Spikes one of 20 Lott Trophy Quarterfinalists

Junior LB Brandon Spikes is among 20 quarterfinalists for the Lott Trophy, awarded to college football's defensive impact Player of the Year.

Now in its fifth year, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.

Seven different conferences are represented on the list of 20 with the SEC leading the way with five candidates.  Ohio State (James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins) is the only school with two quarterfinalists. There are nine linebackers on the list, seven defensive linemen and four defensive backs. While there are 10 seniors on the list, there are also nine juniors (and one sophomore, Eric Berry), the most underclassmen to make the quarter-finalist Lott Trophy Watch List.

The 20 Quarterfinalists:

Asher Allen, Jr., DB, Georgia

Eric Berry, So., DB, Tennessee

Aaron Curry, Sr., LB, Wake Forest

Brian Cushing, Sr., LB, USC

Zack Follett, Sr., LB, Cal

Mark Herzlich, Jr., LB, Boston College

George Hypolite, Sr., DT, Colorado

Jeremy Jarmon, Jr., DL, Kentucky

Malcolm Jenkins, Sr., DB, Ohio State

Jan Jorgensen, Jr., DE, BYU

James Laurinaitis, Sr., LB, Ohio State

Scott McKillop, Sr., LB, Pitt

Brit Miller, Sr., LB, Illinois

Eric Norwood, Jr., LB, South Carolina

Brian Orakpo, Sr., DE, Texas

Nick Reed, Sr., DE, Oregon

Myron Rolle, Jr., S, Florida State

George Selvie, Jr., DE, South Florida

Brandon Spikes, Jr., LB, Florida

Sean Weatherspoon, Jr., LB, Missouri

Gators get Top 10 recruit

Kenny Boynton, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard who is ranked the nation's No. 8 prospect by Scout.com, orally committed to the Gators Thursday evening.

Boynton, of Plantation American Heritage, made his announcement on ESPNU. He chose UF over Duke, Southern Cal, Texas and Georgia Tech.

"I took numerous visits to all the schools, and on my Florida visit I was very comfortable,'' Boynton said.

Boynton averaged 34.5 points per game as a junior last season.

Tebow has been playing slightly injured

Tim Tebow suffered a hyper-extended knee in the Oct. 4 game against Arkansas, but coach Urban Meyer said Thursday it has not affected Tebow's play at all and he hasn't missed any practice time.

"It’s fine,'' Meyer said. "Go to sleep tonight knowing he’s fine."

The injury was revealed after CBS play-by-play announcer Gary Danielson said Thursday that Meyer told him Tebow had been injured earlier in the season, but Florida had kept it quiet.

"Tim Tebow was a little bit nicked early on and no one talked about it,'' Danielson said in his weekly press release for CBS. "Urban Meyer didn't even tell us (for previous CBS broadcasts). They kept it well-hidden that he had a little bit of a hyper-extended knee that he hurt early in the season. I wondered why he wasn't running like last year. He didn't seem the same. He was more of a finesse runner than a power runner. Urban Meyer had told us that he is finally 100 percent. We will see the real Tebow (Saturday).''

Meyer said the injury happened on an interception throw in the Arkansas game, and he didn't not talk about it because Tebow continued to play.

"The other day he told me he said "Boy my knee’s feeling really good.' And I was like your knee? What are you talking about? He said "well I banged it a little bit.' He’s fine, he’s 100 percent.''

Meyer said Tebow isn't one to talk about his injuries, pointing out that Tebow told him before last year's Georgia game that he was "fine.''

"I later found he couldn’t pick his arm up,'' Meyer said.

Meyer said he has not noticed any different in Tebow, including his running ability.

Georgia QB: Players love the game in Jacksonville

It never fails that every year this time, talk turns to the future of the  Florida-Georgia rivalry in Jacksonville, with fans from both sides arguing that the game should be moved to a home-and-home situation in Athens and Gainesville.

The two schools have played in Jacksonville 75 times, but the subject of moving the game never seems to go away.

Interestingly enough, the people with the most at stake don't seem to care. Many players say they like the series just the way it is, including Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Stafford said this week that despite what the fans think, the players don't want the game moved.

"I don't think it's a big deal for us as players,'' Stafford said. ""I think the fans make more of a big deal about it than anything, that the game is played in Jacksonville. We love that venue. The fans are split half-and-half. I don't think we'd have it any other way. We really enjoy it there.''

Florida coach Urban Meyer said this week that he also  likes the game in Jacksonville, with the 50-50 split of fans.

"It's all good,'' Meyer said. "The players will experience one of the greatest things they can experience in college football. To walk into that stadium and see a 50-50 crowd split right down the middle of the uprights. Bot the red and black and the orange and blue are loud the entire game. (Motioning for the crowd) to quiet down doesn't work at this game. I'm honored to coach in these types of games and I know our players will feel the same way about their experience.''

For more on where contract negotiations between the City of Jacksonville and the two schools, click here.

Ronnie Wilson facing more trouble

Lineman Ronnie Wilson will not make the trip to Jacksonville this week, and may have played his last game as a Gator.

Wilson is currently not practicing with the team, and coach Urban Meyer would only say Wednesday that Wilson has some business to attend to.

Wilson, who was a reserve lineman on the 2006 national championship team, was suspended in 2007 after firing a gun into the air in the offseason. He attended UF with his own money before being reinstated, but his return hasn't been all smooth.

Meyer said following Wednesday's practice: "We have some expectations and he's got to meet them. He's not practicing. He's got to take care of some business.''

Wuerffel to sign autographs in Jacksonville this weekend

As part of the "Sports Illustrated Evolution of the Game Tour". former Florida Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel will be among former Florida and Georgia legends signing autographs prior to Saturday's Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville.

Sports Illustrated and Nissan are paying tribute to the ever-evolving game of college football by stopping at 10 games across the country throughout the 2008 season.  Admission to the tour is free, and fans can get a complimentary copy of a special “Game Breakers” collector’s edition of Sports Illustrated.

Wuerffel, the quarterback of the 1996 UF national champions, will sign autographs from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

SI senior writer Dan Patrick will be signing autographs from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Former Georgia All-America running back and 1992 Doak Walker Award winner Garrison Hearst will sign autographs from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

From 10 a.m. until the game's 3:30 p.m. kickoff, fans can have their  picture taken on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the Heisman Trophy, take a trip into college football history inside the SI Vault Museum and watch football games and highlights on plasma TVs.

The events will be held at the Championship Dreams Festival located outside of the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium’s South End Zone.

Miles, Fulmer breakdown UF-UGA matchup

Statistically, they are about as close as two teams can get, near mirror-images of each other in several categories, including total offense.

But while the Florida and Georgia coaching staffs continue to break down film of each other, two league coaches know first-hand what to expect from the Gators and Bulldogs.

Tennessee and LSU have each played both teams. Here's how their respective coaches breakdown the matchup.

Les Miles, LSU:

They are certainly both very capable teams. If Georgia continues to run the football like they have, they have a very, very talented receiving corps and they can throw the ball down the field well. I think that gives the Georgia offense their best opportunity at that matchup. I think the Florida offense certainly is extremely dangerous in itself with Tebow running their offense. It’s going to be a great matchup. I think it will really test both defenses and I think the big plays that are made in that game and the fewest mistakes made will probably win.''

Phillip Fulmer:

"Both of them are really fine football teams. I’m not sure at this point in the seson where they are health-wise. Both have that guy that can pull the trigger for them – Stafford and Tebow. That’s kind of where a good offensive team needs to start with efficient quarterbacks. And both are definitely that, where it’s throwing, or in Tebow’s case the ability to make a play by running. Certainly, both of them have good, solid defensive football teams, and both have solid kicking games. So it should be a heck of a matchup when they play."

Asked if either team has an advantage, Fulmer replied: "No, I don’t see it.''

Florida-Georgia preview

Antonya English previews Saturday's Florida-Georgia game, including a look back at the end zone celebration controversy that defined last season's 42-30 Bulldogs win, in an audio slide show.

(Pictured: Florida's Percy Harvin runs with the ball during last season's game. Times photo -- Brian Cassella. Click to enlarge.)

Special teams living up to expectations

It's considered the favorite unit on an Urban Meyer-coached team, so you can bet Florida's special teams players are in good stead with the coach these days.

Florida's five blocked kicks this season surpasses last year's total of four, and brings to 42 the number of blocked kicks by teams with Meyer as head coach (including Bowling Green and Utah).

And then there's Brandon James, who is one of three players in the nation to return two punts for touchdowns this season, and who is tied for first nationally on the NCAA active chart for career punt returns for a touchdown (4).

In last Saturday's game, Florida blocked two punts and a field goal. Meyer said it's that kind of effort on special teams that wins games, particularly big games like this week's showdown with Georgia.

"It crushes you,'' Meyer said. "There is no worse sound than the thump-thump of a kick being blocked; especially if we are playing in another stadium. In our mind, it's hard to equate another play as significant as a blocked punt."

Tebow among O'Brien semifinalists

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is among 13 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award on Monday.

Tebow, the reigning O'Brien winner, joins two other SEC quarterbacks, Alabama's John Parker Wilson and Georgia's Matthew Stafford.

Semifinalists were selected by The O'Brien Selection Committee, comprised of journalists, broadcasters, commentators and former winners, as well as fans across the country with the top three quarterbacks from The O'Brien Fan Vote being added to the list. The Selection Committee is asked to evaluate each candidate on his quarterback skills, athletic ability, academics, character, leadership, sportsmanship and reputation as a team player.

The 13 Semifinalists will contend for the award until the list is narrowed to three Finalists on November 24. All Finalists will be in attendance when the winner is announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards in Orlando on Dec. 11. The recipient will be honored February 16, 2009, at the 32nd Annual O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Fans are able to vote for semifinalist candidates once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. The voting will continue throughout the semifinalist and finalist rounds with 5% of the final tally coming directly from the Fan Vote.

Here are the semfinalists:

2008 O'Brien Semifinalists

Sam Bradford        SO    Oklahoma    Big 12

Daryll Clark           JR      Penn State      Big Ten

Chase Daniel            SR      Missouri        Big 12

Max Hall                JR      BYU             MWC

Graham Harrell          SR      Texas Tech      Big 12

David Johnson           SR      Tulsa           C-USA

Colt McCoy              JR      Texas           Big 12

Todd Reesing            JR      Kansas          Big 12

Zac Robinson            JR      Oklahoma State  Big 12

Mark Sanchez            JR      USC             Pac-10

Matthew Stafford        JR      Georgia         SEC

Tim Tebow               JR      Florida         SEC

John Parker Wilson      SR      Alabama         SEC