Is Florida to blame for not reeling in Aaron Hernandez before it was too late?

The misdeeds of Aaron Hernandez has stirred up a lot of controversy with some wanting to point fingers at who is indirectly responsible for not saving him from himself before it was too late.

Of course the University of Florida football program under then coach Urban Meyer has become a target. But is that fair or not?
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Muschamp makes it official: Jeff Driskel Florida's starter at QB

Will Muschamp made official what most of us already knew.

The Florida head football coach said Jeff Driskel would be the Gators starting quarterback at his Monday press conference.

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone who watched Florida’s 27-14 Victory over Bowling Green last Saturday.

After Driskel and Jacoby Brissett split most of the first half, Driskel played the entire second half.

Driskel took 20 snaps in the first half and Brissett was under center for 11 snaps.

In playing Driskel the entire second half, Muschamp said he needed a more mobile quarterback in the lineup .

Well if he feels that way against Bowling Green you can imagine what he fears when the Gators start their SEC schedule, which happens to be this weekend at Texas A&M.

Driskel didn’t overwhelm anyone against Bowling Green and the two quarterbacks threw only 21 combined passes.

 “I just feel that Jeff with his legs gives us some different variables in our offense that can help us as we move forward,” Muschamp said. “It’ll be Jeff’s game to play. I told Jeff, I don’t want you looking over your shoulder, but you need to play well.

 "I have confidence in both guys. (We) can win with both guys. I just felt like at this time it's good to move forward with naming one guy and go with it."

As expected, Brissett was not happy with the decision and Muschamp said he respected those feelings.

“I’ve said it before and I will say it again, we can win with both guys,” Muschamp said. “He (Brissett) is one snap away. Jacoby needs to continue what he is doing.”

 

 

Muschamp says Florida lacks the physicality to be winning team in SEC

There are so many things you can find wrong with Florida in its 21-7 loss to FSU Saturday night. Gators head coach Will Muschamp focused on four, but cited his team's lack of physicality as a contributor to many problems.

In a nutshell he mentioned lack of a running game, lack of physical toughness and team that is still overall on the immature side.

He is what he said:

On lack of a running game:
"We have tried to run the ball inside and just haven't been very effective. We've tried different things__probably did too much at times to try and create a run game and help us vertically down the field. We haven't been able to do it consistently."

On lacking physical toughness:
"That's not first time they've heard it all season. It starts with me, falls on my shoulders and I'm the one who is responsible. At the end of the day you are what you are."

On Gators defense:
They got four turnovers and we only had one so it wasn't good enough."

On the team's youth:
"Some of our players are more mature than others. There's a lot of things. You just can't put your finger on one thing."

Expect Jeff Driskel to start for Gators, but Jacoby Brissett could finish

Just about everyone associated with the University of Florida football program expects Jeff Driskel to be the starter against LSU, but that's where the certainty ends.

It might surprise some that true freshman Jacoby Brissett is listed as the backup going into Saturday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff game. Afterall, he joined the team late, doesn't have near the knowledge of the offense as redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy and the coaching staff doesn't want him to burn a year of eligibility.

But Brissett is a talent, which is a reason offensive coordinator Charlie Weis went after him with Driskel already in the Gator fold.

A team can never have enough running backs and that might be true for quarterbacks. But Brissett is no slouch in the talent department.

It's anybody's guess how Driskel will fare against the AP's number one team whose defense is right up there with Alabama. And Driskel tweaked his ankle a little in last week's loss to the Crimson Tide, though Gators head coach Will Muschamp says it's nothing to be concerned about.

Driskel will be the fifth true freshman quarterback to start for the Gators in their long history. Three of the other four had good careers (Wayne Peace, Jesse Palmer and Chris Leak).

Peace, Palmer and Leak recorded victories in their inaugural starts, but none faced an opponent as formidable as this year's LSU team, which ranks third nationally in rushing defense and ninth in total defense and scoring defense, allowing less than 13 points per game.

Whoever the quarterback, he is going to need help from the run game and the way Florida played against Alabama that is expecting a lot. Running backs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps are quick as lighting, but small. Alabama's quickness negated their speed and reduced them to less than mediocre because of their lack of power.

Some believe LSU has a quicker defense than Alabama and the Tigers are nearly as effective against the run, allowing only 3.8 yards per carry against a tougher schedule so far.

Gator fans are hoping for a little deja' vu. In 2003 with Leak as the true freshman starting quarterback, Florida went into Baton Rouge and upset the Tigers 19-7. But realistically expecting someone as untested as Driskel to come up with a similar performance and an over-matched Gator defense to hold LSU to seven points is asking quite a bit to say the least.

Brantley out for LSU; his replacement uncertain

Florida quarterback John Brantley will miss the LSU game with high ankle sprain and his return is uncertain.

The fifth year senior, who was injured just before halftime of last Saturday night’s Alabama game, was reported to be wearing a medical boot on his right leg today.

Gators head coach Will Muschamp said as of today true freshman Jeff Driskel is listed as starter, but things could change before Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff at LSU. He said others who will take significant reps this week are redshirt freshman Tyler Murphy and true freshman Jacoby Brissett.

“We will do what’s best for our football team,” Muschamp said.

The coach said offensive coordinator Charlie Weis would put together a game plan that would play to the strengths of Driskel and the other quarterbacks.

Coming off arguably the best half of his career, Brantley has been sharp this season completing 66 of 102 passes for 942 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Against Alabama’s highly touted defense he was 11 for 16 for 190 yards and one touchdown.

Driskel is 7 for 16 for 73 yards and two interceptions. Murphy has never thrown a pass and Brissett has never appeared in a game.

A high ankle sprain is the sprain of a syndesmotic ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula on the lower leg. High ankle sprains are caused when the lower leg and foot twist out.

High ankle sprains are difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to determine how long an athlete might be out with the time ranging from a few days to six months. They are particularly tough on running backs because it takes away one of their strengths. For a drop back passer like Brantley the injury might not be so debilitating.

Brantley status uncertain after leg injury against Alabama

Florida head coach Will Muschamp said he was uncertain about the status of quarterback John Brantley who was knocked out of the game near the end of the first half against Alabama Saturday night.

Brantley did not return, but was not taken to the hospital and remained in the trainer's room getting treated for a leg injury, Muschamp said.

Brantley had a good night before the injury completing 11 of 19 passes for 190 yards against one of the best pass defenses in the country. He did make one mistake and it cost the Gators six points when one of his passes was intercepted and returned 45 yards for a touchdown.

Alabama rolled to a 38-10 victory holding Florida scoreless in the second half. The Gators have a another tough game next Saturday when they travel to LSU.

Jeff Driskel replaced Brantley in the second half and the true freshman was ineffective. He did have a 31 yard run, which made him the Gators leading rusher. Chris Rainey, who had been Florida's big offensive weapon during its first four games was held to 19 yards on 11 carries.

Muschamp credits Urban Meyer for Gators defensive speed

Florida's defense is looking a lot better than some people thought it would be before the season and Gators head coach ,Will Muschamp credits a lot of that to Urban Meyer.

"A lot of the credit (for our defensive team speed) goes to Urban and his staff," Muschamp said. "They did a great job of recruiting. These aren't Urban's players. They are Florida's players, but he did a great job of recruiting. The guy knows what he is doing. I credit Urban for this. We are going to continue to recruit those type of players."

Despite praising his defense, Muschamp says without hesitation that unit needs to improve, particularly with the rash of pass interference penalties it had against Tennessee.

"We are going to look at what we did was positive and then correct the things we need to get corrected," Muschamp said. "You got to constantly coach players, especially young players and first year scheme players. You got make sure you have great repetition in what you do because i have been through this a bunch."

Muschamp was happy with his young secondary, particularly how it played against Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray, who is ranked fifth in the country in total passing yards and is tied for third in points responsible.

Blakely headed back to USF; also considering USC

Mike Blakely is making his second trip to the University of South Florida this weekend.

The former Manatee High star, who recently withdrew from Florida, took an unofficial visit to USF last weekend. But this time it's official.

Manatee High assistant coach Rod Frazier, who remains close with the running back, said right now Blakely is considering USF and USC and at the moment didn't have plans to visit other schools though that could change.

The running back situation right now at USF is unclear. The leading candidates to get the carries next season are transfer Darrell Scott and returnee Demetris Murry, both heading into their junior season. Another possible candidate is 5-9, 224-pound sophomore Dontae Aycock, who transferred from Auburn and sat out 2010.

Blakely would have to sit out the 2011 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. There is a lot of speculation that he fits the all-purpose back mold that helped turn Chris Johnson into a star at East Carolina under current USF head coach Skip Holtz.

Johnson went on to the break the NFL single season rushing record in 2009 and his skills as a pass catching running back were refined under Holtz at ECU.

Kedric Johnson arrested, could face suspension from Gators

Former Palmetto High standout Kedric Johnson and his University of Florida teammate Chris Martin were arrested in January by Gainesville police for possession of marijuana, according to numerous media reports.

Johnson, a sophomore defensive end, and Martin, a linebacker/defensive end were cited for possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana in separate incidents. He did not participate in spring drills reportedly because of an injury.

Johnson was arrested on Jan. 9 after an officer pulled him over for speeding and smelled marijuana. He produced two grams of it from his glove compartment, a police report said.

Martin was arrested on Jan. 29 after officers detected the scent of the drug coming from a vehicle. Martin was in the car and revealed approximately two grams of cannabis when the police confronted him, the report said.

Both players agreed to deferred prosecution and the cases did not go to trial. However, they could face disciplinary action from Florida head coach Will Muschamp.

Their arrests follow the arrest of Gators cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been arrested twice this year for misdemeanor of less than 20 grams of marijuana.

Dowling shines on both sides of ball in WKU spring game

Making his Western Kentucky debut, Jon Dowling turned in a standout performance in the Hilltoppers spring game last weekend.

The former Southeast High standout, who left Florida during mid season last year, showed he is capable of playing on both sides of the ball, which he has been promised he would be allowed to do.

Dowling played safety, receiver and returned kickoffs for his Red team, which lost 27-11 (*ck). He caught a seven yard touchdown pass and returned three kickoffs for 57 yards, including a long of 29 yards.

The 6-3, 185 pounder also made his presence on defense. He was third on the Red team with four solo tackles and five total.

Former Braden River star Tevin Bryant, who is a walk-on trying to earn a scholarship, caught a 55-yard pass and ran the ball once for six yards in a limit appearance.