From Gator Clause by Joseph Goodman, Miami Herald:
GAINESVILLE --
First, some news ...
-Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney said on Tuesday that freshmen Leon Orr and Lynden Trail will likely redshirt this season. McCarney said they were not ready for SEC football.
-In case you didn't know it already, Florida is around a 35.5-point favorite against Miami (Ohio).
-Running back Emmanuel Moody predicted a big year for Chris Rainey, who switched from running back to slot receiver for his senior season. Rainey has been making people "look foolish" in practice, according to Moody.
-Jaye Howard was recruited as a linebacker. He grew into a defensive end then grew into a defensive tackle. He's around 300 pounds now but still fairly athletic. On Monday, Meyer said that Howard could be used some at defensive end this season. On Tuesday, McCarney confirmed that if Howard bounces outside it most likely would be in a 3-4 defense.
-On Tuesday, I reminded receiver Andre Debose that the last catch he made in a competitive football game was the spectacular game-winning touchdown grab he made against Miami Northwestern to win the 2008 Class 6A state championship game for Sanford Seminole. Debose said he thought about that play often during his grueling rehabilitation process for a torn hamstring tendon and sometimes when he needs reminding in practice that he's a good receiver. (When he drops passes, apparently.)
-Florida lined up in the I-formation during red-zone situations in the spring and it appears that plan didn't change during fall camp. Emmanuel Moody said the Gators will use a lot of I-formation in the red zone to keep opponents "guessing."
-Offensive lineman Maurice Hurt told me on Tuesday that this week is the best week of his life. Hurt is starting at right tackle on Saturday. He has suffered through back and neck problems during his career but is pain free after having surgery to correct an overgrowth of calcium.
-Senior Lawrence Marsh has been made a captain. UF now has five senior captains on defense and one senior captain on offense.
OK, with the news out of the way I can tell you guys about my feature in tomorrow's paper about running back Emmanuel Moody. As a youngster growing up in Coppell, Texas, Moody was discriminated against for his appearance. As Moody explains it ...
"Growing up there were a lot of people saying, 'You're not going to make it. You're half Korean. Only black running backs make it.' The odds were against me but I felt like I had talent at running back and I was going to take it as far as God was going to allow me to take it. There was definitely a lot of opposition, me being half Korean and half black at the position. There were a lot of stereotypes that each position on the field has to be a certain type of race or color."
Moody went on to explain that he feels he wasn't allowed to play running back his first year of Pop Warner because "most people saw me as Asian unless I told them I was half black. I didn't really get a chance the first year and finally the second year they saw what I could do with the ball and then I feel like I got my opportunity."
