The 12th ranked Gators (18-4, 6-1) prepare for their third straight home game Saturday against the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores (16-6, 5-2).  The Gators are coming off their sixth straight conference win and 18th straight at the O’Dome.

These are streaks that will continue if the Gators attack the boards with the same intensity as they did against South Carolina on Thursday night, intensity that led to the Gators out-rebounding South Carolina 42-30, including 20-10 on the offensive boards.

Earlier in the week Billy Donovan stressed being more aggressive on the boards and in loose ball situations, especially to his young freshman Bradley Beal who had not been much of a force on the offensive glass in previous games.  Beal responded to his coach’s challenge by grabbing 11 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass on his way to a double-double.

If Bradley Beal can become a routine presence on the boards to accompany his scoring threat, it will only help the Gators to deal with their lack of depth in the front-court.  In the last couple of games it seems that Beal is starting to find his role on this Gator team as a balanced scorer and rebounder.

The Gators next opponent is No. 25 Vanderbilt who opened the season ranked 9th in the AP Poll, but suffered early upsets to Cleveland State and Indiana State and dropped out of the top 25.  Since SEC play began, Vanderbilt has performed more like their early expectations and have worked their way back into a top 25 ranking.

Vanderbilt’s offense is centered around the scoring combination of the SEC’s leading scorer, John Jenkins, averaging 19.9 ppg and Jeffery Taylor who is third in the SEC averaging 17.4 ppg.

The Commodores are an excellent shooting team but have struggled on nights when their shooting hits a cold spell.  This is why the key to the game is that the Gators disrupt Vanderbilt’s shooting by contesting shots and preventing them to get into an offensive rhythm early on in the game.

Look for Scottie Wilbekin to become a major contributor off the bench because of his defensive mindset that can frustrate the Vanderbilt sharpshooters.

With two of the highest scoring teams in the SEC, this game has all the makings of a shootout with fast breaks and 3-pointers that will swing the momentum back and forth throughout the game.

@GridironGator

http://secfanatic.wordpress.com/

An analysis of how Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators will do this season.

OFFENSE:
The most high-profile move Muschamp has made as the head coach at Florida has been bringing in Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator.

“I hired Charlie to run the offense,” said Muschamp of Weis. “I’ve got great confidence in what he’s going to do, what we want to be offensively, what I’ve identified we want to be offensively to be successful.”

Weis has been a successful offensive coordinator in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Kansas City chiefs. He also helped turn Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen into NFL quarterbacks at Notre Dame. Still it will be a big challenge for Weis working with current Gators’ quarterback John Brantley, back for his second season at the helm. The senior threw just nine touchdown passes with 10 interceptions a year ago, and has many Florida fans longing for the Tim Tebow days.

There is no doubt that talent exists at the skill positions, and there is plenty of speed at tailback with Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps. A pair of undersized burners, both have the ability to score every time they touch the ball. At receiver, Deonte Thompson has the best numbers of all the returnees, logging 38 receptions for 570 yards a year ago.

Keep an eye on Jordan Reed at tight end and Tre Burton at fullback, as both converted quarterbacks bring plenty of versatility and talent to the offense.

DEFENSE:
The bad news for Florida is that only three defensive starters are back in the fold. On a positive note, many of last year’s backups who now step in as starters have plenty of game experience to draw upon.

There are three sophomores along the defensive line that figure to make some noise. Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley are both solid run stoppers with some pass rush ability, and Donald Powell can bring pressure off the edge.

The defensive backfield was dealt a blow when standout corner Janoris Jenkins was dismissed from the program after being arrested twice in a three-month span. Jeremy Brown is now the club’s top corner, but he doesn’t have the pedigree of Jenkins, who was among the best players in the SEC at his position.

Muschamp is a defensive coach who demands that his players match his intensity. The Gators do not seem to have many elite defenders in the fold, but the level of effort will most assuredly be high.

SPECIAL TEAMS:
Chas Henry was the best punter in all of college football last season, and he will undoubtedly be missed. A freshman figures to take over the duties, and that is obviously concerning. Caleb Sturgis returns from injury to be the club’s placekicker. As for the return game, Rainey will use his speed to bring back punts.

OUTLOOK:
Muschamp is smart enough to know that completely revamping a program that experienced so much success under Meyer would be a mistake.

“I think more than anything, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” said the new coach. “Urban did a phenomenal job, he and his staff. They did some great things that we’re going to continue to do.”

There is no reason to believe that Muschamp will fail, as he has the pedigree and the work ethic that leads to success. However, another five-loss season is likely for 2011, as the Gators simply lack the talent necessary to challenge the top squads in the SEC right now.

NEW ORLEANS – Feb. 5, 2011 – The Allstate Sugar Bowl today announced the launch of the “2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game Team Ticket Reservation Marketplace.” Available immediately, the marketplace gives college football fans an engaging and exciting way to reserve highly desired face-value tickets for the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 9, 2012.

Fans can go to the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s official Web site – www.allstatesugarbowl.org – to select their favorite team and purchase a Team Ticket Reservation (also known as a “TeamTIX”) to the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game. If that team qualifies for the big game in “The Big Easy,” the fan receives a ticket to the game at face value. Fans can select from a wide range of seat locations around the Superdome – including premium seats.

Here is how it works: a true fan of the Florida Gators can go here to purchase two reservations for the Gators. If the Gators earn a berth in the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game, that fan purchases two tickets to the game at face value. If the Gators fail to qualify, the reservations are voided. (No refunds are provided for voided reservations.) Even more exciting, fans can re-sell their reservations to other fans in an engaging online market exchange, with subsequent prices rising and falling with each team’s on-field performances and the team’s prospects for securing a place in the title game.

“We are delighted to once again offer BCS fans Team Ticket Reservations,” said Paul Hoolahan, CEO of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, coordinator of this year’s Allstate BCS National Championship Game. “Whether at the other BCS bowl games, a Major League Baseball game, or any number of other sporting venues, TeamTIX continue to create broader access for fans at a fair and reasonable price. The BCS title game is a ‘must’ for avid college football fans and now we can ensure more of them can join us.”

Saving Money for True Fans

The Team Ticket Reservation Forward Marketplace represents an unprecedented opportunity for fans to cost-effectively acquire seats to see their favorite team compete for a national championship.In recent years, inflated secondary markets have seen unofficial prices for tickets reach thousands of dollars – driving regular fans out of the market. With the Sugar Bowl’s Forward Markets, any fan can reserve a ticket for his favorite team for as little as $30.

“We feel especially privileged to again be working with the BCS and the Sugar Bowl to create unprecedented levels of ticket access to regular fans,” said Tim Browne, president of TTR, the technology company behind the Sugar Bowl’s Forward Markets. “Enabling more fans to enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences and pursue their passion is what we’re about. We look forward to working with the BCS and the Sugar Bowl to help strengthen their relationships with their fans, heighten the anticipation and excitement, and to enable more true fans to attend this legendary sports event.”

2006 Championship QB Chris Leak

Florida first fielded an official football team in 1906. Since then, the Gators have played in 34 bowl games, won eight Southeastern Conference titles, produced 135 All-Americans coming into the 2006 season, 35 NFL first round draft choices and three Heisman Trophy winners.

The football team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is frequently referred to by its former designation of Division I-A.

Florida plays an eight-game conference schedule, headlined by annual SEC Eastern division showdowns against Tennessee and Georgia, the latter being held in Jacksonville, Florida every year and formerly dubbed “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” The SEC West team the Gators face every season is LSU. In addition, the team has a yearly out-of-conference meeting with in-state rival Florida State at the end of the season.

The football team has been one of the winningest in Division I-A/FBS since 1990, the year Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier returned to his alma mater as head coach. The 1996 team, led by another Heisman winner, Danny Wuerffel, went 12-1 and won the national championship game in the Sugar Bowl, avenging an earlier loss to rival Florida State.

Following the 2001 season, Spurrier left the program to try his hand at coaching in the National Football League. Ron Zook, at one time the defensive coordinator under Spurrier, was hired as his replacement. Zook’s squads were known for inconsistency, and he was fired midway through the 2004 season, following a loss to heavy underdog Mississippi State in Starkville, MS.

Urban Meyer was announced as Florida Football’s new head coach in December 2004. His first season in 2005 brought an immediate improvement of Florida’s record at 9-3. The team narrowly missed out on playing for the SEC title due to a shocking loss to Spurrier’s new team, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The 2006 team played for the school’s second National Championship in January 2007, defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 41-14.

Within the past few years they have won against their arch rivals University of Georgia in 2006 and 2008. In 2007 they lost 42-30 and in 2008 they won by 39 points, in a dominating 49-10 defeat.

The Gators have won the SEC Championship Game a record seven times in nine tries since the game began in 1992. They won their first official conference title in 1991, the year before the first championship game was played. The Gators won the 2008 SEC Championship Game by defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 31-20.

Florida will be playing in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, playing against the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.