SIX BITS: Champions Club; Meyer & Mullen; Penalty mistake; SEC awards; Basketball news

1 » In his weekly Monday afternoon press conference, Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer named his Champions Club for the Arkansas Razorbacks game. On offense, linemen Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, Carl Johnson, Marcus Gilbert were honored, as was quarterback Tim Tebow, running back Jeff Demps and wide receiver Deonte Thompson. Defense received less accolades, with linemen Omar Hunter and Terron Sanders and safety Major Wright getting praise. WR Riley Cooper was named offensive player of the game while CB Joe Haden brought home the defensive player of the game honors.

2 » The Gainesville Sun expands on my piece regarding the relationship between Meyer and his former assistant now Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen. The piece expands the relationship further and includes senior quarterback Tim Tebow, to whom Mullen served as a mentor throughout his first three years at the University of Florida. “The thing that makes [Mullen] unique is he is very, very smart. Like, really smart,” Meyer said. “He has great awareness of football.”

3 » The Southeastern Conference issued a statement Monday saying that the 15-yard personal foul unnecessary roughness penalty on Arkansas Razorbacks defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard was an incorrect call. Sheppard had collided with Gators right tackle Marcus Gilbert away from the ball, though it appeared as if Gilbert was the one who leaned into Sheppard. “After video review, there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty called on Arkansas midway through the fourth quarter,” an SEC statement said. “The other calls that were referenced are judgment calls.”

4 » A pair of Florida Gators sophomore student-athletes have been named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for their respective sports. Volleyball’s Kelly Murphy, a right-side/setter, and soccer’s Tahnai Annis, a midfielder, each took home the award after outstanding performances over the weekend. Murphy finished the weekend with 26 kills for an average of 4.33 per set on .600 hitting efficiency. She also averaged 5.83 assists per set, 3.17 digs per set and one block per set while earning her 11th career triple-double. Annis kicked a game-tying and game-winning goal in her respective games, both times coming up clutch in the 86th minute.

5 » Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan is excited with the level of talent and effort being put in by his two newest freshman, five-star guard Kenny Boynton and four-star forward/center Erik Murphy. Both reported to camp in excellent shape, and Donovan believes they can be impact players right away in 2009. “[Boynton and Murphy being in shape] allowed us to sustain a level of intensity in practice that we were unable to sustain last season,” Donovan said.

6 » In the preseason All-SEC poll, Florida basketball was picked to finish fifth in the SEC East. No Gators players were named to either the first- or second-team rosters. The Kentucky Wildcats received the vast majority of first-place votes and accolades.