The more I think about it, the more I’m astounded that Florida coach Urban Meyer was fined $30,000 for innocuously answering a reporter’s question earlier this week about a perceived late hit on Tim Tebow during last week’s Georgia game.
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Just a few quickie thoughts on the SEC’s decision to fine Urban Meyer $30,000 for his comments about an officiating call earlier this week:

1.  Will Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun have to chip in some of that cash?  He’s the man who specifically asked Meyer about the call during the SEC’s weekly teleconference.

2.  In my view, the fine is best summed up as “a proportional response.”  Meyer didn’t question the integrity of officials (as Lane Kiffin and Bobby Petrino had) and he didn’t call out a specific official (as Dan Mullen had).  However, when you’re going to have a suspension/fine policy rather than a reprimand policy, any talk at all has to result in a suspension/fine. 

3.  Yeah, yeah, “What’s $30,000 to Meyer?”  I know.  That’s already popping up on the internet.  I can tell you this — I know of no more penny-pinching group of people than coaches.  They pay attention to what other coaches make.  They always want raises and extensions regardless of their record.  I know of one who even negotiated free cell phone usage as part of his buyout.  Like a millionaire can’t cover his own Verizon bill?  This fine is steep, even if it is being dumped on a millionaire.  It’s not a $10,000 fine.  It’s $30,000.  And it isn’t a fine for Florida, it’s a fine for Florida’s coach.

4.  There’s nothing wrong with the SEC having a “don’t publicly criticize the officials” rule.  Every league and conference does.  It’s a way to protect the integrity of the game.  That’s why it’s in place.  A coach criticizing officials has more influence than some fan doing likewise on a call-in show or in a chatroom.  Leagues can’t have their own members making accusations in the press.  There is a behind-the-scenes process available for schools and coaches to make complaints.  In private, they can scream all they like.  But to do so publicly creates doubt about the legitimacy of games in the minds of rabid fans.  Can you name me one league where coaches are allowed to rip referees each week?  There’s not one.

5.  That said, the commissioner still needs to put out a clear memo explaining what types of comments will draw what types of penalties.  Bad mouth an official — a suspension.  Question a call — a fine.  Bad mouth another coach — a suspension.  There needs to be a clear understanding by both the coaches AND the fans as to what the commissioner (and the 12 presidents and athletic directors) have in mind.

6.  In a day when sports passions have risen to never-before-seen levels, officials get more negative feedback, hate mail, prank calls and threats than ever before.  When these men — who work to get in shape, work to know the rules, and work for not-that-much cash — can be subjected to so much guff in their private lives, it is absolutely essential that the league handle officiating issues behind closed doors.

7.  If not for a “don’t criticize the officials” rule, every losing coach speaking after a game would point to every missed call in that game and insinuate that “this one was stolen.”  A coach — who’s making millions of dollars — would much rather have fans screaming for officials’ heads than his own.

To sum up…

A fair penalty. 

A necessary rule. 

But the league needs to clarify the rule further.

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The SEC has fined Urban Meyer $30,000 by the SEC for his public comments about a missed call in last week’s Florida-Georgia game.

Meyer released a statement after receiving the fine:

“As I stated last week, I have great respect for Commissioner Mike Slive and the Southeastern Conference and I respect this decision.  There was no intent to criticize an official after being asked about a situation that occurred last Saturday and I apologize for my remarks.”

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1.  Still zip, zilch, nada on the Urban Meyer punishment front.

2.  Linebacker AJ Jones is having a breakout year for the Gator defense.

3.  Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun expects to see a rout of Vanderbilt tomorrow.

4.  Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel isn’t buying the fact that Florida has somehow turned Brandon Spikes from a villain into a martyr.

5.  Of course, it was Mr. Bianchi himself who first suggested on Wednesday that Spikes was merely the victim of YouTube.

6.  The biggest worry for Gator fans tomorrow should be Warren Norman, not the absence of Spikes.

7.  Vandy has been absolutely destroyed by injuries this season.

8.  In basketball news, Georgetown-transfer Vernon Macklin had to shake off some jitters in his first game as a Gator on Monday.

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I’m not a conspiracy theorist.  I think the idea that the SEC favors Florida is silly. 

For one, the other 11 equal partners in the league probably wouldn’t stand for that, ya know?

And there’s always that kind of fan backlash against winning teams.  Refs take care of them, the league takes care of them, etc.  “They can’t be that good on their own.”

In NFL terms, I’ve heard it regarding my Patriots.  And I’ve said it about the Colts.  (Of course, the league DID change the interference rules because Bill Polian cried about… wait, there I go again.)

But I don’t really buy that stuff.

That said, a lot of fans DO buy that stuff.  A lot of fans do more than say these types of things, a lot of fans BELIEVE these types of things.

So it doesn’t look good that the commissioner of the SEC has taken nearly 48 hours to comment on or deliver a reprimand to Urban Meyer.

I believe Mike Slive worked himself into a corner with last week’s “tough guy” policy and now he’s having to come up with a fair penalty for someone who didn’t cross the line as much as the three coaches who ticked him off in the first place.

But that doesn’t matter.  The perception — to some fans — is that Slive does not want to punish Meyer at all.

And the longer he takes to deliver some form of punishment, the more conspiracy theorists will begin to buy into the idea that the league is favoring Florida.

So again… we wait.

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According to The Gainesville Sun, Florida coach Urban Meyer still hasn’t received any word from the SEC about a punishment for his comment regarding a missed call in last week’s Florida-Georgia game.

Asked yesterday if he’d heard anything from Mike Slive, Meyer said, “No, not at all.”

The SEC announced last week that it would start handing out suspensions and fines (rather than reprimands) to those coaches who publicly criticize officials.

Meyer — whose comments were less inflammatory than those made by Bobby Petrino, Dan Mullen, and Lane Kiffin — has now put the commissioner’s policy to the test.

The Orlando Sentinel yesterday sited an SEC source in writing that Meyer would likely be hit with a fine and not a suspension.

As for the time it’s taking to make a decision on this, allow me to quote the immortal words of Judge Smails…

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1.  Florida’s special teams units are living up to their billing.

2.  According to this notes column, Vandy freshman Warren Norman has Urban Meyer’s full attention.

3.  Tim Tebow has jumped back into the lead of the Scripps Howard Heisman Trophy poll.

4.  A pair of freshman receivers have made strides in Steve Addazio’s offense.

5.  Nose tackle Omar Hunter is finally living up to expectations.

6.  Here’s a bit more on Brandon Spikes’ decision to suspend himself in full for Saturday’s game.

And could all the media folks stop saying that Meyer upped the suspension on Spikes?  He did not.  Spikes fell on his sword and Meyer decided to let him do so.  There’s a big difference. 

Kudos to Spikes.  Meyer should have given him a full game suspension from the outset.

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It looks like Urban Meyer (or Florida) will be hit in the wallet for his comments regarding a missed call in Saturday’s game against Georgia.  And that certainly beats a day at home for the Gators’ coach.

According to Jeremy Fowler of The Orlando Sentinel, an SEC source told him that “it’s very unlikely (Meyer will) receive a suspension.”

To me, that sounds about right.  The comments were not as critical as some made by other coaches in recent weeks.  A fine should do the trick.  Beats a reprimand anyway.

That said, Mike Slive definitely needs to clarify his new suspension/fine system so fans aren’t left wondering if there’s bias when it comes to what types of penalties are handed down.

For example:

* Suggest that the league or its officials are fixing games… that’s a suspension.

* Suggest that a specific official should be punished… that’s a suspension.

* Discuss a call that you disagree with, but do it in a way that questions an official’s decision, not his integrity… that’s a fine.

* Snipe back and forth with other coaches or make negative comments about another program… that’s a suspension.

Rules will always be open for interpretation.  But the clearer Slive’s rules are in the first place, the more likely to quiet the bizarro fan talk that the league is fixing games to insure certain teams reach the SEC Championship Game.

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Urban Meyer vs. the officials.  Lane Kiffin vs. Urban Meyer.  Nick Williams vs. Tim Tebow.  Now Williams vs. Meyer.

Somewhere Mike Slive is sitting in an office shouting “Serenity Now!”



Williams, the Georgia linebacker who slammed into Tebow during Saturday’s game doesn’t feel he did anything wrong.  “Emotions were flying, and I was just trying to make a play.  Tebow is a great player, and it’s obvious you got to get him on the ground or he’s going to spark something.

“I didn’t think anything of it.  I wasn’t trying to hurt him or anything, but was just out there playing.  Emotions got going.  It’s Georgia-Florida, you know.”

Mark Richt came to Meyer’s defense yesterday saying, “I agree with (what Meyer said).  (Williams) could have gotten called for that.”

We would show you the play here… as we did yesterday… but the SEC and XOS Technologies have removed it from YouTube.  To see it, you’ll have to go over the SEC’s official website and search through the entire Florida-Georgia game.

And that makes me want to say, “Serenity Now!”

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Ray Melick of The Birmingham News makes an interesting point this morning regarding Urban Meyer’s comments yesterday — he might not have known the rule he was talking about.

“That should have been a penalty, in my opinion,” Meyer said of a late, away-from-the-ball hit on Tim Tebow.  “Obviously, it should have been.  You’ve got to protect quarterbacks.  That’s the whole purpose.  It’s right in front of the referee.  I’m not sure how they’re going to handle it.”

Alright, so now we’re left to nitpick.

Was Meyer suggesting that there’s a rule to protect quarterbacks?  Mr. Melick believes so and he points out that that’s only an NFL rule designed to protect the “passer” not the quarterback.  Tebow was not a passer on this play, nor was he playing in the NFL.

To be sure, there is an unwritten rule in the pro game that quarterbacks — passing or not — are to be protected.  But that has not been the case in the college game.

But read Meyer’s comments again and it’s not entirely clear what rule he believes was violated.  When I saw the play, I thought that it should have been flagged as unnecessary roughness.  (Much like the bogus call that Florida benefited from during their win against Arkansas.)

Tebow didn’t have the football and was well behind the play watching when he was hammered by Georgia’s Nick Williams.  That’s unnecessary roughness.

But Meyer didn’t say that.  Instead, he said “you’ve got to protect the quarterback.”  Did he mean that that’s a rule?  Or was he just stating his own belief that QBs should be protected?  When he added, “That’s the whole purpose,” we’re left to wonder “purpose of what?”  The rule?

If he thought that was the rule, then that puts him in Lane Kiffin territory.  The commissioner made it clear to UT’s coach that he needs to re-read the rule book.

If the commissioner believes Meyer screwed up this one AND was wrong about the rule, then he’ll need to slap him around for not understanding the rules, as well.

Here are the two coaches’ most recent comments (again) side-by-side.  Do you see a difference?  (Probably depends on what shade of orange you wear.)

Meyer on Tebow hit:  “That should have been a penalty, in my opinion.  Obviously, it should have been.  You’ve got to protect quarterbacks.  That’s the whole purpose.  It’s right in front of the referee.”

Kiffin on Terrence Cody’s helmet removal on a blocked Tennessee field goal:  “If a play’s still going, you can’t take your helmet off.  A guy throws his helmet as the ball’s still live.  He throws his helmet and then two of their guys go and recover the ball.  It’s a 15-yard penalty, and you kick again.”

And Kiffin on why he didn’t try to get closer for the final field goal try:  “You run another play and you throw an interception or they throw another flag on us — I wasn’t going to let the refs lose the game for us there and some magical flag appear.”

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SEC commissioner Mike Slive is indeed reviewing Urban Meyer’s comments made during yesterday’s coaches’ teleconference in which he said there should have been a penalty called on a late hit on Tim Tebow.

The league will rule later this week whether there will be any action taken against Meyer (suspension) or Florida (fine) because of those comments.

The SEC also said that they received video of the play in question from Meyer and “sent Florida back a review on the play.” 

A spokesman for the league said that Slive was out of town yesterday but was aware of the comments and was “reviewing them.”

In other Gator news, linebacker Brandon Spikes approached defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and Meyer and told them that he would like to sit out the entire Vanderbilt game so as not to be a distraction to the team.

His coaches agreed.  “We’re doing it out of respect for our team so we can focus on trying to win our ninth game.  We think it’s the right thing to do.  We support Brandon fully.  We look forward to him coming back and finishing the season the right way.”

Observations:

* I don’t believe Meyer’s comments — which I heard live during the teleconference — should be considered heavy criticism of officials and should not result in a suspension or fines.  His comments were much less volatile than statements made by Bobby Petrino, Dan Mullen and Lane Kiffin in recent weeks.

* That said, the statement last week from Slive did not lay out any ground rules for how comments will be judged.  Therefore it’s gray as to whether or not “heavy” criticism is viewed any differently than “slight” criticism.  That’s one of the problems of the tough guy policy.

* Spikes did the right thing in sitting himself down for a full game.

* Meyer should have done the right thing and suspended him for a full game in the first place, but the coach is certainly not the first SEC head coach to be lenient with a star player.

* Somehow Florida’s team and media have turned Spikes into a victim because he was caught on tape.  Phooey, I say.  Let’s say I’m out of money and I’m hungry… that doesn’t make it okay for me to head over to McDonald’s and demand food at gunpoint.  Whether Georgia was doing worse during the game or not, Spikes eye-poked a Georgia player and was caught on tape doing so.  He shouldn’t be given the death penalty for that, but he should have gotten a full-game suspension.  And he shouldn’t be turned into a martyr for his classless act… even if it was out of character.

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As we live blogged during today’s SEC teleconference, Urban Meyer was asked about video of a play that he has sent to the SEC office for a rules clarification.

He begged off the topic at first and even said he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to talk about the issue, but then he remarked: “That should have been a penalty in my opinion. You have to protect quarterbacks.  That’s the whole purpose.  It’s right in front of the referee.  I’m not sure how they’re going to handle that, but … that was one of the plays we did send in.”

He also led into his comments by saying he has “great respect” for SEC officials.  And he said he could not discuss the SEC’s decision.

So, is that a sharp enough critique of officials to draw the ire of Mike Slive and the SEC office?  Just last week Slive said that future criticisms of league officials would result in suspensions and fines for coaches and other university personnel.

Fans across the league are going to think those remarks should draw a suspension.  I guarantee you that.  In Florida the view will be the opposite, of course.

You can already see a difference in the way the story is being covered by in-state and out-of-state media.

The headline on this story at The Gainesville Sun’s website says: “Meyer asks SEC to review late hit on Tebow.”

But a check of The Knoxville News Sentinel’s site shows this headline: “Meyer says officials missed late hit on Tebow.”

On ESPN: “Meyer: SEC officials missed late hit on Tebow.”



If Meyer isn’t handed a suspension for this, expect angry fans of the league’s other 11 schools to scream that the league is looking out for Florida.

If he is suspended, expect Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun to get a lot of heat for specifically asking the hometown coach about an official’s call.  Many will think that Mr. Dooley was baiting Meyer.

Personally, I don’t think answering a question — and tiptoeing before and after it — is cause for suspension.  Listening to the comment live, I didn’t feel that Meyer was ripping into the league’s refs.

Also, Slive announced his suspension plan after Lane Kiffin had suggested that the league was looking out for Florida and Alabama (which is a much more dangerous criticism) AND he was once again wrong about the rule in question, which Slive made sure to point out in his letter to Tennessee’s coach. 

Dan Mullen had also singled out a replay official and called for him to be severely punished.

Slive might see a difference between what Kiffin and Mullen said and what Meyer said.

Also, from the video below, it looks like the officials missed the call, not the coach.  So that also might create a distinct difference between the two cases in Slive’s view.

However, when you put a suspensions-not-reprimands policy in place, these are the issues that come up.  It’s basically a mandatory minimum.  And those things can get awfully screwy at times.



Below is video of the play in question and clearly it was a late hit on Tim Tebow well after he had gotten rid of the ball.

So any fans crying that the SEC is looking out for Meyer and Florida might need to ask themselves this question: “If officials are trying to help Florida, surely they would have tossed a flag on this obvious call, right?”

I’ve gotten a dozen emails this week suggesting that any player (like Brandon Spikes) who had tried to poke Tebow’s eyes would have been suspended for more than a half by Slive himself.

Well, this lick on Tebow didn’t draw a flag.  We’ll see if Slive gets involved and suspends Georgia’s Nick Williams.



And one more note on this subject: Meyer should have kept his mouth shut just in case.  Why tempt fate?

Stay tuned.

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Notes from Urban Meyer’s teleconference:

* Meyer says he is proud of his team’s ability to stay focused. 

* Vanderbilt is very similar to the team that won a bowl game last year.

* Meyer would not elaborate when asked about video of a play he sent into the league office in which Tim Tebow was hit after he’d gotten rid of the ball.  He said he thought it should have been a penalty, but he praised the officials and said he wasn’t sure how the league would handle the issue.

* He’s impressed with Warren Norman’s kick return ability.  Looking around the league, “this seems to be the year of the kick returner.”

* Meyer said last week’s kick coverage against Georgia was “the best I’ve ever seen.”

* Asked why Florida kicks the ball directionally, Meyer said: “We try to squeeze the field and get 22 players inside a hash mark and if you do that there’s not a lot of creases there.”

* Chris Rainey is probable for Saturday, unless there’s a setback.

* Joe Haden is an excellent corner because of experience.  “He takes his job very serious.”  Haden was expected to be a receiver when he arrived in Gainesville, but he moved to corner due to injuries.

* Warren Norman would get Meyer’s vote for freshman of the year.  “We’ve got a helluva returner but I don’t think he’s got three kick returns in his career.”  Norman has three TDs on returns this year.

* “Our strength is running the ball.”  Teams are bringing their safeties up and that’s giving Florida opportunities for three-level play-action passes.

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1.  This writer looks at the rest of Florida’s schedule and predicts a 12-0 finish.

2.  Cornerback Joe Haden says everyone on the Gator team is rallying around Brandon Spikes (the poker).

3.  Turns out The Orlando Sentinel has found a picture of Waushaun Ealey (the pokee) shoving the facemask of Haden during Saturday’s game.

Ah, so it was okay then for Spikes to jam his fingers toward Ealey’s eyes?

4.  Mike Bianchi of The Sentinel writes that Spikes is a victim of our YouTube’d world… a single bad act caught on tape has ruined his reputation.

5.  Urban Meyer thinks Chris Rainey will play against Vandy on Saturday.

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Georgia running back Waushaun Ealey has taken the high road in Poke-gate.  The pokee in Saturday’s game said today that Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes should not be suspended for his attempted eye-gouge.

Spikes was caught trying to jab at Ealey’s eyes when he was on the ground during Saturday’s game.  Spikes has been suspended for the first half of this week’s Gator game against Vanderbilt.



Many, many people in the media feel that Spikes should have been suspended for a longer length of time.  I, too, feel that a full-game suspension should have been the penalty… though I haven’t been as outraged as most.

Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow have both said that Spikes was simply reacting to having Georgia players poke at his eyes.  True or not, that doesn’t excuse Spikes’ actions.

Asked about Spikes’ punishment, Ealey said that he “shouldn’t, I think, get suspended at all.”

Spikes has apologized for his actions.

Time to wrap this one up and move along, folks.

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1.  Urban Meyer says Brandon Spikes is “not a bad guy.  He’s a great guy.”

2.  Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun — who might just be the most homerific writer of all the ones I check out each day — is fine with the half-game suspension for Spikes and writes that “He certainly wasn’t the only one doing something unsavory on the field.  But he was caught.”

3.  Spikes apologized for his actions, but Tim Tebow said, “I don’t think that we did anything in that game that they didn’t do.”

4.  George Diaz of The Orlando Sentinel — who always seems to be ticking off Gator fans — thinks Spikes deserved to sit for a full game.

5.  There’s talk that Tennessee freshman receiver Nu’Keese Richardson might not be happy in Knoxville… and this writer wonders if he might eventually wind up in Gainesville.

6.  Since it’s working, don’t be surprised to see more of Tebow under center.

7.  Chris Rainey might be healthy enough to play against Vandy on Saturday.

8.  Here’s a quick scouting report on the Commodores.

9.  In basketball news, freshman Kenny Boynton led the Gators in scoring as UF dispatched St. Leo 95-46 in their exhibition opener last night.

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The Southeastern Conference — viewed by fans of 11 other schools as nothing more than a Florida booster club — says that is okay with the one-half suspension Urban Meyer has dropped on Brandon Spikes for his attempted eye-gouge during Saturday’s game with Georgia.

“The Southeastern Conference has reviewed and accepted the disciplinary actions taken by the University of Florida regarding football student-athlete Brandon Spikes.  The university suspended Spikes for the first half of its next game (vs. Vanderbilt, Nov. 7) for an unsportsmanlike act during the Gators’ last game (vs. Georgia, Oct. 31).”

Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gives the league and its commish no pass on this as he writes that “only a successful blinding or maiming can result in a full-game suspension.”

He also writes, “I guess (Mike) Slive only worries about the real serious issues: sound bites about referees, not trivial matters like jamming fingers into eyeballs.”

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Just a few thoughts on Brandon Spikes’ one-half suspension for trying to poke Georgia’s Waushaun Ealey in the eye:

1.  I told an emailer this morning that I expected the suspension to be for one half.  Eye-pokes occur all the time in football.  So do fishhooks to the mouth, punches to the groin, intentional twists of bum ankles, and numerous other nasty actions that are never caught on tape.  I’m not defending it, I’m just saying that among football folks, eye-pokes aren’t unheard of.  Which is why I expected a half-game suspension.

2.  I didn’t expect Mike Slive to act on this matter because it’s an in-game issue.  In-game issues are usually handled by the schools and teams.  If someone had been injured — which they very well could have been as a result of so classless an act — I think the league office would have stepped in.

3.  There will be a lot of talk about Slive’s willingness to suspend officiating crews and coaches compared to his apparent unwillingness to punish a player.  There’s a good bit of logic to that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Slive let this one pass BECAUSE of the publicity he and the league have gotten in the past few weeks.  Perhaps — and this is a guess — it’s better from Slive’s perspective for the school to handle this one rather than him.  If he had to get into another disciplinary mess it might have set him up as the collegiate version of Roger Goodell.  And I’m not sure Slive wants the reputation as chief lawman.  I’m quite certain, in fact, that he’d prefer not to have to discipline anyone.  His track record has not been one of handed down suspensions of fines.  Only recently has he had to resort to such disciplinary actions.

4.  Any non-Florida fan bemoaning the leniency of Urban Meyer’s penalty need to take a deep breath, remember their own school’s past transgressions and penalties, and then zip it up.  There have been instances in this conference where starters and backups have been handed completely different sentences for taking part in the exact same illegal acts.  I wasn’t surprised by Meyer’s actions.  I’ve seen it time and again from several SEC coaches past and present.

5.  Florida fans who try to say that this is small potatoes need to be equally quiet.  Had a Georgia player been caught on tape doing what Spikes did, Florida talkshows and websites would be flooded with Gator fans calling for justice.  Your guy made an ass of himself — regardless of the reason — and he got off a little light in most folks’ views.  So don’t make it worse by trying to spin it.  He did it.  Don’t defend him.  Move on.

6.  If it were me making the call on this one, Spikes would get a one-game suspension and be made to apologize on camera to Ealey.  Maybe he was retaliating for someone trying to poke HIS eyes — as Meyer said — but that doesn’t make Spikes’ actions any less obnoxious.  Florida should have handed him a full-game suspension.

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Brandon Spikes’ eye-gouge of Georgia running back Waushaun Ealey on Saturday has earned him a suspension from Urban Meyer.

Spikes will sit out the first half of Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt.

Meyer said that Spikes was retaliating after getting his eye poked earlier in the game.

“I don’t condone (what Spikes did).  There’s no place on the field for that.  We’re going to suspend him for the first half of the Vanderbilt game.  That’s not him.  But we love Brandon Spikes and the team is going to support him.

“It’s hard.  I just spoke with him not too long ago.  We’re Florida and we expect certain things. … I did speak to the (SEC) commissioner.”

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1.  Florida appears to have come together as a team following an emotional exchange in the lockerroom at Starkville two weeks ago.  (That or they just looked good because they were going against Georgia’s defense.)

2.  Urban Meyer says that rumors of a Tim Tebow-Brandon Spikes altercation are not true.

3.  Meyer gave his team a fiery pep talk on Friday night before the Georgia game, leaving one coach with goosebumbs.

4.  Jermaine Cunningham is making some noise at defensive end.

5.  Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel craps all over Georgia in his latest column.

6.  Meyer says he’ll have a “very serious talk” with Spikes if he believes he tries to poke the eye of a Georgia player. 

7.  In basketball news, Billy Donovan is looking forward to tonight’s exhibition opener against St. Leo.

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Leave it up to Georgia to give the Florida Gators momentum again.

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There’s a lot at stake when Florida and Georgia meet on Saturday, and what happens on the field can have a significant impact on who plays for the Gators and Bulldogs in the future.

This is one of those games that could be a recruiting windfall, particularly for the winner.

“It’s very intense,” UF coach Urban Meyer said of the recruiting between Florida and Georgia. “They are going to get their share, we’re going to get our share. But this is bragging rights, everyone watches this game, all the recruits. We actually talked as universities is there any way to get recruits, because it’s illegal for us to give tickets for those games. But this would be a great opportunity to have some of these recruits come and watch this game. It’s a unique atmosphere that I’m sure kids who want to come to both of our schools, it would be good to witness this. It’s huge for that.”

Georgia coach Mark Richt said “it means an awful lot for us and I’m sure it’s the same with Florida.

Because the schools occupy two states that are filled with outstanding athletes, it makes the recruiting battle that much more critical. And winning goes a long way in impressing young high school players.

“It is important,” UF defensive line coach Dan McCarney said. “Georgia’s down here a lot, we’re up there a lot, we’re both in each other’s states. The respect, I think, that you can garner from winning this game and giving kids not only opportunities, but if we are able to win more than they win well hopefully this is a better program. We’re getting the edge, we’re winning more of those games.”

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1.  Florida’s spread offense hasn’t been spreading the football around much this year.

2.  Here’s a breakdown of offensive coordinator Steve Addazio.  In case you’re looking for someone to blame for Florida’s woes.

3.  UF will start its usual offensive line on Saturday, but some younger players may rotate in.

4.  This writer predicts a blowout win for the Gators over Georgia.

5.  Defensive end Justin Trattou will be ready to play on Saturday.

6.  The man who would have been the “Percy,” Andre Debose, hates being out of action.

7.  Should Tim Tebow’s touchdown record have an asterisk by it… assuming he breaks Herschel Walker’s mark?

My take — nope.  The NCAA screwed up their record books when they began counting bowl statistics and overtime statistics.  Records don’t compare anymore.  That was the governing body’s decision.  Now everyone else just needs to live with the stupidity of it.

8.  In basketball news, Florida’s newest guard is ready to show off his game.  The name’s Tishman… Nimrod Tishman.

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1.  Florida has gone 16-3 against Georgia since 1990.  Here are five reasons for the Gators’ dominance.  (How about the fact that they’ve been pretty much dominating everyone during that span?)

2.  UF has been more focused this week in practice.

3.  The Gators will have to shut down AJ Green this weekend and that’s easier said than done.

4.  Cornerback Joe Haden says he’s been spending extra time studying gametape of Green.

5.  Jeremy Folwer of The Orlando Sentinel looks at how the heat is being turned up on Mark Richt.

6.  If Florida’s Pouncey twins decide to turn pro after this season, it will be the first time they’ve ever spent any real time apart.

7.  Kickers Caleb Sturgis and Jonathan Phillips are battling to see who starts against the Dawgs on Saturday.

8.  Finally… jorts and Crocs together.  Ah, Gainesville.

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Notes from Urban Meyer’s teleconference:

* “It’s great to be 7-0.”  He is proud of his team for fighting through injuries on defense.

* Asked about SEC defenses, Meyer said it’s a little cyclical.  “The personnel on other teams, this is big boy football.  I think the defenses are really well-coached.”

* Meyer said that throwing out the stats, Georgia is as talented on defense as anyone in the country.  (Somewhere Willie Martinez just cringed.)

* Meyer loves recruiting the Jacksonville area.

* The recruiting rivalry with Georgia is “very intense.” In the past, Florida and Georgia have talked about ways to get recruits to their annual rivalry game in Jacksonville.

* Meyer didn’t like the idea of an early signing period until recently.  “If a young person says he’s done, ‘I’m not going to visit any other schools,’” then he’s for it.

* Meyer says his team is “pretty close” right now because they’ve gone through so much.  “It’s a foxhole mentality where guys just stick together.”

* Brandon Spikes and Jeff Demps are likely to play this weekend.

* Meyer praised one of his recruits that got away — Clemson’s CJ Spiller.

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