Each week, Gator Country will stop to recap all of the news and notes from the week leading up to the game. Today we recap everything that has happened leading up to Florida’s season opener against Florida Atlantic.
We provide you with an overview of all the Gators news stories we’ve published in the past week with links to each, as well as three key questions, a look inside the enemy camp and more.
| Florida vs. Florida Atlantic – Sept. 3, 2011 |
| Weekly Recap |
| Florida entered its first game week with plenty of questions after new coach Will Muschamp openly voiced his displeasure about the mental effort of his team in a scrimmage last week.
However, Muschamp liked the team’s mental approach to practice late last week and early this week, and it seems Florida took his message to heart. The team played with more energy and made less mistakes throughout the week leading up to the season opener. That said, there are still some concerns in the secondary and on the offensive line for the Gators. Muschamp said the left guard position, in particular, is still up for grabs despite Notre Dame transfer Dan Wenger entering the week as the designated starter there. Likewise, nearly the entire starting secondary was still undecided early in the week. Safety Matt Elam is the only player who had locked down a starting job in a young but talented secondary. The lack of consistent starters at cornerback concerns Elam, who said it has been difficult to adjust to the different playing styles of his teammates with so many guys rotating through. While as many as five cornerbacks could start for Florida, look for the two starters to come from the trio of Marcus Roberson, Cody Riggs and Jaylen Watkins, in that order. Jeremy Brown has been limited by a sprained knee and is questionable for the opener. Meanwhile, true freshman Pop Saunders had the lead for the safety role opposite Elam heading into this week, and he will probably earn his first start. Even with big shoes to fill in the secondary, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn expects a tough, fast defense. The coordinator loves the amount of talent on his squad, despite its youth. Many players feel the Florida defense is being overlooked, and they’ll come out ready to prove last season’s Top 10 finish wasn’t a fluke. On offense, Florida has perhaps even more questions. The Gators are hoping for a new and improved John Brantley, but he’ll need some players around him to step up. There were some questions about his health early in the week after the senior quarterback was limited in practice, but Brantley’s back soreness shouldn’t keep him out of the opener. With offensive coordinator Charlie Weis’ pro-style scheme now installed, the Florida offense is taking shape. Trey Burton has adjusted to his new role as a multi-faceted player for the Gators, and his ability to line up in multiple positions from the same personnel grouping should give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares. Likewise, Weis has schemed to make Jordan Reed a focal point of the offense, and the redshirt sophomore tight end should be used extensively in the passing game to create mismatches. The real key for Brantley will be the improvement of the offensive line, particularly at center, where Florida had serious problems in the first few games a year ago. Redshirt sophomore Jonotthan Harrison is comfortable at center and ready for the pressure and the spotlight, which is a good sign for the Gators. Florida also needs its running backs to stay healthier than they did a year ago, when the Gators were forced to play multiple players from other positions there thanks to a severely depleted backfield. Senior Chris Rainey has matured and figures to be a star in Weis’ new offense, which will look to isolate the speedy, shifty back in space. Will Muschamp is anxious to start his Florida career, and the first-year head coach will have his coordinators on the field with him to help smooth over any issues that could arise with new schemes going in on both sides of the ball. |
| Three Key Questions |
| 1. Florida couldn’t have asked for a better starting opponent with such a young and inexperienced secondary. The Owls don’t boast much of a passing game at all, which should allow the Gators to settle in defensively.
However, FAU does have an extremely good running back in Alfred Morris. He will provide a good early test for what should be a revamped front seven on defense for the Gators. If Florida can shut Morris down early, this game has the potential to turn into a serious blowout and a terrific confidence booster for the Florida offense. Will Florida be able to do that, or will the sloppy play, mental mistakes and missed tackles Muschamp was worried about last week come back to make the opener a drag again for the Gators? |
| 2. After a disastrous 2010 season, all Brantley needs this season is the chance to build some confidence. That means his offensive line has to keep him on his feet, his receivers can’t drop easy passes early on and the running game has to provide him with an effective attack on the ground.
If those things happen, there’s no reason to think Brantley can’t make a pretty nice turnaround and become a quality SEC starter, even if he doesn’t lead the league in passing. If Florida’s talent on defense translates to suffocating play, all Brantley has to do is avoid imploding. But no amount of positive press in the world will shake the doubt from Florida fans. They’re going to have to see it on the field to believe it. Will Brantley give them a reason for optimism on Saturday? |
| 3. It’s been a long time since Florida’s players seemed to legitimately enjoy playing the game. Even going back to the 2009 season, the pressure seems to have really taken its toll on the Gators, who played not to lose amid massive expectations.
After going 8-5 and bringing in a new head coach, Florida shouldn’t have much outisde pressure to succeed this season. The Gators enter ranked No. 22 in the country and picked to finish third in the SEC East. That could be the best thing that ever happened to Florida. If the Gators simply come out and start having fun again, Florida has the talent to really surprise some folks. Will the Gators come out playing loose and enjoying the game, or will we see the same old tight bunch again on Saturday? |
| Eying the Enemy |
| Each week we’ll keep an eye on the news coming out of the opposing team’s camp leading up to the game. This week, there’s really not much.
Several Florida Atlantic players have scouted Florida for months, but even coach Howard Schnellenberger doesn’t think he can beat Florida if the Gators simply play their game. That hasn’t kept the FAU offensive line from a self-mandated gag order, which may or may not do a whole lot in helping the Owls focus and overcome a 33.5-point spread. In all probability, the offensive linemen won’t have much to say to the media anyway after playing the Gators. The Owls are such big underdogs for a reason, and escaping Gainesville with a win would be akin to Appalachian State toppling Michigan in one of the greatest upsets in recent memory. |
| What We Think |
| Here’s what our staff thinks about the Florida Atlantic game and our previews of other important games this weekend.
Derek Tyson takes a close look at Florida Atlantic with a 10-point preview hitting on some of the biggest questions and things to watch, while Adam Pincus breaks down Florida Atlantic with a statistical look at the Owls. Adam also spoke to Howard Schellenberger, the coaching legend the Gators will face, as he enters his final season in one of the most decorated careers in football history. Finally, Andrew Spivey took a look at who he thinks are the top five players in the SEC, while Sean Crawford previews the SEC games and previews the Top 25 games on this weekend’s slate. Last but not least, the entire Gator Country staff picks each SEC and Top 25 game on the weekend schedule along with four of our subscribers in a fun, friendly competition. |
| Broadcast Information |
| Kickoff Time – 7 p.m. ET |
| TV – ESPNU |
| Radio – GRN/GatorZoneXM:205 |