Someone said it's time to face stark reality about Saturday's performance. I think Bianchi kind of sums it up. Yes, we had some first game jitters in the first quarter. Yes, we made a couple of mistakes on penalties. But, this team has something really special. When Georgia was beating a division 2 team by 30 we were beating a division 1-A team by 46! Just look at the speed we put on the field. I noticed on one of our long runs that one of our blockers was even out sprinting the hopelessly outmanned Hawai'i defenders!! We didn't even have Percy. Our defense, which usually gets behind by 10 on opening day before we out last the other team didn't even give up any points until late in the game. And that was without the first string in the game. We are awesome, to borrow a word from my 16 year old daughter. We haven't unveiled all of our offense yet! It's going to be a great year for Gator football. That gasping sound you heard coming from the north on Saturday was the "#1" Georgia fans catching up on the Gator highlights!!! Oliver
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Rick Sent: Sun 8/31/2008 4:10 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [gatornews] Gators take a fresh approach with Harvin hurting - Mike Bianchi Gators take a fresh approach with Harvin hurting Mike Bianchi SPORTS COMMENTARY 10:50 PM EDT, August 30, 2008 GAINESVILLE Percy Harvin might need to change his name to...Percy Who-vin? Much of the preseason chatter coming into Florida's opener against Hawaii focused on the mysterious and lingering heel injury that kept Lord-Have-Mercy Percy out of the game. But after Saturday's festive 56-10 Hawaiian luau, you wonder if the Gators and their gluttonously glamorous offense really even need Harvin. Don't get me wrong, Harvin is one of the most electrifying players in college football, but the Gators look to have two more just like him in redshirt freshman Chris Rainey and incoming freshman Jeff Demps. Although nobody knows for sure, it's entirely possible Harvin might currently be the third-fastest player in UF's backfield. Florida's offense is like the Playboy Mansion --- there are bunnies scurrying all over the place. And Coach Urban Meyer might as well be Hugh Hefner, prowling the sideline in a velvet smoking jacket and gleefully hand-picking which prodigious talent he wants to take part in the weekend's scoring orgy. "One of the great thrills of being a coach is having some good-looking checkers you can put on the checkerboard," Meyer said. If you're going to compare this offense to a board game, it's more like Monopoly. And Meyer has Boardwalk, Park Place, all four railroads and a community chest filled with more speed than Lindsay Lohan's medicine cabinet. What's it tell you when the Gators can put up 56 points even without Harvin and with Heisman-winning quarterback Tim Tebow accounting for only one touchdown --- a 48-yard pass to Louis Murphy. "We have so many weapons," Tebow says. "When those young guys get the ball in their hands, they can go and they can make things happen." There have been all sorts of rumors and speculation about Harvin's health and head over the last few months, but getting information out of Florida is like trying to crack the Da Vinci Code. Where does Meyer rank as far as controlling the information flow that comes from his little domain? Somewhere between Bill Belichick and Kim Jong Il. Harvin, even though he comes into this season as a legitimate Heisman candidate, hasn't spoken publicly in months. If Harvin does win the Heisman, they should remake the award to replace the stiff-arming runner on top of the trophy with a bronzed figure with duct tape over his mouth. Who knows when Harvin will be back in the lineup and, quite frankly after Saturday, who really cares? Meyer clearly has a couple of new toys to play with now. The coach's Lamborghini (Harvin) may be in the shop, but it's no big deal. He'll just drive the Ferrari (Demps) or the Maserati (Rainey) for now. Or maybe the Porsche Carrera, aka Brandon James, another all-everything back with breakneck speed who scored on a 74-yard punt return. Rainey and Demps were both high school sprint champions. Demps holds the national high school record for the fastest 100 meters in history, and Rainey actually beat him in a race during the offseason. These guys are like gunslingers, but instead of carrying revolvers at their side, they actually carry their track shoes in their backpacks just in case somebody challenges them to a footrace. "We're always ready to run," Rainey says. They were more than ready Saturday when Meyer unleashed them. First, Rainey broke a tackle and busted a 33-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Not to be outdone, Demps took a handoff a few minutes later and broke free for a 62-yard score. It appeared Hawaii's defense had the angle on him, but as Demps headed to the sideline he shifted into another gear and left defenders diving harmlessly at his feet. "The speed on this offense is crazy," Demps says. "We've got guys that can score from 80 or 90 yards at any time." One of those guys --- Percy Harvin --- was on the bench Saturday nursing a sore heel. He'd better get healthy in a hurry. There are a couple of Sundance kids out there who think they're the fastest guns in the Swamp. Mike Bianchi's Open Mike blog can be read at OrlandoSentinel.com/openmike, and he can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
