day bowl, that will help in recruiting terms AND keep us practicing and eventually playing against decent competition almost as long as the top 1/2 dozen teams that ARE BCS-Bowl-bound. These are all important components of our plans on the road back to that elite status.

 

[Swamp Person]

28 - 31 F-L-O-R-D-I-A There's to much to lose so there isn't a option. Were going to prove the HATERS wrong. I will never pick the dogs to win even if our QB is one armed one legged with 110 pound linemen on the line. The dogs lose today boy's. I DON'T GIVE UP. I hope our boys don't.....

 

[Swamp Person]

 

[robdog]

Well said SP!