FLORIDA FOOTBALL NEWS – 10/6/08
October 6th, 2008 ║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Tags: Florida
Whipping Arkansas helped Florida wipe out some of the memories from their loss last weekend to Ole Miss. And according to this story, there’s even more reason for optimism: six injured contributors will/might return for the Gators’ showdown with LSU this Saturday night on CBS: Ryam Stamper, Kestahn Moore, Will Hill, Marcus Gilbert, Jim Tartt (questionable) and Emmanuel Moody (questionable).
So with UF looking a little healthier, what’s the key to the match-up? “Look at the history of this series,” said Urban Meyer. “When you stop the run and play excellent defense (you usually win).”
But are the Gators REALLY getting healthy? Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald believes Tim Tebow might be suffering from chronic soreness in his back. Goodman spotted the quarterback stretching on the sidelines “constantly” against Arkansas, “as if his back was stiff.”
Also, during Sunday night’s practice, receiver Percy Harvin rested and did not participate.
Meyer plans to give running backs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey more carries based on their “home run potential.” “Those two little guys played great.” Demps had touchdown runs of 48 and 32 yards while Rainey ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run.
Florida worked last night on eliminating penalties along the offensive line. With Jim Tartt and a pair of back-ups out, the makeshift line was called for eight penalties totaling 65 yards.
And here’s a nice little note from LSU’s Ricky Jean-Francois: “If we get a good shot on (Tebow), we’re going to try our best to take him out of the game. With his size and his heart, it’s hard to get a clean shot… if he does get hurt, there’s a trained medical staff at Florida, so you can got to the training room for Sunday.” Now who’d want to hurt that pretty mug at left?
