As mediocre as Florida has been this season, the Gators know that if they win their remaining three conference games, they win the SEC East.
The process begins Saturday in Jacksonville, when the Gators meet Georgia in “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” The Gators have won 17 of the past 20 in the rivalry; the most recent Georgia win was in 2007, and the Bulldogs went on to win the division and the league title that season.
“We’ve got a good team,” Florida senior G Carl Johnson told GatorBait.net. “We’ve got to stick together and try to win. Get to Atlanta. It’s still in our reach. No point in giving up now.”
An anemic offense has been Florida’s problem. The Gators have scored just 44 points during their current three-game losing streak, and 29 of those came against LSU. Florida was off last week, and coach Urban Meyer said coaches have tweaked the offense.
“I’m not going to share much with you, but we have modified quite a bit,” he said on the SEC coaches’ teleconference. “I’m obviously not going to say, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do,’ but things are modified.”
Players on the spot: Ole Miss QB Jeremiah Masoli. Can Ole Miss beat Auburn, which is No. 1 in the BCS this week? That seems extremely doubtful, but a big game from Masoli certainly would help. Masoli is one of just four quarterbacks in the nation to average at least 50 rushing yards (57.1) and 180 passing yards (180.0) per game this season. (The others are Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, Michigan’s Denard Robinson and Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor.) Forget his running ability for a minute; it’s Masoli’s passing arm that is the key. LSU was not able to take advantage of Auburn’s secondary last week, but if Masoli wants to lead the Rebels to the huge upset, he needs to be extremely sharp in the air. And if Masoli has any feelings for his old school, he certainly has to know that an Auburn loss would be a huge help for Oregon.
rivals.com
10/28/10
