Week 10: No. 1 Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt

By Adam Silverstein
November 7, 2009

Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – Gainesville, FL [Capacity: 88,548]
Time: 7:15 p.m. (EST)
Weather Forecast: 83°F – Partly Sunny

TV: ESPN2 / ESPN2HD
Online: ESPN360.com.
Sirius: 220; XM: 200

Florida Gators Vanderbilt Commodores
Head Coach: Urban Meyer Head Coach: Bobby Johnson
Record: 8-0 (6-0) Record: 2-7 (0-5)
Division: SEC East Division: SEC East
Roster | Schedule Roster | Schedule

Odds: Florida -35, O/U 48
Head-to-Head Stats: Gainesville Sun

KEEP AN EYE ON…
Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow…who has rushed for eight touchdowns this season, bringing him to 51 for his career, breaking the all-time SEC record held by Herschel Walker (Georgia, 1980-82). Tebow broke Walker’s record last week with a 23-yard score against Georgia. He also set the SEC career record for rushing yards by a quarterback last week, amassing 2,588 and passing Matt Jones (Arkansas, 2001-04).
Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Mackenzi Adams…he is filling in for starter Larry Smith who is out for the season with a torn hamstring.
– Defensive ends junior Carlos Dunlap and senior Jermaine Cunningham…who lead the team with six and five sacks, respectively. Terrors on the line, each could have career days while feasting on a weak Vanderbilt front.
– Running backs sophomore Jeff Demps and redshirt sophomore Chris Rainey…who are ranked No. 1 and No. 2-T among SEC running backs and top five nationally in yards per touch. Rainey is returning from a shoulder injury last week.
– Redshirt senior linebacker Ryan Stamper…who is replacing suspended team captain Brandon Spikes in the middle. Stamper has 45 tackles, as well as a sack, forced fumble and interception on the season.
– Freshman kick returner Warren Norman…who is already only the second player in SEC history to record three touchdowns on kickoffs in a season. Warren can break the SEC all-time single-season kickoff return yardage mark with 51 more Saturday.

STREAKS:
– The Gators are in the middle of the longest winning streak in school history with 18 consecutive victories. They also hold the longest active winning streak in the NCAA and the best in the SEC in the past 15 years since the Auburn Tigers won 20 straight from 1993-94. 17 of Florida’s 18 wins have been by a double digit margin.
– Florida has won 10 straight games against Eastern Division opponents and is on an 18-game winning streak against Vanderbilt. The Gators lead the all-time series 30-9-2 and are 17-1-1 in The Swamp against the Commodores.
– Florida leads the SEC in total offense (446.6), rushing offense (252.3), scoring offense (36.0) and third-down efficiency (.470).
– On defense, the Gators have only surrendered eight touchdowns all season (fewest of any team in the nation) and average 11 points per game (No. 2 in the nation). The defense has also recorded 16 sacks over the past four games.
– Florida’s special teams have yet to give up a single punt return yard on the season, the only team in the nation to accomplish this feat.

Read OGGOA’s complete Florida vs. Georgia preview after the jump…


No. 1 Florida Gators vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Preview

Taking care of the Georgia Bulldogs last week at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, FL, the No. 1 Florida Gators (8-0, 6-0 SEC) return home to face the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-7, 0-5 SEC) on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium

Florida senior quarterback Tim Tebow had one of his best games of the season last week, rushing and throwing for two touchdowns each in the contest. In the game, Tebow broke all-time SEC records in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards by a quarterback. He looks to extend both of those records Saturday as he competes in the third-to-last home game in his collegiate career. Both of Tebow’s passing scores were to senior wide receiver Riley Cooper, his most reliable pass catcher along with sophomore tight end Aaron Hernandez.

This week, the Gators look to take out some built up aggression on the Commodores, who are winless inside the Southeastern Conference this season. Throughout the course of the week, senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes was ridiculed and then suspended one game for an attempted eye gouge, and head coach Urban Meyer was fined $30,000 by SEC commissioner Mike Slive for “criticizing” officials for a non-call during last week’s game. Both may be on the sidelines, but the team is expected to rally around the duo as well as all of the distractions that have plagued the Gators this year.

The Gators may be the healthiest they have been all season. Redshirt sophomore running back Chris Rainey (shoulder), junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson (rib contusion) and freshman RB Mike Gillislee (hamstring) will all be active for the game, while redshirt junior defensive tackle Brandon Antwine (shoulder), junior cornerback Moses Jenkins (concussion) and redshirt senior safety Dorian Munroe (knee) are out. Munroe’s situation is unfortunate as he got his first action all season last week on special teams but hurt his knee again during practice this week.

Unlike previous opponents, Vanderbilt should serve as a well-needed break of sorts for Florida. Starting a back-up quarterback and relying solely on their star kick returner, the Commodores are expected to have a rough go of things in The Swamp on Saturday night. While the Gators certainly cannot overlook any opponent, the Commodores should serve as a way for them to work out any kinks before heading to Columbus, SC, to face the South Carolina Gamecocks next weekend.

3 Comments

  1. Mr2Bits says:

    I’m a little disappointed that my watch party had no only Gators appetizer or desert today…what gives?

  2. I think you dropped the ball by not making/bringing one.

  3. Mr2Bits says:

    Well we should have made some homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce because vanilla and sloppy is how our offense is looking so far.

    Just once I would love Tebow to not run the ball on 3rd and

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