Gator Country

Florida senior linebacker Brandon Spikes pumps up the crowd during the Gators' 23-13 win against Tennessee on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey

Lurking in every shadow is an enemy of the state, or, at least, The Gator Nation.

The Florida Gators are putting up a good defense on more than one front, doing everything they can as an organization to fend off sickness. In one fell swoop, Swine Flu could end the dream. Urban Meyer and his team have used Purell hand sanitizer so much lately that the coach says, “I wish I’d bought some stock in it.”

Equally as worrisome as the flu bug is the injury bug. A sore hamstring here (Deonte Thompson), a tweaked Achilles there (Brandon Spikes), a pinched shoulder nerve here (Riley Cooper) could add to the growing list of walking wounded/infected.

It didn’t end there for the Tennessee game, because in addition to Spikes leaving the game in the third quarter, running back Jeffrey Demps played with 101-degree temperature and tight end Aaron Hernandez came off a sick bed in isolation.

Depth, the very reason the Florida Gators were hailed as No. 1 in all the preseason polls, suddenly could become an issue. Meyer thinks it already is.

Show me another team in the country, he said, that has lost three receivers like the Gators have – freshman Andre Debose (hamstring), senior Carl Moore (back) and Thompson. Suddenly the shortage of experience at wide receiver is a legitimate concern.

In fact, wide receiver coach Billy Gonzalez was sent home Monday with flu symptoms.

With Cooper dinged, Hernandez sick and Deonte sidelined against Tennessee, the ball remained in the hands of the tailbacks and quarterback, as Florida rushed for 200 yards against an underrated Vol defense. But what now? Florida cannot live on the ground alone.

If there was any good news at Monday’s press conference it was that in addition to an upgrade on Thompson, Spikes is expected to be ready for the road trip to Kentucky. And Meyer has said he won’t hold anybody back or sit them out, because this game is too important.

All able bodied men will be needed for this assignment, because it’s a fact that history seems to be repeating itself this season. And the Gators have to be on upset alert every weekend because of their propensity to follow this trend by losing one game. Check it out:

1. Ohio State has already lost a big game.
2. Notre Dame lacks cred and Charlie Weis is hanging on.
3. USC has already lost a game to an unranked team.
4. Oklahoma has already lost once.
5.  Big game letdown is always looming: See Oklahoma State vs. Houston (after Georgia).

So will Florida drop one along the way?

Speaking of enemy, there is also Kentucky, albeit not an elite member of the SEC and loser of 22 straight games to the Gators. That doesn’t fool Meyer, who is very aware in the topsy-turvy world of Big Boy football there is always the unexpected.

It’s not like Kentucky can’t play. Rich Brooks’ team scored 73 points in wins over Miami of Ohio and Louisville.

And, finally, there is that bull’s eye on the collective backs of the top-ranked Gators because they are the target of every disgruntled and envious coach and fan whose teams have been trying to catch them in the last few seasons.

One thing has become very clear after two games, however: Meyer’s team has got to get better in a hurry. And get deeper.

Player development has been strength of Meyer and his coaching staff and that’s going to be at a premium – especially at wide receiver. That formula has worked every year during the national championship campaigns for Meyer, whose resourcefulness and commitment to that development have paid huge dividends – even if a few have to come from the scrap heap.

Meyer’s staff coaches deep, coaches hard and coaches long.

As we saw in 2005 when Urban was down to just a couple of receivers, the Spread can’t work efficiently without talent to spread around. So what does that mean?

Sometimes he rehabilitates them (Steve Harris, last three games of 2006), sometimes he imports them (Ryan Smith, 2006) and sometimes he coaches them up (David Nelson, Riley Cooper, latter half of the 2008 season).

I asked Urban Monday about the sense of urgency of getting young players like Omarius Hines, Frankie Hammond, T. J. Lawrence, Justin Williams and quarterback Johnny Brantley on the field ASAP.

“That’s what we did yesterday (Sunday),” said Meyer. “We actually sat down David Nelson. He had a sore leg. Riley Cooper, we didn’t practice him because of his feet and his pinched nerve. So yesterday it was development day. Omarius Hines – he’s got, they’ve all got talent. It’s just time to go play. One of those guys is going to have to fill a void this week. We’ve going to go with the idea that Deonte is going to play. But we’ve got to get that next guy in the game.

“And Johnny Brantley is really close. We’d like to get him in the game.”

Right now if we had to pick the next one to step up, Hines seems to be the likely candidate, but he’s got to prove himself in quality playing time before he gets the nod.

It is also worthwhile looking in the rearview mirror as where the Gators were this time last season: 3-0 and struggling a bit on offense. Beating Tennessee certainly didn’t prove to be a springboard, as they lost at home to Ole Miss. Without that loss, however, there might not have been a championship for Florida.

Will Kentucky become this year’s Ole Miss? The answer lies in the mysteries of good health, good execution and a good bench.

Meanwhile, I’m pretty sure Gator fans would take a repeat of last season, even if it has to include a loss.

About the author

BuddyShow

Buddy Martin is the author of seven books, including Urban Meyer's authorized biography, and was a recipient of an Emmy while working for CBS Sports on "The NFL Today." The native son of Ocala and Florida-educated journalist is the former sports editor of the New York Daily News, Denver Post, St. Petersburg Times and Florida Today. He has won more than 165 state and national awards for writing and editing. "Urban's Way" (St. Martin's Press) is now out in paperback. It can be purchased at all major book stores or by writing Buddy at buddyshow@aol.com.

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