Gutsy Call - Fake Punt -

A fake punt was called on 4th and 10 on own 15. Jemalle Cornelius rush for 17 yards to the Florida 32 for a first down. The Urban legend continues.

Fish out of water

Arkansas's Reggie Fish Fumbled in the SEC Championship game. Wondy Pierre-Louis recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

Florida Gators 2006 SEC Champion!

No.8 Arkansas 28, No.4 Florida 38
(December 3, 2006)

The Florida Gators celebrated their first Southeastern Conference since the "Fun'n'Gun" days.

Harvin caught a 37-yard touchdown pass and broke off a 67-yard run to the end zone. Florida scored its first touchdown after Jarred Fayson broke up the middle to block a punt, then went ahead for good when Wondy Pierre-Louis fell on a fumbled punt in the end zone late in the third quarter.

Three touchdown passes were thrown by someone other than a quarterback.
Florida receiver Andre Caldwell hooked up with Tate Casey on a 5-yard score. Arkansas' star running back, Darren McFadden, threw a 2-yard TD to fellow runner Felix Jones, who also hauled in a 29-yard scoring pass from receiver Cedric Washington.



Source: ESPN.com

No.2 USC 9, UCLA 13 (December 2, 2006)

UCLA knocked No. 2 USC out of the Bowl Championship Series title game with a stunning 13-9 victory over its crosstown rival Saturday. Eric McNeal picked off a John David Booty throw with 1:10 remaining in the game. The interception ended the Trojans' last chance at victory.

Without this big help from UCLA, the Gators could never have played for the national champion.



Source: ESPN.com

Tim Higgins, Florida's version of "Rudy"

It wasn't quite Rudy, but it was close. There probably won't be any movie rights but it was no less inspirational.

Tim Higgins sat in the meeting room where he spent so many hours knowing he wasn't going to play answering questions Saturday about playing. On Senior Day, nobody expected to be talking to this senior.

Meyer put Higgins on scholarship this year because he was so impressed with the effort, the drive, the desire to help others get better.

"I saw a little guy who did everything we asked him to do," Meyer said. "If you said, 'Tim, get over here and run into two guys and get your helmet knocked off,' he'd do it and do it again.

Unlike Rudy Ruettiger at Notre Dame, Higgins had no trouble getting into school at Florida. He was a National Merit Scholar. He chose Florida because his father Kevin, now the head coach at The Citadel, had a friend on the UF staff when Higgins was young and he grew up a Gator fan.

But like Rudy, he had some help getting on the field. A letter appeared on Meyer's desk earlier this week asking him to play Higgins. Members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes made signs - "We (heart) Higgins" - and passed out pamphlets encouraging Meyer to put Higgins in the game. They chanted his name late in Florida's blowout win.

"People were screaming, 'Give me Higgins!" Meyer said. "So I gave them Higgins."

When No. 37 ran onto the field, it was deja vu for anyone who has seen "Rudy" multiple times. Same strange sight of a little guy among the giants, same loud cheer from those who had been yelling for him, even the same choppy steps and the reach for his chinstrap to buckle it up.

The story gets better. Higgins is a wide receiver, but Meyer wanted to be sure he got the ball so he told him to get with quarterback Tim Tebow because Higgins would be going in at running back.

Tebow, the quarterback who outweighs his new tailback by almost 60 pounds, showed Higgins the steps required to run the play that would be called.

"He had to line me up because I didn't know where I was going," Higgins said. "I've never taken a handoff at any level."

If they ever make a movie, the actor playing Higgins will probably break tackles on his way to a big gain, maybe even a touchdown. Higgins was stopped for no gain.

Didn't matter.

"All the shots I've taken on scout team, all of the times catching a ball over the middle and getting blown up, all the sweating and bleeding, wondering if it would ever pay off," he said. "There were times when I was frustrated, but I was lucky enough to be brought up in a family where you don't quit.

Tim Higgins will never forget his last game in The Swamp. But it's not the end. It's just the beginning.

Source: Gatorsports.com

No.9 LSU 10, No.5 Florida 23 (Tebow's jump pass)

No.9 LSU 10, No.5 Florida 23 (October 7, 2006)


Backup quarterback Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes, including one on a play that could have came from basketball coach Billy Donovan's playbook, and ran for a score to give the fifth-ranked Gators a 23-10 win against No. 9 LSU on Saturday.

Facing a second-and-goal play with less than a minute remaining in the first half, Tebow took the snap and ran toward the line of scrimmage. He pulled up -- much like a jump-shooter would -- double clutched to allow tight end Tate Casey to get open, then kind of flipped the ball over several defenders.

"You've got to be creative in this league," Gators coach Urban Meyer said.

Florida improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1996 -- the school's lone national championship season -- and extended its home winning streak to 13 games. The Gators (4-0 Southeastern Conference) also beat the Tigers for the first time in three years and won their 18th straight homecoming game.


Source: ESPN.com

1st & Ten (graphics system)

Television viewers had been at a disadvantage in knowing where the first-down line is in reference to where the offense is. A small arrow located below the end pole isn't usually visible on the television screen.

But if you've watched any football games in the last few years, you probably noticed the fluorescent yellow or orange line extending from one side of the field to the other -- seemingly painted on the field. In fact, the line is computer generated, representing exactly the spot that the offense must get to for a first down.

Sportvision, a company based in New York City, debuted its "1st and Ten" system on September 27, 1998, and football fans everywhere rejoiced! Sportvision provides ESPN and Fox Sports with the ability to enhance their football telecasts with this technology (you can view images from actual games that used the first-down line on their Web site).

I could not fully understand how the 1st and Ten system works but it basically is a computer-generated video effect and takes a tractor-trailer rig of equipment, including eight computers and at least four people, to accomplish this task.

Source: houstuffworks

Football is Everything

Nike Gridiron Briscoe High.

Nike's newest ad campaign features a fictional high school by the name of Briscoe High. The focus of the high school is the football team, which includes NFL stars Michael Vick, LaDainian Tomlinson, Brian Urlacher, Troy Polamalu and Buzzsaw QB Of The Future Matt Leinart on its roster.


The coaching/teaching staff is also extremely talented with Don Shula, Marlin Briscoe, Urban Meyer, Steve Young, and Jimmy Johnson.

And there is Lee Corso in that awesome Hawks mascot outfit. Best Nike commercials, ever!

Scene 1: Two a Days



Scene 2: Game Day



Scene 3: Behind the Scene

Here we go Gators!

2006 Ranking of Collegiate Merchandise Sales

Top-25 Universities July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006

1. The University of Texas at Austin
2. The University of Michigan
3. University of Notre Dame
4. University of Georgia
5. University of North Carolina
6. The University of Florida
7. University of Oklahoma
8. University of Tennessee at Knoxville
9. The University of Alabama
10. The Pennsylvania State University
11. Florida State University
12. Louisiana State University
13. Auburn University
14. University of Kentucky
15. University of Wisconsin
16. University of Miami
17. University of Illinois
18. University of Nebraska
19. University of Arkansas Fayetteville
20. University of South Carolina
21. Oklahoma State University
22. University of Kansas
23. Duke University
24. Clemson University
25. University of Maryland

Source: Collegiate Licensing Company

If You're Not a Gator then you're Gator Bait!

The Swamp Restaurant

The Swamp Restaurant

The Swamp Restaurant is the #1 college establishment in the country. It is named for its proximity to the legendary Florida field, but offers much more than just a great location. The famous front lawn and intimate decks are great places to soak up the Swamp atmosphere. The Swamp was established in 1994 as a smoke-free restaurant, welcoming locals and visitors looking for a casual dining experience partnered with Gainesville's great Florida Gator traditions.

1642 W. University Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32603

Phone: (352) 377-9267
Fax: (352) 377-7707

Desmond Howard -1991 Heisman Winner-

Desmond Howard was born in Cleveland, Ohio.

During his college career at the University of Michigan, Howard set or tied five NCAA and 12 Michigan records. He also lead the Big Ten Conference in scoring with 138 points during the 1991 season on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and earning a First Team All-American selection.

Howard captured 85% of the first place votes in balloting for the Heisman, the largest margin in the history of the trophy at that time. Howard also earned a Bachelors degree in Communications in 1992.



Source: Wikipedia

Hooters Air 2003-2006

Hooters Air is not for football. Maybe for golfers. Anyway, it's sad to see hooters air gone.

On April 17, 2006, Hooters Air ceased all operations, halting all scheduled Public Charter service and refunding tickets. The company attributed this cessation of service primarily to a marked increase in fuel costs in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the autumn of 2005.



The airline was established in 2003 and started operations on March 6, 2003. It was founded by Hooters of America restaurant owner Robert Brooks, who acquired Pace Airlines in December 2002. Brooks envisioned Hooters Air as an unconventional means of generating awareness for the Hooters restaurant brand; the carrier was sometimes referred to as a "flying billboard" for the restaurant chain.

Source: Wikipedia

Skycam

Skycam is the trademarked brandname of a patented, computer-controlled, stabilized, flying camera system.

The system, similar to Steadicam, but maneuvered through three dimensions in the open space over a playing area of a stadium or arena by computer-controlled cable-drive system, is responsible for bringing video-game-like camera angles to television sports coverage.

The camera package weighs less than 30 pounds and can travel at 30mph.

NBC debuted the first wire-flown remote-controlled camera used in sports coverage in February 2001 for the XFL. ESPN first used Skycam in 2001 for an NFL pre-season telecast and then consistently in 2002 for Sunday Night Football broadcasts. Since then, ESPN and sister-network ABC have made widespread use of Skycam for NCAA football, Monday Night Football and Super Bowl XXXVII respectively.

Source: Wikipedia