By: Dan

Spring football at the University of Florida came to an end Saturday afternoon with the annual Orange and Blue game. The scrimmage was the last chance for hardcore Gator football fanatics to get their fix before the fall.

Blazing speed: Before the game, a handful of UF students and a few Gator players took the field and competed in the 40-yard dash. The idea behind the competition was to find the fastest student on campus. The contestants were broken in to two divisions: more than 225 pounds and less than 225 pounds. Aaron Hernandez won the big boy 40 with a 4.53. Linebacker Brandon Hicks was right on his heels with a 4.59. But in the lighter weight division, it was no contest, as Chris Rainey smoked everyone ­­– players and average joes alike – with a time of 4.29. The fastest student time was a 4.43 (lightweight) and a 4.8 (heavyweight). The two fastest students won tickets to the season opener against Charleston Southern Sept. 5.

I see the Blue offense, but where’s the Orange? In all of the other Orange and Blue games I’ve ever seen, the two teams are always divided pretty equally. Both sides will have a handful of starters, and the squads are usually evenly matched. But this year, all of the offensive players were decked out in blue, while all of the defensive guys were wearing white jerseys. I can only assume that this is because of all the players who were forced to sit out with injuries. Regardless of the jersey colors, the “blue” team was the first-team offense and second-team defense, while the “orange” squad had the first-team defense and second-team offense.

Offense holds its own: All spring long, I kept reading about how the defense was schooling the offense in practice, so I assumed that the offense would struggle to find the end zone. That wasn’t the case, as the two offenses scored a combined 52 points. That’s despite the fact that the quarters were only 10 minutes long and there was a running clock in the fourth quarter. The majority of the points were given up by the second-string defense (the Orange team won 31-21), but the offense did much better than I expected.

Welcome back, Dorian: Before last season began, it was thought that safety Dorian Munroe would play a major role for the Gator defense at safety. But he was one of many players who suffered a season-ending injury. The trio of Ahmad Black, Major Wright and Will Hill did an excellent job at safety last year, but Munroe made a play that let everyone know that he could be in the mix again this year. In the first half, Tim Tebow threw a pass that was tipped by a linebacker. Munroe deflected the ball and hauled it in with one hand, and then returned it deep into Blue territory. He showed a great deal of athleticism and concentration on the play. Even though the Gators have a wealth of safeties, Munroe should see plenty of playing time.

Brantley shines: Many fans were curious to see how Tebow would look after working all spring with new quarterbacks coach Scott Loeffler. But backup quarterback John Brantley really stole the show. He threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more (even though the second touchdown run was basically a gift from Urban Meyer). He connected on some long passes ­– usually to Frankie Hammond Jr., who also had an excellent game with two touchdown receptions – and showed pocket awareness. On his first touchdown run, he quickly surveyed the field, saw that no one was open and took off to his left. The field was so open, it almost looked like a designed run. He did get a lot more playing time than Tebow did, but he definitely took advantage. He finished with 265 passing yards. The only blemish on his day was an interception he threw to linebacker Brendan Beal, but most of the credit for that play goes to Beal. Not only did he make an outstanding leaping grab, but he also faked a pass rush and dropped into a shallow zone. Although there is no question that Tebow is the man at QB, Brantley did a lot to show he is capable of taking the reins after Tebow graduates.

The mystery running back: One player who caught most fans by surprise was sophomore running back Christopher Scott. He joined the Gators as a walk-on in the spring of 2008. With no Jeff Demps or Emmanuel Moody, Scott saw a great deal of playing time and looked pretty impressive. He finished the game with 80 yards on 14 carries with a long run of 15 yards. He showed very good vision in finding running lanes and had displayed a pretty good burst of speed when he got into open space.

Alajajian’s pancake: Freshman offensive lineman Nick Alajajian has received a lot of praise during the spring. There was one play in particular that really endeared him to the fans. In the second half, Brantley faked an option to the left and pitched the ball to Hammond, who ran back to the right. Alajajian laid a hellacious block on junior defensive tackle Edwin Herbert, who was following the play and never saw the 6-foot-4, 288 pound tackle coming. The block drew a loud “Ooooo” from the crowd, especially when fans saw the replay.

Fullbacks get involved: Early in the spring, Meyer expressed some concern about his fullbacks, but both T.J. Pridemore and Rick Burgess found the end zone early. Pridemore caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Tebow for the Blue’s first score, while Burgess hauled in a 5-yard TD pass from Brantley to score the Orange’s first touchdown.

All in all, it was a good Orange and Blue game. No one suffered a serious injury, the game was entertaining and fans got to see a lot of new faces. It will be interesting to see if any of the newbies who shined Saturday will shine in the fall.