1.  The Gators’ game with Florida International should give some young players a chance to shine.

2.  According to this injury report, Emmanuel Moody won’t play against FIU tomorrow.

3.  This writer — along with 99.9% of America — expects the Gators to roll on Saturday.

4.  Tim Tebow still has a shot at the Heisman because his least productive season “has coincided with the worst Heisman Trophy race in a quarter-century.”

5.  After the season, will defensive coordinator Charlie Strong finally get a head coaching opportunity?

6.  In basketball news, Billy Donovan wants to see some improved outside shooting tonight against Troy.

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1.  Urban Meyer says he has “a little more respect for the Florida athletes and South Florida athletes” who make up the FIU roster than some people.  Like the mean ol’ media members who say this’ll be a cakewalk?

2.  Here are some backups for Gators fans to keep an eye on this weekend.

3.  Meyer says he hasn’t turned on his computer since the Tennessee game in order to avoid distractions.

4.  So I guess he hasn’t seen that rumors of him going to Notre Dame are popping up again.

5.  Alabama and Florida aren’t talking about each other yet.

6.  Here’s a breakdown of how Florida and Alabama might get a chance to meet again in the BCS title game.  Great stuff.

7.  Tim Tebow is second to Alabama’s Mark Ingram in the Scripps Howard Heisman poll.

8.  Tebow is also up for the Unitas Golden Arm Award.

9.  Superman’s so-so stats aren’t helping his draft status.

10.  Florida could really be hurt next year if up to seven star juniors leave school early for the NFL.

11.  In basketball news, the Gators survived a poor-shooting night to win 69-49 over Georgia Southern last night.

12.  The Gators are just 3-for-29 beyond the three-point arc this season.  Ouch.

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* Urban Meyer said that he has great respect for FIU and seemed to bristle when a reporter asked about getting his team up for such an underdog.

* Florida’s strength and conditioning work is paying off in fourth quarters this year. 

* Meyer says more players’ helmets are popping off this year because players aren’t locking both straps on their headgear.  Meyer takes the matter seriously… and he does believe there is an increase nationwide in helmets coming off during games.

* Florida is still practicing in full pads.  Meyer is not worried about his team not being emotionally up.

* With a mature team, Meyer hasn’t had to worry about his team talking about FSU or Alabama this week.  Meyer says his team realizes they still have room to improve.

* Carolina’s Stephen Garcia has a better “understanding” of the game this year.  “He’s gonna be a fine player.”

* USC was balanced in the first half and “they moved the ball on us as well as anyone,” but late in the game they became one-dimensional because “they were down a little bit.”

* Meyer doesn’t have much to do with getting his players lined up for postseason showcase games like the Senior Bowl.

* Meyer says he anticipated “a little bit of a drop-off” due to the loss of players like Louis Murphy, Percy Harvin and Cornelius Ingram.

* He says he’s still confident that his receivers will begin to make big plays.

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1.  If two passes to Riley Cooper had been completed this year, fans might have a different view of the Florida offense.

2.  Gator offensive lineman Marcus Gilbert is still taking some guff over the hit that left Tim Tebow with a concussion.

3.  Urban Meyer knows he could lose a LOT of top players this offseason.

4.  In basketball news, Florida will face Georgia Southern tonight.

5.  The Gators will be trying to avoid an early upset.

6.  Forward Alex Tyus is enjoying his new role in Florida’s scheme.

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1.  The stats show that Florida’s defense gets even better late in games.

2.  Time is running out on one very special senior class.  “From the deepest part of my soul, from our soul as coaches, we love these guys,” Urban Meyer said.  “They actually love the game of football.”

3.  Tailback Emmanuel Moody is doubtful to play this weekend, but Meyer does want to get backup QB John Brantley into the game.  (Oh, yeah, what happened to all that preseason talk about a Brantley package?)

4.  Tim Tebow, of course, says another national title would trump another Heisman.

5.  The Gators haven’t lost confidence in kicker Caleb Sturgis after 1-for-4 performance.  (Two of his misses were from 52 and 54 yards, so losing confidence in him would be a little silly.)

6.  Here’s a scouting report on the doomed FIU Panthers.

7.  In basketball news, the Gators are having some real troubles with turnovers.

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1.  Xavier Nixon’s first start at left tackle helped Florida better protect Tim Tebow.

2.  A series of hard fought games have made the Gators a tougher team.

3.  South Carolina has some success — I said “some” — against Florida by using quick slant routes and three-step drops.

4.  Junior cornerback Joe Haden plans to get an evaluation from NFL scouts about his potential draft status.

5.  In basketball news, the Gators opened their season with a 74-46 rout of Stetson that was keyed by their defense.

6.  Billy Donovan likes the make-up of his current team because he’s not having to play people out of position anymore.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. — The cell phone buzzed in the middle of church service.

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Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong has gotten the short end of the stick.  One of America’s top coordinators, he’s been largely ignored in head coaching searches while other less experienced coaches have moved up and on.

Strong believes part of that might have to do with the fact that he is black and his wife is white.

I agree. 

With the backwards, hillbilly nonsense going on in Oxford right now, do you believe Rebel fans (for example) would support the idea of the first family of Ole Miss football being an interracial family? 

And I don’t think Ole Miss is the only place where fuddy-duddy, old, rich, which boosters would frown upon such a breach of good ol’ Suthin’ etiquette, behaviah, and decency.

That said, there’s no reason for Strong to jump at the first school that comes calling… which might just be Memphis.

Strong will eventually land a head coaching job.  It will probably come — as sad as this might be to write — above the Mason-Dixon line.  He needs to make sure wherever he goes, he has a chance to win.

Memphis isn’t that place. 

Tommy West said what everyone in West Tennessee has known for years: Memphis football is the under-funded stepchild while Memphis basketball is belle of the ball.

If Strong lands a job where he cannot succeed, it will be incredibly difficult for him to ever get a second chance down the road.

For that reason, Strong would be wise to ignore any overtures from the folks in the Bluff City.  Go through an interview, sure.  Get the experience.  But there’s no way in the world Strong should really consider taking over a program where he’d have little chance of success.

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1.  Florida is concerned about “The Spurrier Factor.”

2.  This columnist still believes that Spurrier is the greatest coach in Florida history.  Greater than Meyer.  (I agree, Spurrier did the building in Gainesville, Meyer has done a great job reaping the rewards.)

3.  The same writer said earlier this week that Spurrier should hang up his visor.

4.  Here’s a look at the Gators’ injury issues.

5.  This writer forecasts a one-point Florida win over Carolina.

6.  Charlie Strong says he’s ignoring speculation that he’ll finally land a head coaching job this offseason.

7.  In basketball news, Gator fans will be hearing some new tunes when their players hit the floor this year.

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1.  Florida’s offense is still trying to create more big plays.

2.  Urban Meyer is impressed with South Carolina’s defense.

3.  The numbers say the Gators’ offense isn’t as bad as folks might think.

4.  It seems that just winning isn’t good enough for Florida anymore.

5.  Tim Tebow is NOT leading the latest Scripps Howard Heisman poll.

6.  Charlie Strong’s name might start popping up in connection to job openings.

7.  This writer believes Strong is too smart to take the Memphis job.

8.  In horrible news, Florida is one of 10 schools (including LSU) that will wear a “special” Nike uniform for a game in November. 

9.  And these things are all ugly.

10.  Meyer says his wife wrote the $30,000 check to cover his fine for criticizing SEC officials.

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Notes from Urban Meyer’s teleconference:

* “Very pleased with where we’re at as a team.  Obviously, offensively we’re still a work in progress.”

* Pat Dooley didn’t ask about a official’s call this week. 

* Meyer said there is no animosity between Spurrier-Meyer and Florida.  He believes it’s always been about “mutual respect.”

* Losing to South Carolina and Spurrier was a tough loss because UF was exposed as a bad football team… not because the loss came against Spurrier.

* Asked about Charlie Strong’s head coaching opportunities, Meyer said Strong’s loyalty is to the team and players first, then he can focus on new jobs when the season is over.  “I did talk to him more in the summer.” 

* Meyer wouldn’t really bite on a question on whether or not the racial make-up of Strong’s family (he’s black, his wife’s white) might have held him back in getting a head coaching job.  “I would hope not.  It certainly plays no part at the University of Florida.”

* Meyer was asked about two-sport athletes.  “It really worked out okay.”

* Meyer says he’s more likely to play a bit conservatively this year because his defense and kicking game are playing at a high, high level.

* After Florida’s loss to Carolina a few years ago, Meyer kept his team on their plane for a quite a while, but he wouldn’t say much more than he made some personnel changes right there on their runway.

* Carolina’s defense is “very well coached.”  They have also recruited very good athletes.  “The personnel on that defense” has been among the best in the SEC since Meyer has been going against it.”

* Meyer bragged on Spurrier and said that he and his wife are close — “I wouldn’t say very close” — to Spurrier and his wife.

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1.  Though Justin Trattou is playing through it, you might not want to hear the details of his torn bicep. 

2.  Urban Meyer says he’s worried about Stephen Garcia.  (Steve Spurrier would probably say the same.)

3.  Former Gators Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy discuss this year’s offense right here.

4.  Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio really opened up about his offense yesterday.

5.  Carolina defensive tackle Nathan Pepper believes Florida is good… just not as good as last year.  Uh-oh.

6.  In basketball news, here’s a Q&A with point guard Erving Walker.

7.  Here are some more observations from the Gators’ exhibition win on Monday.

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1.  Florida is allowing way to many hits on its star quarterback this year.

2.  Blitzes have caused a number of problems for the Gators.

3.  Despite that fact, Tim Tebow says he feels “really good.”

4.  Are we digging this back up again?  Tebow says Steve Spurrier’s miscast vote from SEC Media Days was no big deal to him.  “It was kind of funny. … It’s not going to give me any extra motivation this week.”  Good for him.

5.  Here’s a scouting report on South Carolina.

6.  Brandon “Moe” Spikes will be back in action this weekend.

7.  Linebacker Ryan Stamper leads by example.

8.  Urban Meyer is pleased with his team’s special teams play.

9.  An ACL injury has probably ended the career of safety Dorian Munroe.

10.  In basketball news, Florida lit up Webber 104-53 in an exhibition game last night.

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1.  Florida is already thinking about Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.  Be careful, fellas.

2.  The hype for the SEC Championship Game is already starting to build.

3.  This will be the 7th Florida-Bama championship game in the 18 years that the league has held one.

3.  Struggling South Carolina is up next for Florida…

4.  But complacency might be the Gators’ biggest foe.

5.  Urban Meyer is having to defend a team is on a 19-game winning streak.

6.  He also says adversity is making his team stronger.

7.  The Gators are still missing Percy Harvin.

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The Florida Gators never had a clearer depiction of their identity than in Saturday’s 27-3 win against Vanderbilt.

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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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