Between thunderstorms, the Florida Gators took to the practice field Wednesday afternoon for their fifth practice of the spring at the Sanders Practice Facility.
The team practiced on the field farthest from the media, the 60-yard Field Turf artificial field. The grass fields have taken a pretty good beating, and with the turf slick from Wednesday rain, coach Urban Meyer and his staff decided to give the grass fields some rest. This should give them the ability to practice on those fields Friday and Saturday.
Because of the limited visibility, there was little to see for anyone in attendance. However, from the top of the McKethan Stadium next door, we were able to watch some of the scrimmage.
The practice was spirited – players seemed to have fun together – but the Gators also got some work done. Quarterback Tim Tebow was the one leading the fun. He took a snap during the 7-on-7 drills and immediately rolled to his left.
Once he saw that no one was open, Tebow tucked the ball and tried to reverse field, using the mob of about 30 offensive reserves behind him as a screen against A.J. Jones, who was blitzing as a linebacker. Tebow ran all the way to the other side of the field before completing a pass, only to then question the defense on why they weren’t playing defense. There was some obvious sarcasm in his voice, and a few players laughed it off.
Tebow had one play where he rolled out left to hit Carl Moore in the front corner of the end zone. It almost looked like the play that Florida scored its first touchdown against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Right after the pass was completed, Tebow started talking trash to the offense, particularly safety Ahmad Black, mocking him by saying “You couldn’t get there in time!”
RECEIVER EMERGING: Frankie Hammond is going to play a big role in the offense this fall. Once again, he received multiple compliments on his play.
Wednesday he threw a big block during the scrimmage on a quick pass to Carl Moore running an out pattern, and Hammond’s block allowed Moore to score.
Wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales was very energetic after the play, and Tebow actually came over to give Hammond a head-butt, which almost put the redshirt-freshman receiver on his butt.
ONE ‘MOORE’ TIME: Carl Moore had another solid day. Besides his touchdown catch from Tebow, he caught a long pass from John Brantley deep down the left sideline for a touchdown. Moore looks much more comfortable this spring. His play combined with Riley Cooper playing baseball could earn him a starting position in the fall.
ONE MOVE AND GONE: Chris Rainey made a move that forced his teammates, offense or defense, to break out the “oooos” like you rarely see. He took a handoff through the middle of the offensive line, faked right and went to his immediate left, causing a defender to fall to the ground as Rainey ran about 40 yards to the end zone.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP: One of the cooler moments came after practice as the media waited to conduct interviews. Senior Brandon Spikes and freshman Jon Bostic walked by, just the two of them talking about practice. They shared a few laughs about things, but it was really good to see Spikes taking the freshman under his wing and walking him through what it’s like to play middle linebacker at Florida.
WALKING WOUNDED: Sophomore Matt Patchan came into practice today without crutches or the large brace he had on his knee last week following a scooter accident. His knee was still wrapped, but he looked to be walking better than expected. Senior Brandon James also came to practice with his right foot, which had offseason surgery, in a walking boot.
HIGH ENERGY: Defensive line coach Dan McCarney brings great energy to practice each day and expects his players to do the same. McCarney reminded JUCO transfer Edwin Herbert that “this is the SEC” and told redshirt freshman Earl Okine that he “wasn’t in kindergarten anymore”. No wonder his players love him.