J

Website: http://www.gatorsportsnation.com

I have been a Gator fan my whole life. I started GSN when I was a sophomore in high school because I loved writing and especially when it was about the Gators. You can describe me as one of the biggest fans alive! There is nothing better then going to the Swamp on a Saturday to watch a football game. Go Gators! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to send me an email. admin@gatorsportsnation.com

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Brandon James To Miss Sugar Bowl

Posted by admin on December 22nd, 2009   No Comment

Florida Gator senior Brandon James played his last game of his Gator career against Alabama and will not play against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl on January 1.

James injured his right foot against Alabama in the SEC championship game on December 5 and underwent surgery last week. He missed the whole second half of the Bama game and said after the game that he didn’t know how bad it was or how long he would be out for but hoped he would be ready for the Sugar Bowl. But it’s not happening and it’s tough to hear.

“James is a heck of a player, especially in the return game,” UF coach Urban Meyer said. “But the good thing is (Chris) Rainey and (Jeff) Demps are also very capable guys. I’m kind of excited to watch them go get it.”

CB Joe Haden may also see some time with Demps and Rainey on the Return unit against the Bearcats.

James is UF’s all-time punt return leader in yards with 1,371 which is the seventh in the NCAA among all active players in their career punt return average (11.7) and is also in second for punt return yards. James is also second among all active players with four punt returns for touchdowns. It’s so sad to hear this about Brandon, he is such a good kid and his final game as a Gator comes to an end a little earlier than he pictured, it is just a bummer. We wish Brandon the best of luck and hope to see him on the sidelines cheering on his teammates.

(Quote gathered from Antonya English/Gator Report)

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Gators Play Their Way Back On The Bubble

Posted by admin on December 22nd, 2009   No Comment

The Tournament Bubble. A place the Gators would love to avoid. The bubble has not been kind to Billy Donovan’s Boys the last couple of years. It’s a place they would love to steer clear of.

It looked like they would do this when they raced off to an 8-0 start. Wins over FSU, Michigan State and Rutgers made for an impressive early season resume. A loss to highly regarded Syracuse was no reason to panic either. The Gators hung tough in that game. But then after a week off to take final exams and some of the guys battling injuries, a serious tumble happened over the weekend. The Gators lost. To Richmond. OUCH!

Not only did they lose, they looked awful doing it. It took them all bight just to get to 50 points. They shot poorly. They stood around and watched guys dribble. They did not guard the three point line at all. It was a pitiful performance.

There was one good stretch when UF took a 32-19 lead last in the half. But then it seemed as if they expected Richmond to roll over at that point. The Spiders scored the last five points of the half to cut the lead to 8. Then the Spiders ran off the first 9 points of the second half to take the lead. By the time it was over, Richmond built a 9 point lead midway through the second half. Florida was then it a battle. The Gators came back to tie the game 49-49. With 1:30 left, Richmond struck again from deep. They hit a deep three to take a 52-49 lead. Erving Walker tried to answer from 35 feet with too much time still on the shot clock. The shot clanked off the rim and was rebounded by Richmond. Game over.

Now Florida must regroup. Suddenly beating NC State on the road looks a bit tougher. So does a double digit win total in the SEC. The Gators need to accomplish those to get back off the bubble. And as we all know from the last two years. That’s a pace we need to get away from.

By: James Folsom

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Spider Bite: Richmond Upends Florida 56-53

Posted by admin on December 21st, 2009   No Comment

Most would see Richmond on their schedule and say, “Oh, well we can chalk this up as a win.” But sometimes, thinking ahead of the game can come back and “bite” you. That’s exactly what happened to the Gators when the Richmond Spiders appeared on their schedule. Luckily, this loss came before conference play, so the Gators still have time to work out all their kinks and get set for their long, strenuous conference schedule.

It seemed like everything was going smooth from the beginning until the last minute winded down in the first half after the Gators took a 32-19 lead. Richmond scored 5 easy points just before the half ended and you could tell right then that they were starting to go downhill.

Florida (8-2) lost to No. 5 Syracuse last week and now against Richmond makes it two in a row.

Kevin Anderson made four free throws with about 5 seconds remaining for the Spiders (8-3) who have now defeated two SEC teams this year. Richmond beat Mississippi State on November 27.

The Gators show 7 for 27 in the second half (26 percent) including 1 for 9 from beyond the three point line. Florida did come back at one point to take the lead 49-48 but it didn’t last long. Richmond guard David Gonzalvez shot 50 percent from the floor and 4 for 9 from beyond the arc and totaled for 16 points all together on the night.

Junior forward Alex Tyus led the Gators with 15 points on 7 for 10 shooting from the field. Redshirt junior Macklin led the team in rebounds with 11. Both Kenny Boynton and Ray Shipman were pretty much shut down, Boynton finished with six and Shipman with zero. Werner, Parsons, and Walker all scored nine a piece. It just wasn’t the night for the Gators.

The Gators are back in action on Tuesday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center as they host the South Alabama Jaguars (8-4) at 7 p.m.

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Dunlap Would Be Sitting On My Team

Posted by admin on December 19th, 2009   5 Comments

Far be it from me to tell Coach Urban Meyer how to run his team. Two National Titles in five years say he obviously knows what he’s doing. But if I were in his shoes, Carlos Dunlap would not be playing in the Sugar Bowl.

Dunlap was arrested days before the SEC Championship Game for DUI. That in itself is deplorable. Many young and innocent lives are snuffed out every day from people getting behind the wheel of a car after drinking too much. He could have killed himself or someone else that night. To me, that warrants a season ending suspension.

But on top of that, Dunlap committed this sin on the week of the biggest game of the year. Some would argue that it may have been the biggest game in school history. He let his coaches, teammates, fellow students, and the fans of Gators down. Would the Gators have won had he not been arrested? That’s something we will never know. We will never know what impact his absence had on the defense. But one thing we do know, the defense was able to hold LSU to 3 points. It was able to hold Tennessee to 6 points until the game was all but over. It was able to hold FSU to 6 points until all the suns were put in. Against Alabama , they got gashed. The difference? No Dunlap.

Now Dunlap is being allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl? Why? So he can showcase his talents one more time before he leaves early for the draft? Having him playing in the Sugar Bowl is like shutting the barn door after the horse has already gotten loose. And it seems the only one benefiting from it is Dunlap. Does anyone really care that much who wins this game. The UAA is practically begging people to buy tickets. There are no rings to won here. Sure it would be nice to win and finish in the top five, but in a way it just makes the whole situation even more maddening.

If UF’s defense with Dunlap is able to put the clamps on Cincinnati ’s high powered offense, then what will that prove? Maybe nothing. But it will sure raise suspicions that had Dunlap been in the ‘Bama game, things would’ve been different. That along with the notion that Meyer is recruiting a bunch of thugs and let’s them run wild is enough of a reason why he should sit. Meyer’s rep has taken enough hits lately with this and Leon Orr’s picture of himself holding a gun and cash. He really doesn’t need another one. Winning a fairly meaningless bowl game is not worth taking another shot to the chin.

By: James Folsom

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The Gators Look To Bounce Back VS. Richmond

Posted by admin on December 19th, 2009   No Comment

No it’s not too early to start thinking about March Madness. It’ll be here before you know it. One huge component of building a resume is the non conference schedule. Florida is nearing the finish line on that part.

The Gators travel to Miami for their annual trip to the Orange Bowl Classic this Saturday. With only one loss in non conference play, the Gators look to be in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament this year. This would be the Gators first trip since winning their second straight National Title in 2007. At that time UF has been 10 straight years.

With only NC State and Xavier left along with a few small time programs on the non conference schedule, and wins over Florida State and Michigan State , a 9-7 SEC record would be good enough to get the Gators in this year. Last year, it wasn’t. The Gators lost to FSU last year and had only close wins against NC State and Washington in non conference play. Both years the Gators lost to Syracuse .

If UF can beat the four cupcakes they have coming up, they will go into SEC play with no more than 2 losses. A win over NC State again this year and they will be 13-1. That should be enough should the Gators win 9 conference games this year. Last year’s resume lacked the signature win. This year’s already has Michigan State while ranked #2. Also FSU looks to be a contender in the ACC. UF has 6 non conference games left. Win 5 of those and 9 SEC games, that gives them a record of 22-9 going into the SEC Tournament. A 10 win SEC season and the Gators are a mortal lock.

There are also some opportunities within the SEC to pick up big wins that were not there last year. A win over Kentucky this year looks huge. Last year it was no big deal. Tennessee is another one. Win one or two of those games and 8-8 would get UF in.

By: James Folsom

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Gators To Host The Nations Top Prospect

Posted by admin on December 18th, 2009   No Comment

Last weekend was one of the biggest recruiting weekends Florida has ever had when they had twelve 2010 recruits visit. You think that was big? Well there is even a bigger surprise this weekend and it only has to do with one official visitor and that just happens to be the Nations No. 1 rated prospect Seantrel Henderson from Saint Paul (MINN.)

The 6-foot-8 301 pound OT from Cretin-Derham Hall has Southern Cal, Ohio State, and Notre Dame at the top of his list but Florida is just behind those three as his favorite choices. He also has Miami in the mix with the four. Right now his top three choices are pretty solid, he isn’t the type of player who considers all different kinds of schools and changes his mind. UF is really going to have to impress this kid over the weekend if they want to try and slide into his top three choices. I might know something Henderson may consider already before the visit, and that is the weather. Hopefully he wants to stay warm and possibly add that into consideration when it is about time to decide where he wants to go. Here is a little bit of information on him.

Seantrel Henderson (5 Stars)
- 6’8 301 pounds.
- Saint Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall
- Offensive tackle ranking: No. 1
- Rivals100 ranking: No. 1

- Other interests and visiting dates: Ohio State (9/11), Notre Dame (10/16), USC (12/4), IOWA, MIA & OKL.

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Q&A With 2010 Commit Robert Clark

Posted by admin on December 18th, 2009   No Comment

The Florida Gators captured their 20th commit for 2010 which also makes a trio for Dwyer high school in Palm Beach Gardens (FL.) as three-star CB Robert Clark (5’9, 170) made an oral commitment today. Clark now joins teammates Matt Elam and Gerald Christian as Gator pledges.

Clark padded up his stats at WR this season, catching 28 passes for 658 yards and eight touchdowns. He is very active and has amazing speed at the corner spot and is always swarmed around the football making plays.

Clark was already committed to West Virginia University but after he found out that Doc Holliday left to take the head coaching job at Marshall, he knew he didn’t want to have anything to do with them anymore, so he went with his second choice which was the Gators. Meyer and a couple other coaches were at his practice and knew already that he was leaning towards Florida, so it really wasn’t a big shocker.

“They told me they were happy that I’m keeping it in the family.”

What is meant by that quote is that Charlie Strong had a lot to do with recruiting kids from Dwyer, Jack Daniels (Dwyer head coach) is an UF alumni, and there are two players who are already committed to UF that were mentioned in the first part of the story.

Clark also talked about how cool it’s going to be playing with his other two teammates. “Man it’s going to be great,” said Clark. “We’ve all been together, we’re best friends. We’re starting a Dwyer-Florida tradition.” He also said that Curt Maggitt and Nick O’Leary have an interest in Florida and how they need to join with them next year.

Clark and the Panthers are facing Niceville in the 4A Florida State Championship this weekend.

Gator Sports Nation caught up with Robert and got a chance to ask some questions.

GSN: What are your feelings about WR coach Billy Gonzalez leaving the gator staff to coach at LSU?
Clark: “Oh at first I was mad but I got over it.”

GSN: What made the University of Florida stand out the most among your other college choices?
Clark: “I just loved Florida ever since I was little.”

GSN: What are your expectations your first year as a Gator?
Clark: “I don’ t know yet. Great I hope.”

GSN: How shocked were you when you found out Doc Holliday left WVU for Marshall?
Clark: “I was real mad.”

(Quotes gathered from Gator Bait.)

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Former Gator Assistant Snags Marshall Head Coaching Job

Posted by admin on December 17th, 2009   No Comment

Former Florida Gator football assistant John Holliday also known as “Doc” is the new head coach for the Thundering Herd.

Mike Hamrick, the Athletic Directory over at Marshall said that Holliday signed a 5-year contract that is worth $600,000 per year.

Doc will be replacing Mark Snyder who resigned on November 29 after coaching for five seasons at Marshall and a 23-37 record at the that time.

After Doc Holliday left the Gators in 2007, he joined the staff over at West Virginia. If I could describe Holliday, all I would say is that he is one heck of a recruiter. This is Holliday’s first head coaching job. Good luck and we wish him the best.

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