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A Deeper Look At the Numbers: Vanderbilt

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:24:22 +0100

Our friend Scott Hall gives his weekly look deeper into the stats of the previous week's game. Enjoy. Florida extends its winning streak to 19 with a 27-3 victory over Vanderbilt, Florida’s 19th consecutive win over the Commodores. Florida improves to 32-9-2 all-time against Vandy, and 18-1-1 at home. Florida last lost to Vanderbilt in 1988, a 9-24 loss in Nashville. The Gators played that game without Emmitt Smith and starting quarterback Kyle Morris. Vanderbilt’s only win in Gainesville was the first matchup between the teams, a 7-0 win in 1945.

2009-10 BCS Bowl Projections - Week 11

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:20:00 +0100

This last week had some major upsets and muddied the waters a bit. Some conference pictures are extremely clear, and others aren’t. The title game, of course, could still swing wildly, as we see every year (see last year (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/bcs-bowl-projections-week-11.html), or even last week (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/bcs-bowl-projections-2009-10-week-11.html)). And just projecting the 10 BCS participants (regardless of who goes where) is no easy task. See below to get the projections from some of our Gatorsfirst.com (http://Gatorsfirst.com) contributors...

Gators Own The Night

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:19:44 +0100

Here is the recap of the Vanderbilt game from our friend Henry at cfb365.blogspot.com You know what the say. Vanderbilt always plays us tough. Still, you would expect the Gators to have put on a little better of a show under the lights vs. the Dores. Tebow may have played one of his worst games in the Orange and Blue, despite what the stats say. Superman just looked a little lost out there last night. The running game was stagnant out there for most of the game. the Gators dd finally do a good job of limiting Chris Rainey's carries for once.

College Fantasy Football: Week 10 Preview

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:49:06 +0100

Ole Miss, Auburn, Georgia and Kentucky face FCS opponents this week. I won't list those guys below as recommendations, because of the 25% penalty assessed in CBS leagues. Texas, chock full of guys owned in fantasy leagues, gets UCF. So I tried to find some other sources of points, but you could always go with guys from those teams I just mentioned. Let's just jump into some fantasy advice...

Vanderbilt Preview: Can Commodores Score a 'Moral Victory'?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:38:44 +0100

For this week's game, we wanted to give you a view from the other side. We teamed up with Moral Victory (http://moral-victory.blogspot.com/), a fantastically-named (and written) Vanderbilt blog run by Dimon Kendrick-Holmes. He previously weighed in (during our Full Month of College Football Previews (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/gatorsfirstcom-s-full-month-of-college-football-previews.html)) with a season preview- and what it's like to be a Vanderbilt fan- right here (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/gatorsfirst/gators-first-interview-with-moral-victory.html). Yesterday, I answered some questions he posed to me, you can read them here (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/gatorsfirst/gators-first-interview-with-moral-victory.html) and here (http://moral-victory.blogspot.com/2009/11/florida-fan-and-blogger-answers-our.html). Today, we run his answers to my questions. You can see the original responses here (http://moral-victory.blogspot.com/2009/11/now-we-answer-florida-fan-and-bloggers.html). And I take full responsibility for not taking the opportunity to ask him what he thought about the Vols scoring 'moral victories' over Florida and Alabama this season. I can't remember our last 'moral victory' in any sport- maybe when Donovan took a young Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and co. to Cameron Indoor just to get some publicity- but I still felt awful that we lost, only a little consolation for the way Haslem handled Elton Brand as well as anyone in college basketball could that season. Any way, my bad- I should have stuck it in the Vols' fans ribs a little there, because seriously, unless your Vanderbilt football, why should anyone in the SEC be allowed to consider anything a 'moral victory'?

5 Keys to the Game - Vanderbilt

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:22:06 +0100

Here are the 5 keys to the Vanderbilt game from our friend Henry from cfb365.blogspot.com It's time for the annual grudge match between two hated rivals. Vandy's coming to town!!! The past few years, the Dores have managed to make it to the Florida game with a decent shot at making a bowl. That's not the case this year. Bobby Johnson's bunch have stumbled and fumbled their way to a 2-7 mark. I really don't have much to say about this game. I hope the Gators are more fired up and ready to play than I am to watch it. I've already begun the countdown to South Carolina.

Gators First Interview with Moral Victory

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:13:28 +0100

With the Vanderbilt Commodores coming to Gainesville this weekend, Gators First is collaborating with Vanderbilt blog Moral Victory (http://moral-victory.blogspot.com/) to give our respective audiences a better perspective on this week's game. First up, we answer the questions posed to us by a Vanderbilt fan. We previously got his opinion during our Full Month of College Football Previews (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/gatorsfirstcom-s-full-month-of-college-football-previews.html). They were free to ask anything, so I don't have to worry about any jinxes, right?

The Punt Returner: Week 10

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:41:10 +0100

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND I'm back. It's been a while gents and ladies, but after finding my way from Starksvegas to Jacksonville with loads of work in between, I've finally compiled enough random thoughts in a timely enough manner to make a column so here we go. I'm skipping over recapping games that are 3 weeks old at this point, but will return to a quick and slimmed down recap next week. Quickly, Starkville was a fun trip to a quaint town in middle America. The town's rep as deliverence is over the top, although I did sleep in the back of a station wagon on Saturday night. This was due to the nearest hotel with rooms being in the 30 miles away range, while my BAC was in the .15 range. I'd recommend a trip there once for every Gator fan just to get it off the bucket list. Their super gigantic scoreboard screen was kinda cool too. Do I even need to say anything about Jacksonville? ''Another successful trip to Jacksonville'' is how I've been phrasing it. My attendance record in Jax now stands at 10-2 in favor of the Orange and Blue going back the last decade. On to the picks!

Vote For Tim Tebow for Heisman, Postseason Awards

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:25:00 +0100

Tim Tebow is up for many postseason awards. He needs our help to capture the 'fan vote' for a few of these. Vote Everyday! CLICK HERE (http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/theheismanvote/2009/) to vote for Tim Tebow for the Heisman Trophy. CLICK HERE (http://www.VoteOBrien.org/) to vote for Tim Tebow for the Davey O'Brien Award. It only takes a second to register for this one, and once you've done that, it's quicker if you just CLICK HERE (http://www.voteobrien.org/login.asp). CLICK HERE (http://www.seniorclassaward.com/vote/football_2009/) to vote for Tim Tebow for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

College Football Pick'em 2009 - Week 10

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:15:08 +0100

Week 8 had 54 games on the slate, and a total of 56 pts were available. James won last week with 43 pts. James stays in the season lead with 431 pts, followed by me with 425. This week we have G1 co-founders James Brown, Chris Canada, and Jesse Colston, G1 contributors Ryan Crutchfield, Jamie Unger-Fink, Allen Delaney (The Punt Returner (../../../../index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/the-punt-returner.html)) and Henry Testet (CFB 365 (http://cfb365.blogspot.com/)), as well as our friend Ritch from the South Carolina blog Leftover Hotdog (http://www.leftoverhotdog.blogspot.com/). We aren't bookmakers, so if you plan on using these picks for your own personal financial gain, take caution. (I'd stick with mine, heh...)

BCS Bowl Projections 2009-10 - Week 11

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:44:44 +0100

Now that the calendar has hit November, one could expect to take a stab at projecting the BCS Bowls. Some conference pictures are extremely clear, and others aren’t. The title game, of course, could still swing wildly, as we see every year (see last year (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/bcs-bowl-projections-week-11.html)). And just projecting the 10 BCS participants (regardless of who goes where) is no easy task. See below to get the projections from some of our Gatorsfirst.com (http://gatorsfirst.com/) contributors...

The Great Brandon Spikes Debate

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:31:16 +0100

A lot has been written about this Brandon Spikes story. A lot of people say it's a cheap shot. A lot of people say he's dirty. (Well, you could make an case after viewing this picture, but that argument is for another day…) James Brown and Chris Canada decided to take on the two sides of this debate below. Enjoy!

A Deeper Look At the Numbers: Georgia

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:45:36 +0100

Our friend Scott Hall gives his weekly look deeper into the stats of the previous week's game. Enjoy. Florida won its 18th straight game this weekend and 17 of the last 20 against Georgia. With Tennessee defeating South Carolina, Florida clinches the SEC East and will likely play the winner of the LSU/Alabama game this weekend (3:30, CBS) in Atlanta on December 5th. Florida improves to 39-46-2 all-time against the Bulldogs with their 11th largest margin of victory over the Bulldogs. The 47-7 win in 1996 was the largest Gator win in the series, followed by the 49-10 win in 2008. Steve Spurrier owns 6 of the top 7 most lopsided victories Gator against Georgia.

The Season Begins....

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:31:29 +0100

With the real opener coming on November 15th (traditional doormat: Stetson), the Gator’s Basketball team played a frivolous exhibition game tonight against Saint Leo College. The highlight of this game’s stats was the play of Freshman G Kenny Boynton, scoring 22 points. Unfortunately, this writer does not believe in exhibition games of College Basketball, so this blog will read more as the official GatorsFirst season preview.

It All Comes Together

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:31:06 +0100

Here is the recap of the Florida/Georgia game from our friend Henry at cfb365.blogspot.com. Finally the offense decided to show up for a game. After weeks of hitting the snooze button and missing the game, Florida's offense went off against a reeling Georgia defense. The 41-17 win makes the Gators 17-3 in the last two decades of The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

Previewing the War for the Oar

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:33:19 +0100

Friday morning, I unleashed a full examination of the current state of the Florida Gators football team (click here (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/gatorsfirst/what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-these-gators.html)). But what does it all mean for the War for the Oar? (In case you haven’t heard, this season they are introducing a trophy for this epic rivalry game.) First of all, I’ve stated that I think our offense is actually in pretty sound shape, and by getting more efficient in the red zone, not turning the ball over, and getting a little momentum out of special teams, I think we’ll all of a sudden start rolling, putting up 40-50 points every week. But those hopes are somewhat speculation, let’s look at some facts more relevant to this weekend’s game.

What (If Anything) Is Wrong With These Gators?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:17:52 +0100

The college football world has turned on our squad. They lost their #1 AP Poll ranking for a week. The Chosen One has fallen out of first in the Heisman polls. Talking heads see close scores to games and assume the outcome was ever in doubt. If you saw even a few minutes of the game in Starkville, you know it wasn’t. Your “struggling” offense is still 8th nationally. More importantly: your 7-0 Florida Gators are #1, control their own destiny, and storm into the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party with a chip on their shoulder.

Is This The Weekend?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:09:48 +0100

Is this the weekend we silence the critics? We separate ourselves? We earn our ranking?

College Football Pick'em 2009 - Week 9

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:28:22 +0100

Week 8 had 56 games on the slate, and a total of 57 pts were available. I dominated last week with 46 pts. James barely stays in the season lead with 388 pts, followed by me with 386. This week we have G1 co-founders James Brown, Chris Canada, and Jesse Colston, G1 contributors Ryan Crutchfield, Jamie Unger-Fink, Allen Delaney (The Punt Returner (../../../../index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/the-punt-returner.html)) and Henry Testet (CFB 365 (http://cfb365.blogspot.com/)), as well as our friend Ritch from the South Carolina blog Leftover Hotdog (http://www.leftoverhotdog.blogspot.com/). We aren't bookmakers, so if you plan on using these picks for your own personal financial gain, take caution. (I'd stick with mine, see the last two weeks, heh...)

Comfortably Numb: The Florida-Georgia Preview

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:33:30 +0100

Each week, we at Hey Jenny Slater (http://heyjennyslater.blogspot.com/). His game preview, originally posted here (http://heyjennyslater.blogspot.com/2009/10/comfortably-numb-florida-preview.html), is an interesting look at how UGA fans look at this week's team. If you're wondering what sort of expectations he had entering the season, you can see his SEC preview here (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/a-georgia-bulldog-s-sec-preview-2009.html), which was featured during our Full Month of College Football Previews (http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/gatorsfirstcom-s-full-month-of-college-football-previews.html) back in August. Anyway, enjoy! Hometown: Gainesville, Florida. Last season: Won a bunch of games, lost to Ole Miss, Tebow's pledge, won a bunch more games (including Georgia), won the SEC title, won the national title, blah blah we're done here. The season so far: Haven't lost yet, but haven't looked great either; failed to cover in three of their five SEC games to date, including back-to-back nailbiters against Arkansas (at home) and Mississippi State. After reclaiming the top spot in the AP poll this week, they sit at #1 in both major polls and the BCS standings.