Bleed Orange And Blue

Did Urban Meyer cover up problems at Florida?

BleedOrangeAndBlue — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:32:30 +0000

Coaching scandals in college sports are nothing new as the recent Bobby Petrino scandal at Arkansas showed us. Many college coaches have been involved in covering up their own unsavory behavior or the behavior of their players. For the most part, Urban Meyer had never been considered one of those types of coaches. He often spoke out against coaches that participated in that type of behavior. But thanks to a new report, many Gator fans might look at Meyer in a new light. A report in the “Sporting News” detailed the results of their investigation into Meyer’s time at Florida. What they found is not surprising in college sports, but it is in direct contrast to the image that Urban Meyer often portrayed.

The investigation showed a pattern of drug use, violent behavior and preferential treatment. The “Sporting News” named players and incident that happened at Florida during Meyer’s tenure. While Meyer did confirm some preferential treatment for players, he and others denied that anything else happened. The “Sporting News” stood by their story and there is no reason to doubt them. It’s interesting that Meyer is now at Ohio State which recently had some disciplinary problems of their own. They are currently on suspension and will not play in a bowl game this season.

Each year we hear more and more about problems at some of the nation’s top athletic programs. These problems are not new and they aren’t expected to go away anytime soon. The difference now is that we have the Internet and 24 hour sports news. The media have more pages and hours to fill and they will find stories to do that with. That sad part is that there will never be a shortage.

Teacher schools the pupil as Louisville comes back on Florida

BleedOrangeAndBlue — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 02:14:41 +0000

Twenty-five years ago, a young Billy Donovan played point guard for Providence and head coach Rick Pitino. Fast forward 25 years to today. “Billy the Kid” is now head coach of the Florida Gators and his mentor Rick Pitino is head coach of the Louisville Cardinals. On this day, they would face each other for a spot in the Final Four. And Donovan would try to end his losing streak against Pitino. When it was all over, Louisville would win 72 – 68. Pitino and his Cardinals would be advancing on to New Orleans and Donovan’s Gators would be left wondering what just happened.

The Gators were in control for most of this game. They went into the half up by 8 points. It seemed like they were on their way to New Orleans. And then the bottom fell out. Pitino must have brought out one of his best motivational speeches ever because his Cardinals came out for the second half ready to play. The Cardinals went on an impressive 23 to 8 run. They were led by freshman forward Chane Behanan who scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. The Gators contributed to their own downfall by turning the ball over and missing easy shots. It was like the Cardinals wanted to win this game more than the Gators did. But we all know that Billy Donovan really wanted to win this one badly.

Gators Have A Monster Signing Day

BleedOrangeAndBlue — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:17:36 +0000

The Florida Gators added 23 commitments on National Signing Day, many of them top prospects. Most ranking services gave the Gators high marks for the day. According to some services, the Gators posted a top ten recruiting class.

The two big headlines were two recruits expected to boost the Gator defense. Defensive Back Brian Poole was one of the big signings. From Southeast High School in Bradenton, Poole was rated as the number 2 cornerback in the country. The Gators also got top ranked defensive end Dante Fowler to change his mind. Fowler had originally decided to commit to Florida State. After assessing the opportunity for playing time, Fowler decided that Florida would be the better fit for him.

The Gators also helped out the offensive side as well. They got a commitment from the top ranked offensive tackle in the nation, D.J. Humphries. Humphries is an early enrollee and expected to make an impact immediately, possibly as a freshman. Top ranked guard Jessamen Dunker is also an early enrollee and expected to contribute immediately as well.

When the day was over, the Gators had to be pleased with their results. The commitments signed today could set the stage for a national championship in the coming seasons.

Donovan Hates New Schedule

BleedOrangeAndBlue — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:29:39 +0000

Florida Gators basketball coach Billy Donovan voiced his displeasure at the new conference schedule. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) recently signed a very lucrative television deal with ESPN that will bring more exposure and more money to the colleges involved. But Donovan and other coaches wonder if the money and exposure are worth the potential cost. The new TV deal will mean more SEC games on television, but it means that teams will have to play more games in a shorter time span. Donovan is concerned that the players may not be able to fit their educational responsibilities in with their athletic obligations. A situation like that could result in a lower quality of play and even more injuries. Billy Donovan’s concerns seem fair considering the similar situation going on in the NBA right now. The quality of play has fallen as injuries have risen. This is due to the fact that the NBA is squeezing too many games into a short time span. If the Gators want to make a run at another national championship, they will have to avoid injuries and play at the standard that everyone is used to seeing. It will be interesting to see if Donovan’s concerns translate into reality.

Gators Seek Redemption In Gator Bowl

BleedOrangeAndBlue — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:08:52 +0000

The Florida Gators look to improve to .500 with a win in the Gator Bowl against Ohio State. To show how important it is to reach .500, you have to consider one important fact. The last time that the Gators finished below .500 was 1979. Yes, 33 years ago. The only consolation is that the 1979 team didn’t win a single game that season. But that is a small consolation considering the fact that much was expected from this year’s team. They had the top – rated signing class in the country in 2010, but that class only produced 8 starters out of the 27 players that signed. The Gators were expected to play well despite the change at head coach to Will Muschamp and the numerous transfers that happened after Urban Meyer left. The expectations are always high in Jacksonville and rarely are the hopes and dreams of the fans dashed. But maybe this season will become a lesson learned for those that remain. If you want to play at a top program, you have to realize the demands that are placed on a player and a coach. A win against Ohio State will go a long way to restoring a little confidence in the program.

Another Loss…

Sportswriter — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 03:58:05 +0000

In a game were offense was non-existent, defenses reigned supreme, the Florida Gators found a way to shoot themselves in the foot time and time again. Quarterback John Brantley’s first half mistakes killed any hope the Gators had of being close in game that had as many punts as it did first downs. After FSU lost to a UVA team that was throttled by Virginia Tech on Saturday, you would figure that the speed and talent the Gators possess on offense would do something for improving Florida’s chances. That was not the case at all, and the offense looked completely inept before and after Brantley’s concussion in the second half. Actually, the fact of the matter is that there were an abnormal amount of serious looking injuries in the game, most notably on the opening kickoff where linebacker Darrin Kitchens was strapped to a backboard and carried off the field. This is been a terrible year for the Gators.

Narrow Victory

Sportswriter — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:28:32 +0000

After the first quarter, this fan was ready to see Will Muschamps fired on the field. How on Earth can any fan accept giving up 22 points to Furman, a 6-4 team out of the Southern conference, at home, to a team that can recruit better, play better, and has so much more talent than a minnow in the college football landscape. Fortunately, the Gators were able to turn on the offense and quarterback John Brantley secured the 54-32 win, but the fact of situation is that the Florida football program is light years away from where they were under Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow only a few years ago. Furman had more first downs than Florida, gained nearly the same amount of yards total, and had the ball for nearly 13 minutes longer. While that final stat may be attributed to the quick-fire nature of the Gators offense, the other stats truly are concerning; and Florida State is certainly the favorite going into next week’s rivalry game.

Another loss…

Sportswriter — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:51:09 +0000

The defense played better against South Carolina on Saturday, but the offense could not overcome USC’s talented defense as the Gators struggled to a 12-17 loss to the Gamecocks in Columbia. Quarterback John Brantley had a poor day through the air, only throwing for 119 yards on 21 attempts, but the running backs had a reasonable day with Rainey gaining 132 yards with a long of 47. That being said, questions must be asked of Coach Muschamps yet again and his inability to get a team full of talented athletes able and prepared to win a close game against talented opposition. While the SEC does have some bottom feeders such as Ole Miss, it seems that Florida is now being chalked up as an easy win by so many teams now. The fear that the Tebow era possessed along with Urban Meyer is long gone, and recruiting and a new take on football may be required by many fans.

Victory!

Sportswriter — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:06:38 +0000

Coming into this game, both Florida and Vanderbilt had the same records and equally atrocious conference play over the month of October. Fortunately for the Gators, they found a way to win with a great 2nd quarter performance, but that was almost thrown away with abysmal defending in the 2nd half. Jeff Demps had to run for 158 yards in order for Florida to beat Vandy for the 21st time in a row, but the game was only over after a failed onside kick from Vanderbilt after they closed the gap to 26-21 in the final minutes. Offensively, the Gators did outperform the Commodores both through the air and particularly on the ground, but were not able to force any turnovers. Penalties absolutely killed Vanderbilt, as they racked up 106 total yards and allowed Florida to keep scoring drives alive on multiple occasions.

More Dissapointment

Sportswriter — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 21:55:18 +0000

Will Muschamps should lose his job. This blogger is sick and tired of the losses that are piling up in Gainesville, and other fans should be too. This October, the Gators have not won a single game, and half of them have been winnable. Even with the offense being back at full strength, the defense simply could not get the job done. If the Gators had lost due to the lack of a kicker, that would have been acceptable, but the stand-kicker made multiple field goal attempts from a distant range. Additionally at some level you cannot even blame the players anymore for not performing; the talent is clearly there and the ability does exist. The problem has to lie with coach Muschamps, who rhetoric on the subject of losing has been concerning in the past and is really concerning now. The Gators should have beat Georgia on Friday, it is as simple as that.