In the second quarter, Florida was able to really put some distance on Oklahoma as they wracked up 17 more points using their balanced offense. The first score came just 11 seconds into the quarter, as Tim Tebow stood in the pocket and hit David Nelson for a 22-yard score (highlight below). The Florida defense maintained it's pressure on Sam Bradford in the second, only surrenduring a field goal to the Oklahoma offense. Then, with under a minute remaining in the first half, Gators running back Jeff Demps scampered into the end zone for another touchdown. As Oklahoma was driving, a turnover helped Florida put another field goal on the board as time expired. At halftime, it was the Gators 27 and the Sooners 3.

David Nelson makes a nice diving catch for a Florida touchdown.

The second half was all about the defenses. The Florida defense continued to give no time to Sam Bradford, who was forced into pass mode to try to lead a comeback. There would be no coming back as turnovers and big stops by Florida kept Oklahoma to just three second half points. The Gators' defense was anchored by senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, who recorded seven tackles and one sack on the day. Jermaine Cunningham was the force inside for Florida, as he tallied three sacks this afternoon. The Florida offense went into conservative mode with such a large halftime lead. The Gators were content to chew clock and play smart to preserve their lead. This allowed the Oklahoma defense to clamp down, as they also only allowed three second half points.

The win moves Florida to 2-0, and will surely lock in their #1 ranking in the polls. The Gators return home next week to host rival Tennessee. Rumor has it that some of Florida's top recruits will be in on official visits, which makes it paramount that the Gators pull out a victory.

Here are the team stats for the game:

	Florida	Oklahoma
1st Downs	14	11
Total Offense	386	225
Rush-YD-TD	37-87-1	15-25-0
Comp-ATT-TD	12-18-2	17-29-0
Pass YD	299	200
3rd Conv.	9-14 (64%)	1-9 (11%)
TO	1	3
Fumbles Lost	0	2
INT	1	1
Punts	2	2
Penalties	2	1
T.O.P.	18:01	11:03

Individual Stats Leaders

Passing
Tim Tebow: 12-18, 299 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Sam Bradford: 17-29, 200 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT

Rushing
Jeff Demps: 26-86 yds, 3.3 AVG, 1 TD, Long of 15
Demarco Murray: 9-55 yds, 6.1 AVG, 0 TD, Long of 44

Receiving
Deonte Thompson: 4 rec, 147 yds, 36.7 AVG, 1 TD, Long of 75
Jermaine Gresham: 6 rec, 66 yds, 11.0 AVG, 0 TD, Long of 23

49-17 the final in Gainsville!




9/5/2009

GAINSVILLE, FL -- At the beginning of every season, every single team thinks they can win a championship. For a team of Florida's caliber, that would be the dream of another national championship. For a team of FAU's caliber, that would be the dream of a Sun Belt championship. The goals are different, but the same. When the two Florida teams stepped on the field to open the 2009 college football season, anything was possible.

Early on in the game Florida Atlantic showed that they had a solid gameplan in place and were looking to upset the #1 ranked Gators on their home field. The Owls did damage on a stout Florida defense through the air, converting on many third-and-long situations and a couple of great passes. The Owls took a 7-0 lead, and scored 14 points in the quarter and actually led Florida at the end of the first quarter by the score of 14 to 10.

While Florida Atlantic's offense showed promise, their defense did not. The Gators were able to move the ball at will all game, and were only forced to punt twice. The only other two stops came on Tim Tebow interceptions. The big star of the game for Florida was running back Jeff Demps, who amassed 258 yards rushing on 27 carries for the day. His lightning-fast speed and quick lateral movement kept Owls defenders grasping air rather than jersey all day. Tebow was solid despite the two interceptions, as he threw for four touchdowns and 258 yards. He was also effective on the ground, rushing for just under 60 yards on eight attempts. The combination of Tebow and Demps, along with a potent receiving corps, will keep opposing defenses on the ropes all season.

The second half of the game belonged to the Florida Gators defense. After what can be described as a fiery halftime speech by Coach Basil Faraday, the defensive unit came out on a mission. They held Florida Atlantic to under 50 yards of total offense in the second half, which allowed this game to get out of hand. In the end, it wasn't as big of a blowout as some expected, but the Gators locked down the all important first win of the season by the score of 49-17.

The big play of the day came in the second half with the Gators at the 50-yard line. Quarterback Tim Tebow took the snap and delivered a great play-action fake. Noticing that his deep receivers were covered, he checked down and found tight end Aaron Hernandez in the flats. Hernandez made one guy miss and was off to the races. As the pursuit neared around the 10-yard line, he had one thing in mind: to score. A FAU defender jumped on his back in an effort to strip the ball, and the beastly Hernandez carried him eight yards before he fell off and another Owls defender put a hit on the tight end. By then it was too late, and Hernandez fell just over the goal line for a touchdown! This score put the game out of reach, cementing the win.

Here are the team stats for the game:

	FAU	Florida
1st Downs	13	23
Total Offense	263	594
Rush-YD-TD	16-7-1	43-336-3
Comp-ATT-TD	23-42-1	15-22-4
Pass YD	256	258
3rd Conv.	5-15 (33%)	3-8 (37%)
TO	0	2
Fumbles Lost	0	0
INT	0	2
Punts	8	2
Penalties	0	8
T.O.P.	10:48	18:45

Florida Gators Stats Leaders

Passing
Tim Tebow: 15-22, 258 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT

Rushing
Jeff Demps: 27-258 yds, 9.5 AVG, 3 TD, Long of 70

Receiving
Aaron Hernandez: 4 rec, 100 yds, 25.0 AVG, 2 TD, Long of 54
David Nelson: 4 rec, 66 yds, 16.5 AVG, 0 TD, Long of 22

Coach Basil Faraday of the Florida Gators has announced how his team will plan to attack the recruiting trail for the 2009 season. With a new recruiting system in place in the OFFL, the Gators will have to be careful to abide by the rules and avoid any penalties for failing to do so. Here is a breakdown of how many players, and of what caliber, Florida can sign:

There are currently 68 players on the roster.
The senior class consists of 13 players.
Since no team can go over the limit of 70 total players, this gives the Gators 15 available in-season scholarship offers.

Based on the new recruiting system, they can sign one five-star recruit, seven four-star recruits, and seven three-star (or below) recruits. But wait -- there are BONUS recruits, too! Certain recruits in the database are known as "free game", and they will not count towards the star restrictions! This will give each recruiting class diversity and allows each team the opportunity to sign a good player for a needed position. The Gators currently have the following bonus recruits on their recruiting board:

• HB - Baker (five-star)
• CB - McBride (five-star)
• P - Coley (four-star)
• CB- Gaines (four-star)
• QB - Parker (four-star)
• T - Kirkpatrick (four-star)
• T - Jackson (four-star)

Florida has very few needs this season, so they will be looking to add depth to a good cast of current players. They MUST sign a quarterback, fullback, and a middle linebacker to meet EA Sports requirements. Follow along here at The Gator Swamp as the recruiting plot thickens this season.

The Florida Gators athletic department has finalized their 2009 football schedule:

2009 Florida Gators Football Schedule

Sep. 05 - vs. Florida Atlantic [W 49-17]
Sep. 12 - @ Oklahoma (Bruce80) [W 30-6]
Sep. 19 - vs. Tennessee
Sep. 26 - @ Kentucky
Oct. 10 - @ LSU (Geauxlden)
Oct. 17 - vs. Arkansas (HOMECOMING)
Oct. 24 - @ Mississippi State
Oct. 31 - vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)
Nov. 07 - vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 14 - @ South Carolina
Nov. 22 - @ Florida International
Nov. 28 - vs. Florida State (AMP)

GAINSVILLE, Florida -- The Florida Gators' search for their new head coach ended today, as the university introduced Basil Faraday in a press conference earlier this morning. The announcement, and subsequent installation of Faraday, comes as sort of a surprise to the Gator faithful, who expected to hear that coach Steve Whitaker would be their next leader. The exact terms of Faraday's contract are unknown, but we have learned that it is a seven year deal worth "a lot" of money.

Here are parts of the press conference's transcript:

R: What kind of experience do you have to lead such a prominent college football team, a team that has won two of the last three national titles?
BF: At James Madison University, I was the mastermind behind a great rushing attack that established [JMU] as a force to be reckoned with. I have worked hard to better myself and to make those around me better. I am young and enthusiastic, and I know that there is always something to be learned from someone.

R: What assistants are you looking to retain from the previous Florida regime, and in what areas are you looking to bring your own people in?
BF: There will not be wholesale changes made to the current coaching staff. We have not yet discussed who fits into our plans and who doesn't, but there is a great staff installed right now. I will be the overseer of the offense primarily, so there might be some changes made there.

R: What kind of offense do you plan on installing?
BF: I am a firm believer that we need to run the football well to succeed. Having said that, I certainly know how great a runner Tim [Tebow] is, and what he brings to the table in that regard. I also know that he is a solid passer of the football. We really are going to look at the talent that we have and evaluate what kind of system we will run, but don't be surprised if we shift from a shotgun spread offense with option mixed in to a more balanced, under-center attack. Time will tell.

R: The Southeastern Conference has produced four of the past six national champions, with the Gators and the LSU Tigers winning two apiece. How do you think the Gators will fare this season, and moving forward, in the toughest conference in the land?
BF: The SEC is certainly stacked, and we have our work cut out for us. Every game is a big game, and no one will be taken lightly. Our biggest games this season are obviously Tennessee at home, LSU on the road, and Georgia in Jacksonville. All I can say is that we have the talent to win now, and our gameplanning will be put to the test.

R: Coach, where on your list of "dream jobs" does the Florida job rank?
BF: The Gators were definitely in my top 3 dream jobs. For each of the three that I REALLY considered dream jobs, I would have stopped whatever I was doing to come coach. When Florida called to interview me, I about fell out of my chair. I am so excited to be here in Gainsville, even though it is a little hot here in the summer [laughs]. I am going to bring a passion to this team and this university that will be unrelenting. To borrow a couple words from Tim [Tebow], God bless.