SB Nation - Torrey Davis

Jacksonville State @ Florida State Preview

FSUncensored — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:54:47 -0000

If you're the prayerful type, keep freshman wide receiver Avis Commack in your prayers. One of our readers relayed that his grandmother passed away. That's sad news and our condolences are with Avis.

After last week's thrilling and disappointing loss to the Miami Hurricanes, Florida State looks to bounce back. And the Noles really struggled on defense, allowing 38 points.

This week their opponent is the Jacksonville State gamecocks. That's a D-1AA team ("FCS" Division). They are a better than average D-1AA Team, and have two really impressive players in QB Ryan Perriloux, a former 5* QB prospect who was booted from LSU for infractions ranging from identify fraud to theft to drug tests, etc. But he's really really talented. They also have former UF Nose Guard Torrey Davis.

The game will be played at 6PM Eastern and is only available on ESPN360.COM That's free and it's available to almost every major internet provider. Get to TomahawkNation.com and participate in our excellent live game threads since you'll already be online watching! Maybe some of our users can help us out by finding other ways to watch the game online?

Weekeng Sporting Action? We got you covered.

On offense, Jackonville State runs a lot of shotgun and they mix in some spread option elements. That's a scary proposition for FSU, as the 'Noles' defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews has absolutely no idea how to match up with this style attack, particularly not when facing one of the most talented quarterbacks in any level of college football. They are led by Senior wideout James Wilkerson, who was was the top target downfield against the Yellow Jackets (six catches for 70 yards) and should be a viable option all season long for Perrilloux. The ground game, which generated just 98 yards in the season-opener, will be headlined by tailbacks Brandon George and Calvin Middleton.Still, of Jax State's 300 yards in their 37-17 loss to Georgia Tech, 171 of them came when the game was a 31-7 blowout in the 4th quarter. So they have a talented quarterback and not much else. Be on the lookout for new players on defense! Safety Nick Moody (freshman) will start over Korey Mangum who has a mysterious injury. True freshman Greg Reid is now in front of A. J. Alexander as the No. 2 boundary cornerback behind Patrick Robinson. Reid will get a lot of playing time. Also expect Terrance Parks to get some playing time at Free Safety. Also look for Dionte Allen to play more at field cornerback, along with Ochucko Jenijie. Can FSU muster a pass rush? That's the question on the mind of Nole fans. The other question is one of assignments. It's not whether FSU's young guys can make plays, but rather, whether they can consistently play their assinments. They can use their athleticism to recover against this team, but if they blow assignments against a good team, they won't be able to just make up for that with athleticism. And FSU can't play guys who blow lots of assignments.

On defense, Jacksonville State runs a 3-4 defense, and they are not afraid to blitz. Normally, this would be a concern because no team wants to face an unorthodox defense off of a short week against a team that is easy to overlook. But the Noles lucked out here: their next opponent, BYU, also runs a 3-4. So FSU is getting to play against that style of defense for an extra 3 days of practice going into next week, whcih is some good practice. That won't help them against Jacksonville State, but it could really help next week against BYU. Look out for LB's Junior linebacker Andrew Ridgeway and senior LB Alexander Hightower. FSU should be able to put up 250 passing yards and 250 rushing yards against this group. Look for some of the young players to get some time, including the freshmen: WR Willie Haulstead, RB Chris Thompson, and RB Lonnie Pryor. Oh, and hopefully QB E.J. Manuel will get in the game as well.

There's also the motivational issue. FSU is not motivated to play this game. They are coming off a huge letdown loss, are on a short week, and are looking ahead to BYU. They will come out listless. This isn't a judgment on them- it happens to every college team under these circumstances. The crowd will be very small, probably under 60K people, and it is going to rain...

FRIDAY UPDATE

The forecast has actually worsened for Saturday and into Saturday night. Starting Friday night, rain and thunderstorms will overspread the entire gulf coast from Texas to the Big Bend. The updated NWS forecast still calls for a 70 percent chance of rain Saturday and a 50 percent chance Saturday night. The problem is the AMOUNT of rain forecasted to fall has been ramped up -- there could be more than an inch of rain over the area through Saturday night.

The good news: There is a chance the worst of it could be over by gametime and that it will be showery, but not a deluge during the game or that in the best case, mostly dry. Still, fans should be prepared for a sopping wet stadium upon arrival and should be ready for rain at any time before, during or after the game.

Obviously, this type of forecast is great news for an underdog -- but it will be good practice for our offense in terms of ball security. Perhaps our defense are a bunch of "mudders." (that's a batting practice fastball offered up for our wittier posters). _Fsued

Inferior opponent, a team of a letdown loss, on a short week, and in a lookahead situation. Oh, and this is Jacksonville State's superbowl. They will be jacked.

There are only two goals for this game: win and avoid injuries. Granted, winning big would be better because it would garner good press and more importantly, the starters can leave the game earlier, but with the weird circumstances and scheduling of this game, an injury-free win is the goal. I have no doubt FSU will win because of Christian Ponder and the offense. JAX STATE 24- FSU 48

See you here at 6!

SEC 2009 // Meet the New Gators, Same as the Old Gators

Year2 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:30:09 -0000

More photos » by Phil Sandlin - AP

Florida safety Dee Finlley pulls in a pass in the rain as the Gator freshman football team opened their season practice. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Browse more photos »

Had I written a roster post for Florida last year, it would have made this one heck of a lot easier. I could just copy and paste it, delete the sections on Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, and then be done, right?

Well, yes and no.

Of course Florida has a lot of guys back from last year. That's where the whole "consensus preseason No. 1" stuff comes from. Seven offensive starters return, and the top 22 from the defense come back. Some will say top 21 and point to the transfer of DT Torrey Davis as the missing one, but I'd ask you when you were taking the depth chart snapshot. He registered all of five tackles before the bowl and spent much of the year in the coaches' doghouse.

The quarterbacks are set. We know that. Tim Tebow is starting with John Brantley backing him up. About the only thing worth mentioning here is that Urban Meyer says Brantley has a package of plays and will get spot work in meaningful situations. I doubt he'll do as much as Tebow did in 2006, but he's going to get non-garbage time minutes.

Speaking of 2006, that leads to the receivers.

They are the biggest question mark on the offense, what with Harvin and Murphy gone. The unit is probably going to approximate the one that Meyer had in his first championship year down to the man. David Nelson will be Dallas Baker, the tall guy. Deonte Thompson will be Andre Caldwell, the speedy guy. Carl Moore will be Jemalle Cornelius, the possession guy. Freshman Andre Debose will be Percy Harvin, the slash guy. Aaron Hernandez will be Cornelius Ingram, the receiving tight end. Riley Cooper will be, well, Riley Cooper.

The biggest difference is that Hernandez is a known quantity from the beginning, a playmaker waiting to break out. Ingram was still adjusting to being a tight end, having come in as a quarterback, but Hernandez will be ready from Day 1.

The running backs are in much better shape this time around compared to '06 though. Jeff Demps, when he's not moonlighting in the Percy Position, will probably be the primary back. He's fast and hits holes with authority despite his size. Chris Rainey is exciting with his ability to make people miss, but he dances around too much to be the top guy. Emmanuel Moody will be the biggest beneficiary from the new I-formation sets, but he's not guaranteed to get many carries. It'd be a big boost if he could be the big back playmaker that Florida has lacked since the time of Ciatrick Fason, but he hasn't put it all together yet.

Moody and Rainey also tend to get hurt, which further solidifies Demps in the top spot. Return man extraordinaire Brandon James and freshman Mike Gillislee are in the mix as well, but I don't know how many balls there will be to go around.

The offensive line will be the key to everything. The Gator offense didn't take off last year until it gelled around the fourth quarter of last year's game with Arkansas. Three fifths of it are rock solid with Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, and Carl Johnson back from starting in 2008.

After that, some combination of redshirt sophomore James Wilson, sophomore Matt Patchan (who played defense last year, like Mike Pouncey did in '07 before moving back to offense in '08), and redshirt junior Marcus Gilbert will fill the other roles. Redshirt freshman Sam Robey made some noise in the spring, and true freshman Xavier Nixon has impressed in fall practice. All of those guys except Robey were four or five star recruits according to Rivals, so it's likely that no matter which five take the field, it will be a good group. It better be, if UF is to repeat as champs.

The defensive line is in flux a bit, as it has been every year since most of the excellent 2006 line graduated. All the starters are back, but only Jermaine Cunningham looks set in his job. Tackles Terron Sanders and Lawrence Marsh are getting pushed hard by Jaye Howard, and this may be the year that Carlos Dunlap gets the starting role over Justin Trattou. Dunlap led the SEC with 9.5 sacks last year, but uneven effort kept him behind Trattou on the depth chart.

The linebackers are two thirds set. Brandon Spikes and Ryan Stamper are every bit the senior leaders and performers that any team would want. The final spot is currently a revolving door of A.J. Jones, Brandon Hicks, and, when he gets back from suspension, Dustin Doe. All three of those guys have started games, so whoever ends up there for good (if anyone) will be quality. Young bucks Jon Bostic and Brendan Beal are pushing for playing time as well.

The secondary is perhaps the strength of the entire team, something that would seem impossible during 2007's burnfest. The corners are right now Joe Haden and freshman All American Janoris Jenkins, a formidable duo. Wondy Pierre-Louis, Markihe Anderson, and Moses Jenkins are good enough as backups. The one to watch though is redshirt freshman Jeremy Brown, who missed last season to injury. Meyer has lamented that at the time of his injury, Brown was actually ahead of Janoris Jenkins on the depth chart.

The safeties are loaded. The two starters are back, the big hitting Major Wright and the ball hawking Ahmad Black. Wright struggles in coverage though, and Black can't lay the wood. As a result, sophomore all-everything recruit Will Hill has been impossible to keep off the field since the spring. Also in the mix are senior Dorian Munroe, who missed last season due to injury but has played well in the past, and newcomer Dee Finley.

The special teams will look exactly the same. Dangerous return man Brandon James is back (his last year I promise, Tennessee fans), and so are P Chas Henry and K Jonathan Phillips. Phillips missed just one field goal and one extra point (the fateful blocked one against Ole Miss) in all of 2008, but his longest made FG was only from 40 yards. The big-legged Caleb Sturgis might get a chance to kick the longer ones. The tradition of key players contributing on special teams will continue as in past years, most notably with the addition of Demps as the gunner on punt coverage.

The depth across the board is much to Florida's advantage, and the coaches are delighting in the ability to replace underperformers in practice with another quality guy. If you want to nit pick about the receivers, two O-linemen, and the third linebacker go ahead, but just about any coach in the nation would trade his roster for this one.

MONDAY: Florida's Song Remains the Same, Florida's Heisman winners

TUESDAY: The Underdogs Florida Will Face, Don't Miss Tebow's Last Year

LATER TODAY: Coaching Changes

THURSDAY: Predictions

FRIDAY: Conclusions

Gators Preview, Part Two

mlmintampa — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:14:11 -0000

The Gators' defense returns nearly all of the guys who made Oklahoma's record breaking offense look bad. The secondary is so deep, the backups would be starters on most of the top-15 teams in the country. Major Wright, the man who nearly killed Oklahoma's Manny Johnson, is the anchor with SS Ahmad Black. Behind those two is Will Hill and Dee Finley, who can also destroy people. At the corners are Joe Haden, who continues to improve, and Janoris Jenkins, who gets the coveted No. 1 jersey worn by Reggie Nelson and Percy Harvin.

The biggest thing to happen to Florida in the offseason was the return of LB Brandon Spikes. What Tebow is to the offense, Spikes is to the defense. He was the leading tackler last season and became a more mature player, sticking to his assignments and becoming a team leader. His tackle of Knowshon Moreno early in the Georgia game was a sign that this defense would not be pushed around. Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong says WLB Ryan Stamper is the unsung hero of the defense, as it is his calls that put Spikes in position to destroy oncoming running backs. On the strong side is A.J. Jones, but is the least active of the three. Rotating in are Dustin Doe and Brandon Hicks, both could end up being starters. However, Doe is in the dog house after getting caught driving with a suspended license. Florida's deep secondary means the Gators will not hesitate to shuffle in Hill or Finley as an extra DB who can work as a monster back. Two recruits, Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins, may see time later, but Meyer always says every position is open to be won in practice.

The defensive line is bookended by Carlos Dunlap (the BCS Game defensive MVP) and senior Jermaine Cunningham. Dunlap is in the mold of Florida ends like Jarvis Moss and Jevon Kearse. At 6-foot-6, Dunlap's 290 looks lean (wearing a single digit, 8, rather than a big, round number, helps that too). Dunlap is quick, getting behind the line to make a tackle (13.5 sacks) or block kicks (three blocks). Cunningham has been the less publicized one. Bridging the time between Moss and Dunlap, the senior continues to produce. Slightly undersized at 250, Cunningham was fifth on the team with 52 tackles and 10 sacks. It was Cunningham's sack of John Parker Wilson in the SEC title game that shutdown Bama's comeback attempt. Junior Justin Trattou is the third man in, looking to stay in front of Dunlap on the depth chart.

The interior line lost a hero from the Oklahoma game when Torrey Davis left school under clouds of bad grades and alcohol crimes. Starters Terron Sanders and Lawrence Marsh remain. But many fans want to see what Omar Hunter can do. After being hyped by Meyer as the next big thing, various injuries led the Gators to redshirt him. Depending on who you ask, Hunter was never healthy after his last high school season or he just couldn't handle SEC ball. Now, Hunter needs to prove himself. As for finding a star in an injured player, Meyer has done it before. Under former coach Ron Zook, Jarvis Moss was an injury waiting to happen. Meyer's staff found there was something medically wrong with Moss and he began to dominate offensive lines. Hopefully the same is true for Hunter.

In 2009, anything less than a National Championship will be a disappointment. The same is true in Norman, Austin and Los Angeles as it is in Gainesville. But the Gators will have the bull's eye on their back and it is fair to wonder if they can handle the weight of that and their own expectations.

University of Florida Cornerback Janoris Jenkins becomes the 24th Gator arrested under Urban Meyer

FSUncensored — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:49:32 -0000

Some would call Janoris Jenkins electric. After a weekend fight with the cops and subsequent tazing, they'd be right.

Over the weekend, University of Florida Gator cornerback Janoris Jenkins became the 24th university of Florida football player to be arrested under Urban Meyer's watch. It is the 6th Gator arrest in a year.

Jenkins was apparently fighting with some other citizens in Gainesville at 2AM when the cops showed up. They told Jenkins to stop, and he then proceeded to punch another man. Police then proceeded to taze Jenkins, who then fled the scene, despite officers yelling at him to stop running. He was apprehended a few blocks away from the scene.

Some might remember another Gator being Tazered (sp?)...

As David Hyde reports, the national media isn't covering the Gator's lawlessness.

Florida players have beaten women, stolen credit cards from a dead teammate's girlfriend, and been involved with assault rifles and drugs. Yet nobody on ESPN is so much as reporting this. Nobody at Sports Illustrated is saying the Florida team picture should be taken from the front and the side.

Meyer has drawn some criticism before. South Carolina fans will remember the 2006 game in the swamp in which Jarvis Moss blocked their game tying extra point. Moss was suspended for drugs for the game against 1-AA cupcake Western Carolina, but allowed to play against the Gamecocks. Meyer did the same thing with defensive tackle Marcus Thomas against Tennessee. UF won the National Championship. Last year, troubled defensive tackle Torrey Davis played in the national championship game after having questionable qualifications, both legal and academic. Running back Chris Rainey openly acknowledged taking $100 handshakes from boosters, then later said he was misquoted (despite audio evidence available for all to hear).

But there's still more (with an average of 6 arrests per year under Meyer, there has to be more)

But it seems that UF players might be receiving favorable treatment from the legal system in Alachua County:

In April 2007, UF lineman Ronnie Wilson (6'6" 330lbs) slapped and spit in the face of one Frank Fuller, a Santa Fe Community College student at the XS night club according to Gainesville Police. Wilson then fled the scene.

Fuller followed Wilson with his cellphone and called the police. When the Wilson pulled into a parking lot, he exited the vehicle pulled out an AK-47 assault rifle began to fire. Luckily, no one was injured. Wilson later explained he wanted Fuller "to know how it felt to be scared." Unfortunately bullets of this type can fall from the air and kill people in a city. Wilson was charged with use or display of a concealed weapon during a felony, aggravated assault and simple battery.

Here is the link to the victim's terrified 911 call (gunshots in background) http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/andy_staples/08/12/fla.wilson/

But the state's attorney's state attorney’s office reduced the charges to one count of battery and discharging a firearm in public which surprise were both misdemeanors. Naturally, Wilson pled no contest to the discharging of a firearm and battery with two years of court supervision and agreed to 100 hours of community service, the forfeiting of his assault rifle and undergoing a mental health evaluation.

In January of 2008, while on probation, Wilson was arrested again and charged with possession of marijuana after running a stop sign with 6 grams. This should have been a violation of his probation but enter but the state attorney's office failed to notice that Wilson was on probation (despite his considerable infamy). The charges were swept under the rug and dismissed citing how hard it is to prove possession.

In 2008, Urban Meyer welcomed his boy back to the team. Forget the fighting, drugs, spitting, slapping, guns and mayhem.

It wasn’t over however as after the Arkansas game back in Gainesville during a party at 3:30 in the morning at the Lexington Crossing Apts, Wilson became angry over a woman. Wilson hit a man and followed him outside and was in the process of throwing another punch when a woman stepped in the way and proceed to have her wrist broken by the punch. Wilson was after a third victim who offered assistance as we run out of facts on the story line.

Other felonies under Meyer's watch have been curiously reduced after victims mysteriously dropped or declined to press charges, but you get the idea.