Florida / Georgia

[djchad]

Carthon will be ready

Carthon is ready to run

By ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer



His left hamstring heavily taped, starting Florida tailback Ran Carthon returned to practice Monday and said he'll be ready to play in Saturday's game against Georgia in Jacksonville.

Carthon, who missed the Arkansas game and could not practice last week, said he's benefitted from the open date and some extra work he's put in with his cousin, who is a massage therapist.

"He gave me a lot of massage therapy and took me to the track to run a couple of sprints," Carthon said. "We did some things to get it back. It just feels good to get back out here. The main thing is getting the strength back into it. I think by the end of the week I'll be ready to play."

With Carthon's expected return, the Gators should be close to full strength for Saturday's game.

"We're as healthy as we could possibly be," Florida coach Ron Zook said.

Defensive tackle Mo Mitchell practiced Monday and will play with a soft cast on his broken right hand, long-snapper Casey Griffith showed Monday he can snap the ball with a dislocated finger on his right hand, and offensive tackle/guard Lance Butler has recovered from a leg infection. The other tailbacks - Ciatrick Fason (hamstring) and DeShawn Wynn (shoulder) - also practiced at full speed.

Mitchell broke a bone in his hand in the first half of the Arkansas game and played in the second half with a cast.

"It's a soft cast. The officials will look at it and feel it," Zook said. "Casey is fine. He snapped tonight and had no problem. Lance practiced well and had no problems, and the tailbacks all ran well."

While the Gators are healthy and rested coming out of a bye week, the No. 4 Bulldogs are seriously banged up.

Starting cornerback Decory Bryant injured his neck in Saturday's 16-13 win over Alabama-Birmingham and underwent season-ending surgery Monday, and two other top players have been slowed by injuries. All-American defensive end David Pollack has been battling a painful turf toe and also bruised his knee when he was leg-whipped in Saturday's game. Wide receiver Fred Gibson has missed the last three games with a bruised knee and is considered questionable for Saturday's game. Additionally, several offensive linemen are hobbled by bumps and bruises.

Bryant is the fourth Georgia defensive player lost to a season-ending injury. Defensive end Will Thompson (ankle), defensive tackle Kedric Golston (shoulder) and All-SEC safety Kentrell Curry (leg) were the others.

Zook said he's warned his players not to get caught up in the injury reports coming out of Athens this week.

"No," said Zook when asked if he believed the UGA's injury situation is as bad as it appears. "This is my seventh Florida-Georgia game, and I don't believe it matters whether you're tired or banged up. I told our guys tonight, 'Don't play that game.' We'll get their best. Georgia will play their best game Saturday."

Zook said he expected Gibson to play in Saturday's game.

In other injury news for the Gators, true freshman defensive end Jarvis Moss continues to be hampered by a strained muscle in his hip area, and UF now will try to redshirt him this season. Because Moss played in the third game of the season against Florida A&M, UF will have to appeal to the NCAA for the redshirt year and must provide medical evidence of Moss' injury. Had Moss not played beyond the second game, UF could redshirt him without an appeal.

Also, the Gators learned Monday that their Nov. 8 homecoming game against Vanderbilt will not be televised on any of the networks. The game will be offered on pay-per-view, and the details will be announced by UF today.



ZOOK ON THE RIVALRY: In the past, Zook has compared UF-Georgia to another great rivalry he grew up near - Michigan-Ohio State. When pressed to say which game has a better atmosphere, he stopped short of giving the nod to UF-UGA. Sort of.

"If I say what I want to say, they're going to kill me up north," Zook said. "The atmosphere (in Jacksonville) is unbelievable. It's an unbelievable game. I told our players tonight that half of them haven't played in this game. The seniors are going to have to let them know what type of game this is. You can throw out the records and everything else. This is a 60-minute battle. This is a game the players talk about the rest of their lives."

 

[djchad]

Zook: Gators must maintain feeling against 'Dogs

By ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer

The Florida coach says his team enters the week in good health.

Two consecutive road wins against ranked opponents have the Florida Gators feeling better about themselves. Self-esteem and confidence definitely are up and the Gators are back in the SEC race.

But UF coach Ron Zook doesn't want his players feeling so good that they lose that certain feeling they had heading into the LSU game a few weeks ago - a feeling born from desperation and determination.

"I hope we have that same feeling we had then," Zook said Sunday. "It's important that we have that same exact feeling going into this game (against Georgia) that we did going into LSU. That (desperation) was part of it. We've got a lot to prove yet."

UF is still the underdog, and Zook obviously likes the idea that many are predicting the Gators' modest two-game winning streak will come to an end against the fourth-ranked 'Dogs in Jacksonville on Saturday.

This is a Florida team that seems to play its best when the situation appears somewhat bleak.

The Gators certainly started showing the improvement their coaches were looking for in those wins over LSU and Arkansas, which came after a humbling home loss to Ole Miss.

"You can't sit back and reflect yet because we have a long way to go," Zook said. "We said in the beginning this is a team that would improve as the year went along. That's what we're trying to do. We're not where we need to be yet, but we're working toward that goal.

"We've got a great bunch of guys and they understand what they want to do and what they're supposed to do."

While the Gators have been making progress recently, the 'Dogs have inched back in the opposite direction. Since drubbing Tennessee in Knoxville three weeks ago, Georgia has been lackluster, struggling somewhat against inferior competition - Vanderbilt and Alabama-Birmingham. The 'Dogs eked out a 16-13 win over UAB on Saturday.

But Zook suspects the Gators won't see the struggling version of the Bulldogs. He's predicting UF will get the Georgia team that overwhelmed the Vols, or something close to it.

"I don't think they're sluggish," Zook said. "They're a good football team, and you'll see their 'A' game on Saturday. They have one of the best defenses in the country, and they're playing extremely well. It's a big challenge for our football team."

After having last week off, the Gators should be close to full strength for the 'Dogs, Zook said. Tailbacks Ran Carthon (hamstring), Ciatrick Fason (hamstring) and DeShawn Wynn (shoulder) all are expected to practice today and should be ready for Saturday's game.

"We feel we're about as good (health-wise) as we possibly could be at this point in the season," Zook said. "(The open date) is exactly what we needed. We were able to get better as a football team and able to get away from it and get a little rest."

Zook reiterated Sunday that talkative true freshman linebacker Channing Crowder, who is from Atlanta, will be off limits to the media this week.

"He's got a lot of things he needs to be more concerned about than spending a lot of time with the media," Zook said. "I want him to focus on school and football. I'm not concerned about what he's going to say (if he could talk to the media). He needs to spend more time worrying about football than worrying about what he's going to say to you guys."


NOTES: The capacity at Alltel Stadium for Saturday's game again will increase by about 6,000 with the addition of temporary seating behind the south end zone. This year, those seats will be constructed on top of a deck that was part of the stadium's renovations for the 2005 Super Bowl. The temporary seats will have chair backs and feel sturdier than the temporary seats in past UF-Georgia games. About 82,000 are expected for Saturday's game.

 

[djchad]

Turnovers help account for Florida turnaround

Gators have forced an SEC-high 23 turnovers, leading to 79 points -- 24 by the defense.


By MICHAEL DIROCCO
The Times-Union

GAINESVILLE -- Florida cornerback Keiwan Ratliff has received much praise for intercepting five passes in the Gators' last two games.

Perhaps of more significance is that UF capitalized on those turnovers by scoring points, one of the reasons the Gators have stayed alive in the Southeastern Conference race.

Florida scored 17 points off Ratliff's three interceptions against Arkansas -- including Ratliff's 44-yard touchdown return -- and three off one of his interceptions against LSU. That's 20 points, nearly half of the 52 the Gators scored in both those games.

"That's the main thing [defensive coordinator Charlie Strong] stresses -- causing turnovers and getting off the field," Ratliff said. "We not only want to get turnovers, we want to score points off those turnovers."

UF has forced an SEC-high 23 turnovers, and has scored 79 points off those turnovers. The Gators have turned the ball over 16 times, but opponents have scored just seven points.

The plus-7 turnover ratio trails only Georgia (plus-8) in the SEC.

"You've got to stop drives, and that's what we've been able to do with turnovers, and create some scoring," Strong said as the No. 23 Gators (5-3, 3-2 SEC) prepared for Saturday's game against No. 4 Georgia (7-1, 4-1). "When you talk about turnovers, it's something you have to practice and work on every day. That's what we try to do. We know we need to create turnovers and need to get the ball back to the offense."

The Gators have returned four turnovers (including three interceptions) for touchdowns, which accounts for 24 of the 79 points. Of the remaining nine turnovers that led to points, the offense went on to score six touchdowns and make three field goals.

And while the Gators have turned the ball over 16 times, only Billy Latsko's fumble against Kentucky resulted in any points -- Arliss Beach's 1-yard touchdown run.

Through UF's first six games the Gators' turnover ratio was only plus-3, and they were 3-3 following back-to-back home losses against Tennessee and Ole Miss sandwiched around a 21-point comeback win at Kentucky. Florida turned the ball over six times in the losses to the Vols and Rebels, and forced five turnovers. That's been a trend for UF -- in the Gators' three losses, they're plus-2 (seven turnovers, nine forced turnovers); in their five wins, they're plus-5 (nine turnovers, 14 forced turnovers).

In the last two games, the Gators are plus-4.

"To be a successful football team, you can't turn the ball over," UF coach Ron Zook said. "And we've been getting some takeaways. That's close [to being the most important stat for a defense]."

Strong has a lot to do with the increased turnovers on defense, Ratliff said. The Gators forced just 17 turnovers last season (seven interceptions) under defensive coordinator John Thompson. Strong's scheme is more aggressive, and has forced quarterbacks into bad reads and throws.

Plus he incessantly preaches turnovers throughout practice and meetings, said linebacker Reid Fleming, who admitted there's a bit of luck involved, too.

"Everybody hustles to the ball. That's the main thing with turnovers -- wanting to make plays," Fleming said.

The offense has done its part to help with the turnover ratio, too. Since throwing three fourth-quarter interceptions against Ole Miss, quarterback Chris Leak has thrown just one, and the only other turnover was running back DeShawn Wynn's goal-line fumble against LSU.

 

[djchad]

Florida coach wants players to ignore talk


By DAVID FOX
The Times-Union correspondent

Don't bother telling Florida coach Ron Zook that Georgia has 12 of its players banged up with injuries.

When asked if he is buying all the injury talk coming out of Athens, Zook responded with a sharp "no."

"I don't think it matters whether you're tired, you're banged up," Zook said. "I told our players, 'Don't play that game.' They'll play their best game Saturday."

Georgia went into Saturday's game with five players hurt and left with seven more hurt, including defensive end David Pollack. Last year's Southeastern Conference Player of the Year left early with a leg injury.

As for Florida, the off week helped the Gators recuperate. "We're as healthy as we could possibly be," Zook said.

Get ready

With so many of Florida's players inexperienced, it might take a group effort to keep the Gators' youth from getting swept up in the Florida-Georgia atmosphere.

"Half our team hasn't played in this game," Zook said. "I told our seniors, 'You guys need to let them know what kind of game this is.'"

Florida has 44 players on the roster who have seen their first game action this year. Three of those are starters -- quarterback Chris Leak, linebacker Channing Crowder and defensive tackle Ray McDonald.

Injury report

All of Florida's hobbled tailbacks -- senior Ran Carthon (hamstring), sophomore Ciatrick Fason (hamstring) and redshirt freshman DeShawn Wynn (shoulder) -- practiced and will be ready to play against Georgia. Defensive tackle Mo Mitchell (hand), offensive lineman Lance Butler (leg) and long snapper Casey Griffith (finger) also returned to practice with expectations to play Saturday.

 

[djchad]

UF LOOKS TO MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW VS. RANKED FOES...

THE MATCH-UP

The Florida-Georgia game is one of the longest and most storied rivalries in college football. Today?s meeting will be the 81st between Florida and Georgia, as it will become the longest series between UF and any opponent. The game marks the 71st time the Florida-Georgia game has been held in Jacksonville. UF has won 12 of the last 13 years and 14 of the previous 19 seasons. Florida is ranked 23rd nationally and will come into the game with a 5-3 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the Southeastern Conference after defeating Arkansas, 33-28, last Saturday in Fayetteville. Georgia is fourth in the country after having defeated UAB last week, 16-13.


FLORIDA VS. RANKED GEORGIA TEAMS

Today?s game will mark the 26th time in the history of the series Florida has faced a ranked Georgia squad. The Gators are 9-15-1 all-time in those contests, however, the Gators have won each of the last five and seven of the last nine meetings against ranked Bulldog teams. UF is seeking its second straight victory over a top-five ranked UGA team (1-5) as the Gators are going up against Georgia when it ranked fifth or higher for the second time since 1983.


FINISHING A TOUGH STRETCH

Starting with the wins against LSU and Arkansas, UF is on the verge of completing one of the most historic three-game stretches in the history of the program with three straight victories. This period marks only the second time in UF history that the Gators have played three consecutive ranked opponents on the road. In 1997 UF faced No. 14 LSU on Oct. 11 and lost, 28-21, and then defeated No. 6 Auburn, 14-10, the following week before losing to No. 6 Georgia, 37-17, in Jacksonville after a bye week.

With the win over Arkansas, Ron Zook became the first head coach in the history of the Florida program to ever lead a Gator squad to back-to-back wins against opponents ranked No. 11 or higher in an opponents home stadium in consecutive games. Prior to that, UF had defeated teams ranked in the Top 11 three times in back-to-back games in school history (1984, 1996, 1997).

UF will face No. 4 Georgia after having already faced four ranked opponents this year (No. 3 Miami, No. 6 LSU, No. 11 Arkansas and No. 12 Tennessee) plus the Gators have a game with No. 6 FSU to end the regular season. The school record for most ranked teams played in the regular season is six by the 1987 and 1991 teams. The 1987 team faced five teams in the top 10 in the regular season, while the 1986, 1997 and 2002 teams faced three opponents in the top five of the polls during the regular season.

Head Coach Ron Zook is 4-1 (.800) against teams in the Top 11 away from home. Prior to Zook?s arrival, Florida was 22-50-2 (.310) against such teams in games at road and neutral sites.

Florida?s four wins over teams ranked in the Top 11 away from home since the beginning of the 2002
season is more than any other school in the nation:

School Total Wins Defeated
1. Florida _______ 4 _____ No. 4 Tennessee, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 6 LSU, No. 11 Arkansas
2. Oklahoma ____ 3 _____ No. 3 Texas, No. 7 Washington State, No. 11 Texas
Auburn _______ 3 _____ No. 9 Alabama, No. 10 Penn State, No. 7 Arkansas

 

[djchad]

Last year, UGA was ranked top 5. Line was UGA -2.

2002 UF 20 UGA 13
(Jacksonville) Rex Grossman passed for 339
yards and two touchdowns, while Guss Scott read
a D.J. Shockley pass and returned it 47 yards for
touchdown to lead the defense. Ben Troupe
caught a 10-yard pass from Grossman with 11:32
remaining for what turned out to be the game
winner.

 

[gardenweasel]

disregard

disregard

i made an attempt at humor here and after rereading my post,it may have been misinterpreted....disregard...my bad.....

g.l. this weekend

 

[hellah10]

I like Florida in this spot as well. Thanks for the info DJ

 

[Joe De]

Nice articles djchad. Here is my opinion.

This is not a game i'm going to participate in, other then watching.

Richt, Georgia coach, is sandbagging. All the bad news is out on the injuries. and yes they have played poorly becasue they used 2nd string players to let the starters heal FOR THIS GAME.

The game is being hyped as it is every year. I'm not getting suck in by all one sided events around Florida.

There is no true homefield advantage because Georgia will being their own entrouge to the cocktail party.
.
For whatever it's worth:
If i had to call this game , i'd lean to Georgia and wait until the line moves even further down to a possible pick- it.
Note: Georgias offense is starting to delvelop but lacks the depth of last year. But this defense is a MONSTER.

 

[THE KOD]

Florida team goes into LSU and whips butts.

I got to believe they can take care of the Bulldogs this Saturday.


KOD

 

[bej0101]

i like ga here in a low scoring game..gl2u

 

[Cabo]

I AGREE!!!!!

I AGREE!!!!!

The Dawgs win here in a low scoring game..Cabo...

 

[djchad]

From the Florida / Georgia game at Florida Field, 1931.




UF Pass Offense vs UGA Pass Defense

Chris Leak is 3-1 as a starter, the loss coming at home to Ole Miss. UF is averaging 260.5 pass yd / game. Gators have a number of capable WR, but the real key is TE Ben Troupe. Troupe is #2 TE in nation, and UGA cannot match up against him. The Gator offense has opened up in the past two games. With UGA starting CB Bryant out for the season, UGA 3rd CB Jennings will start. UGA pass D will be thin, so expect Zook to line up 4 and 5 wide. UGA has #1 pass D in SEC, but Leak has shown poise and confidence. After the players only meeting following the loss to Ole Miss, he has turned this team around. Leak has said he does not want a girlfriend until he wins a MNC for the Gators. This kid lives in the film room. And with two weeks to prepare for UGA? He will do just fine.

Advantage: UF



UF Run Offense vs UGA Run Defense

UF RB Ciatrick Fason has 257 yds rush in past 2 games. UF only avging 146 / game. Senior RB Ran Carthon will play, so the Gators have three legit threats ? Carthon, Fason, and Wynn. Lots of experience on UF O line, and will control UGA D line. Real battle here between UF OL Max Starks and UGA DE David Pollack. These two battled last year. UGA has great LB?s, 2 in top 10 SEC in tackles. UGA?s solid run D the difference here. Look for spread formations from UF and lots of draws to keep the D honest. If UGA plays 8 or 9 in the box, Leak goes up top easy.

Advantage: UGA



UGA Pass Offense vs UF Pass Defense

UGA QB David Greene #2 in SEC in passing yards but near the bottom in QB rating. Still he is one of the best in the nation. He has the experience to keep his team in control.
UF CB Keiwan Ratliff #1 in SEC in INT with 6 - 5 in the last 2 games. UF SS Guss Scott leads SEC in forced fumbles. UF is +7 in turnover margin. Huge matchup between UGA WR Fred Gibson and Ratliff. Gibson will play, but will not be 100%. He will get looks but probably 4-5 catches for the whole game. Look for Richt to use Gibson as decoy and spread the ball around (and to stay away from Ratliff).

UF DC Charlie Strong owned UGA when he was at South Carolina. Richt was asked about Charlie Strong, he replied, "I'd actually like to score a TD on him sometime." Richt has never scored an offensive TD on a Charlie Strong defense before. Coach Richt said of Strong, "he's got a lot more going for him than just being a defensive coordinator. He's going to be a great head coach.


Advantage: push



UGA Run Offense vs UF Run Defense

UF starting DE and SEC sack leader (with 8) Bobby McCray may fall victim to the ?Deion Rule? this week. In Florida, if you miss three classes in a semester, you are suspended one game. So far this is a rumor, confirmation to come later.

UF DL will abuse UGA younger OL. UGA OL gave up 6 sacks to Vanderbilt. UF freshman LB Channing Crowder is a stud - was out for the Ole Miss game and been huge in wins vs LSU and ARK. UGA has decent talent at RB but only avging 142 yd / game. Richt cannot rely on Greene?s arm to do all the work here and must establish a decent run game.

Advantage: push



Special Teams

UF P Wilbur #2 in SEC with 44.5 avg. Ratliff is a top P and K returner. UGA K Billy Bennett missed 6 FG. In Richt's 6 losses in his career at Georgia, Bennett has missed 2 or more FG's in each of those 6 games. UGA special teams very thin for K returns. No doubt about this one.

Advantage: UF



Conclusion

UF has won 12 of the last 13 in this series. Last year, UGA did not convert a third down all game. Last year, Richt downplayed this game. This year, he knows the importance of beating Florida. UGA plays Auburn in two weeks, and that game is already being billed as a preview to the SECCG. UGA-Auburn one of the south?s oldest rivalries. UGA has played down the past two games. Will they get up enough for Florida and not get caught looking ahead to Auburn? This game will decide the SEC East. If UGA wins, they should win East. If UF wins, UGA may not win anything. So much was on the line for UGA last year and they failed. So many people going on and on about UGA #1 D in the nation. UGA D gave up 17 points to LSU. UF D gave up none. Zero. Needless to say, I will not be playing this game. I do not bet on Florida. But, you can and you should.


Prediction: UF 17, UGA 13

 

[ELVIS]

i saw the gator/uga game last yr. there is no rex this year. mark richt f'd his team last year playing shockerly. i think he has learned his lesson. how could uga overlook a team that always seem to have their number, and ruined their season last year ? didn't that loss knock them from the nat title hunt ? who will win is a toss up, but how can an argument be mad for fla (who took advantage of matt mauch, their only quality win) over uga ? jmo.

 

[djchad]

Prediction: UF 17, UGA 13 [/B]

Well, I was only one point off Hope you all won some nice coin

 

[gman2]

im a little surprised people havent made more of the fact that georgia simply cannot beat the gators. as a gator fan, i thought this would be a year where georgia might get it done finally. if im not mistaken, this is 12 of the last 13 in this series for florida. amazing