RING?

By ROBBIE ANDREU
Sun sports writer

The Florida Gators celebrate their win over the Georgia Bulldogs 24-17 with their fans in the end zone at a college football game on Saturday Oct. 28, 2006 in Jacksonville, Fla.
AP Photo/Steve Cannon

Three of the past four seasons, they were in contention. Now, the Florida Gators are in control.

There is a huge difference.
Florida's formula for winning its first SEC Eastern Division title since 2000 is very uncomplicated now.

Win two games.
Beat Vanderbilt on Saturday and South Carolina in two weeks and the Gators are going to the SEC title game Dec. 2 in Atlanta, regardless of what anyone else does in the division down the stretch.

The situation is so unlike three of the past four seasons, when the Gators were clinging to contention and needing help from other SEC teams.

No scoreboard watching is required this season. The Gators just need to win.

"That's a nice feeling when you know you're in control," junior middle linebacker Brandon Siler said Monday. "We're in control of our own destiny."

UF did not have control in 2002, 2003 and 2005. To win the division, the Gators needed help.

In 2002, they needed Auburn to beat Georgia. It didn't happen.

In 2003, they needed Tennessee to lose down the stretch. It didn't happen.

Last season, they needed to beat South Carolina and get an Auburn win over Georgia that same night. It didn't happen (UF lost at USC).

The Gators don't need anybody's help this season.

"I'm glad I don't have that feeling anymore. That's a way different feeling," Siler said. "It's a lot worse when you have to depend on other teams. You don't know what other teams have been doing in the offseason, you don't know if people are nicked up. You have to root for and against people you don't even know. That's a bad feeling. It's hard cheering for other teams, hoping things happen.

"It's way different now. I don't have to watch any other teams play. Just win. That should be everybody's motto. That's an easy one. In the last couple of weeks if we win, we go (to the SEC title game). That's what we've been trying to do."

The Gators actually have a chance to clinch the division title Saturday. If UF beats Vanderbilt and Tennessee falls to LSU in Knoxville, the Gators are heading to Atlanta.

But the UF players say none of their focus is on the UT-LSU game. Siler said he wasn't even aware that those two teams were playing Saturday and what the outcome could mean for Florida. The Gators say they're focusing on Vanderbilt - and themselves.

"We're in a good position right now and it's a one-game season for us from here on out," senior wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius said. "So, we've got to make sure that we're focused on the team we're playing.

"Vanderbilt has got a good team this year. They beat Georgia. They can put some points up and they can play some good defense. We've got to make sure we prepare well for them."

This is the best chance any of the current UF players have had to win the division.

"We haven't had a lot of winning around here. We haven't won any rings or championships," junior defensive end Jarvis Moss said. "That's something everyone really wants. That's the reason we've been playing the way we have this year. We have a lot to play for. It's very reachable for us.

"We really can't be concerned about LSU and Tennessee. We can take care of ourselves and that's by winning out. If we do that, we'll be right where we want to be. We just have to worry about the Gators. We have to prepare and win the rest of our conference games."

The rest is now down to just two - Vanderbilt and South Carolina. The Gators will be favored in both games.

"It's game-time now," junior cornerback Ryan Smith said. "We've got to execute. I think these are winnable games. If we come out and execute like we should I don't see why we shouldn't be in the SEC Championship Game.

"For a lot of seniors, this is their last chance. This is a hell of a run for us. I think it will hurt if we come out anything less than SEC champions. We've got to win it for those guys."

Robbie Andreu can be reached at 352-374-5022 or andreur@gvillesun.com

GOOD FOR NOW

No. 4 Gators move one step closer to national title

By LOUIS ANASTASIS
Alligator Staff Writer

Andy Apicella / Alligator
UF coach Urban Meyer and the Gators have taken another step closer to having a shot at the national championship after the latest Bowl Championship Series standings have them at No. 4.

So much for that devastating Auburn loss.

Just two weeks after seemingly taking a crippling hit to its national championship hopes, UF has climbed to No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

The somewhat surprising two-spot jump officially anoints the Gators as the highest-ranked one-loss team, a distinction that could mean everything at season's end.

The only teams ranked ahead of UF are No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 West Virginia.

The Gators also jumped from No. 9 to No. 7 in the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

Needless to say, UF (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) controls the East Division. If UF wins its next two conference games (Vanderbilt and South Carolina), it will be Atlanta-bound.

"We are officially in the hunt for the SEC East title," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "(But) we need to get our mistakes fixed."

UF's biggest break came when Southern Cal lost to mediocre Oregon State on Saturday. But while the Gators were expected to leapfrog the Trojans, nobody foresaw Auburn slipping. Ranked No. 5 heading into the weekend, the Tigers' fell to No. 6. Auburn was jumped by UF and No. 5 Louisville after struggling with Mississippi 23-17. UF had its own problems with Georgia, winning 21-14 after racing out to a 21-0 lead. However, the rivalry component might have mellowed voters to give the Gators the benefit of any doubts.

UF will now pay close attention to Thursday's West Virginia-Louisville game. The victor will likely be ranked ahead of the Gators next week. The Gators' best-case scenario - assuming they win out - is to have that game's winner lose to either Rutgers or Pittsburgh, which West Virginia and Louisville both still face.

The only other game with larger national implications is Michigan-Ohio State on Nov. 18. The Gators must hope the victor wins handedly so as to bump the loser behind UF.

So what can the Gators control? Style points.

UF must take notes from Auburn - poor showings against mediocre teams mar your appeal in the minds of voters.

But avoiding this pitfall will require a 180-degree turn offensively. UF's production is nowhere near that of Meyer's 2004 undefeated Utah team that averaged 45 points a game.

ARGUABLY?

iT IS 12:29 P.M. AND Patrick is here at my feet on his afghan licking himself like a good dog, ok, now in sleep mode.

What does arguably mean? maybe? or certainly? It's not in my dictionary.

MOB RULE AT GALLUDET

It is 4:45 a.m. and Patrick is still in bed. It's dark out and a whopping 47 degrees out.

Just heard on the TV that Galludet University, which has been shut down by student protests over the appointment of Jane Fernandez as President , has asked her to step down. No, I am not kidding, push your jaws back shut. This should not come as a surprise, it has happended before, so that's what fueled the students and adult agitators to persevere. Jane is no outsider, she has been at Galludet ten years. But she was not "Deaf Enough".

So how would you suppose our Anti-American Main Stream Media came down on all this? Curiously, they are all gushy over the students' victory...

But why? Because the RULE OF LAW is anathema to them. They distain the Costitution. They want pure democracy, with the masses controlled by them, sort of 1984 style. After all communism is totalitarian. If all this sounds goofy, remember today's liberals are totally devoid of logic.

So at Galludet, no one is in control... The board should be ashamed. They should have shut the University down, expelled all the students, and started over again next year, but, no moral guts. Oh well, their reputation is tarnished even more now. Fewer and Fewer instances of people standing up for the RIGHT any more. You can lay that at the heals of a miserable school system and democrats' building of the welfare society and their attacks against religion. Sorry, that's the way it is, folks. I don't make this stuff up, or like it, I just report it.

Oh you don't like me complaining without giving a solution?

OK, hire people to video tape everything, number one. Call cops, and get everybody out, no demonstrations, no occupations, enforce tresspass law. Publish, in all ways possible, that classes are resumed, roll taken and anybody absent is expelled. The board will have to legalize this as an extraordinary measure. Then shut down and re-open. Prosecute using video. In, other words, get tough, meet force with force. Ask Kent State for advice.

#4 GATORS PATH TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

In Gators' control: Win out, with Style points, including SEC Championship Game.

Given: Michigan beats Ohio State or vice Versa. Best if Michigan. Louisville beats West Virginia, or vice versa.

Not in Gators Control: Gators' schedule wins big; Other top ten teams suffer losses...

This is not a stretch, it's doable. Most is in Gators hands. I think Michigan vs. Florida would be cool!!! (I have no respect for Ohio State and their Luck Factor).

Not in Gators Contol :

AP T OP 25

October 29, 2006

AP Top 25
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS	LAST
1	Ohio St. (63)	9-0	1623	1
2	Michigan	9-0	1547	2
3	West Virginia (2)	7-0	1494	4
4	Texas	8-1	1397	5
5	Louisville	7-0	1278	6
6	Auburn	8-1	1250	7
7	Florida	7-1	1243	9
8	Tennessee	7-1	1232	8
9	Southern Cal	6-1	1059	3
10	California	7-1	1040	12
11	Notre Dame	7-1	1037	11
12	Arkansas	7-1	935	13
13	LSU	6-2	842	14
14	Boise St.	8-0	688	15
15	Rutgers	7-0	644	16
16	Boston College	7-1	624	18
17	Wisconsin	8-1	617	17
18	Oklahoma	6-2	589	19
19	Clemson	7-2	435	10
20	Georgia Tech	6-2	402	21
21	Texas A&M	8-1	353	22
22	Wake Forest	7-1	246	24
23	Virginia Tech	6-2	188	NR
24	Oregon	6-2	167	25
25	Washington St.	6-3	40	NR
Others receiving votes: Tulsa 38, BYU 30, Missouri 25, Nebraska 17, Maryland 13, Oregon St. 9, Penn St. 8, Pittsburgh 6, Iowa 3, Alabama 2, Hawaii 2, Oklahoma St. 2.

COACHES POLL

Oct. 29, 2006 USA TODAY/Gallup fans' poll
Rank	Team (first-place votes)	Record	Points	Last week's rank
1.	Ohio State (63)	9-0	1,575	1
2.	Michigan	9-0	1,500	3
3.	West Virginia	7-0	1,437	4
4.	Texas	8-1	1,347	5
5.	Louisville	7-0	1,271	6
6.	Auburn	8-1	1,235	7
7.	Florida	7-1	1,167	8
8.	Tennessee	7-1	1,118	9
9.	Southern California	6-1	1,049	2
10.	Notre Dame	7-1	1,030	10
11.	California	7-1	980	12
12.	Arkansas	7-1	816	14
13.	LSU	6-2	775	13
14.	Boise State	8-0	694	15
15.	Rutgers	7-0	662	16
16.	Boston College	7-1	639	17
17.	Wisconsin	8-1	584	18
18.	Oklahoma	6-2	515	19
19.	Clemson	7-2	458	11
20.	Georgia Tech	6-2	363	21
21.	Texas A&M	8-1	335	22
22.	Oregon	6-2	262	24
23.	Wake Forest	7-1	214	NR
24.	Virginia Tech	6-2	141	NR
25.	Missouri	7-2	64	23
Dropped out
No. 20 Nebraska (6-3, lost to Oklahoma State 41-29), No. 25 Georgia (6-3, lost to then-No. 8 Florida 21-14).
Others receiving votes
Iowa (6-3) 42; Tulsa (7-1) 42; Nebraska (6-3) 38; Georgia (6-3) 26; Washington State (6-3) 21; Brigham Young (6-2) 19; Hawaii (6-2) 18; Penn State (6-3) 15; Maryland (6-2) 9; Pittsburgh (6-2) 9; Oregon State (5-3) 4; TCU (5-2) 1.

BCS #3

Bowl Championship Series standings

Oct. 29, 2006

• Extended computer rankings

	Team	Harris Poll		USA TODAY		Computer rank		BCS Avg.	Pvs
1.	Ohio State	1	.9993	1	1.0000	2	.960	.9864	1
2.	Michigan	2	.9568	2	.9524	1	1.000	.9697	2
3.	West Virginia	3	.9063	3	.9124	13	.2540	.7862	4
4.	Florida	7	.7463	7	.7410	4	.850	.7791	6
5.	Louisville	5	.7993	5	.8070	9	.680	.7621	8
6.	Auburn	6	.7726	6	.7841	7	.720	.7589	5
7.	Texas	4	.8533	4	.8552	12	.560	.7562	7
8.	Southern California	9	.6796	9	.6660	6	.800	.7152	3
9.	Notre Dame	10	.6712	10	.6540	5	.820	.7151	9
10.	California	11	.6277	11	.6222	3	.890	.7133	10

WEEK NINE

1.	Ohio State	9-0	Defeated Minnesota 44-0
2.	Southern California	6-1	Lost to Oregon State 33-31
3.	Michigan	9-0	Defeated Northwestern 17-3
4.	West Virginia	7-0	Idle
5.	Texas	8-1	Defeated Texas Tech 35-31
6.	Louisville	7-0	Idle
7.	Auburn	8-1	Defeated Mississippi 23-17
8.	Florida	7-1	Defeated No. 25 Georgia 21-14
9.	Tennessee	7-1	Defeated South Carolina 31-24
10.	Notre Dame	7-1	Defeated Navy 38-14
11.	Clemson	7-2	Lost to Virginia Tech 24-7 (Thursday)
12.	California	7-1	Idle
13.	LSU	6-2	Idle
14.	Arkansas	7-1	Defeated Louisiana-Monroe 44-10
15.	Boise State	8-0	Idle
16.	Rutgers	7-0	vs. Connecticut, 8 p.m. (Sunday)
17.	Boston College	7-1	Defeated Buffalo 41-0
18.	Wisconsin	8-1	Defeated Illinois 30-24
19.	Oklahoma	6-2	Defeated No. 23 Missouri 26-10
20.	Nebraska	6-3	Lost to Oklahoma State 41-29
21.	Georgia Tech	6-2	Defeated Miami (Fla.) 30-23
22.	Texas A&M	8-1	Defeated Baylor 31-21
23.	Missouri	7-2	Lost to No. 19 Oklahoma 26-10
24.	Oregon	6-2	Defeated Portland State 55-12
25.	Georgia	6-3	Lost to No. 8 Florida 21-14

TESTING

bLOGGER WOULDN'T PUBLISH MY BLOGS THIS MORNING. bEARS BEAT THE CRUD OUT OF fORTY-nINERS IN FIRST HALF , 41-ZIP, 17 TO 3 FIRST DOWNS. gROSS-MAN WAS UNSTOPPABLE. COOL, HUH?

GATORS SOAR TO #4 IN BCS!!

TESTING 123

WEEK NINE

.
Ohio State
9-0
Defeated Minnesota 44-0
2.
Southern California
6-1
Lost to Oregon State 33-31
3.
Michigan
9-0
Defeated Northwestern 17-3
4.
West Virginia
7-0
Idle
5.
Texas
8-1
Defeated Texas Tech 35-31
6.
Louisville
7-0
Idle
7.
Auburn
8-1
Defeated Mississippi 23-17
8.
Florida
7-1
Defeated No. 25 Georgia 21-14
9.
Tennessee
7-1
Defeated South Carolina 31-24
10.
Notre Dame
7-1
Defeated Navy 38-14
11.
Clemson
7-2
Lost to Virginia Tech 24-7 (Thursday)
12.
California
7-1
Idle
13.
LSU
6-2
Idle
14.
Arkansas
7-1
Defeated Louisiana-Monroe 44-10
15.
Boise State
8-0
Idle
16.
Rutgers
7-0
vs. Connecticut, 8 p.m. (Sunday)
17.
Boston College
7-1
Defeated Buffalo 41-0
18.
Wisconsin
8-1
Defeated Illinois 30-24
19.
Oklahoma
6-2
Defeated No. 23 Missouri 26-10
20.
Nebraska
6-3
Lost to Oklahoma State 41-29
21.
Georgia Tech
6-2
Defeated Miami (Fla.) 30-23
22.
Texas A&M
8-1
Defeated Baylor 31-21
23.
Missouri
7-2
Lost to No. 19 Oklahoma 26-10
24.
Oregon
6-2
Defeated Portland State 55-12
25.
Georgia
6-3
Lost

WEEK NINE

.
Ohio State
9-0
Defeated Minnesota 44-0
2.
Southern California
6-1
Lost to Oregon State 33-31
3.
Michigan
9-0
Defeated Northwestern 17-3
4.
West Virginia
7-0
Idle
5.
Texas
8-1
Defeated Texas Tech 35-31
6.
Louisville
7-0
Idle
7.
Auburn
8-1
Defeated Mississippi 23-17
8.
Florida
7-1
Defeated No. 25 Georgia 21-14
9.
Tennessee
7-1
Defeated South Carolina 31-24
10.
Notre Dame
7-1
Defeated Navy 38-14
11.
Clemson
7-2
Lost to Virginia Tech 24-7 (Thursday)
12.
California
7-1
Idle
13.
LSU
6-2
Idle
14.
Arkansas
7-1
Defeated Louisiana-Monroe 44-10
15.
Boise State
8-0
Idle
16.
Rutgers
7-0
vs. Connecticut, 8 p.m. (Sunday)
17.
Boston College
7-1
Defeated Buffalo 41-0
18.
Wisconsin
8-1
Defeated Illinois 30-24
19.
Oklahoma
6-2
Defeated No. 23 Missouri 26-10
20.
Nebraska
6-3
Lost to Oklahoma State 41-29
21.
Georgia Tech
6-2
Defeated Miami (Fla.) 30-23
22.
Texas A&M
8-1
Defeated Baylor 31-21
23.
Missouri
7-2
Lost to No. 19 Oklahoma 26-10
24.
Oregon
6-2
Defeated Portland State 55-12
25.
Georgia
6-3
Lost

BULLDOGS

By ROBBIE ANDREUSun sports writer

Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss causes a Georgia fumble during the third quarter Saturday at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville. Photos by TRACY WILCOX/The Gainesville Sun
Urban Meyer stood at the podium underneath Alltel Stadium early Saturday evening looking and sounding like the losing coach in the Florida-Georgia game.He was bemoaning an offense that went stagnant in the second half and was visibly distraught over a rash of penalties, turnovers and other assorted offensive blunders that put his team on the brink of self-destruction.He was Mr. Negative - and the No. 9 Gators had just beaten the Bulldogs 21-14 before 84,572 to move to 7-1 and take command of the SEC's Eastern Division race."My wife is going to smack me in the mouth when I get home for complaining about this," Meyer said.Meyer could not help himself because the Gators nearly let this one slip away after leading 21-0 early in the second half and having to hang on for the victory in the closing minutes."We've got a lot of work to do and we're going to start immediately. We're going to start tonight," he said. "We're going to get this right. We have a lot of issues."Finally, Meyer lightened up when a writer put things in perspective for the head coach:"Despite the concerns on offense, your team remains in position for some really nice things if it can play well down the stretch. Southern Cal lost today. You're moving up (in the BCS Standings), you're in the mix (for the SEC championship and possibly the national title)."That comment brought a winning smile to Meyer's face."I appreciate that," Meyer said. "I feel better now. For the first time, you guys have cheered me up. I appreciate that."Despite all that went wrong (mostly with the offense) in the second half, the Gators won the game and now are two victories away (against Vanderbilt on the road and South Carolina at home) from winning UF's first division title since 2000. The win, coupled with the Trojans' loss, has the Gators inching back into contention in the national title hunt as well."We are officially playing for the SEC East championship now," Meyer said.And, for the Gators, that feels good no matter how bad this performance went against Georgia at times."It feels good to control your own destiny," senior outside linebacker Earl Everett said. "We don't need to depend on another team doing something for us like the past few years. It's in our hands."It almost escaped from their grasp Saturday.Two second-half turnovers (a Chris Leak interception and a Tim Tebow fumble) led to two Georgia touchdowns and the Gators suddenly found themselves leading only 21-14 after tailback Kregg Lumpkin scored on a 9-yard run with 8:17 left in the game.The UF defense, which dominated for most of the day, made the lead hold up and the offense did its part in the closing seconds when DeShawn Wynn ran for six yards on third-and-four from the UF 46 that allowed the Gators to run out the final 90 seconds.The final outcome softened some of the Florida negatives - and there were plenty.A block in the back penalty wiped out a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown by true freshman Brandon James in the first half.In the second half, the offense sputtered and stalled, and place-kicker Chris Hetland missed two field goals (39 and 42 yards) that could have put the game out of reach.The Gators also killed themselves with 10 penalties in the game.Perhaps the biggest negative was the inept performance of the offense in the second half. For the second game in a row, the UF offense was shut out in the second half."We'll just have to sit down and watch the film and figure it out," Tebow said. "We'll just work it out and try to execute better. We have to buckle down and fix it."The offense would offer many thanks to the Florida defense after this one.The Gators came up with four turnovers - including one for a touchdown on the first offensive play of the second half - and held the Bulldogs to 64 yards rushing and 215 total yards."Thank God for great defense," Meyer said. "That was a great effort by our defense. They held a talented Georgia team and a young quarterback (Matthew Stafford) who is going to be tremendous to only 215 yards of offense. Our defense played very hard tonight."The UF offense started strong Saturday but then self-destructed in the second half.Florida scored on the game's opening possession on a 12-yard run by junior wide receiver Andre Caldwell.The Gators went up 14-0 with a 40-yard pass from Leak to Caldwell with 9:37 left to play in the second quarter.On the first offensive play of the second half, Lumpkin was stripped of the ball by end Derrick Harvey and UF defensive tackle Ray McDonald returned it nine yards for a touchdown. At that point, it was 21-0 and it appeared Florida was heading for an easy victory.It didn't happen that way.Turnovers gave the momentum to the 'Dogs in the second half and they got right back into the game."I don't feel good about this," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I don't enjoy losing to the Gators. But I will say this, when most teams would lie down and die, this team didn't. We've got some guys with great character. I'm proud of them and proud to be a Bulldog."Despite the shaky second half, it's good to be a Gator today, too.The division title is within reach."It hasn't happened in a long time," said Caldwell, who accounted for 116 total yards and both offensive touchdowns. "It feels good that we might be playing for a championship. We have a lot of improvement to make, though we'll go week by week."

BULLDOGS

By ROBBIE ANDREUSun sports writer

Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss causes a Georgia fumble during the third quarter Saturday at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville. Photos by TRACY WILCOX/The Gainesville Sun
Urban Meyer stood at the podium underneath Alltel Stadium early Saturday evening looking and sounding like the losing coach in the Florida-Georgia game.He was bemoaning an offense that went stagnant in the second half and was visibly distraught over a rash of penalties, turnovers and other assorted offensive blunders that put his team on the brink of self-destruction.He was Mr. Negative - and the No. 9 Gators had just beaten the Bulldogs 21-14 before 84,572 to move to 7-1 and take command of the SEC's Eastern Division race."My wife is going to smack me in the mouth when I get home for complaining about this," Meyer said.Meyer could not help himself because the Gators nearly let this one slip away after leading 21-0 early in the second half and having to hang on for the victory in the closing minutes."We've got a lot of work to do and we're going to start immediately. We're going to start tonight," he said. "We're going to get this right. We have a lot of issues."Finally, Meyer lightened up when a writer put things in perspective for the head coach:"Despite the concerns on offense, your team remains in position for some really nice things if it can play well down the stretch. Southern Cal lost today. You're moving up (in the BCS Standings), you're in the mix (for the SEC championship and possibly the national title)."That comment brought a winning smile to Meyer's face."I appreciate that," Meyer said. "I feel better now. For the first time, you guys have cheered me up. I appreciate that."Despite all that went wrong (mostly with the offense) in the second half, the Gators won the game and now are two victories away (against Vanderbilt on the road and South Carolina at home) from winning UF's first division title since 2000. The win, coupled with the Trojans' loss, has the Gators inching back into contention in the national title hunt as well."We are officially playing for the SEC East championship now," Meyer said.And, for the Gators, that feels good no matter how bad this performance went against Georgia at times."It feels good to control your own destiny," senior outside linebacker Earl Everett said. "We don't need to depend on another team doing something for us like the past few years. It's in our hands."It almost escaped from their grasp Saturday.Two second-half turnovers (a Chris Leak interception and a Tim Tebow fumble) led to two Georgia touchdowns and the Gators suddenly found themselves leading only 21-14 after tailback Kregg Lumpkin scored on a 9-yard run with 8:17 left in the game.The UF defense, which dominated for most of the day, made the lead hold up and the offense did its part in the closing seconds when DeShawn Wynn ran for six yards on third-and-four from the UF 46 that allowed the Gators to run out the final 90 seconds.The final outcome softened some of the Florida negatives - and there were plenty.A block in the back penalty wiped out a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown by true freshman Brandon James in the first half.In the second half, the offense sputtered and stalled, and place-kicker Chris Hetland missed two field goals (39 and 42 yards) that could have put the game out of reach.The Gators also killed themselves with 10 penalties in the game.Perhaps the biggest negative was the inept performance of the offense in the second half. For the second game in a row, the UF offense was shut out in the second half."We'll just have to sit down and watch the film and figure it out," Tebow said. "We'll just work it out and try to execute better. We have to buckle down and fix it."The offense would offer many thanks to the Florida defense after this one.The Gators came up with four turnovers - including one for a touchdown on the first offensive play of the second half - and held the Bulldogs to 64 yards rushing and 215 total yards."Thank God for great defense," Meyer said. "That was a great effort by our defense. They held a talented Georgia team and a young quarterback (Matthew Stafford) who is going to be tremendous to only 215 yards of offense. Our defense played very hard tonight."The UF offense started strong Saturday but then self-destructed in the second half.Florida scored on the game's opening possession on a 12-yard run by junior wide receiver Andre Caldwell.The Gators went up 14-0 with a 40-yard pass from Leak to Caldwell with 9:37 left to play in the second quarter.On the first offensive play of the second half, Lumpkin was stripped of the ball by end Derrick Harvey and UF defensive tackle Ray McDonald returned it nine yards for a touchdown. At that point, it was 21-0 and it appeared Florida was heading for an easy victory.It didn't happen that way.Turnovers gave the momentum to the 'Dogs in the second half and they got right back into the game."I don't feel good about this," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I don't enjoy losing to the Gators. But I will say this, when most teams would lie down and die, this team didn't. We've got some guys with great character. I'm proud of them and proud to be a Bulldog."Despite the shaky second half, it's good to be a Gator today, too.The division title is within reach."It hasn't happened in a long time," said Caldwell, who accounted for 116 total yards and both offensive touchdowns. "It feels good that we might be playing for a championship. We have a lot of improvement to make, though we'll go week by week."

BULLDOGS

By ROBBIE ANDREUSun sports writer

Florida defensive end Jarvis Moss causes a Georgia fumble during the third quarter Saturday at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville. Photos by TRACY WILCOX/The Gainesville Sun
Urban Meyer stood at the podium underneath Alltel Stadium early Saturday evening looking and sounding like the losing coach in the Florida-Georgia game.He was bemoaning an offense that went stagnant in the second half and was visibly distraught over a rash of penalties, turnovers and other assorted offensive blunders that put his team on the brink of self-destruction.He was Mr. Negative - and the No. 9 Gators had just beaten the Bulldogs 21-14 before 84,572 to move to 7-1 and take command of the SEC's Eastern Division race."My wife is going to smack me in the mouth when I get home for complaining about this," Meyer said.Meyer could not help himself because the Gators nearly let this one slip away after leading 21-0 early in the second half and having to hang on for the victory in the closing minutes."We've got a lot of work to do and we're going to start immediately. We're going to start tonight," he said. "We're going to get this right. We have a lot of issues."Finally, Meyer lightened up when a writer put things in perspective for the head coach:"Despite the concerns on offense, your team remains in position for some really nice things if it can play well down the stretch. Southern Cal lost today. You're moving up (in the BCS Standings), you're in the mix (for the SEC championship and possibly the national title)."That comment brought a winning smile to Meyer's face."I appreciate that," Meyer said. "I feel better now. For the first time, you guys have cheered me up. I appreciate that."Despite all that went wrong (mostly with the offense) in the second half, the Gators won the game and now are two victories away (against Vanderbilt on the road and South Carolina at home) from winning UF's first division title since 2000. The win, coupled with the Trojans' loss, has the Gators inching back into contention in the national title hunt as well."We are officially playing for the SEC East championship now," Meyer said.And, for the Gators, that feels good no matter how bad this performance went against Georgia at times."It feels good to control your own destiny," senior outside linebacker Earl Everett said. "We don't need to depend on another team doing something for us like the past few years. It's in our hands."It almost escaped from their grasp Saturday.Two second-half turnovers (a Chris Leak interception and a Tim Tebow fumble) led to two Georgia touchdowns and the Gators suddenly found themselves leading only 21-14 after tailback Kregg Lumpkin scored on a 9-yard run with 8:17 left in the game.The UF defense, which dominated for most of the day, made the lead hold up and the offense did its part in the closing seconds when DeShawn Wynn ran for six yards on third-and-four from the UF 46 that allowed the Gators to run out the final 90 seconds.The final outcome softened some of the Florida negatives - and there were plenty.A block in the back penalty wiped out a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown by true freshman Brandon James in the first half.In the second half, the offense sputtered and stalled, and place-kicker Chris Hetland missed two field goals (39 and 42 yards) that could have put the game out of reach.The Gators also killed themselves with 10 penalties in the game.Perhaps the biggest negative was the inept performance of the offense in the second half. For the second game in a row, the UF offense was shut out in the second half."We'll just have to sit down and watch the film and figure it out," Tebow said. "We'll just work it out and try to execute better. We have to buckle down and fix it."The offense would offer many thanks to the Florida defense after this one.The Gators came up with four turnovers - including one for a touchdown on the first offensive play of the second half - and held the Bulldogs to 64 yards rushing and 215 total yards."Thank God for great defense," Meyer said. "That was a great effort by our defense. They held a talented Georgia team and a young quarterback (Matthew Stafford) who is going to be tremendous to only 215 yards of offense. Our defense played very hard tonight."The UF offense started strong Saturday but then self-destructed in the second half.Florida scored on the game's opening possession on a 12-yard run by junior wide receiver Andre Caldwell.The Gators went up 14-0 with a 40-yard pass from Leak to Caldwell with 9:37 left to play in the second quarter.On the first offensive play of the second half, Lumpkin was stripped of the ball by end Derrick Harvey and UF defensive tackle Ray McDonald returned it nine yards for a touchdown. At that point, it was 21-0 and it appeared Florida was heading for an easy victory.It didn't happen that way.Turnovers gave the momentum to the 'Dogs in the second half and they got right back into the game."I don't feel good about this," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I don't enjoy losing to the Gators. But I will say this, when most teams would lie down and die, this team didn't. We've got some guys with great character. I'm proud of them and proud to be a Bulldog."Despite the shaky second half, it's good to be a Gator today, too.The division title is within reach."It hasn't happened in a long time," said Caldwell, who accounted for 116 total yards and both offensive touchdowns. "It feels good that we might be playing for a championship. We have a lot of improvement to make, though we'll go week by week."

test two

blogger ate second blog

TRY AGAIN

bLOGGER ATE FIRST BLOG.

It's now 6:04 a.m., really 7:04 on cow time. I'm blogging from Junior's. he's asleep with Duke, and Schotzie is licking his feet. Patrick is home by himself.

Hope this blog doesn't get eaten. Gators beat Ga. Ugly .With Tennessees lackluster perf agiant SC and USC's loss, things should get shaken up. Will not upload photos, maybe that's wahat screwed things. up.

TRY AGAIN

bLOGGER ATE FIRST BLOG.

It's now 6:04 a.m., really 7:04 on cow time. I'm blogging from Junior's. he's asleep with Duke, and Schotzie is licking his feet. Patrick is home by himself.

Hope this blog doesn't get eaten. Gators beat Ga. Ugly .With Tennessees lackluster perf agiant SC and USC's loss, things should get shaken up. Will not upload photos, maybe that's wahat screwed things. up.

testing

SUNDAY MORNING

IT'S 5:47 A.M., really 6:47 a.m. the cows feel it. I'm logging from Junior's and Patrick is home by himself.

Well, Gators beat Georgia. It was ugly, but a win's a win. USC's lost to an unranked team should shake things up a bit. The Vols had a lot of trouble with the Gameycocks and Texas pulled it out of their ass against Tech--no style points there. We'll see how that shakes out...

mORE LATER, been up all night, mostly.

uPLOADING A FEW PICS FROM THIS COMPUTER...

CAN YOU GUESS WHERE EARTHDOG IS?

It's 7:50 a.m. and 40.7 degrees outside and rainy. Patrick is aleep on his afghan at my feet in front of the space heater. I'll pet his brown spot and see if I can elicit a grumpy-growl. Huh! I didn't hear anything, he must be in a good mood.

Tonite, for the first time in about 20 years (for us), we will set our clocks back an hour--This will play hell with the cows' schedule, I'm sure.

Tracy Smith is a hot info babe blond bomshell airhead-moron on The Early Show. This morning she led a shark feeding frenzy, interviewing all her broadcast cohorts about how well the democrats are doing and how they will take over the house. HUGE smiles on all their faces as they gleefully ripped the President and the RePublicans new assholes and gushed about Dike Nancy Pelosi...(Sorry, I haven't thought up a degrading adjective for her yet).

When they were happily talking about Joe Lieberman losing his primary because of his war stand, Tracy had to visibly grit her teeth and mention almost under her breath that Joe was ahead in the polls--she didn't say he was TENPOINTS AHEAD!!!!

I tell you it was like being a fly on the wall during a DNC meeting. FAIR AND BALANCED? Hardly. These networks just don't get it--Buggy whip manufacturers trying to fight auto manufacturers...Hopefully the New Press will value TRUTH and FAIRNESS.

At least they are out of the closet and are not trying to hide their bias. The liberal press used to at least play lip service to fairness. These modern networks and newspapers are just propoganda rags. ThanksGod Al Gore invented the Internet!! (Bet he wishes he hadn't!).

Image is Patrick geocaching at the Forgotten Bridge.

GO GATORS BEAT GEORGIA AFTER THE WORLD'S LARGEST COCKTAIL PARTY

MERRILY ON OUR WAY TO 1,000!

It is 12:12 a.m. and Patrick is sleeping on the recliner under his dog tent.

Dial up has been very slow today, but let's try uploading a photo, shall we?

This image of yours truly was taken at the Courthouse in Van Wert, Ohio, yesterday. . .The Gun is vintage 1855. The little white Chapel in the background contains photographs of 600 men in uniform from the County who fought in World War II.

GO GATORS! BEAT BULLDOGS!

WE'RE PRETTY SNEAKY

It is 6:41 a.m. and Patrick is on his Afghan at my feet, but all het up cause he knows we're going out.. It is dark out and a balmy 46.4 degrees.

more later, possibly , and new pics!! Oh boy!!!

SUP?

It is 5:33 a.m. and Patrick is curled up on his afghan at my feet. It is dark out and 36.4 degrees F.

more later

ANOTHER WEBLOG

It is 6:58 a.m. and 35.3 degrees and dark out, and Patrick is curled up in a ball on his afghan at my feet in front of the space heater, which is his wont to do.

Random Thoughts:

We here at the dogyard don't consider those states who seceded (sp?) after the fall of Ft. Sumpter to be johnny-come-latelys, and not REAL Confederate States. That includes you, Virginia.

Coaxially, we don't recognize West Virginia as a state, nor any of it's illegal votes in Congress.

We know the 14th amendment was never legally ratified. Military Duress does not count.

We are sick to death of the UNO and always have been.

We are very proud of some of our patriotic Country Western Singers, and ashamed of some.

A new ticket for the dems for President in '08: Hillary and Sambo-Bambo, Corruption and Inexperience--just what we need.

The Godless U.S. Supreme Court is a stinking stain on our History.

Anyone who would vote for a democrat for congress is either woefully ignorant of what Americanism, Christianity, and Democracy really is, or is AGAINST these principles. Period, No debate. Sorry folks, it's TRUTH.

The MSM is really hyping the democrats for the election, and now have launched their propoganda campaign for Osama Bin Sambo/Bambo . If the dems don't take control of congress, the MSM will look silly. They are really pouring out the lies now to support the dems.

How does Michael J. Fox hold still when acting on TV on Boston Legal or whatever that show is, but wobbles around uncontrollably when making his give-me-a-democrat- cure- political commercial? I'll tell you: He's a lying asshole. He's either off his meds or acting. which makes him a liar. I'm not the only one that thinks this. He's pathetic. Sorry, more unpalatable TRUTH.

Isn't it interesting that the dems are fighting tooth and claw against the new requirements for photo ID's in some state elections? Do I have to spell it out for you? A big portion of their electoral base are illegals, not registered, or Dead---that's why. They've gotten away with it for years-- they are cheaters and whiners.

God Bless America. God protect our freedoms from those who attack them both at home and abroad!! We pray for our Leaders who have the courage to stand firm in the face of the onslaught against our civilization from the rotten traitors in our midst. We will prevail. Satin will not destroy our Republic with his minions of Godless Liars. -30-