SB Nation - Caleb Sturgis

If College Football Had a Playoff: #12 Penn State NIttany Lions @ #5 Florida Gators

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:26 -0000

Continuing the new break out hit of the season "What if College Football had a Playoff" returns for game three of the playoff. Before we get to game three the previous matchup of #9 Georgia Tech at #8 Ohio State was a hotly contested matchup with the fan vote going to Georgia Tech upsetting the higher seeded Buckeyes.

This current matchup of Penn State traveling to the swamp against the Florida Gators will be another good game in this bracket (you hear that BCS). After losing the SEC title game we will all see if Tim Tebow can will the Gators through another four games to repeat as national champions.

Penn State will use their defense that gave up only 11.8 points per game to try to stop the Florida Gators which will only hold up for so long.

Penn State on offense will be the problem they will do their typical clam up into a shell and try to run against Florida. The Gator defense is too much, and will be able to stop the Nittany Lion offense. Neither offense will do much in this game as both have been spotty all year, but as mentioned above the Gator defense will be the key.

To give some help to those who are not sure who would win I turned to What if Sports to simulate this game. The outcome was as I expected which was a low scoring affair with Florida coming from behind to win 16-10. Florida scored the last 13 points after being behind 10 - 3 at the half. From the play by play the Gators were able to run the ball a little more effectively to pull out the win.

The What if Sports is not the decider in this game, you yes you! The readers of this site decide who moves onto the next round.

So gather your friends to stuff the ballot and check back daily at 12 PM eastern time to vote for the next matchup, and voting is only open for 24 hours. As they say in Chicago vote early and vote often.

Penn State Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Daryll Clark	12	93.0	214	337	63.5	2787	232.3	8.3	23	10	73	191	15.9	2.6	7	-	-
Matthew McGloin	1	0.0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-
Kevin Newsome	8	70.0	8	11	72.7	66	8.3	6	0	0	20	95	11.9	4.8	2	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Brandon Beachum	8	24	113	14.1	4.7	1	3	29	3.6	9.7	0
Brent Carter	5	13	46	9.2	3.5	1	0	0	0	0	0
Daryll Clark	12	73	191	15.9	2.6	7	0	0	0	0	0
Curtis Drake	5	3	27	5.4	9	0	7	86	17.2	12.3	0
Stephfon Green	10	64	284	28.4	4.4	3	5	79	7.9	15.8	0
Derek Moye	11	1	-3	-0.3	-3	0	45	732	66.5	16.3	5
Kevin Newsome	8	20	95	11.9	4.8	2	0	0	0	0	0
Chaz Powell	10	9	76	7.6	8.5	0	27	355	35.5	13.1	3
Evan Royster	12	188	1104	92	5.9	6	16	187	15.6	11.7	2
Devon Smith	6	4	33	5.5	8.3	0	4	30	5	7.5	0
Joe Suhey	12	19	59	4.9	3.1	0	21	186	15.5	8.9	1
Shaine Thompson	2	3	14	7	4.7	0	0	0	0	0	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Brandon Beachum	8	3	29	3.6	9.7	0
Brett Brackett	3	3	13	4.3	4.3	1
Justin Brown	3	5	78	26	15.6	0
Curtis Drake	5	7	86	17.2	12.3	0
Stephfon Green	10	5	79	7.9	15.8	0
Derek Moye	11	45	732	66.5	16.3	5
Chaz Powell	10	27	355	35.5	13.1	3
Andrew Quarless	12	33	448	37.3	13.6	3
Evan Royster	12	16	187	15.6	11.7	2
Mickey Shuler	9	11	89	9.9	8.1	2
Devon Smith	6	4	30	5	7.5	0
Joe Suhey	12	21	186	15.5	8.9	1
Andrew Szczerba	1	1	6	6	6	0
Graham Zug	11	42	549	49.9	13.1	7

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Collin Wagner	12	-	-	-	-	-	11	18	60.0%	45	45	100.0%	78

Florida Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
John Brantley	6	113.0	36	48	75	410	68.3	8.5	7	0	13	67	11.2	5.2	0	-	-
Tim Tebow	13	103.0	182	279	65.2	2413	185.6	8.6	18	5	203	859	66.1	4.2	13	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Andrew Blaylock	1	4	6	6	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
John Brantley	6	13	67	11.2	5.2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Vincent Brown	2	3	1	.500	.300	0	0	0	0	0	0
Riley Cooper	13	1	14	1.1	14	0	44	780	60	17.7	8
Mike Gillislee	5	26	189	37.8	7.3	1	1	6	1.2	6	1
Aaron Hernandez	12	1	16	1.3	16	0	59	729	60.8	12.4	4
Emmanuel Moody	11	50	364	33.1	7.3	1	4	26	2.4	6.5	0
Chris Rainey	13	85	548	42.2	6.4	4	6	90	6.9	15	1
Christopher Scott	1	9	26	26	2.9	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tim Tebow	13	203	859	66.1	4.2	13	0	0	0	0	0
Deonte Thompson	9	1	-2	-0.2	-2	0	19	280	31.1	14.7	3

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Riley Cooper	13	44	780	60	17.7	8
Mike Gillislee	5	1	6	1.2	6	1
Frankie Hammond Jr	5	4	57	11.4	14.3	1
Aaron Hernandez	12	59	729	60.8	12.4	4
Omarius Hines	5	14	172	34.4	12.3	1
Cade Holliday	4	6	102	25.5	17	1
Emmanuel Moody	11	4	26	2.4	6.5	0
David Nelson	10	23	254	25.4	11	2
Chris Rainey	13	6	90	6.9	15	1
Deonte Thompson	9	19	280	31.1	14.7	3
Justin Williams	4	6	50	12.5	8.3	2

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Caleb Sturgis	12	-	-	-	-	-	21	28	80.0%	38	40	100.0%	101
Jonathan Phillips	3	-	-	-	-	-	0	1	0	14	16	90.0%	14

Poll

Who wins this matchup?

Florida Gators

91 votes

Penn State Nittany Lions

109 votes

200 votes | Poll has closed

SEC Championship: The Other Prediction

Year2 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:23:03 -0000

All this week I've tried to keep my reporter hat on and assess the two SEC Championship Game participants with a clear and level head. I know I didn't do a perfect job at it, but I did my best.

Today on the day of the game, I come to you simply as a fan. A fan of Florida, yes, but hopefully one that's simply living in the state of North Carolina and not the state of denial. If you don't want to read the account of my personal feelings on the game, which do not necessarily reflect the views of Team Speed Kills and make no pretense of being unbiased, don't click the jump.

There is a thought I've had in my head for about half of the season, and I see no reason to change it now. This year's SEC title game is not going to live up to last year's.

The 2008 game had it all: big performances from big stars, several lead changes, a relatively low penalty count, and a dramatic fourth quarter comeback. This season, both defenses are better while neither offense is as good. I expect this one to get dragged down into the figurative mud and be the sort of game where blocking and tackling gets overshadowed to a degree by punting and kicking.

It is for that reason why I'm glad Florida has Chas Henry and that he punts the ball high enough that almost no one even bothers to attempt a return. I'm also glad that Caleb Sturgis can make field goals from more than 50 yards out and correspondingly that the game is indoors. I know Alabama's special teams aren't anything to dismiss, but when pressed, I'll take the ones that are coached by the head coach.

Beyond that, I can't really say too much that I haven't already said at some point this week. These teams are evenly matched to a ridiculous degree, at least when you look at the season as a whole. However, I know Florida is capable of more than what it has been doing for a lot of the year.

Like Mulder, I want to believe that the Gators are peaking at the right time given their performances over the last month. While Georgia, Vanderbilt, FIU, and FSU didn't exactly present stiff defensive challenges, Florida at least began executing a lot better against them (and South Carolina). The Gators are +9 in turnovers (11 gained, two lost) since the Cocktail Party after having been -1 on the year up until then. Plus we'll never know to what degree Tim Tebow was hampered by his concussion through the October stretch; even if he was fine medically, taking a shot like that will make anyone tentative for a time. Whatever that did, he's over it now.

There are a lot of things that go into football games. I could probably show you 50 different relevant stats that describe various aspects of games. It's the ultimate team sport, and it has more moving parts than just about any other game. However when 48 of those 50 stats indicate that two teams are evenly matched, what do you do?

I'm going with Tebow. He came back to win championships, and I know better than to bet against him. He has the same kind of je ne sais quoi about him that Florida basketball's Oh Fours had, and they were the last major sports team to repeat. Brandon Spikes put off for a year using NFL contract money to get a good lawyer to try to get his brother out of jail (with said brother's blessing) in order to win championships. If the Gators fall this afternoon, he will have done that in vain.

You can pick whatever factor or edge you want in deciding who you think will win this game. Me, I'm sticking with Tebow and Spikes. I've rarely ever seen a better combination of offensive and defensive leader both on the field and off. I might go down with them this afternoon, but I'd much rather do that than doubt them. I've seen too much over the past couple of years to do anything that rash.

Florida 16 - Alabama 13.

Alabama & Florida Common Opponents: South Carolina

Year2 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:08:37 -0000

As a part of SEC Championship Game week, we're taking a look at Alabama's and Florida's common opponents in alphabetical order. Now up: South Carolina.

	Alabama	Florida
Game Number	7	10
Score	20-6	24-14
Passing Yards	92	199
Rushing Yards	264	140
Total Yards	356	339
Passing All.	214	186
Rushing All.	64	61
Total Defense	278	247
3rd Downs	3-10	5-14
3rd Down Def.	9-19	3-12
Turnover Margin	-1	+3

Alabama got the Gamecocks a week after going to Oxford and ending the SEC West hopes of Ole Miss 22-3. This contest ended up being the middle link of Bama's three-game nadir in October, as South Carolina held the Tide to their second lowest point total this season. It seemed like the only person on Alabama's offense who came ready to play was Mark Ingram, as he had his finest game in going for 246 yards and about single-handedly beat Steve Spurrier's crew. Despite getting only a pair of second quarter field goals, Carolina was never truly out of it until Ingram iced it with a touchdown run with five minutes to go.

South Carolina was similarly able to hang around for a long time with Florida when the Gators came to visit Columbia in their SEC regular season finale. Even though the Gamecocks ended up gaining fewer yards on UF than on Bama, they had more success on the UF defense. Stephen Garcia led two long touchdown drives that were decidedly non-flukey in nature, the result of good game planning and execution. With Carolina down just 17-14 and driving at the start of the fourth quarter, a Garcia pass got tipped up and intercepted by Justin Trattou and it was returned 53 yards. Tim Tebow promptly capitalized with a one yard TD plunge, and the deflated home team couldn't mount a comeback.

The word that comes to mind most readily for Alabama's game is "malaise." Neither offense really looked like it knew what it was doing, while the defenses for the most part teed off. I say "for the most part" because Ingram sliced and diced the Gamecock defense like a fine rotisserie bird. Seriously: guys not named Ingram for Bama combined for 110 total yards and an average of 3.24 yards per play. The final scoring drive was a tour de force for the star of the game, as he took a number of direct snaps and made about all the yardage himself. This game is why Ingram has been in the Heisman race for much of the second half of the season.

Florida's game had the looks of a shootout early, as the teams combined to score on five of the game's first ten possessions, and a sixth was a missed field goal. It would have been an honest shootout too: every scoring drive was at least 61 yards long, and three were 70 or more yards. Things quieted down though, but Caleb Sturgis' inaccuracy kept South Carolina in it as the UF kicker missed three field goals (though two from 50+ yards) on the night. Florida's defense took over in the second half, as five of Carolina's six second half drives amounted to -21 net yards. The sixth was a 49 yard drive, more or less the final stand for Garcia and company, but it ended with Trattou's game changing interception and return.

It's difficult to say which team had the better showing. Alabama's defense did a better job overall, keeping Carolina's scoring down to just a pair of field goals while allowing a negligible amount of yards more than Florida's did. The Gator offense did better though as it scored more points, could have had more points with field goal makes instead of misses, and didn't require a superhuman effort by a single player.

Still, the outcome of Bama's game never felt in too much doubt. Carolina managed a single drive of more than 50 yards against the Tide and didn't appear capable of mounting a credible threat for much of the game. By contrast, Spurrier and Garcia put together a couple of good drives in the first half, and they were doing it again in the second half when Trattou snared his fateful interception.

Better performance: Alabamaby a hair, with a gold star for Ingram.

See also: Arkansas, FIU, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State.

Twenty Consecutive Wins And More Questions

mlmintampa — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:41:04 -0000

More photos » by Mary Ann Chastain - AP

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The Gators' 24-14 win over South Carolina gives the Gators their first undefeated SEC regular season since 1996. UF has now won 20 consecutive games.

The Gators also will have to continue to deal with the problems of their offense. Poor Caleb Sturgis cannot be the only offense because, you know, he is a kicker. Not including the final kneel down, UF had 4 drives start in South Carolina's end and managed seven points. Sturgis missed two field goals and there was the reenactment of the Ole Miss game. In addition, UF had two drives start outside of their 40, both ending with non scores.

Give credit to South Carolina, who after allowing scores on the first three drives, locked down. While UF did not turn the ball over, the Gators were 5-14 on third down, 0-1 on fourth down, and SC held the Gators to only 140 yards of rushing. Once again, Tim Tebow was used as a battering ram, with 16 carries, 26 yards, and two flips on his head. His 199 yards passing was a sight for sore eyes, but 68 came on the long bomb to Riley Cooper. Cooper also had chances at two more long touchdown passes, a sign that maybe, just maybe, Urban Meyer and Steve Addazio are willing to drop the Big Ten offense and throw the ball down field.

The defense again saved the Gators, holding the Gamecocks to 61 yards on the ground as they were willing to blitz and make Stephen Garcia beat them. Garcia did get 186 yards, but on 17 of 32 passing and 2 interceptions. Every week, I think it is finally the week the UF defense cannot make a stop, but they continue to play above their heads.

Next week brings Florida International and more questions as to why Florida has to settle for so many field goals and leave points on the field. I don't know what Florida can do and you don't know either. The problem is that Meyer and Addazio might not know either. But relying on Tebow and praying that your players solve your awful playcalling is not the answer.

Evil Tim Tebow Wins

mlmintampa — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:55:38 -0000

More photos » by Stephen Morton - AP

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Not even black helmets could stop Tim Tebow today, as the Gators rolled Georgia 41-17, putting UF six wins away from a fourth National Championship. We can make a statement like that because Florida's win was a demolition from each unit; from Caleb Sturgis 56 yard field goal to UF's linebacker corps forcing four turnovers. They truly played like a National Championship team. But it always begins and ends with Tebow. Today, we finally saw that other side of our quarterback; Evil Tim Tebow.

Tebow was cool in the pocket, stepping up and hitting second and third reads(four guys had multiple catches, six players total). The touchdown throws to Riley Cooper were great plays by Cooper, but Tebow had to move and put touch on the ball. Tebow had 18 carries, which is enough to make you queasy, especially with a few hard hits. But he wasn't taking off as much, trusting his pocket and his receivers. This is the Tebow who wants to play hard and win, not the one so consumed with a perfect season, he lets the pressure hurt him. Evil Tebow will go back into a dark room with a bottle of whiskey for a few weeks, so he is rested for FSU and possible SEC Championship Game (if Tennessee beats South Carolina, UF clinches the SEC East).

As for the defense, A.J. JONES TAMPA WHAT! I was so proud of the Middleton High School product in what might have been the greatest game he has ever played. Two interceptions on two outstanding individual plays, plus five tackles and a sack for an awesome day. (He could have had another pick, had Orson Charles not mugged him.) As good as the defense has been lately, it is a different beast with Brandon Spikes in the middle. Spikes adds a layer of aggressiveness that no player can match. The one weak point on defense today, allowing UGA receivers to cross the middle, was solved late when The Major Wright put his shoulder into the exposed ribs of A.J. Green and Ryan Stamper got his INT.

After the game, Urban Meyer made a point of crediting Steve Addazio and Scot Loeffler for waking the offense up. As we have written here (and in agreement with the people who booed when UF settled for the second Sturgis field goal), no one is ever happy with the play calling. But today, more guys made plays, which can either be a result of Tebow, a result of coaches putting guys in a spot, or both. Meyer spread the credit around. The postgame was really evidence that he and Tebow are both feeding off the negativity that has followed this team. They are the ultimate mental athletes, something Mark Richt should consider next time he tries to dress his team like Grambling.

On To Jacksonville

mlmintampa — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:30:24 -0000

More photos » by Jim Lytle - AP

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There are a few things to note from the Gators' 29-19 win over Mississippi State. One of them is from the Orlando Sentinel's Jeremy Fowler;

Once Chris Rainey got his first touch in the red zone, he rushed for a 9-yard touchdown with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter. Gators running backs got two red-zone touches all game.

That's right, Florida's great backs touched the ball twice during UF's attempts to set offensive football back six decades. This combined with Tim Tebow being asked to throw a play action pass on his one-yard line in the final four minutes, is proof that the playcalling must end now. You can beat Mississippi State by using Tebow as a blunt object, but you will not beat Georgia.

Florida's focus was again missing as Tebow hit a wide open Miss State DB for a 100 yard touchdown and Dustin Doe's Leon Lett moment was saved by the worst conference officials in America. In game seven, can we finally say that Tebow is regressing? Or that too much of the load on his shoulders is breaking him down? As for Doe, I can pass that off as a one time thing and Caleb Sturgis' misses like a golfer missing the fairway. But I'm running out of excuses for Tebow.

Let's end on a happy note, however. Tebow is now tied with Herschel Walker for most SEC rushing touchdowns. The side effect of having an eight-year old calling our red zone plays is that after Tebow's score, he never got to the end zone again. And we know, Urban would love breaking that record in Jacksonville and rubbing it in the face of every Georgia fan. That is the only thing to be sure of in Jacksonville right now, and that's not very good for us.

Welcome To Hate Georgia Week.

Around the SEC East- Week 7

BrianWalker'sElbow — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:15:13 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Vanderbilt head football coach Bobby Johnson watches his team play in Nashville, Tenn. It's looking pretty bad, Bobby. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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The goings on of the rest of the SEC are somewhat difficult to truly follow. Because of the number of times that Juco and I have seen uninformed fans make sweeping judgments of opposing teams based solely on their quarterback and halfback, we decided to start a segment where, though we will talk about halfbacks and quarterbacks, we'll also talk about the other players on teams that are succeeding or failing.

FLORIDA 6-0 (4-0 SEC)

WOW, that was close. Urban and his gang cut it dangerously close last weekend against Arkansas. They committed four turnovers and Tebow was sacked six times. However, they found a way to win and did so with a game winning field goal from Caleb Sturgis. Sturgis' game winner from 27 yards out made him the SEC special teams player of the week. Congratulations, young man. DE Jermaine Cunningham also had a great performance as he had six tackles, including four for a loss, and two sacks. Now, the "teacher" travels to Starkghanistan to face his "mentor" in a battle of SEC powerhouses East v West. UpSeT aLeRt!!! Not really. The game starts at 6:30 CDT and will be aired on ESPN.

GEORGIA 4-3 (3-2 SEC)

The eastern division Dogs traveled to Nashville and whipped Vandy 34-10 last weekend. Leading the way for the defensive domination was SEC defensive lineman of the week Geno Atkins who recorded 8 tackles, including one for a loss. On the day, the Georgia "D" kept Vandy from gaining 300 yards of total offense. This week, however, the challenge gets tougher as they have a bye week. Ouch. Sorry Vandy, that was inappropriate. On Halloween, UGA will take on Florida in Jacksonville.

KENTUCKY 3-3 (1-3 SEC)

The Wildcats visited and handled Auburn, which no one not a Kentucky fan expected them to do. ESPN continues to praise Rich Brooks for his "grit" and "determination," and I guess I need to give him some credit too. After losing their qb Mike Hartline the previous week, they go on the road and get a gutsy 21-14 win. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Micah Johnson had a Patrick Willis-like 14 tackles. A bowl might actually be a possibility with MS State, Vandy, Georgia, Tennessee, ULM, and Eastern Kentucky on the schedule. They could easily win 3 of those last 6 games. This week, they plan to get one game closer to bowl eligibility against ULM on FSN at 6 central.

SOUTH CAROLINA 5-2 (2-2 SEC)

Dang't SC. Dang you, Steve Spurrier. You could have repaid us and let us get back on track in the SEC West by beating Alabama. Instead, you missed some opportunities and lost 20-6 in Tuscaloosa. As usual, the Tide "D" was tough, but WR Alshon Jefferry had 4 catches for 83 yards against Alabama. On the defensive side of the ball, Shaq Wilson had 11 tackles and an interception. If nothing else, SC gained some respect last week in the eyes of the SEC and national media. This week, the Cocks host the Commodores in an SEC East match-up. Remember that Vandy has beaten SC twice in a row, and I bet someone on the field will be seeking revenge. If you get really bored, tune in to ESPNU at 6 central.

TENNESSEE 3-3 (1-2 SEC)

Tennessee had a bye week to prepare for the Tide. If you remember, they thrashed Georgia a couple of weeks ago. Here's my only question/comment: How bad will Crompton look against that Bama defense? You can catch it on CBS at 2:30 CDT.

VANDERBILT 2-5 (0-4 SEC)

It seems that the Dores are right back to rock bottom in the SEC. If they are not careful, they will go 0-8 in the SEC this season. Last week, they were pummeled by a not so good Georgia team. However, frosh RB Warren Norman had 52 yards on 14 carries, 27 yards on two catches, and 71 kickoff return yards on four attempts. Also, LB Chris Marve had 9 tackles. The reality is that Vandy needs a win and needs it now. Can they make it three in a row against South Carolina? Tune in to ESPNU at 6 p.m. central.

Survive And Advance

mlmintampa — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:18:47 -0000

More photos » by Phil Sandlin - AP

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In the season long college football tournament, sometimes it is all about survive and advance. Today was the day as the Florida offense decided to put the ball on the ground four times and the Florida defense was so worn down in the 4th quarter that they could not see straight. The Gators 23-20 win over Arkansas was not pretty and it may cost them the No. 1 spot, but that doesn't matter. Your boys are 6-0 and Pasadena is still an attainable goal. Arkansas gave us all we could handle and more, and they might be the most improved team in the SEC. But the Gators played like defending champions, unwilling (at least right now) to let anyone take their crown.

It's a lovely Fall evening in most of Florida, so go out tonight and toast Tim Tebow for still being willing to take over games, your defense for propping up their injured captain, Riley Cooper for continuing to hang onto his football career, and Caleb Sturgis, who shook off Chris Hetland-itis and won the game. You can start thinking about Mississippi State tomorrow.

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)

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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