Coach Urban Meyer met with the media Monday to review Florida's 51-31 win over South Carolina and to talk about the Gators' upcoming game against Florida Atlantic:
"Saturday was one of our best games as a team – offensive, defense, kicking game. I'm not sure we played great defense, but we did stop the run. We had three turnovers, which is disturbing, but we created three turnovers. There were a lot of positives. This time of year you start to see some younger players develop. Carlos Dunlap and Brandon Hicks, who you won't see on the statistics sheet but had a great day special teams-wise, and those are two off the top of my head who are really coming on. Joe Haden's turned into a real football player for us. These guys are growing the whiskers that you hope they grow.
"Carlos Dunlap is starting to show that freak ability that we saw him have. He had a sack, and he's just got to learn to keep that thing running on full speed all the time, because once he does, he's one of the more talented guys we've seen. We challenged Brandon Hicks, and he did some great things running down the field on kickoff. I might give him more special teams this week."
How good was Tim Tebow on Saturday?
"That was against the No. 1 pass defense in America. I have to be careful, but it was as good a performance as I've seen a quarterback have. Now take that away, and the offensive line didn't allow a sack for the second week in a row and protected him very well. The receivers made plays although he had four or five balls that could have been caught. Tim played very well. When you start hitting against an outfit like that team, with 75 percent third downs, you are going to win that game if you take care of the ball. The only negative was the turnover (by Brandon James) at the 6-yard line, but he (Tebow) is very good."
How well do you know Howard Schnellenberger, and what are your thoughts on him?
"Like a lot of people, and I even asked our staff, I know he coached at Miami when they came here and played. I've read up on him. I think I've met him once or twice, so I really don't know him very well. I admire what he's done in the past. I know he was an NFL head coach. I've got great admiration for what he's doing down there."
With Maurkice Pouncey out this week, does Maurice Hurt get the start?
"I'm hearing good news on (Pouncey). There's a chance he'll play this week. He's a tough guy. Maurice Hurt right now, the other guy would be Marcus Gilbert who would see some playing time. We'd put (Carlton) Medder inside and put Marcus in and then Carl Johnson. Those are the people we're trying to get mixed in there."
Why did you challenge Brandon Hicks, and how did you challenge him?
"Brandon Hicks is a very talented guy. He's a good guy. We obviously need some depth at linebacker, and he's extremely fast. I don't think he's been playing to his (potential). It was a positive challenge because he's done a lot for us, but he really dominated, he made two or three plays on that kickoff team that were big time. Reggie Nelson started on kickoff. That's how his career started. A lot of these players just need to understand that, and (Hicks) does, and I'm just very proud of him, so I wanted to make sure I got his name out there."
Did you get in his face?
"No. There was a lot of time spent. Every day we did a lot because kickoff coverage was the one area against Vanderbilt that I don't believe we did a very good job on. It was him, Bryan Thomas, John Jones, Lorenzo Edwards, those are four guys where there just hasn't been a whole lot of contribution on their part. They are talented as can be. The challenge was there. The time spent was inordinate. Every day we met. Every day we walked through on kickoff, and it showed. They played very well in that phase."
At the beginning of the year you were lamenting the fact that you didn't have a sixth offensive lineman. How would you assess the development of your line this year?
"Good. Any time you protect your quarterback, and Maurice goes in there and he is not 100 percent. He's had stingers this whole year, so in the offseason we're going to have to get him evaluated and stronger. He's playing at about 75, 80 percent. Marcus Gilbert has got to continue to improve, and Carl Johnson has got to start contributing a little bit. I'm pleased with it. I still think we could have played better in this game. We protected the quarterback very well. There were times that they did a lot of movement up front and gave some bizarre looks, and we had trouble blocking them. But there were other times we had it all washed down and ran some great option plays. Our offensive line played very well. I'm glad that we are developing a little depth because there was a time here when we got down to the sixth or seven player, he was not functional. That's no longer the case."
What is Percy Harvin's status?
"Percy was in yesterday, and he's still sick. I anticipate we'll have him for sure tomorrow, and maybe a little bit today. I think he'll play in this game. He had two IVs yesterday. He got sick."
Are you worried about your guys relaxing mentally against FAU?
"Very concerned, especially when they are a very functional team. They score a lot of points. They are throwing for 270 yards a game, and we've had issues stopping the pass, so there's a large concern, especially when you just finished your SEC season and everybody wants to talk about how you finished in the SEC. I'm very concerned. I consider this team a lot like Troy. Troy handled Oklahoma State very well, and they are going to play Troy for the championship of the (Sun Belt) league. Our kids did respect Troy. Troy moved the ball up and down the field on us in the second half. That's just our job. That's what the coaches have to do."
Is there anybody right now who's doubtful for the game?
"Maurkice would be the closest one. I'll know more today and tomorrow, but he tells me and I see him in there (the training room) working out. He's a guy that takes that real seriously. He's the closest one that would be doubtful."
How is Tebow feeling, and do you have plan for him to only play one half or three quarters this week?
"No. Win the game and do the best you can. We'll put together as good a game plan as we can put together for him. There's no one half. Let him play. Win the game."
And how is he physically?
"Great. He's never felt better. It's a great sign when he says that to me. He's pretty good when he feels really good."
Caldwell has had two big games in a row. Was it just a matter of getting healthy?
"No. he's done a lot this year. First of all he's healthy. Second of all, I don't want to say his approach to the game has changed completely, but his sophomore year, when we first got here, it wasn't near what it is now. When he had that injury against Troy, it set him back. He was 100 percent against Vanderbilt and he played great Saturday. He was co-(offensive) player of the game (along with Tebow). He's done a great job."
You talked about some of the younger guys stepping up. What about Aaron Hernandez?
"Hernandez will be very involved. He's earned that right. That was a great play and he actually blocked very well, so you'll see him very involved in the offense from here on out. We need a guy like that. He's fast, he can catch, he's a mismatch for a linebacker who would have to cover him, and that gives us one more weapon. There are many names I could have given you, but he's one guy I should have mentioned. He played very well. He's really come on. He turned 18 last Tuesday."
Brandon James got his most work as a running back against South Carolina. Aside from the fumble, how did he grade out?
"He played well. He's an excellent open-field runner and he gives you the capability of catching the ball out of the backfield, too. He's got very good hands. He played pretty good. He didn't grade a champion, but he played pretty good."
The secondary had six pass breakups. Are they just playing more aggressive or are they maturing?
"Joe Haden and Tony Joiner played very well. Major Wright came up and just knocked the socks off a guy. He's not a good player, he's a great player. Our secondary is getting a lot better, and you'd expect them to. However, we're still giving up far too many pass yards, so we just need to keep getting better."
The Heisman process can be unpredictable. It turns out some winners that you might not expect. Would you be ticked if Tebow got downgraded because his team lost three games?
"That's a good question. I don't have the answer and I don't really concern myself with it, but I don't think that would happen. Three losses isn't the end of the world. I think he's played very well and I think he is a candidate."
How did Jarred Fayson do in Percy Harvin's role?
"Jarred was close to grading out a champion. At times he played fantastic. He scored the first touchdown of the game and did a nice job also carrying the ball for us. We had two turnovers, and he was involved with one of them. I'm not sure the ball got in there, and we missed a block on the offensive line. He played very well, and he'll be very involved again."
How confident are you that this league will get two BCS bids?
"I haven't even looked at that to be honest with you. I think we should. I haven't had a lot of time to look at that."