Gators take on Georgia to open SEC soccer tourney

Florida is the No. 4 seed for the Southeastern Conference Soccer Tournament this week at the Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Ala.

The Gators (14-6) meet No. 5 seed Georgia (12-5-2) at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the opening round.
South Carolina enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed after claiming the regular-season title with a 9-2 league record. The Gamecocks meet No. 8 seed Alabama at 6 p.m. Wednesday. On the other side of the bracket, No. 7 Auburn faces No. 2 LSU at 1 p.m. and then No. 6 Kentucky meets No. 3 Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
 
Florida is the defending SEC Tournament champion, claiming its ninth title in 2010 with a 1-0 win over South Carolina.

No. 24 Kentucky Tops No. 13 Gator Volleyball in Five

Senior right-side setter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) registered her 27th career triple-double, senior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) contributed her seventh double-double of the season and five Gator hitters were in double digit kills but the No. 13 Florida volleyball team was unable to recover after losing the opening set against No. 24 Kentucky and fell 2-3 (23-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 15-9) on Sunday afternoon. The Gators fall to 17-5 on the season and 10-3 in SEC play, dropping consecutive conference matches for the first time since 2009 (11/11/09 vs. No. 19 LSU, 11/13/09 at Tennessee).

Sophomore middle blocker Chloe Mann (Gainesville, Fla.) had a career-high 10 kills, hitting .455 with no errors to go along with a career-high seven blocks. Murphy led all Gator hitters with 15 kills, adding 24 assists and 13 digs to complete the triple-dip. Jaeckel registered 13 kills and 11 digs on the afternoon, while fellow senior outside hitter Stephanie Ferrell (Los Angeles, Calif.) posted 11 kills against the Wildcats. Junior right-side Tangerine Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.) had 10 kills, five blocks and four digs against Kentucky, while redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.) led the Gator back row with 19 digs.

Florida led by as many as five in the first set, going on a 5-0 run behind the serve of Murphy. Mann was a part of three straight Gator blocks to put the Orange and Blue ahead, 10-5. The Wildcats went on a 6-1 run to knot the set at 11-11 but a Mann-Wiggs block gave Florida the 12-11 advantage. The teams traded serve and the lead multiple times throughout the opening stanza, a set that saw 13 ties and six lead changes. Kentucky used two serving runs late in the first set to keep the lead, as Pavan registered three kills in the last four points the Wildcats scored. Florida scored two straight points to pull within two, 24-23, but a Pavan kill secured the set for Kentucky, 25-23.

Florida’s hitters fell into a comfortable rhythm in the second set, with four Gators registering a .500 hitting clip or better in the second stanza. Kentucky got off to a quick start but a kill by Jaeckel settled Florida down. Kentucky looked to be going on a long run, taking a 10-6 lead behind back-to-back kills from Frazier. Wiggs answered with back-to-back kills of her own and Florida fought back, tying the set at 15-15 on a kill from Mann. Using the middle and opposite hitters worked to Florida’s advantage, as seven of the Gators’ last nine kills in the set were from the middle or right side. Jaeckel took the final two swings for the Gators as Florida took the second set, 25-19.

Kentucky opened the third set on a 4-0 run and forced a Florida timeout after a Gator attack error at 6-1. UF began to slowly chip away at the UK lead using solid serve receive and spreading the ball around offensively, as the Gators battled back to tie the set at 19-19 after a Murphy kill. The teams continued to sideout and the Gators took timeout after Kentucky’s Frazier gave the Wildcats a slight advantage at 22-21. Kentucky closed the 25-21 set on a 5-1 run to take a 2-1 advantage in the match, with Frazier hitting errorless with five kills in the set and UK’s libero Stephanie Klefot contributing six digs.

Florida rebounded quickly to open the fourth set, leading 4-1 early in the stanza. Mann and Wiggs teamed up for a block to go up 7-4. The Gators kept a comfortable lead throughout the fourth set, forcing a Wildcat timeout after a Billings hitting error at 11-6. Kentucky continued to set Billings and she notched three straight kills to pull the Wildcats within two, 11-9. Billings then served up an ace to cut the Gator lead to one, 12-11. Florida used Murphy kills to end both runs and Kentucky took its second timeout of the set Mann-Wiggs stuff block ended one of the longest rallies of the match at 16-12. The teams traded points until Brown served up an ace at 21-15. Kentucky had back-to-back errors but Klefot served up an ace to pull within six but Florida ended the set on a 3-0 run to force a fifth and decisive set, 25-17.

Florida and Kentucky played sideout volleyball throughout the fifth set. Murphy put Florida ahead at 3-2 with a kill around the Wildcat block. Ferrell had back-to-back service errors to put Kentucky ahead, 5-3. Mann hit a quick out of the middle and Murphy served up an ace to knot the set at 5-5. Mann put down another kill to even the score at 5-5. The changeover changed the tide of the set, as Kentucky scored two straight to go ahead at 9-7. Jaeckel continued to swing away, posting two kills and pulling Florida within one at 10-9, but a Jaeckel service error propelled Kentucky on a 5-0 run behind the serve of Lauren O’Conner to take the set and the match, 15-9.

Georgia Rallies to Defeat Florida, 24-20

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Richard Samuel scored on a four-yard touchdown run with 13:18 left in regulation, as the University of Georgia rallied from two touchdowns down to hand the University of Florida its fourth straight loss, 24-20, at EverBank Field Saturday.

Florida (4-4, 2-4 SEC) had built a 17-3 lead courtesy of a 31-yard touchdown pass from John Brantley to Jordan Reed and a 99-yard kickoff return by Jeff Demps but the Gators couldn’t overcome 14 penalties, six sacks and just 32 yards of offense in the second half.

The early storyline surrounded the return of starting quarterback Brantley. The senior signal-caller came out during early warm-ups, then returned to the Gator locker room leaving questions about his availability. On the Gators first drive, Brantley stepped under center for the first time since suffering an injury to his right ankle in the first half of the Gators’ loss vs. Alabama on Oct. 1.

Brantley was very sharp early, but as the game wore he continued in visible pain, finishing 12-of-34 for 245 yards. He was just 2-of-14 for 19 yards passing in the second half.

On the opening play of the game Brantley threw a swing pass to Jeff Demps who took the pass 72 yards down to the Georgia 21. The Gators could get no closer and Brad Phillips, subbing for an injured Caleb Sturgis, missed a 38-yard field goal attempt.

After a quick stop the Gators got the ball back and put together an 11-play 80-yard drive, taking 4:26 off the clock. Brantley marched the Gators to the Georgia 22-yard line with completions to Chris Rainey (20 yards), Deonte Thompson (13), Trey Burton (14) and Andre Debose (14). After a sack the Gators faced a fourth-and-19 from the Georgia 31-yard line. With Sturgis unavailable, the Gators rolled the dice and Brantley stepped up, avoided the rush, and found Reed on the end for a 31-yard strike.

Georgia (6-2, 5-1) got back into the game early in the second quarter when Blair Walsh knocked home a 32-yard field goal, capping a 12-play, 67-yard drive. Isaiah Crowell accounted for 32 yards on the ground during the drive.

The Bulldogs’ momentum was short-lived, as on the ensuing kickoff Demps fielded the ball at the 1-yard line and proceeded to race 99 yards for the touchdown to increase UF’s lead to 14-3.

Florida added to its lead on its next possession when Phillips split the uprights from 43 yards out. Brantley hit Quinton Dunbar for a 24-yard pick-up to help set up the score.

The Gators appeared poised to go into the locker room with a two touchdown lead, but a fumble by Rainey at the UF 25 set the stage for Aaron Murray to hit Michael Bennett for a 20-yard touchdown. Like the Gators did earlier in the game, Georgia rolled the dice and went for it on fourth and long after Walsh had missed a 33-yard field goal on the Bulldogs’ previous drive. Murray found Bennett at the goal line and the redshirt-freshman split end made an impressive catch to cut the score to 17-10.

Turnovers proved costly for the Gators again in the third quarter as Frankie Hammond put the ball on the ground after a 9-yard reception setting the Bulldogs up at the Florida 18-yard line. Georgia again gambled on fourth down and Murray hit Tavarres King for a 14-yard TD pass to tie the game at 17-17.

The tie didn’t last long as Debose returned the ensuing kick 63 yards to the Georgia 26-yard line. Moments later Phillips gave the Gators the lead back on a 40-yard field goal.

The Gators managed only 15 yards of offense in the third quarter and their defense finally started to show some of the fatigue of being on the field for a large chunk of the second half. Georgia took its first lead of the game with 13:18 remaining on a four-yard run by Samuel, capping a nine-play, 45-yard drive and providing the eventual margin of victory.

For the game, Georgia controlled the ball for 37:40 while Florida had the ball for just 22:20. Georgia ended up with 354 yards of total offense, 185 rushing and 169 passing. Murray finishing the game 15-of-34 passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns while Crowell finished with a game-high 81 yards rushing on 18 carries.

Florida finished with 226 total yards, just 32 after the half. The Gators finished with -19 yards rushing, most of which was the result of sack yardage as the Bulldogs got to Brantley six times on the afternoon.

For the Gators it marks the first four-game losing streak since 1988.

Florida will try and rebound next Saturday when Vanderbilt comes to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for a 12:21 p.m. kick off.

No. 13 Gator Volleyball's Rally Falls Short in Four at No. 20 Tennessee

The No. 13 Florida volleyball team fell 3-1 (15-25, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25) at No. 20 Tennessee on Friday evening. The Gators drop to 17-4 on the season and 10-2 in conference play. The Lady Vols, playing in front of a home crowd of 2,012, take sole possession of first place in the SEC with a 12-1 conference record and are 19-3 overall. The loss snaps Florida’s eight match, 24 set win streak and the Gators are now tied with their next opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats, for second place in the SEC.

Florida was led by seniors Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.), who each contributed a double-double on the evening. Jaeckel led Florida with a match-high 15 kills to go along with 13 digs, while Murphy had 28 assists and led all Gators with 14 digs. Junior middle blocker Betsy Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) led Florida’s blocking effort with six blocks, while redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.) registered a match-high two service aces on the night. Senior outside hitter Stephanie Ferrell (Los Angeles, Calif.) had 11 kills against the Lady Vols, while sophomore setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) contributed 17 assists and eight digs.

Friday night was the first time the Gators had been outhit all season, as Tennessee outhit Florida, .175-.160.

Tennessee jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first set, forcing a Florida timeout. Florida was never able to find their footing in the first stanza, as the Lady Volunteers never allowed the Gators within more than four. Errors plagued Florida in the first set, as the Gators hit just .032 with eight kills and seven errors to go along with four service errors. Tennessee hit .345 in the first set, only committing two hitting errors to open the match. Jaeckel paced Florida in the first set, posting four kills in the opening frame. Tennessee continued to use their momentum behind the hitting of SEC points leader Kelsey Robinson and middle blocker DeeDee Harrison, who combined for seven kills as the Lady Vols took the opening set, 25-15.

The Gators and the Lady Vols battled in set two, with Tennessee taking a 7-3 lead and forcing a Florida timeout. The Gators used their serving ace Jaeckel to go on a 4-0 run and take the lead at 10-8. Back-to-back service aces by Unroe extended the Gator lead to 13-9. Florida’s setters were able to spread the ball around in the second stanza, as five Gator hitters registered kills in the second set. The Orange and Blue continued the race to 25, forcing another Tennessee timeout at 20-13 after a Jaeckel-Smith stuff block. The Gators used kills from right-side hitters Murphy and Tangerine Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.) to take the second stanza, 25-17.

The third set, a frame that featured 12 ties and seven lead changes, began with a kill down the line for Jaeckel and a Smith-Wiggs stuff block of Robinson. Neither team could shift the momentum their direction and the largest lead in the set was just two points. Florida was the first to call timeout, after a Harrison kill gave the Lady Vols a 14-12 advantage. A Jaeckel kill and Murphy-Smith block evened the score at 14-all. Back-to-back Wiggs kills forced Tennessee to take a timeout, as Florida led at 21-20. Senior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.) hit a quick out of the middle to put the Gators ahead, 22-20, and the Lady Vols called their second timeout. Tennessee scored two straight to force a Florida timeout at 22-22 and the Lady Vols’ freshman setter Mary Pollmiller was a part of four of the next five plays to give Tennessee the set, 25-23.

Back row defense was the story of the fourth set, as Murphy posted six digs in the fourth set alone, and the Lady Vols combined for 20 digs in the fourth frame. The Gators jumped out to a 5-2 lead behind Murphy-Wiggs and Jaeckel-Smith stuff blocks. Tennessee began to utilize Tiffany Baker more frequently in the fourth, as she hit .400 in the fourth set, contributing five kills and five digs after her one hitting error of the set against Murphy and Wiggs. Tennessee’s Robinson went on a serving spree, putting the Lady Vols ahead, 14-10. In the middle of Robinson’s run, the Gators called timeout in an attempt to ice Robinson, but the sophomore outside hitter served 24 times on Friday evening, more than any other player on the floor. Florida called another timeout after Lady Vols libero Ellen Mullins served an ace at 16-11. The Gators attempted to make a run, pulling within two courtesy of a block by sophomore middle blocker Chloe Mann (Gainesville, Fla.) and Wiggs. Behind the serves of Mullins and Robinson, Tennessee was able to hang on to the lead and close the fourth set and the match, 25-21.

No. 22 South Carolina Takes Sole Possession of SEC Soccer Title with 2-1 win at No. 18 Florida

The No. 22 South Carolina soccer team (15-5, 9-2 SEC) claimed sole possession of its first Southeastern Conference title with a 2-1 win over No. 18 Florida (14-6, 7-4 SEC) Friday evening in front of a James G. Pressly crowd of 1,866.

Friday’s Scores from SEC Action
Home	Away
Florida 1	South Carolina 2
Alabama 3	Auburn 2
Arkansas 0	LSU 3
Georgia^	Tennessee^
Vanderbilt 2	Kentucky 4
Mississippi 2	Mississippi State 0
^Match suspended at 0-0 with 24:34 left in first half due to two banks of lights going out. Resumes Saturday at noon ET

 Friday was a must-win situation for the Gators, as they needed a victory to claim a share of their sixth consecutive SEC title. But they found themselves again behind early, as reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year Kayla Grimsley put the Gamecocks up in the third minute.

The opening goal started when the Gators had a throw-in at midfield but couldn’t gain control of the ball. USC midfielder Kourtney Rhoades got a foot on it and sent the ball into space above the Florida box. There was a jostle for the ball and Grimsley came away with it, took a touch and then scored her 10^th goal of the season with a shot to the far post from nine yards.

“I thought it was a good individual effort by Grimsley. She did a good job. We didn’t cover very well so it was kind of a one-on-one situation. It was disappointing to give up that early goal,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said.

South Carolina’s second score also started off a throw-in. The Gamecocks had the throw-in from the Florida half. USC freshman Christa Neary served the ball into the box where Danielle Au headed a lofted shot. Her shot scored from 10 yards at the upper near-post corner in the 22nd minute.

“The second goal was a soft goal and we chased it and chased it, but ultimately, until we figure out how to stop giving up soft goals, we will continue to chase games. Did we outplay them? Absolutely. But did they win, and they deserved to win because we gave up the two bad goals. Credit to South Carolina – they came in here and got that done,” Burleigh said. “Ultimately, we hold our destiny in our hands. We’ve given up a lot of bad goals. When you give up bad goals in our sport, you’re going to lose some games.”

Giving up an early goal has become an unfortunate recurring event for the Gators, as it was the third goal allowed in the first five minute of the last four matches. Florida has lost three of its last four matches and UF’s final league record of 7-4 is the worst in the team’s 17-year history.

Florida got on the scoreboard in the 36^th minute when freshman Annie Bobbitt took the ball from midfield and brought it down the right sideline. USC looked to get the ball out as she approached the end line, but Bobbitt evaded her defenders and from just a half step from the end line, sent a cross into the box. Senior Tahnai Annis created some space between her and her marker just above the six-yard box. She headed the ball into the near post upper corner for her fifth goal of the season.

Junior Erika Tymrak said the Gators kept after USC, but need to start stronger.

“We kept on fighting, kept playing soccer. We knew that as soon as we start getting frantic, it’s not going to help our team. We all try to be positive about it and just keep on playing our game. They scored again and we had to keep going. Tahn (Tahnai Annis) got an amazing goal, props to her – that was awesome,” Tymrak said. “Toward the end, we were scrapping for the ball, working our butts off, but we need to do that from the beginning.”

Chances were there for Florida to score. In the 53^rd minute, sophomore Maggie Rodgers crossed the ball from deep in the USC half, but it just missed Taylor Travis on the far side of the box. Rodgers again sent a nice cross in the 64^th minute which this time found the head of Travis, but USC goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo made the stop at the post. Tymrak’s corner kick found senior Lindsay Thompson at the near post where she tried to flick the ball in, but the ball was stopped. Late in the match, junior Holly King tried a header shot off a Tymrak corner kick, but it was blocked.

Now the Gators shift their focus to the SEC Tournament, which begins Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Orange Beach, Ala.

“South Carolina’s a great team. Congratulations to them for winning the SEC,” Tymrak said. “How we finished this season just makes us want to work that much harder. We have to put it behind us and focus on the SEC Tournament.”

The eight-team SEC Tournament bracket will be announced by the league office tomorrow. The Gators have won nine SEC Tournament titles with the last coming in 2010.

Scoring Summary:	1st	2nd	Final
South Carolina	2	0	2
Florida	1	0	1
Scoring:
USC: Kayla Grimsley (unassisted) 2:12
USC: Danielle Au (Christa Neary) 21:40
UF: Tahnai Annis (Annie Bobbitt) 35:05
Goalkeepers:
				Minutes	Saves	GA
South Carolina	Sabrina D’Angelo			90:00	1	1
Florida	Taylor Burke			90:00	4	2
Statistical Summary:			USC	UF
Shots			10	10
Shots on goal			6	2
Saves			1	4
Corner Kicks			3	6
Fouls			6	11
Offside			1	1

Cautions: Jo Dragotta/UF – yellow (64:22), Tahnai Annis/UF – yellow (89:47)

After 24-20 loss to Georgia, Will Muschamp says Gators lack personnel for power run game

by Jason Lieser

Florida coach Will Muschamp finally said what most people have been thinking for months: Urban Meyer’s players don’t fit Charlie Weis’ offense.

Muschamp did not phrase it that way and he never would. But after watching his team gain 34 yards on 15 running plays during Saturday’s 24-20 loss to No. 22 Georgia, he conceded Florida does not have the right personnel to run this offense.

“I think we’ve got to build our numbers back,” Muschamp said. “We’ve got to get better on the line of scrimmage. It’s very difficult to try and run a power running game … right now with who we have. And I like the guys we’ve got, but it’s just the bottom line of — you look at some situations of where we are. It doesn’t take anybody real educated to figure it out right now.”

His comment seemed specifically aimed at the offensive line.

Since training camp, Muschamp and Weis have talked about the process of blending their system with players they did not recruit. They made it sound seamless. Every answer was some variation of, “You change your system to fit what your players can do.”

That is not working. Saturday was Florida’s best offensive performance this month. A hot start and a virtually empty second half amounted to mediocrity.

Beyond not having the right fits personnel-wise, they overall lack of talent and depth on offense is an indictment against Meyer’s staff for poor planning. Again, Muschamp will never come right out and say this. But the above quote, coupled with every time he says Florida “doesn’t have numbers” on the line, could be interpreted as saying the previous staff left him without enuogh firepower.

At receiver, no one looks like obvious NFL talent. On the offensive line, the Gators got a transfer in Dan Wenger and still don’t have enough quality players.

They want to be a power running team, but they have the third smallest offensive line in the SEC and two of the conference’s seven smallest running backs.

Florida Gators fall to Georgia 24-20 for first four-game losing streak since 1988

JACKSONVILLE — The Florida Gators' winless October is over, and the last shred of significance to their season is gone.

The return of quarterback John Brantley reignited the offense early, but the Gators could not sustain it. No. 22 Georgia silenced them in the second half and won 24-20 at EverBank Field.

The Bulldogs sent Florida to its fourth straight loss - the worst stretch for the program since 1988 - and knocked the Gators (4-4, 2-4 in conference) out of the SEC Eastern Division race.

"We've got to regroup and reevaluate where we are and move forward," coach Will Muschamp said. "It's disappointing, and there's no one more disappointed or more impatient than I am."

Muschamp, a former Georgia safety, saw Florida lose to the Bulldogs (6-2, 5-1) for the first time since 2007. Georgia had only won three of the previous 21 meetings.

Brantley, playing for the first time in nearly a month after suffering a high right ankle sprain, led the offense to almost nothing in the second half. After taking a 17-3 lead with 2:10 left in the second quarter, Florida gained just 49 yards on 32 plays the rest of the day.

Brantley was not able drop back from under center, so the Gators used him out of the shotgun for every play but one, and occasionally put Trey Burton and Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.

Despite his pain, which he said was "not too bad, actually," Brantley opened the game by completing 8 of 14 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown. On a fourth-and-19 midway through the first quarter, he stepped up to escape a collapsing pocket and threw off his injured foot to hit tight end Jordan Reed for a 31-yard touchdown pass.

"He's a warrior," running back Jeff Demps said of Brantley. "He was about 75 percent this whole week, and for him to come out and battle through it like he did and play like he did - and never complain one time - to me, that's the definition of a warrior."

Brantley's grit aside, his performance was dismal after the quick start. He completed 4 of his last 20 passes to finish 12-of-34 for 245 yards. He was sacked six times, including four times by Bulldogs linebacker Jarvis Jones.

"We started out fast and we started out good," Brantley said. "That second half - we've just got to be able to finish the game."

Georgia did. The Bulldogs tied it 17-17 on Aaron Murray's 14-yard touchdown pass with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Florida answered with a 63-yard kickoff return by Andre Debose that led to Brad Phillips' 40-yard field goal.

Phillips, playing in place of injured starter Caleb Sturgis, gave the Gators a 20-17 lead, but they did not score again. Early in the fourth quarter, Georgia finished a nine-play, 45-yard drive with Richard Samuel's 4-yard scoring run. That proved to be the winning touchdown.

Forced to run most of their offense out of the shotgun, the Gators were unable to get their running game in motion. Chris Rainey led the team with 26 yards on five carries, and Florida totaled 34 yards on 15 running plays. That number does not account for 53 yards the Gators lost on six sacks and an errant snap.

"We've got to find some ways to run the football," Muschamp said. "We cannot be so one-dimensional.

"When you're in the gun so much, you run the ball so much east and west. You need to be able to run the ball downhill."

The Gators also drowned in penalties, which has been a persistent weakness. They average more flags per game than any team in the FBS, and they added another 14 penalties for 106 yards Saturday.

The season began with hope that Muschamp and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis could pull off a turnaround after the Gators stumbled to 8-5 last year. Now that Florida is eliminated from the division, it looks to the mediocre goal of bowl eligibility.

In order to reach the six-victory threshold, the Gators will need to take at least two of their final four games. That pursuit begins this Saturday with a home game against Vanderbilt, which no longer looks like a pushover.

Other than playing in a bowl, all that is at stake for Florida is pride, and the challenge of whether this team can solve a list of crippling problems that spans both sides of the ball.

By JASON LIESER Palm Beach Post Staff

Florida Gators RB Demps expected to be healthy for Georgia game

GAINESVILLE -- Florida’s running game should get a boost this week, as speedy back Jeff Demps is expected to be completely healthy for Saturday’s game against Georgia.

Demps has been limited in recent weeks, carrying the ball just twice against LSU and sitting out the Auburn game on Oct. 15.

Without Demps, and with starting quarterback John Brantley injured, the Gators’ rushing attack has been stagnant as teams stack the box with an eighth defender. Since Brantley went down against Alabama on Oct. 1, Florida has averaged a scant 2.7 yards per carry.

TOP RECRUIT

Land O’Lakes High tight end Kent Taylor, the nation’s top-ranked recruit at the position, picked Florida over Penn State, Alabama, Georgia and Florida State, among others. He’s the 17th oral commit in Will Muschamp’s first class at UF.

Brantley will start

Florida coach Will Muschamp said Wednesday quarterback John Brantley will start Saturday's game against Georgia unless something unexpected happens between then and now.

“John Brantley has continued to progress pretty well through the week,” Muschamp said on the SEC coaches' teleconference. “I expect him, obviously, to play Saturday unless something shocking comes up here in the latter part of the week.”

Brantley sustained a high ankle sprain late in the first half of the Alabama game almost four weeks ago and missed the LSU and Auburn losses.

He returned to practice Monday and has been able to run the offense effectively.

“He's throwing it well,” Muschamp said. “We'll progress through today and Thursday and the walk through on Friday and see how he continues to improve.

“There is no question that psychologically, a senior quarterback and how well he was playing and how well we were playing offensively, when he was in the game, it was a psychological advantage for our entire team. It creates some good momentum for your team.”

If Brantley is unable to go Saturday, true freshman Jacoby Brissett would get his third consecutive start at quarterback.

Brantley Return Could Provide Gator offense With Necessary Boost

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators’ offense appears set to receive the kind of boost it has needed since starting quarterback John Brantley suffered a severe ankle injury against Alabama.

That boost is Brantley himself.

Florida coach Will Muschamp said Monday that Brantley “is probable for the game’’ on Saturday against Georgia in Jacksonville.

Brantley suffered a right ankle injury in a 38-10 loss to Alabama on Oct. 1 when he was sacked late in the second quarterback by Courtney Upshaw. Since he was injured, the Gators have managed only 17 points in 10 quarters, including road losses at LSU and Auburn.

“We feel like John will be ready to go for the game,” Muschamp said. “He was really playing well against a very good defense [when he got hurt]. Getting him back is going to be a huge psychological shot for our football team. I really believe that.''

Brantley has worn a protective boot on his lower right leg since the injury and has “lived in the trainer’s room’’ according to Muschamp. The intense rehab schedule allowed Brantley to return to the practice field during the bye week to participate in some light drills.

“He did throw some there on the practice field,’’ said Muschamp, who emphasized that Brantley wasn’t practicing with the team but on his own to test the ankle. “He did some throwing motion stuff and worked on a couple of drops here and there just to see how the ankle took. We are very pleased with his progress.

“He has worked extremely hard to get back for this week.’’

Barring any setbacks, Brantley will play Saturday for the first time since the best half of his college career. Before getting hurt against Alabama, Brantley threw for 190 yards in two quarters against the Crimson Tide, a career high for passing yards in a half.

He opened the game with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Andre Debose on the Gators’ first drive.

If for some reason Brantley is unable to go Saturday, Muschamp said the combo of true freshmen Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel will continue to split reps and prepare as if they will play. In the past 10 quarters with Driskel and Brissett, Florida has not led at any point, managing only 453 yards of total offense in that span.

With Brantley expected to return, Muschamp hopes to see better play around the fifth-year senior quarterback. Muschamp said the Gators spent the bye week on returning to the basics in hopes of snapping a three-game losing streak on Saturday against the Bulldogs. Florida has not won since improving to 4-0 with a 48-14 victory at Kentucky on Sept. 24. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have won five consecutive games after a 0-2 start.

“We had a good open week,’’ Muschamp said. “We really worked hard on fundamentals. I thought the players had a great attitude. I think we’ve got a good head start on where we need to go.’’

No. 13 Gator Soccer Wins 2-1 in OT at Arkansas Thursday

Gator freshman Havana Solaun calmly headed in the game-winner early in extra minutes as the No. 13 Florida soccer team (14-4, 7-2 SEC) claimed a 2-1 overtime win at Arkansas (4-12, 2-7 SEC) Thursday evening in front of a Razorback Field crowd of 1,098.

Thursday’s result is the seventh of the last nine meetings between Florida and Arkansas that was decided by a single goal.
Last Eight Florida-Arkansas Results
Date	Site	Result	Score
10/13/02	H	W	2-1
10/24/04	H	W	2-1
10/23/05	A	W	1-0
10/20/06	H	W	1-0 (2OT)
10/25/07	A	W	1-0
10/23/08	H	W	3-0
10/25/09	A	W	1-0
10/24/10	H	W	3-1
10/20/11	A	W	2-1 (OT)

Again the Gators found themselves trailing after an early goal. Arkansas’ Allie Chandler scored just three minutes in when her shot to the far post hit the hardware and kicked in.

The Gators were undone by a goal in the first minute in Sunday’s match at Mississippi State, as the Gators lost 1-0 despite putting 13 shots on goal.

The Razorbacks put numbers behind the ball to try to sit on the early lead.

“That game started out a little bit like Groundhog’s Day,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. “It was a very, very difficult bunker to penetrate. They were going to sit on that lead by putting numbers in their box. So for us, it was a matter of keeping possession of the ball, trying to get the ball out wide and trying to serve balls in. That’s not an easy game to play. We were in the same position on Sunday and we couldn’t get a goal so I was happy to see us turn things around today.”

The Gators were held scoreless for the first 80 minutes, but a pair of roommates on this road trip turned in the tying and golden goals in a 13-minute span.

Thursday’s Scores from SEC Action
Home	Away
Arkansas 1	Florida 2 OT
LSU 1	South Carolina 4
Auburn 0	Georgia 0 2OT
Mississippi 3	Vanderbilt 0
Mississippi State 0	Kentucky 2
Alabama 1	Tennessee 0

The Gators were awarded a free kick just wide of the box in the 79^th minute. Freshman Annie Speese sent the free kick toward the end line where junior Jo Dragotta ran onto it and sent the ball across the box. Another junior, Brooke Thigpen, was there to put in her first goal of the season.

“It was a smart play – Jo (Dragotta) was out there and I believe Annie (Speese) was with her,” Thigpen said. “It was really smart play because they noticed that only one person was out there defending them so they played it short. Jo got down to the end line and served a great ball on the ground right across the six. Kat (Williamson) dummied it and I was right there at the end of it.”

The match was pushed to overtime for the third time in the all-time 16-match series. The golden goal came when Lindsay Thompson, deep in the Razorback half, sent a centering pass to the far post where Solaun headed it in.

“Lindsay Thompson got the ball played through and she took it down line pretty much all the way to the end line,” Solaun said. “She served a great ball right to me and I just kind of ran through it to finish it at the bottom corner.”

Both teams seemed a bit uncertain if the goal was scored, perhaps remembering Thompson’s goal in the 40^th minute which was disallowed after it was ruled off sides.

“At first, everyone was silent because it seemed everyone was staring at each other. We weren’t sure if it was a goal or not,” Solaun said. “Once we realized it was a goal, then everyone ran onto the field. It was awesome.”

The goal was the third for Solaun in the span of a week, as she turned in her first double-goal match last Friday in Florida’s 2-0 win at Mississippi. She is third among the Gators with six goals on the season.

Solaun sends UF soccer to OT win

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Gator freshman and Buchholz High School alum Havana Solaun calmly headed in the game-winner early in extra minutes as the No. 13 Florida soccer team claimed a 2-1 overtime win at Arkansas Thursday evening at Razorback Field.

Again the Gators (14-4, 7-2 SEC) found themselves trailing after an early goal. Allie Chandler scored for Arkansas (4-12, 2-7 SEC) just three minutes in when her shot to the far post hit the post and kicked in.

The Gators were undone by a goal in the first minute in Sunday’s match at Mississippi State, as the Gators lost 1-0 despite 13 shots on goal.

The Razorbacks put numbers behind the ball to try to sit on the early lead.

“That game started out a little bit like Groundhog’s Day,” UF coach Becky Burleigh said. “It was a very, very difficult bunker to penetrate. They were going to sit on that lead by putting numbers in their box. So for us, it was a matter of keeping possession of the ball, trying to get the ball out wide and trying to serve balls in. That’s not an easy game to play.”

The Gators were held scoreless for the first 80 minutes, but a pair of roommates on this road trip turned in the tying and golden goals in a 13-minute span.

UF was awarded a free kick wide of the box in the 79th minute. Junior Jo Dragotta sent the ball across the box and another junior, Brooke Thigpen, was there to put in her first goal of the season.

The match was pushed to overtime for the third time in the all-time 16-match series. The golden goal came when Lindsay Thompson, deep in the Razorback half, sent a centering pass to the far post where Solaun headed it in.

The goal was the third for Solaun in the span of a week. She is third among the Gators with six goals on the season.

 
Florida hosts LSU on Sunday. Match time is set for 2 p.m. at James G. Pressly Stadium.

Florida Gators injury report heading into Georgia week

Gators coach Will Muschamp says he won’t use injuries or inexperience as excuses.

Injuries have been a problem for Florida, which was gone without starting QB John Brantley the past two and a half games due a high right ankle sprain. Brantley could practice Monday, which means he may be available for next Saturday’s game against Georgia in Jacksonville (3:30 p.m., CBS).

Figuring out injury situations with the Gators can be a challenge. Sometimes “fine” means fine. Sometimes “fine” means he hasn’t practiced all week and is not traveling with the team for the game.

Here is the list of players with known injuries:

Some of those do not seem to be an issue any longer, but obviously are susceptible to being re-aggravated at any time.

Muschamp said Tuesday he thought CB Jeremy Brown would begin practicing soon. He also expected Ronald Powell, Jeff Demps, Caleb Sturgis, Dan Wenger, Mike Gillislee and Andre Debose to practice during the bye week.

“We’re hoping to get all of those guys back this week for practice and certainly for the Georgia game,” he said.

Sturgis appeared to hurt his right knee, but Muschamp did not specify beyond saying “he strained his leg.” If he cannot play, true freshman punter Kyle Christy will be Florida’s kicker.