Ahead of schedule

[TheTodd]

He said it with a smile on his face and no intent of malice, but when Urban Meyer said, “I really like this team” Monday afternoon it was a menacing shot across the bow of all 12 teams on the Florida football schedule and anybody else that dares to cross the path of the number one-ranked Gators this year.

When Meyer “likes” a team it’s another way of saying, “I’ve got everything I need to pillage and plunder.” That’s not something opposing coaches want to hear, particularly since it’s taken Meyer almost to midseason in his two national championship runs at Florida to get to the point where he would go so far as to admit he actually “likes” his team. That he “likes” his team on Monday before Charleston Southern shows up at The Swamp to take its beating like a man and then head home with a large paycheck that will take care of all the Title IX scholarships is saying the Gators have had the kind of tough offseason and grind it out August that he was looking for. It says the Gators are focused and living in the moment, not looking ahead to anything in the future. It makes you almost feel sad for Charleston Southern, which comes into the game 73-point underdogs. That might not be a big enough spread.

That Meyer can say he “likes” this team even though Andre Debose might have to have surgery on his hamstring and he has only one tight end ready to go and he won’t know until Wednesday who his five starters will be on the offensive line says plenty. It says that what might be a catastrophe at some other places is just another day at the office in Gainesville. Four straight top five recruiting classes, systematically gathered to ensure depth and competition at every position, has filled out a roster with two types of players --- stars who have proven it on the field and future stars who only need a chance. Debose is one of those future stars. His chance was supposed to crank up immediately, but now it will have to wait.

Debose doesn’t like to be compared to Percy Harvin but that’s exactly who he best compares to. He’s got that explosive first step, that ability to accelerate and get separation, and that unexplained but very rare instinct to sense game-changing moments. Most teams would go into a mild state of panic if a player of Debose’s caliber went down with an injury. At Florida, Meyer is disappointed that it might be awhile before he can add Debose to his arsenal but it’s hardly the end of the world. The way it is at Florida these days, one stud goes down, another stud takes his place. Brandon James, who is an All-American kick returner, will get the first shot. Jeff Demps, who holds the world record for 18-year-olds in the 100 meter dash, and Chris Rainey, who might be the best combination of great speed and ruptured-disk causing open field moves, will back him up.

Debose might have to have surgery on his hamstring, a decision that will be made at some point Monday afternoon after consultation with Dr. Pete Indelicato. It’s an injury that had its origins at the state track meet back in May. Debose runs a 10.4 100 meters, so he can fly, but like a lot of sprinters he’s prone to hamstring problems when he’s in track shape. The injury has lingered all summer and now further evaluation indicates it’s far more serious than a typical hamstring strain or pull.

“It’s a very unique injury,” Meyer said. “There’s an issue with the tendon … there’s two that connect into the bone and there’s one that has an issue. It’s certainly not career ending, it’s just do you fix it or do you give it time? Well, he’s already had a lot of time. That decision is going to be made in the next 24 hours.”

Debose won’t be on any timetable to come back. How quickly he’s ready to go depends on the extent of the surgery and how quickly he heals, but there is no shortage of playmakers Meyer can call upon to get the job done. Debose’s value is he’s that Percy-like combination of a stretch the field receiver and a take it to the house tailback. Meyer might not have one single player capable of doing what Debose can do, but he can mix and match talents to needs with the players he has so don’t expect the Gators to miss a beat.

Meyer likes outside receivers Riley Cooper and Deonte Thompson and he knows the Gators will be tough in the middle of the field with James, David Nelson and tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is the only tight end Meyer has ready to go. He’d like to have two or three in place but if you only have to have one, why not have one like Hernandez, who’s fast enough to be a down the field receiver and a tough enough runner that he can take the shovel pass between the tackles and become the equivalent of a 260-pound fullback with a head of steam on a seek and destroy mission against some hapless middle linebacker or safety.

Again, it’s not about one player doing all the things Meyer was counting on Debose to do but about spreading the ball around, mixing the talent to the situation and seeing if defensive coordinators can guess which of the many options Meyer has at his disposal is going to get the football.

On the Monday before a first game, most coaches would he tanking on Maalox if they didn’t have their starting offensive line figured out. That’s usually a recipe for disaster. At Florida, it’s a mild distraction. Meyer says he will feel better when Steve Addazio tells him he’s settled on his starters but considering the three guys (Matt Patchan, Carl Johnson and James Wilson) battling it out for the final two undecided spots are former US Army All-Americans who ooze talent, how bad can you possibly feel?

The battle will rage for another couple of days --- “These two practices are going to be critical,” Meyer said --- but whether it’s Patchan starting at left tackle with Carl Johnson at left guard or Johnson at left tackle and Wilson at left guard, joining center Maurkice Pouncey, right guard Mike Pouncey and right tackle Marcus Gilbert, you can bet that Florida’s offensive line will be overpowering and athletic.

If Meyer and Addazio made the choice today, Patchan would probably start at left tackle. Patchan might have had to gain 25 pounds since the spring to get to the 290-range and he might be playing catch-up on the offensive line since he spent his freshman season helping out at defensive tackle, but there is no doubt in Meyer’s mind that Patchan has everything it takes to be beyond good and possibly even great.

“He’s as talented as any offensive lineman we’ve ever coached,” Meyer said. “It’s just new for him. We almost wasted a year because we had to play him on defense. That’s a whole year of development at arguably the most difficult position in college sports. We’re still a little bit behind but he’s catching up fast.”

Patchan at left tackle moves Johnson back to left guard where he started the last 10 games of Florida’s national championship season in 2008. It’s no small coincidence that Florida’s offense went from good to dynamic when Johnson moved inside to become the missing link in the line.

So yes, there are still a couple of questions that have to be answered for the Florida Gators but not a one of them serious enough to press the panic button. When you have as much talent as Meyer has accumulated, a coaching staff that top to bottom is as good or better than any in the nation and the best players on each side of the ball in the country in quarterback Tim Tebow and middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, it really isn’t hard to like your team.

When you have freshman doing everything they can to get Meyer’s attention and veterans working extra hard because they feel the push of the young studs you’ve got a great situation on your hands. When all of them come to practice hungry and feeling like every day is a new day with something to prove, you have a team that’s very easy to like.

It took Meyer half a season to like his 2006 and 2008 teams. All they did is win national championships. He likes this team. He likes them a lot and we’re still five days away from game one. That’s scary whether you’re a Gator fan or the coach of a team that is going to face the Gators down the road.

[radbag]

thanks for the post!

[MinGator]

Thanks Todd.

I hope they make the best decision for Debose. Those are the kind of injuries that can slow a guy down for an entire season or more if they try to rush him back.

[Toothy]

It's still 17 days till Tennessee. Put him on ice.

[MinGator]

Per GatorZone the largest margin of victory at home was in 2007 versus Central Meatchicken. Margin was 76 (82-6). I hope we blow that away against UT.

[Toothy]

Danny Sheridan of USA Today installed Florida as a 73-point favorite against Charleston Southern on Sept. 5.
You read that right, 73 points.
Las Vegas doesn’t usually issue point spreads for matchups between FBS (Division-IA) and FCS (Div. I-AA) schools because of the disparity between the leagues and the probability of backups playing a significant role. Sheridan is known to put some of these games in his line, however.
If Vegas did install a 73-point line on this game, though, the smart money would probably be on the Buccaneers.
Only once since 1942 has Florida covered a 73-point spread (Sept. 6, 1997 vs. Central Michigan, 82-6), and the largest margin of victory for Urban Meyer at Florida is 62 points (Nov. 18, 2006 vs. Western Carolina).
So, there might be some novelty in Sheridan putting Florida as a 73-point favorite on opening day, but that’s about all it is, a novelty.
Here is a list of the six times that Florida has won by more than 73 points:
*Nov. 4, 1912: Florida 78, College of Charleston 0
*Oct. 6, 1913: Florida 144, Florida Southern 0
*Oct. 4, 1924: Florida 77, Rollins 0
*Oct. 20, 1928: Florida 73, Mercer 0
*Nov. 7, 1942: Florida 75, Georgia 0
*Sept. 6, 1997: Florida 82, Central Michigan 6

http://editorsdesk.blogs.gatorsports.com/10015/gators-are-huge-favorites/

[MinGator]

you're right 1997 not 2007. Plus the stats I was looking at were for the current Florida Field and stadium that was constructed in 1930.