Touring the college football nation: Meyer backs off his ‘illegal’ claim
For 11/2 days, Florida football coach Urban Meyer swore that Ole Miss illegally blocked Florida’s last extra point that gave the Rebels their 31-30 margin of victory last Saturday in Gainesville.
Meyer even sent a tape of Jonathan Phillips’ attempt that was blocked by’ Kentrell Lockett, to Rogers Redding, the SEC’s supervisor of officials. He claimed that Lockett should have been penalized for hurdling the line to block the kick.
Finally on Monday, after looking several times at the play on tape, Meyer admitted that it was a blocking breakdown that caused the kick to be blocked.
Starting Florida left tackle Phil Trautwein had to line up at left guard on the extra-point team because Marcus Gilbert had left the game with a sprained left ankle earlier in the fourth quarter. Trautwein had not practiced at that spot, which is where the breakdown occurred, according to Meyer.
commercialappeal.com
9/30/08
