Lack Of Third Down Conversions And Red Zone TDs Help To Doom The Noles

The Noles in the first half showed that they cannot score TDs inside the red zone. Field goals will not beat a team like Florida. The twelve points by the Noles came on the foot of Gary Cismesia. Cismesia was great and his 60 yarder was outstanding but it was almost like kissing your sister.

The Noles could not take advantage of the shorter Florida secondary as Greg Carr and De' Cody Fagg had only three catches between them for 36 total yards. The Nole defense was unable to stop Tebow as he threw for 2 TDs and ran for one. The Gators were able to convert 4 of 5 third downs and the Noles only 2 of 6.

The second half was more of the same. The Noles couldn't get anything going on offense and the defense couldn't stop the Gator offense. This was a game in which the FSU coaches were clearly out coached and as FSU radio analyst Peter Tom Willis said, the Noles on defense were not physical.

Tim Tebow scored two more TDs in the second half and Percy Harvin showed what he is capable of with a 24 yard TD run.

The Noles could not even score field goals as the Noles were shut out in the second half. The fact that there was not a TD scored by FSU clearly showed that FSU was outmatched in all phases of the game.

Noles Humiliated By Gators 45-12

It was deja vu all over again. This was a Nole team that had all its flaws shown tonight against a clearly better Gator football team. The inability to convert third downs, not being able to score TDs inside the red zone, and a secondary that is average at best were on display tonight. The 2007 season is punctuated by bookend losses. And the loss tonight was a humiliating loss.

So much for the comments of Geno Hayes to bring "down" Tim Tebow. The only time Tebow was down was when he was in the end zone. This was a Florida team that made it look easy and a Nole offense and defense that looked listless.

The Noles have as I have said before a lot of questions to be answered as they head into the 2008 season. If they can recruit players like Preston Parker, there is hope. Tonight showed how much they are lacking players who play their hearts out for the full game.

"There's mismatches."

"There's mismatches. Their obvious mismatch is a 6-6 guy against a 5-9, 5-10, 5-11 guy. That's a problem.”
Gator head coach Urban Meyer referring to FSU's receivers against Florida's secondary

Poll Results: Team You Hate Losing To The Worst

Poll results for the poll question: "As a fan, against which team would you rather be hit over the head with a hammer than lose to them?"

Gators- 71%

Canes- 16.1%

Clemson- 12.9%

ACC Teams That Are Bowl Eligible...Davis Gets Raise With 3-8 Record

As of last Saturday, the following seven ACC teams are bowl eligible: Boston College (9-2), Clemson (8-3), Florida State (7-4), Georgia Tech (7-4), Virginia (9-2), Virginia Tech (9-2), and Wake Forest (7-4). On the bubble is Maryland (5-6), Miami (5-6), and NC State (5-6). The ACC currently has 8 bowl tie-ins for the 2007 season.

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Want to know one of the things wrong with college football? Try the excessive salaries paid to head coaches. Case in point is the increase in salary given to UNC head coach Butch Davis this past week. Former UNC system President Bill Friday criticized a college athletics "arms race" today, but the chairman of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees called football coach Butch Davis’ $291,000 raise the cost of being competitive. Davis got a one-year contract extension and the raise this week despite posting a 3-8 record heading into the final game Saturday against Duke. The board of trustees has to approve the raise, which would bring his compensation to more $2 million a year, including endorsements from the Nike shoe company and bonuses. Unbelievable.
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In reaction to UNC's raise for Davis, NC State athletic director Lee Fowler was asked about the compensation package for NC State head coach Tom O'Brien. "Tom's contract is really set up and he wanted it that way that if you perform at a high level, you'll make really good money," said Fowler, who was in Florida to watch N.C. State's men's basketball team in the Old Spice Classic. "I think that's a very fair and honest way to do things, and so we're really happy the way we've got his contract structured."

GameDay Facts: FSU-Florida

Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. EST

Television: CBS

Announcers: Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline)

Site:Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

Stadium Capacity: 88,548

Surface: Natural grass

Coaches: Bobby Bowden (300-85-4 in 32nd year at FSU) and Urban Meyer (30-7 in third year as head coach at Florida).

Line: 14

All-Time Series: FSU is 19-30-2 in series with Florida.

Stat that matters: The Seminoles have lost three straight to the Gators.

Key Stat: With a win versus the Gators, FSU would finish the 2007 season undefeated versus non-conference opponents. The last time that happened was 2003.

Last game against Florida: Florida State lost 14-21 to Florida in Tallahassee in 2006.

Game Day Weather: Partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

Breaking Down Florida's Linebackers

Gator linebackers Brandon Spikes and Dustin Doe rank as Florida’s leading tacklers with 108 and 72,respectively. A linebacker has led the Gators in that department each of the last three seasons and five of the last six. In the South Carolina game, Brandon Spikes forced one fumble and recovered two. Spikes and Doe lead the Gators with two fumble recoveries each this year. Spikes also has 1 1/2 sacks for the season.

Key Stat: Brandon Spikes is ranked as #2 leading tackler in SEC with 108 tackles.

Breaking Down Florida's Defensive Line

Starting with the Vanderbilt game, injuries to defensive tackles Brandon Antwine, Lutrell Alford, Javier Estopinan and Terron Sanders have left UF with a rotation of seven players featuring six freshmen, including five true freshmen. Clint McMillan, the lone senior, was the only player who had started a game heading into the contest. Michael Pouncey moved to the defensive side of the ball the week of the game, and made the first start of his career against the Commodores. The Gators, already playing without defensive tackle Javier Estopinan, also could be without defensive tackle Mike Pouncey (knee) and defensive end Lawrence Marsh (toe).

Gators defensive lineman Justin Trattou has been one of the unit's key pass rushers. He welcomes trying to get at FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford, who Nole fans know is more of a drop-back passer than a scrambler."For me, I love a team that just five-step drops and things like that," Trattou said. "I'm not the biggest guy, it allows me to use my speed to my advantage. That's something I enjoy playing against, it's a fun game to me." For the season, Trattou has 3 1/2 sacks.

Florida State has allowed 19 sacks, including 14 on Weatherford. "We think we can get to him," said Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey, who has 6 1/2 of the team's 23 sacks. "We definitely need to." Harvey is ranked #7 in the SEC for sacks. Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham also has 57 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks for the Gators defensive line.

Key Stat: Florida is #4 in SEC for sacks.

Meyer Follows In Tradition Of Spurrier

Urban Meyer is in his third season as the head coach of the Gators. Following in the tradition of Steve "The Weasel" Spurrier, Meyer chooses not to refer to FSU by name. I guess that's called class at Florida. Elsewhere it's called having no class. Meyer has 20 years of college coaching experience, including seven as a head coach.

Meyer's first collegiate coaching position was a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at Ohio State (he had spent one year as a defensive backs coach at Saint Xavier High School in Cincinnati, OH). He then spent the next 13 years as an assistant—two at Illinois State, six at Colorado State, and finally five at Notre Dame. In 2001, Meyer took his first head coaching job at Bowling Green; in his first season there, he engineered the greatest turnaround in the NCAA, earning Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors in the process.

After two seasons at Bowling Green, he took the job at Utah in 2003. In his first season there, Meyer was named the Mountain West Conference's Coach of the Year with a 10-2 record, the best ever for a coach's first season at Utah. He also earned honors as The Sporting News National Coach of the Year, the first Utes coach to do so. Meyer's success can be attributed to his unique offensive system.

In 2004 after he led the undefeated Utes to a Bowl Championship Series bid, he was approached by both the University of Florida and the University of Notre Dame. Meyer chose to become Florida's head coach for the 2005 season, signing a 7-year contract worth $14 million. He remained at Utah long enough to coach the team to a Fiesta Bowl win over Pittsburgh, capping off the Utes' first perfect season (12-0) since 1930.

In 2005, his first season at Florida, Meyer's Gators team finished the season 9-3 (5-3 in the Southeastern Conference). The season included an undefeated record at home and a bowl victory against Iowa in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida. The Gators would have faced LSU in the SEC championship game, but they lost to South Carolina which was coached by former Florida coach Steve Spurrier.

In his second season at Florida, Meyer turned the Gators' fortunes around. He coached the Gators to a 13-1 (8-1 in the SEC) record, with the one loss coming on the road at Auburn, and SEC wins at home against South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, and LSU; on the road at Tennessee and Vanderbilt, with another win over rival Georgia. After clinching the SEC East, the Gators won the SEC Championship Game on December 2nd over Arkansas by a score of 38-28. Despite the loss to Auburn, Florida was ranked 4th in the BCS before their final game of the regular season against Arkansas. This win, coupled with then second-ranked Southern California's 13-9 loss to unranked rival UCLA on the same day catapulted Florida into the BCS National Championship Game where they beat Ohio State 41-14.

Breaking Down Florida's Offensive Line

Gator offensive line coach Steve Addazio has a lot of good things to say about his offensive line. Despite losing possibly its best player (Phil Trautwein) before the start of the season and having to cope with various injuries over the course of the fall, the line has been solid and provided what has been needed for a potent offense."We (fullback Eric Rutledge and the line) work together to make everything click, because I think that's where it starts," Rutledge said.

Addazio said the line has had only one poor performance this season. It came against Georgia, when QB Tim Tebow was sacked six times. In UF's other 10 games, Tebow has been sacked a total of only five times. The offense has averaged 53.0 points in the three games since the Georgia loss. "Aside from the Georgia game, our protection has been really strong," Addazio said. "That allows a lot of good things to happen in the throw game and in the run game."I'm really proud of how they've handled the injury issues and played with a strong level of consistency throughout. It's made us really strong and resilient."

Key Stats: Behind its offensive line, the Gators are #3 in SEC in rushing offense and average over 5 yards a carry. The Gators have also allowed the third fewest sacks in the SEC at 11.

Scouting Florida

Scouting The Offense: The Gators have scored 472 points, the highest total under Urban Meyer and tied for the fifth-highest total in school history. In three November games, Florida has scored 159 points and gained 1,536 yards. It is the only school in the country to have a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown in every game this season.

Players To Watch On Offense:

QB Tim Tebow -- The sophomore was named one of three finalists for both the Maxwell Award (Oregon's Dennis Dixon and Darren McFadden of Arkansas) and the Davey O'Brien Award (Dixon and Missouri's Chase Daniel). His SEC-record 46 touchdowns (26 passing, 20 rushing) are nearly twice as many as Florida State's entire offense (24).

WR Andre Caldwell broke the school record for career receptions (177) last week against Florida Atlantic and moved to fifth place in career receiving yards (2,253). The senior trails Jack Jackson (2,266), Reidel Anthony (2,274), Jabar Gaffney (2,375) and Carlos Alvarez (2,563).

TE Aaron Hernandez- The 6-2, 256-pound true freshman has four catches for 113 yards and a touchdown in his last two games. He was the nation's No. 1-rated tight end recruit last season.

Key Stat: Tim Tebow is ranked number two in passing in SEC.

Scouting The Defense: Under co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, Florida has held Florida State to under 50 rushing yards in each of the last three meetings (34 in 2004, 49 in 2005, 46 in 2006). Opponents are averaging just 3.0 yards per carry against the Gators this season, tied for 14th nationally.

Players To Watch On Defense:

DE Derrick Harvey ranks ninth in Florida history with 18.5 career sacks and has recorded at least one tackle for loss in nine of his last 12 games.

LB Brandon Spikes- The sophomore is the No. 2 tackler in the SEC with 108, five fewer than Kentucky linebacker Wesley Woodyard. He has four games this season with double-digit stops, including a career-high 14 vs. Vanderbilt (Nov. 3).

Key Stat: Florida is ranked number 4 in SEC in sacks.

Questionable/Probable For The Game:

CB Joe Haden- The freshman starter is questionable after spraining his ankle against Florida Atlantic. The Gators are already thin in the secondary and may have to use true freshman Moses Jenkins or redshirt freshman Jacques Rickerson as his replacement.

DT Lawrence Marsh- The 6-5, 273-pound redshirt freshman's status is uncertain after spraining his toe against the Owls.

DT Michael Pouncey (hyper-extended knee) and his twin brother, OL Maurkice Pouncey (sprained ankle), are both considered probable.

A Lot Of Unanswered Questions Heading Into 2008

As the Noles finish their regular season with the Gators in The Swamp, there are a lot of questions to be answered as we head into 2008. As I indicated before the start of the 2007 season the "...ride may be more bumpy." It was bumpy and there were surprises and disappointments.

The Noles have one more win going into the final game than they had during the 2006 regular season. They had a convincing win against Bama and a huge upset victory at Boston College. However, losses against Wake Forest and Miami had Nole fans wondering about the character of the team.

As for the questions, there are many. Will FSU lose one or more assistant coaches to the huge number of head coaching vacancies being anticipated at the end of the season? Will the Noles have players who will transfer to other schools due to lack of playing time and not being given a fair shot? What will FSU decide in regard to Bobby Bowden's contract? Will the quarterback position be more of the same or will the Noles turn to someone new? How will FSU end up in the recruiting battle for 2008? These and many more questions will be addressed and debated on this blog and many other places as we look toward the 2008 season.

As for the now, nobody other than the most ardent of fans give the Noles much of a chance against a Florida team in The Swamp on Saturday. The character of this team will be tested on Saturday. How they will respond will say a lot about this team going into 2008.

Noles Haven't Lost Four In A Row To Gators In 23 Years

1. Florida ranks fifth in the nation in points scored.

2. Since 1990, the team which has rushed for more yardage has posted a 16-2-1 record.

3. The Seminoles are just 3-8 in the last 11 meetings when Florida holds FSU to less than 30 points.

4. The Gators have held Florida State to 50-or less rushing yards in each of the last three meetings (34 in 2004, 49 in 2005, 46 in 2006).

5. The Noles have not lost four games in a row to the Gators since 1984.

6. FSU is 0-7-1 against UF in Gainesville when ranked lower than the Gators or when the Gators are ranked and the Seminoles are not.

Crew Cut Charlie's Irish Cupcakes Of the Week

After all the turkey and dressing and the pies, you need some cupcakes right? Not many on tap this week but here's a few:

Texas Southern at Houston- Texas who?

SMU at Memphis- One win SMU gets to be the cupcake for Memphis.

Notre Dame at Stanford- Stanford has only one more win than the Irish but the Irish have to be the cupcakes don't you think?

My Buys And Sells For FSU-Florida

Florida mascot- Clothed Albert and Alberta mascots are not my idea of real mascots. I am selling.

FSU will have 50 yards or less in penalties- Noles had less than 50 yards against Maryland. I am buying.

FSU and Florida combined will score 60 points in the game- You want it to be a defensive battle but Florida is averaging almost 43 points a game. I am buying.

Florida QB will be sacked at least two times-Florida is only allowing an average of one sack per game. I think the Noles will get to Tebow. I am buying.

Florida QB will be intercepted at least once- Nole secondary has to step it up and make some big plays. I am buying.

Drew Weatherford will not be intercepted- Drew has had only one interception this year. However, I think the Gators get one off Drew in The Swamp. I am selling.

De'Cody Fagg will have at least one TD- Fagg will be playing his last regular season game as a Nole on Saturday. I think he will get one this Saturday. I am buying.

Florida will rush for 100 yards or more- Gators rank #3 in SEC in rushing offense. It will be close but I think the Gators will get 100 yards or more. I am buying.

Noles will rush for 100 yards or more- It will be tough. Gators rank #2 in SEC in rush defense. I think Parker and others will get at least a 100. I am buying.

Preston Parker will get at least one TD- He has been the playmaker for the Noles this year. I think he will score. I am buying.

"The Weed" will get at least one FG- Points will be important .and Cismesia is making almost 80 percent of his kicks. I am buying.

Noles will score at least 30 points- FSU is averaging a little under 24 points a game. They need to get the offense going but I don't think they will hit 30. I am selling.

"I've never seen a fullback play quarterback...."

"He's a special breed; big physical guy. I've never seen a fullback play quarterback and that's basically what he is. He can go out there and bruise, he's got good speed, a good arm and it's hard to contain him."
Senior defensive lineman Andre Fluellen on Tim Tebow

Keys to FSU-Florida Game

Noles head to The Swamp having lost three games in a row to the Gators:

* Noles must play mistake proof football particularly in the area of penalties.

* Kicking game and field position will be critical part of the game.

* Smith or Parker need to be able to run against the Gators. One of the backs needs to make some big plays out of the backfield.

* Weatherford needs to execute and make reads that will allow the Noles to capitalize on Florida secondary.

* Nole secondary needs to play smart and not allow easy catches or long balls by Florida receivers.

* Defense needs to put pressure on QB Tim Tebow early and often.

* Noles need to be able to move the ball down the field. Converting third downs will be critical.

* Noles need to make TDs and not FGs in the red zone.

* Receivers need to make the catches and move the ball against a Florida pass defense ranked last in the SEC.

Virginia And Virginia Tech Play For Coastal Division Championship

Virginia Tech @ Virginia
12:00 PM
Charlottesville, Va.
TV: ESPN2 (XM 192)
Stat For The Game: Virginia Tech is ranked #1 and Virginia is ranked #2 in ACC in scoring defense.

Maryland @ NC State
12:00 PM
Raleigh, N.C.
TV: R/LF (XM 191)
Stat For The Game: Maryland is ranked #5 in rushing offense in ACC.

Miami @ Boston College12:00 PM
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
TV: ESPN (XM 190)
Stat For The Game: Boston College is ranked #2 in scoring offense in ACC.

Wake Forest @ Vanderbilt
2:00 PM
Nashville, Tenn.
TV: (XM 193)
Stat For The Game: Wake is 1-1 in non-conference play this year.

Duke @ North Carolina
3:30 PM
Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: ESPNU
Stat For The Game: Duke is ranked last in scoring offense in the ACC.

Georgia @ Georgia Tech
3:30 PM
Atlanta, Ga.
TV: ABC (XM 190/232)
Stat For The Game: The Bulldogs have won the past six in the series by an average of 15 points.

Clemson @ South Carolina
7:00 PM
Columbia, S.C.
TV: ESPN2 (XM 193)
Stat For The Game: Clemson ranks #20 in the nation in points scored.

Inside FSU And Florida National Rankings

Rankings based on 119 major schools:

Scoring Offense: FSU- 88 Florida- 5

Rushing Offense: FSU- 94 Florida- 30

Passing Offense: FSU- 45 Florida- 33

Penalties: FSU- 106 Florida- 88

Third Down Conversions: FSU- 105 Florida- 2

Red Zone Conversions: FSU- 72 Florida- 22

Scoring Defense: FSU- 24 Florida- 49

Rushing Defense: FSU- 15 Florida- 14

Passing Defense: FSU- 74 Florida- 94

Sacks: FSU- 44 Florida- 56

Opponent Red Zone Conversions: FSU- 4 Florida- 87

Mascot Wearing A Skirt

In the early 1900’s, the alligator was chosen as the symbol of a fledgling college football team. How the University of Florida came to adopt the alligator as their symbol is a story that doesn’t start in Gainesville, but in Charlottesville, Va.

It was 1908 when Austin Miller, a Gainesville native, was enrolled in law school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Austin’s father, Phillip Miller, had come up to visit his son and had decided to order some pennants and banners for sale in his store in Gainesville. The Millers went to the Michie Company, which was engaged in the manufacture of such items. It was here that they were shown samples of pennants that featured the Yale bulldog, the Princeton tiger and other school emblems. When the manager asked for Florida’s emblem, the Millers realized that the new school had none. Austin Miller said that the symbol of the alligator occurred to him because the alligator was native to the state of Florida and because he thought that no other school claimed the alligator as its symbol. The manager confirmed this, but admitted that he had never seen an alligator before and was unsure if he could design one. Austin set out to find a suitable picture and returned some time later with a photo that he had found in the University of Virginia library.

Phillip Miller returned to Gainesville with an order of pennants and small banners. The pennants and banners had alligators in different poses with some lying down, some rampant, while other banners included only the alligator’s head. The Michie Company had supplied these along with a large blue banner with an orange alligator in the center. By all accounts, this is the first appearance of the alligator as the University’s emblem.

The first live alligator, Albert, came to UF in 1957. Several different live alligators assumed the role of Albert over the years, and even a robotic, motorized reptile held the role. It wasn’t until 1970 that Albert became personified on the field as a full-body vinyl costume. Alberta the Alligator was introduced in 1986 as Albert’s sidekick.

"Florida State is going to be our victims this week."

"This is a bad time to be playing us. Like I tell my teammates, they don't want to be the opponent. We're going to give them [heck] whoever we face on defense this week. Florida State is going to be our victims this week."
Gator wide receiver Andre Caldwell

Head To Head Matchup: Quarterback

If it was left up to a lot of the Gator fans, they would probably rename their stadium Tebow Stadium. There is a frenzy in Gainesville even unusual for the Gators in regard to Heisman candidate Tim Tebow. The 6'3" Sophomore quarterback has put up great numbers for the Gator faithful. For the season, he has thrown the ball 289 times for 2,870 yards and 26 TDs. His passing completion percentage is 68.5% and he has only thrown 6 interceptions.

To put the 26 TDs thrown by Tebow into perspective, that is two more TDS than the Noles have scored through the air and on the ground.On the ground, Tebow has rushed for 749 yards and 20 TDs. The Noles defense is going to have to put pressure on Tebow or it will be a long day in The Swamp. However, Tebow has only been sacked 11 times so far this season and six of those sacks were in the Georgia game. For the year, Tebow has only had two games in which he threw less than 2 TDs. In the Auburn and Georgia games he threw for one TD each and the Gators lost both those games.

Key Stat: Tim Tebow ranks #2 in the SEC in passing.

On the Nole side we have Drew Weatherford. It is an understatement to say that Drew is going to have to be almost perfect if the Noles are to have any chance in The Swamp. Unfortunately for fans, we have seen a lot of average games from Weatherford. For the season, Drew has thrown for 1,585 yards and 8 TDs. The one solid stat for Drew is that he has only thrown one interception in 233 passing attempts. His passing completion percentage is 59.7%. He has only had two games in which he has thrown for more than 1 TD. He threw 3 TDs in the win against UAB and threw 2 TDs in the upset of Boston College. If Drew is not up to the task, could it be that Xavier Lee would be sent into the game? My guess is that is doubtful no matter what the score.

Key Stat: Drew Weatherford ranks #7 in the ACC in passing.

Will Tommy Boy Take Another Dive?

This is turkey week and that means all the traditional rivalry games. Here are some of the more interesting games of the week:

USC at Arizona State- Turkey day game to see how good Arizona State and Pac-10 looks.

Alabama at Auburn - This is the annual Iron Bowl. If Saban loses to Auburn, Bama fans will be carrying pitchforks.

Arkansas at LSU- This may be Houston Nutt's last regular season game for the Razorbacks.

Boise State at Hawaii- Friday game to see if Hawaii stays undefeated.

Miami at Boston College- Do the Canes slip even further ?

Clemson at South Carolina- Does The Weasel humiliate Tommy Boy?

Georgia at Georgia Tech- Do the Dogs bite the Yellow Jackets?

Missouri at Kansas- Number 2 Kansas takes on Number 3 Missouri.

Tennessee at Kentucky- If Vols win they are SEC division champs. If they lose, Bulldogs take the division.

Texas at Texas A & M- This may be Dennis Franchione's last game at A & M.

Virginia Tech at Virginia- This will determine who will be the ACC Coastal Division champs.

Breaking Down Florida's Secondary

Probably the most glaring Gator weakness or area that can be exploited by the Noles is in the secondary. With freshman cornerback Joe Haden (ankle) questionable for Saturday’s game against Florida State, Florida is looking for even less-experienced players to step up in the secondary. Florida coach Urban Meyer said redshirt freshman corner Jacques Rickerson is working with sophomore Wondy Pierre-Louis at the starting corner spots. Rickerson has been a gamble for most of the season and when called upon to start against Kentucky earlier this season, he was beaten numerous times. "They should be playing tighter coverage.We are trying to get them to play tighter, but then you also have to worry about them getting beat on a deep ball," Meyer said. Meyer said he and his staff are confident that Rickerson will be ready to step up if Haden cannot go.

UF is giving up 254 yards per game through the air. To help clear up some of the mistakes from this year, Meyer had his secondary walk through the cover 2 scheme at Monday's practice.When you see guys hitting the seams it’s because we’re not carrying their verticals in cover 2,” Meyer said. “We spent a lot of time on that. We had a great walk through on Monday.

Florida secondary coach Chuck Heater realizes it's not pretty watching the Gators' pass defense right now."The upside, next year ought to be a lot of fun," Heater said with a light chuckle. "But getting there is the hard part. But you don't get there unless you go through this. You can't in any way duplicate the process of development, and it is what it is. You've got to go out there, you've got to jump in the water and you've got to swim and you've got to almost drown sometimes and you've got to keep going. So that's what's happening."

So the question is will Drew Weatherford be able to execute the right reads. If so, Preston Parker, Greg Carr, and De’Cody Fagg, pose a threat to UF’s shaky secondary with their size and athleticism. Parker stands at 6 feet, Fagg at 6 feet, 4 inches, and Carr towers at 6 feet, 6 inches.

Key Stat: Florida is last in SEC in pass defense.

Noles Nearing Showdown With Gators

FSU Sports Information Excerpts:

Thanksgiving is just a day away and that means the Seminoles and Gators are nearing their showdown in The Swamp. The Seminoles spent 20 periods preparing for the 12th-ranked Gators Wednesday. Florida State is trying to close out a brutal November schedule with a win, which would give FSU an impressive 3-1 record and wins over two top 15 teams. The Seminoles will hold a short practice Thursday and then enjoy Thanksgiving together as a team. The squad departs Friday afternoon.

As usual the entire start of practice was dedicated to working versus the scout teams. The Seminoles went for 15 periods against scout teams.

In pass rush the offensive line had a good day with Rodney Hudson and Ryan McMahon leading the way. Jacky Claude, David Overmyer, Brandon Davis, Will Furlong and Daron Rose also got wins. For the defense Justin Mincey dominated winning four battles. Paul Griffin and Letroy Guion had multiple wins. Kendrick Stewart and Neefy Moffett also got to the QB.

In skel Drew Weatherford hit Greg Carr deep and connected with Joslin Shaw. Xavier Lee found Rod Owens. When the drill moved to the red zone Weatherford his De'Cody Fagg for a TD. Patrick Robinson and Derek Nicholson both broke up passes.

In 11-on-11 Weatherford completed passes to Antone Smith, Fagg and Shaw. Roger Williams and Dekoda Watson had interceptions.

Practice concluded with 1:00 drill. Michael Ray Garvin broke up a pass and then Fagg turned in a great run after a catch for a big gain. Guion had a sack and then Patrick Robinson blocked a rushed field goal attempt with time winding down.

Inside FSU ACC And Gator SEC Rankings

ACC and SEC standings based on 12 conference teams:

Scoring Offense: FSU- 7 Florida- 1

Rushing Offense: FSU- 8 Florida- 3

Passing Offense: FSU-4 Florida- 2

Penalties: FSU- 11Florida- 11

Third Down Conversions: FSU- 9 Florida-1

Red Zone Conversions: FSU- 8 Florida- 5

Scoring Defense: FSU- 5 Florida- 8

Rushing Defense: FSU- 4 Florida- 2

Passing Defense- FSU- 9 Florida-12

Opponent Red-Zone Conversions: FSU- 1 Florida- 9

Say It Ain't So Joe

* You really have to admire the chutzpah of many universities and college football coaches who want and demand so much from boosters, alumni, and fans but don't believe that they or the public have the right to know what they are being paid. Case in point is Joe Paterno and Penn State who has been fighting to keep his salary secret. In a decision reaffirming the public's right to know how state money is spent, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the state retirement system must disclose the salary of legendary football coach Joe Paterno. "Individuals and private entities cannot reasonably expect the Commonwealth to keep secrets from its citizens regarding the disbursement of public funds, past, present or future," wrote Justice James J. Fitzgerald 3d in the high court's 4-2 decision.

* Georgia assistant coaches may be out a sizeable amount of pocket change. Vanderbilt kicker Bryant Hahnfeldt's 49-yard missed field goal against Tennessee in the final minute this past Saturday could keep Georgia's assistant coaches from collecting a total of nearly $100,000. It seems that's the bonus money they would have received if Hahnfeldt's kick went through the uprights instead of barely missing in a 25-24 Vanderbilt loss. A Tennessee loss would have clinched a trip to the SEC title game for Georgia. Georgia's nine assistants each get a bonus worth six percent of their base salary for reaching the SEC title game, according to their contracts. That ranges from as much as $13,200 to at least $8,500. They still will collect that $98,619 total if Kentucky beats Tennessee this Saturday.

* Seems that Bama coach Nick "The Liar" Saban is up to his less than ethical ways. He had suspended his star wide receiver DJ Hall for the Louisiana-Monroe game but after his team was getting beat, he suddenly lifted his suspension and put Hall in after halftime. Bama lost to ULM 21-14.

* File this under unbelievable but not surprising. North Carolina coach Butch Davis who last November signed a seven-year deal worth about $1.86 million annually may be seeking a contract extension. This comes in the wake of speculation that Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt will be fired. Davis is an Arkansas alum and there are rumors that he is interested in the job. Davis is in his first year at North Carolina.

" I'll just use it as motivation."

"That's fine. I don't really say much or talk trash or anything like that. They're just heated up and excited about the game. I'll just use it as motivation."
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow regarding comments made by Geno Hayes to take him "down"