Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida offensive coordinator Brent Pease doesn't have a magic formula to fix an offense that struggled in 2011 and finished 105th nationally.

But he does have five criteria that he believes are keys to any successful offense, and if the Gators master these five things they'll be better in 2012 -- a pounding running game, an explosive passing game, creativity, eliminate turnovers and great quarterback play.

"We want to get more physical up front, we want to develop a little bit better tempo, we want to eliminate some turnovers, a lot of turnovers, and put ourselves in better situations," Pease said Tuesday. "We're not going to run anything different. People run power, we're going to run power; they run zone, we're going to run zone. No one is reinventing that part of it."

Pease comes to UF after spending the past six seasons at Boise State. The first five were as receivers coach, but Pease was the offensive coordinator in 2011 and helped the Broncos finish tied for 10th nationally in total offense (481.3 yards per game). He's being charged with fixing a UF offense that averaged 328.7 yards of total offense per game and just 185.7 yards per game passing. The Gators haven't averaged that few yards of total offense since 1988 (316.0). UF averaged 184.3 yards per game passing in 2010, but that's the fewest since 1989 (148.0).

His first task is to find a quarterback. Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel will share reps this spring, but UF coach Will Muschamp said there is no timetable to naming a starter. They both could play in the fall, Muschamp said, which is not what he would prefer but is willing to do if neither separates himself in the competition.

"Not particularly in favor of that," Pease said. " I'd rather see one kid step forward and take charge and be productive and let it be his team. But if that's not the way it works out, then as coaches you've got to do what's best for your football team."

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Kell's (Marietta, Ga.) Brendan Langley, an ESPNU 150 Watch List cornerback, took in the Atlanta NFSC this past weekend and took time out to break down his recruitment. His top five in no particular order includes: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It's definitely not a good sign about Florida's NFL Draft prospects when there's significantly more talent watching the pro scout day workouts than participating in them.

Quarterback John Brantley, running back Chris Rainey, defensive tackle Jaye Howard, and receiver Deonte Thompson worked out in front of NFL scouts from 24 teams and one head coach -- Jacksonville's Mike Mularkey -- on Tuesday morning at Florida Field. None of those players are projected any higher than mid- to late-round selections, which would snap the school's five-year streak of having at least one player taken in the first round.

Contrast that with the talented group of former UF players who watched the workouts. There were four first-round picks -- Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, Travis Taylor, and Percy Harvin -- and four others who were taken in the seventh round or higher: Terry Jackson (fifth), Riley Cooper (fifth) and Kerwin Bell (seventh). Mularkey was a ninth-round pick.

"We need more guys out there in position to be drafted," UF coach Will Muschamp said. "That's pretty evident as you go through our last two pro days.

"We need to do a better job recruiting. We need to do a better job evaluating. We need to do a better job of developing our players and coaching. Bottom line."

Rainey ran a 4.38 in the 40 0n Tuesday. His biggest goal was to prove to the scouts that he can catch the ball out of the backfield. As to where the 5-foot-9, 180-pound athlete fits on the next level, he said he's basically a smaller Harvin clone. He can play receiver or running back, return kicks and punts, and play on kick or punt block units.

"My goal is to confuse the scouts and they do the rest [in figuring out where he should play]," said Rainey, who finished his career with 3,948 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns. "If you’re going to be a playmaker on the field, that’s all that matters."

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ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi breaks down Florida's chances in the NCAA tournament. He says the Gators may have been underseeded.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The first couple of weeks of March haven’t gone well for Florida guards Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker.

The Gators’ starting backcourt has had trouble offensively in UF’s three games so far this month.

Boynton averages 16.3 points per game heading into Friday’s NCAA tournament second-round game against Virginia, but he’s only scoring 7.7 points per game in March. He’s shooting just 23.1 percent from the field (6-for-26) and 25.0 percent from 3-point range (4-for-16).

However, Boynton is 7-for-7 from the free-throw line -- which included three huge ones in the closing seconds against Alabama -- and he has eight assists and just one turnover in the three games.

Still, the Gators need the 6-foot-1 junior to return to the offensive form that had him averaging 16.9 points per game and shooting 44.9 percent from 3-point range in nine February games.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida's pro day should be a low-key affair Tuesday morning at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, at least compared to the hoopla surrounding this same event two years ago.

This year the NFL Network won't be on hand for a live broadcast, nor are hoards of NFL head coaches and general managers expected to make the trip, as they did to watch Tim Tebow in 2010. The event is open at 10:30 a.m. ET to the public, but it's doubtful there will be a large number of fans with homemade signs directing their favorite team to draft a certain popular Gator.

No, Tuesday's pro day will feature just two prospects who were invited to the recent NFL draft scouting combine and a host of other former Gators, some who ran out of college eligibility with Tebow in 2009.

It's safe to predict Florida's streak of five straight years with at least one first-round selection will come to an end this April. Former Gator cornerback Janoris Jenkins, however, could be picked on the first night.

The highest rated ex-Gator slated to work out in front of NFL scouts at Tuesday's UF pro day is running back Chris Rainey, whose speed could make him a mid-round selection. Rainey has a Scouts grade of 69 and is rated the No. 9 running back available. He led the entire combine field in the three-cone drill (6.50 seconds) and led all running back prospects in the 60-yard shuttle (11.06 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (3.93 seconds). His 4.45 in the 40-yard dash tied for second among all running backs, but Rainey will look to improve upon that and perhaps give himself a shot at being picked in the third round.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida has to go west in its quest to win a national championship.

The Gators (23-10) are headed to Omaha, Neb., as the No. 7 seed in the West Region and will face No. 10 seed Virginia (22-9) on Friday in a second-round game. Game time will be announced later tonight or early Monday morning.

UF has lost four of its last five games, but two of those were to top-ranked Kentucky. The Wildcats beat the Gators 74-71 in a Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinal on Saturday. The Cavaliers have lost five of their last eight games and fell to N.C. State 67-64 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday.

Florida has faced Virginia only once. The Cavaliers won 62-56 in the NIT.

NEW ORLEANS -- Kentucky once again got all it asked for in the SEC tournament, and the Wildcats once again responded. Quick thoughts from UK's 74-71 win against Florida.

Overview: Billy Donovan referred to 3-pointers as "the great equalizer" Friday, and did that ever prove to be the case. The Gators led for all but 10 seconds of the first half, and built a lead as big as 10 points. The reason? An absurdly hot start from the arc (5-of-8 from deep in the first 12 minutes). The Gators were shooting as well as 62 percent from the field at one point in the first half, but they inevitably trailed off.

When they did, the Wildcats made their move. Kentucky outscored Florida 10-2 in the last five minutes of the first half, and an Anthony Davis 3 put the Wildcats up 40-39 at the buzzer.

The Gators rediscovered their spark after the break by connecting on their first four shots to re-establish the lead. The game settled into a grinding, physical affair for the next 10 or so minutes before gearing up for a fantastic final five minutes.

It looked like the Wildcats were primed to shrug the upset bid off when Terrence Jones blew up for seven points during an 11-0 Kentucky run. The Wildcats took a lead as big as nine points and appeared to have things under control, but the Gators' 3-point shooting once again pulled them close. Successful treys from Erik Murphy and Bradley Beal made it a 68-66 game entering the final minute.

Turning point: Holding the ball and the lead, Kentucky drew a foul under the basket with 37 seconds remaining. Jones, who finished with 15 points, sank both free throws to make it 70-66.

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NEW ORLEANS -- The moment Trevor Lacey's buzzer-beater bricked off the rim and Florida's win against Alabama became final, the thought set in.

The No. 19 Gators put the skids on a three-game losing streak and advanced to the SEC tournament semifinals with a 66-63 win Friday. The only problem is, the menace that awaits them is top-ranked Kentucky, their two-time tormentors from earlier this season. In less than 24 hours, Florida faces the prospect of three losses in three tries to the Wildcats.

"We definitely don't want to be swept," Florida guard Kenny Boynton said. "We've got to come out tomorrow and play hard -- stay focused throughout the whole game."

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