Photo by: UPI/Mark Wallheiser

After the Georgia game,  Riley Cooper was on ESPN’s First Take to talk about the unbelievable one-handed catch he had for a touchdown. In the interview,  he was asked about his baseball career and signing with the Texas Rangers. As he was telling about the the signing process, Cooper said the three weeks he had to wait to hear that he could play this year were the longest 3 weeks of his life.

As soon as those words came out of his mouth,  I became a much bigger Texas Rangers fan. If Cooper’s contract  had not allowed him to come back and play, the Gators’ passing game would be  exclusively Aaron Hernandez. After the Vandy game the Cooper/Hernandez combo has accounted for 54% of all Gator receptions. Cooper has 38% off all catches by Gators Wide Receivers this year (counting Brandon James as a WR).

I’ve heard from fans this year that there is always a Gator waiting to step up and fill a role as it opens up, and most of the time I would agree. However if there were no Riley Cooper this year,  I don’t see anyone ready to set up. There is still plenty of room for another wide out to step-up to replace the production lost by Murphy and Harvin.

At the beginning of the season,  I did not see Riley Cooper having this type of year. As a matter of fact,  I had all but given up on Cooper and felt Deonte Thompson would be the go-to wide out for Tebow.  I’ll eat my crow, and say thank you Mr. Cooper for proving me wrong. Even Coach Meyer has come right out and said, “Riley Cooper is our guy right now.”

Cooper has shown that he is not just a one dimensional receiver that runs a go route. He has made the flashy plays this year, but he has also come up with some huge drive-extending 3rd down receptions. There also could be a highlight reel of Cooper’s blocks this season. Cooper takes pride in his blocking.

Stephen Kerkhof spoke with Cooper on his blocking, “Having the receivers block well is very important to the offense,” Cooper said. “We have great running backs who can create big plays every time they touch the ball. So having that perimeter blocking covered, that’s real big for our scheme this year.”

In a year that the Gators’ offense has been less explosive that in years past, it is hard to fathom where they would be if Cooper had not came back to finish his senior season. Teams have been loading the box to stop the rushing attack, and Cooper has been the only consistent deep threat Florida has been able to run out on the field.

So this summer when the college football news is hard to find, turn on a Rangers game and cheer for them a little. Who knows, but they may have saved the season for the Gators, and of couse Verne Lundquist now gets to tell us week after week that CBS has a Gators game that Riley Cooper and Tim Tebow are roommates.

It is less than one week until the kickoff of the 2009 season. On Saturday, September 5, Charleston Southern University comes into The Swamp to take on the defending BCS National Champs. The Gators are paying $450,000 to get CSU to travel to Gainesville. So who are the Charleston Southern University Buccaneers?

Gators vs Bucs

The Buccaneers are a member The Big South Conference, and have been picked to finish fifth from The Big South media. Head coach Jay Mills, now in his seventh year at CSU, holds a 34-33 record with the Bucs. They are going to have a new starting quarterback when the come in to The Swamp. This with be their fourth starting QBs in as many years.

CSUsports.com reports - “Who starts the Florida game for us will very much depend on the shape each quarterback reports in,” said Coach Jay Mills. “We have great competition and depth at each position, and that is no different at the quarterback spot. We know they have both worked hard and will continue to do so, so our staff will evaluate them daily. It is our policy never to move anyone down in the depth chart, it will be up to the other guys to step up and take the starting role.”

Does this mean they are going to be a complete push over for the Gators? AP writer Pete Iacobelli got this quote from Running back Antwan Ivey, “We’ve got a notion we can shock the world,” he said. “We’re not going in thinking we’ll lose. I want to win.”

I don’t think we are going to see an Appalachian State performance from CSU. Here is how we should judge the game, and what to look for.

1. Does the Gators first team defense completely dominate CSU offense? While they are on the field the defense that returns all starters should not give up any points and we need to see the Defensive Line own the line of scrimmage. We should also keep an eye on Omar Hunter, Troy Epps, Earl Okine, and William Green to see if they are able keep up where the first team left off.

2. Is John Brantley ready for prime-time? The first time the Gator Nation got to see how Tim Tebow would manage a game was the 2nd half of the Western Carolina, so do the Gators put this game away early in the first half and allow Brantley to get the majority of work in the second half of the game? It would even be nice if Jordan Reed were able to get some game action.

3. Does any Wide Receiver want to be the man? Riley Cooper and Deonte Thompson will get the start at wide out, and they need to show one of them can replace Louis Murphy. The Gators Wide Receivers were a question mark all summer long, but in the last week have added new worries. Freshman WR Andre Debose’s hamstring injury is not going away and may be worse that thought. Also Senior Carl Moore’s career may be in doubt due to a back injury.

4. Keep the Injuries away! In a game like this the main thing you want is all the players to come off the field with out any injuries.

The game will air on Sun Sports in Florida and throughout the SEC region on FOX Sports South and FOX Sports Southwest. The game will also be called on the Gators Radio Network and XM Radio.

CI Shines at the NFL Combine

The official results from the 2009 NFL Combine for the four Gators invited. We will also get to see these same four at the Gators’ Pro Day on March 18th.

Percy Harvin, WR Height: 5′11″ Weight: 192
40 yard dash: 4.41
Bench Press: 19 reps at 225lbs

Cornelius Ingram, TE Height: 6′4″ Weight: 245
40 yard dash: 4.68
Vertical jump: 33.0″
3 cone drill: 7.12

Louis Murphy, WR Height: 6′2″ Weight: 203
40 yard dash: 4.43

Jason Watkins, OT Height: 6′6″ Weight: 318
No data

With Harvin Gone Who Steps Up?

Heading into the 2009 there is a good chance that 2009 Gators will open as the preseason # 1. The debate will begin with the worthiness of this team to open this high and how Texas, USC, and Oklahoma should be ranked in the useless preseason top spot. If you really consider the situation carefully, this team is going to be improved in just about every way. The defense is going to be two deep in every position, Tebow is back, and the running game is more secure than in the past. However, the one spot that is going to have to improve is the Gators Wide Receiver Position. Right now the roster looks like this:

2009 WRs - David Nelson, Carl Moore, Brandon James, Justin Williams, T.J. Lawrence, Frankie Hammond, Riley Cooper, Deonte Thompson, Paul Wilson, Omarius Hines

2009 WRs Recruits - Andre Debose, Nu’Keese Richardson

Just looking at this list on paper, you see a lot of four and five star recruits with tons of raw talent, but when you start to look at  results from actual game situations, this group lacks an impressive resume. A bunch of these guys had key catches in the 2008, but it would be a stretch to say any of them had a great game. The top returning pass catcher from last year is not even a WR. Aaron Hernandez hauled in 34 receptions last year with 5 TDs. From there the stats drop to 18 receptions from Riley Cooper and Deonte Thompson. David Nelson has shown signs he could be the replacement for Louis Murphy, but I would put Murphy further along coming into his Senior season.

I’m pretty sure no one in Gator Nation thinks any of these guys are going to be a replacement for Percy Harvin. His unreal first step and home run threat each time he touched the ball are going to be missed a lot more as the 2009 season continues. So is it all gloom and doom for the Gators next year, No! I just see Billy Gonzales having push this group a lot harder that last year to get them ready for life in the SEC. So who’s ready to step up for 2009?

Other Gator stuff:

• GatorCountry found this great article by Smart Football on the The Florida Gator/Urban Meyer Offense.

• Just how good is Nick Calathes.

Highlights from the 2008 season of the Florida Gators