Meyer defends late timeout call

GAINESVILLE - Urban  Meyer defended his decision to call timeout with time running out to try and ice Wes Byrum. The freshman kicker nailed the first field goal, but had to kick again after Meyer called timeout just as the ball was snapped and the final three seconds ticked off the clock.
“We did that last year and I have done that before,’’ Meyer said. “That says a lot about that kicker to come in and hit not one, but hit two.''

Asked if he thought the practice is fair, Meyer responded: "It is by the rules and I do think it’s fair. That’s part of the game.’’

Florida drops to No. 9 in AP poll

GAINESVILLE - Frankly, it could have been a lot worse.

The carnage in college football on Saturday - three of the top five and seven of the top 13 teams lost -may have helped Florida out. Its home loss to unranked Auburn cost the Gators their top 5 ranking, but Florida didn't drop out of the top 10.

The Gators fell from No. 4 to No. 9 in the latest Associated Press rankings released Sunday afternoon. Florida fell to No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches poll.

Nine ranked teams went down over the weekend, seven to unranked opponents.

LSU was the big winner over the weekend. After USC struggled against Washington, the Tigers overtook the Trojans, rising to No. 1 this week, while USC fell to No. 2. This is the first No. 1 ranking for LSU since Nov. 2, 1959.

That means Florida will travel to Baton Rouge to play the nation's top team this Saturday. A win could move the Gators back into the top 5, but that clearly won't be easy given the way they've played the last two weeks.

California moved up three spots to No. 3, Ohio State jumped for places to No. 4 and Wisconsin moved up five spots to No. 5. No. 6 South Florida was followed by Boston College, Kentucky, Florida and Oklahoma at No. 10.

The voting was the closest since the second poll of the 2002 season, when Miami and Oklahoma tied for No. 1 and each received 27 first-place votes. LSu received 33 first-place votes, USC picked up 32.

Rainey may be out for season

GAINESVILLE - Running back Chris Rainey has a shoulder injury that may require surgery that will force him to miss the remainder of the season.

Rainey has been struggling with the injury, and it may have to be addressed now.

"I think (Chris) is going to have shoulder surgery,'' UF coach Urban Meyer said. "He reinjured that. It has  been unstable really since he got to Florida and it looks like he will not play again this fall. I don't know the exact date and that is not final, final, but he has a problem with his shoulder.''

Mullen coaches game less than 24 hours after emergency surgery

GAINESVILLE - Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen was in the coaches booth calling plays less than 24 hours after he had emergency surgery to remove his appendix, coach Urban Meyer confirmed Sunday morning.

Mullen complained of pains in his side during the team dinner Friday night, and was sent for blood work

"The next thing I get is a phone call about 11:30 p.m. that he's going to have an appendectomy, but he should be fine for the game,'' Meyer said. "So he wasn't at the first walk-through (before the game), but the second one he was. He's a tough guy. He did everything he possibly could and that didn't impact the game. He still called a fine game, but we still could have done some things better. But he should be fine.''

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said of Mullen's decision to coach the game: "He's a solider.''

Marshall inducted into Ring of Honor

GAINESVILLE - Former Florida and NFL great Wilber Marshall wept Saturday night as Florida officials unveiled his Ring of Honor in front of a sold-out crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. He joins Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, Emmitt Smith and Jack Youngblood in the prestigious ring.

Marshall stood at midfield with his two daughters and several others who came to celebrate with him, and thanked the fans for their support.

He received a rousing standing ovation during the unveiling.

Fans encouraged to come early to honor Marshall

GAINESVILLE - Fans attending the Florida-Auburn game are being encouraged to arrive early and be inside the stadium by 7:40 p.m. for the special ceremony honoring former Gator football legend Wilbur
Marshall as the newest member of UF's Ring of Honor.

Fans should allow themselves 30 minutes prior to the ceremony to enter the stadium and
avoid congestion at the gates, university officials said.

SEC Commissioner named to prestigious board

SEC Comissioner Mike Slive is among eight people selected to the National Football Foundation's Board of Directors.

Founded in 1947 with leadership and support from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and renowned journalist Grantland Rice, the NFF serves as a leading voice in the promotion of amateur football and its ability to develop the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academic achievement in America’s young people.

Joining Slive on the board are: Jerry Jones, Owner, President and General Manager, Dallas Cowboys; Robert Kraft, Founder, Chairman & CEO, The Kraft Group; Chairman & CEO, New
England Patriots; Michael Moe, Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, ThinkEquity Partners, LLC; Kevin Plank, Chairman & CEO, Under Armour, Inc., Roger Williams, Former Secretary of State, Texas; Jim Delany, Commissioner, Big Ten Conference and Deborah Yow, Athletics Director, University of Maryland.

The eight new members increase the total number of people on the board to 44.

Auburn a much improved team, Tuberville says

GAINESVILLE - Despite its two losses this season, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said the Tigers are bringing a much better team to Gainesville on Saturday than the one that lost to USF earlier in the season.

Tuberville said a big part of the team's early struggles stemmed from the fact the Tigers were putting too much pressure on their defense with costly turnovers.

"We’ve left our defense on the field way too many plays in the first four games,'' Tuberville said. "Some has had to do with our defense not being able to get themselves off the field, but most of it has been in terms of turnovers. We had a turnover 10 times in two games. That’s a lot of extra repetitions for the defense. We’re pretty good on defense, but if you’re put out there that many more times, then you’re going to have problems. Last week we cut down on the turnovers, we only had one fumble snap, there was no fumble by the running backs. Our running game was better last week, which cuts down on the time of possession your defense is out on the field. Now we were playing New Mexico State and we weren’t playing Florida, so that’s also a concern. But our game plan every week is to try to get your defense off the field, control the football. And when you’re playing a potent offense like Florida, that’s everybody’s game plan. So we’ll put that back into effect this week and see if it works as good as the last game.''

Football-Basketball doubleheader on Nov. 17

GAINESVILLE - Gator fans can get their fill of Florida athletics on Nov. 17.

The Florida football team will host Florida Atlantic at noon, then the Gators two-time defending national champion basketball team will host Rutgers at 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

The University Athletic Association said in a statement Wednesday that parking availability and traffic concerns around campus and throughout the city were taken into account when determining the start times. Television plans will be announced later.

Tebow's Heisman momentum growing

GAINESVILLE - All of a sudden, the Tim Tebow for Heisman campaign doesn't seem so silly.

Although a sophomore has never won the coveted award, Tebow's performance over the first four games of the season has propelled him among the favorites - although it's still very early in the season.

In this week's Scripps Howard Heisman Trophy poll, Tebow is the leading contender, overtaking Arkansas running back Darren McFadden who led last week.

The poll, compiled by The Rocky Mountain News in Denver, is the longest-running weekly Heisman poll in the nation and includes 10 voters, all college football writers, and two from each voting region who vote for five players each week.

The poll has correctly predicted 17 winners in the past 20 seasons.

This week's poll looks like this: Tebow, McFadden, Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson, USC quarterback John David Booty, and a tie between Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and West Virginia quarterback Pat White.

Tebow is coming off a game in which he amassed 427 total yards.

LSU-Florida to be broadcast on CBS prime time

GAINESVILLE - You can tell when the Gators are playing a really big-time game because you've got to stay up late to see it.

With the potential of having unbeaten Florida vs. unbeaten LSU in a matchup, CBS has selected to air the Florida-LSU game at 8:28 EST. on Oct. 6.

That means two back-to-back nationally televised night games for the Gators. Florida will host Auburn on Saturday, with the tipoff expected at 8:10 on ESPN.

Tebow earns weekly league honor

GAINESVILLE - Urban Meyer may hbve thought Tim Tebow was too much of a crutch for the Gators against Ole Miss last week, but the SEC office was apparently impressed.

On Monday, Tebow was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Rebels.

Tebow had 427 yards of total offense, including a school-record 166 rushing yards by a quarterback. He also had career-highs in completions (20), attempts (34) and rushing attempts (27), and threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns.

The 427 total offensive yards is best in the SEC this season. 

Florida-Auburn game set for 8 p.m.

GAINESVILLE - The Florida vs. Auburn game this Saturday will kickoff at 8 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, ESPN announced Sunday.

It will be the Gators' first nationally-televised primetime game of the season.

Florida-Ole Miss quotebook

Some postgame quotes after Florida's win over Mississippi:

Tim Tebow on breaking the single-game rushing record for a quarterback:

"Anytime you break a record, it's an honor.''

Urban Meyer on Mississippi's fake punt on its final possession of the game:

I know that coach (Chris Rippon). I've known him for a long time. He's not one of those guys that is going to punt the ball. He's going to try to win the game. I would have done the same thing. Who cares if you lose by one touchdown, you're trying to win the game. He's not going to punt that ball.''

Florida receiver Louis Murphy on why the Gators were having so much trouble going deep:

“They were playing cover-2 and cover-3 the whole game because they didn’t want us to take the deep shots. “As soon as we snapped the ball, they were bailing out. They kept saying on the field they didn’t want to get beat deep.’’

Mississippi junior defensive back Dustin Mouzon on defending a running quarterback like Tim Tebow:

“It’s frustrating for a defense,’’ Ole Miss defensive back Dustin Mouzon said. “I have to commend Tim Tebow because he is like a brick wall. I came up to hit him and I kind of got hurt.’’

UF quarterback Tim Tebow on teammate Percy Harvin 

“Percy is just a competitor. He’s flashy, he’s brilliant. He will do anything it takes to win. He’s a competitor.’’

Mississippi Defensinve lineman Greg Hardy

"Just playing Florida itself can be overwhelming because they have so many good players. The most frustrating thing was having Tebow run up the middle on the quarterback dive.

Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron on quarterback Seth Adams, who played with a sprained shoulder:

"He is a gamer. He has the toughness you look for. He was hurt, and he tried to come back and practice a little Wednesday. He had a smile on his face out there. This is what he always wanted to do. He's turnout out to be a really good quarterback for us. I am really proud of him. He is a great leader.''

Meyer: We can close games now

OXFORD, Miss.- Don't think for a minute Urban Meyer is disappointed in the Gators' 30-24 win over Ole Miss Saturday.

The game-saving final drive, in which the Gators converted three first downs to run out the clock shows something positive about this team, Meyer said.

"In the past, that’s been an issue, not being able to close the game,'' he said. "We were able to close today.''

Tebow impressing Heisman voters

GAINESVILLE - Okay it's early - VERY EARLY - in the season, but maybe those people selling Tebow for Heisman T-shirts in Gainesville are on to something.

The sophomore quarterback is among the top five candidates with experts on two popular internet sites.

ESPN.com is its weekly feature of a Heisman voter lists Tebow at No. 3 behind Arkansas running back Darren McFadden and West Virginia quarterback Pat White.

Over at CBS Sportsline.com, Tebow finished with 29 points among its five analysts, enough for first place ahead of Colt Brennan (Hawaii), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), McFadden and Ray Rice (Rutgers).

Of course, it's all speculation. And again, it's only three games into the season.

Brandon James honored by SEC

GAINESVILLE - Sophomore running back/returner Brandon James on Monday was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week by the SEC office.

In Florida's 59-20 victory over arch-rival Tennessee, James had 193 all-purpose yards, including 159 on returns.  He opened the scoring against the Vols with a career-long 83-yard punt return for a touchdown on his first touch of the game. It was his second career punt return for a touchdown, and tied for the fifth longest in Gator history. James also returned four kickoffs for a 25.5 yard average and had three punt returns for a 30.3 yard average. He leads the nation in punt return average (30.8) for
the season.

Tebow named Walter Camp national offensive player of the week

GAINESVILLE - Sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow has been named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week.

Tebow was 14-of-19 for 360 yards and two touchdowns of 30 and 20 yards. He also rushed for 61 yards, and had two rushing touchdowns of seven and five yards.

Tebow leads all quarterbacks in the nation with five rushing touchdowns.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation awards a national and offensive defensive player of the week award throughout the regular season.

Finch out for the season with broken leg

GAINESVILLE - Freshman safety Jerimy Finch suffered a broken leg in Saturday's win over Tennessee and will miss the remainder of the season, coach Urban Meyer said Sunday.

Finch was injured with just under three minutes remaining in the game.

He underwent surgery Sunday morning.

"He's out for the season,'' Meyer said.

Three Gators suffer injuries in UT game

GAINESVILLE - After losing senior receiver Andre Caldwell last week to a sprained MCL, the Gators suffered more injuries on Saturday.

Freshman offensive tackle Maurkice Pouncey suffered a sprained right ankle with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter and spent the second half on the sidelines in an air cast.

Sophomore cornerback Markihe Anderson injured his right leg, which he’d already been nursing a sprained knee, with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter.

Freshman linebacker Jerimy Finch injured his right ankle after he intercepted a pass and returned it nine yards with 2:43 remaining in the game.

“Jerimy Finch is not good,’’ coach Urban Meyer said. “I’m going to wait until (today), but he could be out for a little while. We had negative X-rays on Markihe and Maurkice. I think Markihe is just a bruise.’’

Pouncey returns to sidelines on crutches

Freshman offensive tackle Maurkice Pouncey has returned to the Gator sidelines with an air cast on his right leg.

Pouncey was injured late in the first quarter and was taken to the locker room.

Gators suffer two injuries in first half vs. UT

GAINESVILLE - Freshman offensive tackle Maurkice Pouncey suffered a right ankle injury with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter and did not return in the first half. He spent the time in the locker room being evaluated.

Also, cornerback Markihe Anderson may have reinjured the sprained MCL he's been nursing for three weeks. He also was taken to the locker room before the first half ended.

Gators get commitment from four-star DB

GAINESVILLE- Pahokee defensive back Janoris Jenkins gave an oral commitment to the Gators during a live announcement on ESPN Thursday night.

Jenskins, who helped lead Pahokee to a state title, had 80 tackles and six interceptions as a junior last season. He also rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns.

The opportunity to play right away, his relationship with current Gator and former high school rival Deonte Thompson and a general feeling of "home'' when he visited the campus were all contributing factors in his decision.

Jenkins plans to enroll at Florida in January.

Rainey struggles, but still in the mix

GAINESVILLE - Chris Rainey may have broken the Lakeland High record with 32 touchdowns and 2,478 yards in his senior year, but the 5-foot-9, 156 pound running back has a lot to improve on at the college level.

Rainey had a 38-yard punt return last week against Troy, but fumbled the ball, which Troy recovered at the UF 40-yard line. His size has also limited him at running back.

But UF coach Urban Meyer said he hasn't lost confidence in Rainey, who will still figure in the offense. Although most likely not against Tennessee.

"Chris is dynamic, he just has to take care of the ball,'' Meyer said. "In our plan to win, it's take care of the football. He knows that. He comes from a great high school program, he's very well coached, he loves fooball. The reality is that he's not very strong, and he's not very big. And we're getting ready to face very big, very strong, very fast people. Have I lost trust in him? No. He's a young player, he's going to go through some growing pains. He's going to have a great career at Florida. We've just got to fill him out. And he knows that.''

UF to fans: Be wary of counterfeit tickets

GANESVILLE - The University Athletic Association is warning fans to be careful about purchasing tickets to this week's Florida-Tennessee game that may be stolen or counterfeit.

Each year, a large number of stolen and counterfeit tickets are sold to unsuspecting Florida fans for big SEC football games and the Florida State gaem. Generally, the tickets are sold over the Internet and by ticket sellers around the stadium on game day.

The UAA says hundreds of Gator fans have unfortunately been defrauded. 

If a fan purchases a stolen or counterfeit ticket, they can be denied admission at the gates and subject to investigation. If a person is already in the stadium and is caught with a stolen or counterfeit ticket, they will be ejected and could be subject to arrest. There are several organized groups that work out of Atlanta and New York City that travel to various sporting events and concerts and sell these stolen and counterfeit items.

The National Football League has an on-going investigation in an attempt to break up these rings, Florida officials said. The UAA is reminding fans that the only authorized outlet for Gator Football Tickets is the Gator Ticket Office. Purchasing tickets from other sources are done at the buyers' own risk.   

Lynyrd Skynyrd to perform at Gator Growl

GAINESVILLE - First Shelley Meyer. Now Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Last week the announcement came that Meyer, the wife of UF head coach Urban Meyer, will be the host of this year's Gator Growl, the nation's largest annual pep rally.

On Monday, UF offiicals announced that legendary southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd will perform at Growl. The group, originally from Jacksonville, is known for such hits at "Sweet Home Alabama'', "Tuesday's Gone'' and "Freebird.''

Gator Growl 2007: Nation of Champions, will be held at 7 p.m., Nov. 2 at Ben HIll Griffin Stadium as part of Homecoming weekend. General public tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com.

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Basketball team to be honored at UT game

GAINESVILLE - Florida's 2007 NCAA national championship basketball team will be honored and receive their championship rings prior to Saturday's Tennessee game.

Four of the five starters, and sixth-man Chris Richard, will be on hand for the ceremony. Lee Humphrey, who is now playing in Europe, cannot attend.

Tebow SEC Offensive Player of the Week

GAINESVILLE - Sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow on Monday was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week by the league's office.

Tebow wa 18-of-25 for  236 yards and three touchdowns and also led No. 5 Florida in rushing with 93 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns in the Gators' 59-31 win against Troy.

UF scored touchdowns on its first seven offensive drives against the Trojans. Tebow has a current streak of 69 passing attempts without an interception and is second in the nation in passing efficiency (228.2), while leading the SEC in total offense (333.5 yards per game) this season.

UF-Ole Miss game time set

GAINESVILLE - The Florida vs. Mississippi game will be played at 12:30 EST, Sept. 22, in Oxford, Miss.

The game will be televised live on Lincoln Financial Sports (Ch. 38). It will be the Gators' second broadcast this season on the network. Florida opened the 2007 season with a 49-3 win over Western Kentucky on Lincoln-Financial.

The Ole Miss game is Florida's first road game of the season.

Andre Caldwell and Bryan Thomas to miss Tennessee game

GAINESVILLE - Florida will have to face Tennessee without one of its biggest offensive threats.

Senior receiver Andre Caldwell will miss Saturday's game due to the sprined MCL he suffered in Saturday's game against Troy.

"He's not going to play Saturday and that's a blow,'' UF coach Urban Meyer said. "That's a frontal shot right there. It's not a painful injury, but all I'm going to say is he's not going to play this week.''

Caldwell's status after Saturday's game remains uncertain.

"I'll just keep updating you each week,'' Meyer said.

Caldwell is a fifth-year senior who missed most of the season two years ago after he broke his leg. Ironically, the injury came in the Tennessee game.

Former Zephyrhills standout Bryan Thomas will also miss Saturday's game with a sprained MCL. Thomas, a redshirt freshman, had started to make strides on defense and special teams, Meyer said.

Running back/returner Brandon James will play Saturday, despite a sprained ankle he suffered in the Troy game.

Florida falls one spot in AP poll

GAINESVILLE - Despite its 59-31 win over Troy Saturday night, Florida fell from No. 4 to No. 5 in this week's Associated Press poll.

The Gators held a 49-7 lead at halftime, but allowed Troy to score 24 second half points. That, combined with Oklahoma's big win over Miami apparently swayed some voters.

LSU, with its dominating win over Virginia Tech, received 25 first place votes, but it wasn't enough to overtake idle USC at the No. 1 spot.

Oklahoma moved to No. 3, while West Virginia also fell one spot to No. 4. Texas, Wisconsin, California, Louisville and Ohio State round out the Top 10.

Following its 16-12 loss to South Carolina, Georgia fell 12 spots to No. 23 and Auburn dropped completely out of the polls after its overtime loss to South Florida. South Carolina moved into the poll at No. 17.

Tennessee, Florida's opponent this weekend, is ranked No. 22.

Lochte and Torres to be honored at football game

GAINESVILLE -  Former Gators Ryan Lochte and Dara Torres will be honored during the Troy vs. Florida football game.  The two will appear on the field during the first time out of the second quarter.

Lochte won the 2007 World Championship in the 200-meter back in world record time. He later went on to win his second gold of the meet as part of the world record smashing 800 free relay.  Lochte followed up the world championships with two national championships at the 2007 ConocoPhillips National Championships.

Torres was the story of this year’s ConocoPhillips National Championships, winning the 50 and 100 free events. She broke the American record in the 50 free, returning to competitive swimming after
a seven year layoff and 17 months after giving birth to her daughter.

UF golfer to begin Walker Cup play

Junior golfer Billy Horschel will compete in Walker Cup Match play on Saturday and Sunday at the Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, Ireland.

Horschel was among the first eight players picked for the 10-man U.S. team by the USGA in early August. Horschel has 16 career top-10 finishes at Florida, including three individual medals. He is currently second all-time in career stroke average with a 71.94 mark, behind former Gator and PGA Tour pro Camilo Villegas’ 71.21.

He is a two-time, first-team All-American and was named the 2007 SEC Player of the Year. The Walker Cup Match is a team tournament between amateurs from the U.S. against a squad from Great Britain and Ireland that began in 1922. It is held biennially, hosted at sites alternating between the two teams.

A total of 24 matches will be played during the two-day competition. Two different forms of match play are used in the competition; singles and foursomes (alternate shot). Four foursomes and eight singles matches are played on each of the two days of competition.

UF-South Florida to meet in soccer Friday night

GAINESVILLE - It'll b the Gators against the Bulls on the soccer field tonight.

No. 14 Florida (1-1, 0-0 SEC) will host USF (0-0-1, 0-0 Big EAST) Friday, Sept. 7 tonight at 7 at James G. Pressly Stadium.

Florida split in its season-opening weekend of action, defeating Indiana 1-0 on Aug. 31, then losing 2-0 to then-No. 2 Notre Dame last Sunday.

Florida will be looking to put some goals on the scoreboard. The Gators top two returning scorers from the 2006 season are senior Stacy Bishop, who led the Gators with 12 goals, 6 assists and 30 points and junior Ameera Abdullah with 11 goals and 24 points. Both were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America third team last fall.

The Bulls are led by Denise Schilte-Brown, who starts her first season at USF in 2007 after taking Virginia Commonwealth to the 2004 and 2005 NCAA Tournament. USF's first match of the season, set for Aug. 31 versus Stetson, was postponed due to lightning in the DeLand area. The Bulls played Mississippi to a 0-0 2OT tie on Sunday, Sept. 2 in Oxford, Miss. UF will be the middle of three consecutive Southeastern Conference opponents for the Bulls, as USF meets Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Sunday, Sept. 9.

Friday's match can be heard live on WRUF-AM 850 and is also available on GatorVision. For more information about GatorVision, please go www.GatorZone.com.

Shane Matthews to coach AAFL's Florida team

GAINESVILLE - Former Florida quarterback Shane Matthews will be the head coach of the Florida team in the new All-American Football League.

The league, which will consists of former college players who have earned their degrees, will begin play on Aug. 12.

Joining Matthews on the Florida staff will be former UF running back Terry Jackson and former Florida coaches Jerry "Red" Anderson and Jim Collins.

Teams from six states - Florida, Texas, Michigan, Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee - will comprise the new league. The Florida team will play three games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

A minimum of 10 former Gators will be on the Florida team. So far, the roster includes: Steve Rissler, Fred Weary, Willie Jackson, Travis McGriff, Judd Davis, Chris Doering, Doc Pollard and Tony George.

"This is a dream job for me,'' Matthews said at a news conference Wednesday in Gainesville. "We're going to have some fun and we're going to win.''

Gators move to No. 4 in AP poll

GAINESVILLE - Michigan's loss was Florida's gain.

The Wolverines' loss to Appalachian State helped the Gators leap two spots to No. 4 in this week's Associated Press poll. Michigan, which was a preseason No. 1, fell out of the poll - the largest drop in poll history.

USC remained No. 1, followed by LSU and West Virginia. Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Texas, Louisville, Virginia Tech and California round out the top 10.

Williams named SEC Freshman of the Week

GAINESVILLE -  Redshirt freshman Janine Williams on Tuesday was named the volleyball SEC Freshman of the Week.

Williams led all players at last weekend’s Campus USA Credit Union Invitational with seven service aces, including a career-high three versus N.C. State, to help the sixth-ranked Gators (5-0) to the
tournament title. UF swept through its competition on the weekend, defeating Georgia Southern, N.C. State and No. 19 Santa Clara by 3-0 scores.

Through the first five matches of the season, Williams is averaging 1.81 kills per game on a hitting efficiency of .324, and her 0.50 aces per game and total of 40.5 points both rank third on the team.
She and sophomore libero/defensive specialist Elyse Cusack are the only two players on the roster to have seen action in all 16 games this season.

Florida will be in action again on Wednesday night, when in-state rival Florida State visits the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for a 7 p.m. match. UF has won 38-consecutive matches against teams from Florida , and owns a 16-4 all-time record against the ‘Noles in Gainesville.

UF wary of Troy; Trojans not intimidated

GAINESVILLE - Much of the talk in Florida's early-morning meetings Monday was centered around Troy, but it wasn't just X's and O'.

After Applachian State stunned the nation with its victory over then-No. 5 Michigan, every team in the country facing a so-called lesser oppponent is on high alert. UF coach Urban Meyer said his staff will make sure the Gators don't take Troy lightly.

"I think our coaches do a great job,'' he said.  I just sat in on the defensive meetings and there is no chance of saying ‘O.K. this team is not as good as us.’ We are just trying to get up and play as hard as we can. I worry about that with the older guys like Drew Miller or Carlton Medder, but they are such good kids and we are going to be on them so hard that I don’t see that being a problem.  I think whenever a college football fan, player or coach sees what happened with Appalachian State it initially shocks you.''

Meanwhile, Troy coach Larry Blakeney said Tuesday mornng his team won't be overconfident coming into Gainesville on Saturday- but they won't be frightened either.

"I don’t think our kids will be intimidated and hopefully we’ll be well prepared and have a way to scheme and compete with the Gators, the reigning national champion, the great crowd and the people that really feel very strongly about their football team,'' Blakeney said on ESPN's 1st Watch. "We’ll deal with that. I think our guys though will be excited to play and look forward to playing the Gators. They are an awfully good, well-personnel, well-coached football program.''

As for overlooking Troy in anticipation of Tennessee, Blakeney said there may have been a better chance of that if Michigan hadn't lost.

"Probably they’ll have their guard up a little more even now because of what happened this past week,'' he said.

New company will provide souvenir photos at Gator Games

GAINESVILLE - The University Athletic Association has entered into a joint venture with FanFoto to provide souvenir photography for Gator fans attending games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during the 2007 football season.

The FanFoto program will send photographers throughout the stadium and the grounds surrounding it to take pictures. Fans can then go to the Gators' website and purchase their prints and other photography products. Specialty Gator borders and backgrounds are available with each print.

Fanfoto Photographers will wear light green FanFoto golf shirts to be recognizable. The service is part of a network offered in 16 professional and college sports facilities nationwide.

For more information, go to www.GatorZone.com.

Anderson could return this week

GAINESVILLE - Sophomore cornerback Markihe Anderson could return this week, coach Urban Meyer said Sunday.

Anderson is nursing a sprained right knee and missed Saturday's season-opener.

"Markihe tells me he’s going to play,'' Meyer said. "Obviously we are at the mercy of healing, but we’d love to get him ready because they (Troy) are going to come in here and throw all over the field.''

Gators in search of reliable replacement for Trautwein

GAINESVILLE - With the possibility that senior Phil Trautwein may be out for the season, coach Urban Meyer said Sunday morning others will have to step up and fill that void.

Meyer said he's unsure when a final decision will be made on Trautwein's season, but the stress fracture in his foot will keep him out for the forseeable future.

"To be honest, I don’t know,'' Meyer said Sunday morning. "I know he’s out for quite a while now.''

In Trautwein's absence, Meyer said he's looking for help from three redshirt freshmen: Marcus Gilbert, Maurice Hurt and Carl Johnson, all of whom have been a disappointment so far in Meyer's estimation.

"If Traut can’t go the rest of the year, we’re going to have to develop Gilbert,'' Meyer said. "And right now, Gilbert and Carl Johnson should be much more advanced and Maurice Hurt than where they are,. I’m disappointed in that. And they are all dealing with injuries and other issues and all that. And that’s fine, but it’s time to get better. It’s time to start playing. We’re going to put more pressure on those three guys to get involved.''

Players wanted to finish the game

GAINESVILLE - The starters had finished their day anyway, but many of Florida's backups were hoping to play the final 8:23 of the game before it was terminated due to lightning.

"I've never had a game end that way, but I know a lot of the younger guys wanted to play more,'' senior offensive lineman Drew Miller said.

UF coach Urban Meyer said he would have liked to get his players more time, but safety was the most important issue.

"The extra eight minutes would have been very helpful,'' Meyer said. "When you’ve got a lot of young players, you’ve got your one’s, Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow standing out there and Derrick Harvey -they are not going to play. But your 2’s needed it. I would love to finish that game the right way and just go sing the fight song with your band and shake your opponent’s hand. We have never done that (not finished), but you’ve got to take care of your team.''

Michigan loss a lesson for Gators

GAINESVILLE - As they sat amongst each other during the hour-long lightning delay Saturday, the Florida players said Michigan's upset loss to Appalachian State was a hot topic of discussion.

"That's why we take every game like it's an SEC game,'' sophomore linebacker Brandon Spike said. "You can't take anything for granted.''

UF coach Urban Meyer said even though the Gators have some unanswered questions after Saturday's win over Western Kentucky, the Michigan game is a reminder that anytime you win, it's a good thing.

"I told our team a win is a win, is a win and we’re going to take that win, learn from it, get better and enjoy the win,'' he said. "We work awful hard. I don’t know what happened in that game (Michigan), but that’s a "Wow!'  I know that coach and Appalachian State is a fine football team. I’ve seen them play.''

Western Kentucky game delayed due to lightning

GAINESVILLE - The Florida-Western Kentucky game has been delayed with 8:23 remaining in the fourth quarter due to lightning in the area.

Per SEC rules, games must be delayed a minimum of 30 minutes when lightning is within six miles of the playing field.

Florida leads 49-3 over the Hilltoppers, following a 4-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Cameron Newton with 8:23 left in the game.

The few thousand fans who have remained in the stadium have been encouraged to seek shelter during the delay.