THE STORYLINE LAST TIME OUT. It was a tale of two halves, but it added up to the University

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1 2012 FOOTBALL BROADCAST INFORMATION Television ESPN Play-by-Play: Brad Nessler Analyst: Todd Blackledge Sideline: Holly Rowe Radio Gator IMG Sports Network Play-by-Play: Mick Hubert Analyst: Lee McGriff Sideline: Brady Ackerman Game 3 No. 18/17 Florida (2-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 23/RV Tennessee (2-0, 0-0 SEC) Neyland Stadium (102,455) Knoxville, Tenn. September 15, :00 p.m. ET ESPN 2012 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE September (2-0) 1 BOWLING GREEN (ESPN) 1-0 W, at Texas A&M* (ESPN) 2-0, 1-0 W, at Tennessee* (ESPN) 6:00 p.m. 22 KENTUCKY* October (0-0) 6 LSU* 13 at Vanderbilt* 20 SOUTH CAROLINA* 27 vs. Georgia* (CBS) 3:30 p.m. Jacksonville, Fla. November (0-0) 3 MISSOURI* 10 LOUISIANA (HC) 17 JACKSONVILLE STATE 24 at Florida State December 1 SEC Championship Game (CBS) 4:00 p.m. ET Atlanta, Ga. Home: 1-0 *SEC Games: 1-0 Away: 1-0 Non-Conference: 1-0 Neutral: 0-0 FOOTBALL CONTACTS Steve McClain Associate Athletic Director, Communications (352) , x6115 SteveM@gators.ufl.edu Dan Apple Assistant Communications Director (352) , x6199 DanielA@gators.ufl.edu John Hines Associate Communications Director (352) , @GatorZoneNews facebook.com/floridagators THE STORYLINE For the first time in eight years, the Florida-Tennessee matchup will be played at night and televised on ESPN. This will be the first meeting since 2007 that both schools are ranked in the polls. Florida claimed its SEC opener for the eighth-consecutive year, the second-longest streak in the SEC, with a win at Texas A&M last week. Running back Mike Gillislee scored his third and fourth rushing touchdowns of the season and kicker Caleb Sturgis added two field goals, including his school-record seventh of 50 yards or more. Tennessee is 2-0 on the year after wins over NC State (35-21) and Georgia State (51-13) to open the season. The Vols are led by quarterback Tyler Bray, who has completed 45-of-61 passes for 643 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wide receiver Justin Hunter, returning from a season-ending injury, has 17 catches for 219 yards and 3 touchdowns. UF holds a edge in the overall series against UT, but the Vols have an mark against the Gators in Knoxville. Florida currently has a seven-game win streak against Tennessee. This marks the longest win streak for the Gators LAST TIME OUT It was a tale of two halves, but it added up to the University of Florida taking its SEC opener at Texas A&M, 20-17, in front of a boisterous crowd at Kyle Field in College Station. For the second-straight week, Florida scored the game s final 13 points, this time erasing a 17-7 second quarter deficit. Mike Gillislee had a pair of touchdown runs, including a 12-yarder early in the fourth quarter to give the Gators the lead for good, while Caleb Sturgis helped Florida erase a 10-point deficit with a pair of field goals. The Aggies, in their first game as an SEC program, took the opening kick and marched 65 yards in 15 plays to grab the lead on a Taylor Bertolet field goal from 27 yards. Johnny Manziel, the first freshman to start the season opener at A&M since 1944, completed 6-of-8 passes for 33 yards and ran twice for 19 yards on the opening drive. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel, making his first career start under center, led the Gators on a 13-play, 75-yard drive to take the lead. Facing a 3rd-and-11, Driskel hit Frankie Hammond for a 17-yard gain to the Texas A&M 46 that helped propel the drive. Facing a 4th-and-1 at the Aggies 16-yard line, the Gators lined up for a field goal but faked it and Trey Burton got the first down and additional yardage was tacked on for a face mask. Two plays later, Gillislee gave the Gators a 7-3 lead. The Aggies came right back, however, as Manziel marched A&M 81 yards in 13 plays to grab a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. Manziel raced in from 11 yards out to cap the drive as the Aggies regained the lead with 13:39 left in the first half. After forcing the first punt of the game by the Gators, the GATORS at VOLS September 15 Release Date: Sunday, September 9, 2012 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS SEC CHAMPIONS in their series with the Volunteers. Since 2000, Florida is 22-2 against teams from the state of Tennessee (Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt). Overall, the Gators are against teams from the Volunteer State. UF has lost one game in the state of Tennessee since 2000, going 11-1 overall. Their last loss in Tennessee came on Sept. 18, 2004 when the Gators suffered a setback to the Volunteers. After playing at Texas A&M last weekend, the Gators are in a unique position of playing their first two conference games on the road, and two of their first three games overall on the road. The last time UF opened with two conference games on the road was the 1985 season, when the Gators traveled to Mississippi State and LSU and won both contests. The last time UF had two of its first three games on the road was After hosting Kentucky, the Gators traveled to Tennessee and Mississippi State and lost both games. Aggies got the ball back and again kept the Gators off-balance. Manziel used play-action to hit Mike Evans for a 27-yard gain down the right sideline to put the Aggies at the UF 13-yard line. Moments later, Christine Michael scored from 1-yard out to give the Aggies a 17-7 lead with 7:01 left in the half. Manziel was near-flawless in the first half, finishing 16-of-20 passing for 141 yards and rushing nine times for 41 yards. Needing a big response, the Gators got some momentum back with a nine-play, 37-yard drive that ended with a 51-yard field goal from Sturgis, the seventh career field goal of 50+ yards for the senior, extending his school record. The field goal was set up by a 30-yard pass play from Driskel to Jordan Reed. Florida received the kickoff in the second half and went 67 yards on 10 plays before Sturgis kicked a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to The UF defense held the Aggies to just 29 yards of offense in the third quarter, forcing three punts in the quarter. Early the in fourth quarter, Driskel hit Omarius Hines for a 39-yard pass down the right sideline setting up the Gators at the A&M 18-yard line. Gillislee scored moments later, dancing along the sideline from 12 yards out to make it After exchanging punts, the Gators got the ball with 3:13 remaining while Texas A&M had all three timeouts remaining. UF was able to pound the ball and run the clock out, preserving the victory. After piling up 269 yards of offense in the first half, A&M managed just 65 the remainder of the game. Manziel finished 23-of-30 for 173 yards through the air.

2 COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Phone: (352) ext Fax: (352) Website: Steve McClain Associate Athletics Director, Communications HEAD COACH INTERVIEWS OFFICE (352) , x6115 MOBILE (352) Dan Apple Assistant Communications Director PLAYER & ASSISTANT COACH INTERVIEWS, GAME RELEASE OFFICE (352) , x6199 MOBILE (352) John Hines Associate Communications Director GAME PROGRAMS, ASSIST WITH INTERVIEWS/RELEASE OFFICE (352) , x6130 MOBILE (352) Jennifer Wagner Communications Staff Assistant CREDENTIALS OFFICE (352) , x6123 John Thomas Communications Intern FOOTBALL PHOTOS OFFICE (352) , x6131 INFORMATION SOURCES WEBSITE Public - Media Only - (username: press / password: 4g8rpress) CREDENTIAL REQUESTS PHOTOS AND LOGOS SECsports.com/media (Digital Image Studio) For specific UF requests, please John Thomas: JohnT@gators.ufl.edu FLORIDA FOOTBALL LIST To be added to the Gator Football list, Dawn Zinsmaster: DawnZ@gators.ufl.edu SEC LIST To be added to the SEC Football list, please Charles Bloom of the SEC Media Relations Office at cbloom@sec.org SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE The official website for the Southeastern Conference is COLLEGEPRESSBOX.COM The official media website for SEC football. MEDIA SCHEDULE COACH MUSCHAMP INTERVIEWS Please coordinate all requests for telephone and personal interviews with Coach Muschamp through Steve McClain in the Communications Office. Coach Muschamp is available on Monday (weekly press conference at noon) and Wednesday (SEC Teleconference at 11:20 a.m. ET). Contact the SEC Office at (205) for phone number and passcode). Coach Muschamp will also host the Gator Hotline with Will Muschamp show on 8/30, 9/13, 10/4, 10/18, 10/25, 11/8, 11/19 (Monday) from 7-8 p.m. ET. Additionally, Florida Football with Will Muschamp airs on Sundays at noon on Sun Sports throughout the regular season. PLAYER/ASSISTANT COACH INTERVIEWS All player interviews must be coordinated with Dan Apple in the Communications Office. Players will be available on Monday (at weekly press conference), Tuesday and Wednesday (in Visiting Team Locker Room, approx. 1 p.m.). The starting quarterback will only be available on Mondays at the weekly press conference. Freshmen will not be available for interviews. All player interviews will conclude on Wednesdays during game weeks. Telephone interviews should be booked at least one day in advance and are normally limited to those times reserved for the general interview sessions. The Communications Office will not give out home or cell phone numbers for any players and players may not be contacted directly by phone, text, or social media. Members of the media are not permitted in team areas. Team locker room, training room and strength complex are considered private work areas. These areas, as well as players housing (campus and off campus), are off-limits to media representatives. Offensive Coordinator Brent Pease will be available to the media on Tuesday and Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn will be available on Wednesday. Interviews with Coach Pease and Coach Quinn are scheduled to take place at noon in the Gator Room to the right of Gate 1 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. There is currently no media access for interviews with other assistant coaches. WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE Florida s weekly press conference will begin Monday, August 27, and will be held each Monday during the season except on the bye week (Monday, Sept. 24). Select players will address media representatives in the South End Zone Meeting Room from 11 a.m. noon, with Coach Muschamp scheduled as early as 11:45 a.m. When entering the South End Zone Meeting Room and during the availability, members of the media are to use the entrance and exit located inside the South End Zone tunnel and are not to be in any of the team areas at any time. For those who cannot attend weekly press conferences, video of the press conference will be posted online via GatorZone.com. Quotes from Coach Muschamp will be available on the media-only website. XOS DIGITAL XCHANGE The Florida Athletics Department will utilize the XOS Digital XChange media exchange platform to post interviews from Coach Muschamp and selected players on game weeks. These video files will be posted by 3:30 p.m. ET on Mondays. The feeds begin August 27 and will run every Monday of game week throughout the season (Aug. 27, Sept. 3, Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15, Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 5, Nov. 12, Nov. 19). For more information about XOS Studio and how to access the service, contact Jon Rubin (JonR@gators.ufl.edu). Please note that these feeds are intended solely for regularly-scheduled news programs or news organizations Internet websites. Organizations are limited to posting three (3) minutes of content. If any person or syndicator would like to use additional portions of this feed, please contact the UAA GatorVision Office at (352) , ext. 6630, for rights, permission and associated fees. In addition, utilizing station-filmed video from weekly press conferences and post-practice media opportunities is limited to three (3) minutes daily. The SEC now offers access to free licensed game highlights and other newsworthy event video, including select live streams, through the SEC Affiliate Network. This annual program is exclusively available to the accredited media. It covers all teams and all sports for both men s and women s teams. Video is delivered through a customizable digital video player immediately after televised games/events conclude. Participating news affiliates can also select individual clips to insert directly into online stories. Television stations also have access to an FTP account to run content on-air. The SEC Affiliate Network is managed through XOS Digital. To join, please request a participation form from the program s director, Anna Marie Neri, at aneri@xosdigital.com or at (407) MEDIA-ONLY SITE For the most up-to-date media schedules and game week information, please utilize Florida s media-only website. Included on the site are: Weekly Media Schedule, Roster, Depth Chart, Season Stats, Press Releases, Media Guide, Credential Information, News Clippings, Press Conference Transcripts, UF Game Releases, Opponent Game Releases, SEC Weekly Releases, Flip Cards, Box Scores, Post-Game Quotes, Post-Game Notes and more. Media members can log on using the following information: Address: Username: press Password: 4g8rpress 9 Sunday Noon Florida Football with Will Muschamp (Broadcast on Sun Sports) 10 Monday 11:00 a.m. Player interviews (South Endzone) 11:45 a.m. Coach Muschamp Press Conference (South Endzone) 11 Tuesday Noon Coach Pease (Gator Room) 1:00 p.m. Player interviews (Visitor s Locker Room) 12 Wednesday 11:20 a.m. Coach Muschamp on SEC Teleconference Noon Coach Quinn (Gator Room) 1:00 p.m. Player interviews (Visitor s Locker Room) 13 Thursday 7:00 p.m. Gator Hotline with Will Muschamp broadcast on the Gator IMG Sports Network 14 Friday No Interviews 15 Saturday Post-Game Coach Muschamp and select players available for interviews GATORS at VOLS September 15

3 INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS RUSHING Florida G Att Yds Avg TD YPG Gillislee Patton Driskel Tennessee G Att Yds Avg TD YPG Neal Lane Patterson PASSING Florida C-A-I Pct Yds TD YPG Rate Driskel Brissett Tennessee C-A-I Pct Yds TD YPG Rate Bray Worley RECEIVING Florida G Rec Yds Avg TD YPG Reed Hammond Dunbar Tennessee G Rec Yds Avg TD YPG Hunter Patterson Rivera DEFENSE Florida UT-AT-TT TFL Sk Int FF FR Evans Bostic Morrison Tennessee UT-AT-TT TFL Sk Int FF FR Randolph Moore Gordon GATORZONE ON SUN SPORTS Beginning its ninth season this fall, GatorZone features all the latest news and notes on Gator athletics. Join hosts Jeff Cardozo and Megan Curl on GatorZone every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on Sun Sports as they keep you up to date on the Orange and Blue. GatorZone recaps the week that was in Gator athletics with GatorBites, while Larry Vettel interviews various Florida coaches on their team s recent performances. GatorZone features in-depth student-athlete stories highlighting their accomplishments both on and off the field of play. GatorZone - the award-winning show for The Gator Nation. AT A GLANCE FLORIDA 2012 Record 2-0 (1-0 SEC) Ranking 18, Associated Press 17, USA Today/Coaches Last Game at Texas A&M, W Next Game vs. Kentucky, Sept. 22 Head Coach Will Muschamp, 2nd Year Career Record 9-6 (.600) School Record 9-6 (.600) STATS COMPARISON Florida :08 8/28 (29%) 2/3 (67%) /6 (83%) 3/6 (50%) UF Opponents :53 8/31 (26%) 4/6 (67%) /7 (71%) 4/7 (57%) Scoring Offense First Downs Rushing Offense Passing Offense Total Offense Kick Return Avg. Punt Return Avg. INT-Return Yds Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Net Punting Avg. Time of Possession 3rd Down Conversions 4th Down Conversions Sacks By-Yards Red Zone Scoring Red Zone TD TOP PERFORMANCES AGAINST TENNESSEE SINCE 1996 INDIVIDUAL Rushing Attempts J. Demps, 2010 Yards F. Taylor, 1997 TD x, last M. Gillislee, 2010 Receiving Catches x, last R. Gillespie, 2001 Yards J. Green, 1997 TD x, last D. Baker, 2006 Passing Completions R. Grossman, 2001 Attempts R. Grossman, 2001 Yards R. Grossman, 2001 TD D. Wuerffel, 1996 INT D. Johnson, 1999 TENNESSEE 2012 Record 2-0 (0-0 SEC) Ranking 23, Associated Press RV, USA Today/Coaches Last Game vs. Georgia State, W Next Game vs. Akron, Sept. 22 Head Coach Derek Dooley, 6th Year Overall, 3rd at UT Career Record (.469) School Record (.481) Tennessee :45 14/32 (44%) 2/4 (50%) /12 (83%) 7/12 (58%) TEAM Rushing Attempts Yards TD Passing Completions Attempts Yards TD INT Defense Sacks INT UT Opponents :15 10/35 (29%) 4/7 (57%) 1-3 6/6 (100%) 4/6 (67%) RULE CHANGES FOR 2012 Several rule changes for the 2012 season were approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) and went into effect this season, including the following: Teams will kick off at the 35-yard line instead of the 30. Players on the kicking team can t line up for the play behind the 30-yard line, which is intended to limit the running start kicking teams used to have during the play. Touchbacks on free kicks will be moved to the 25-yard line instead of the 20. Touchbacks on other plays (ex: punts/fumbles that go into the end zone) will remain at the 20-yard line. If a player loses his helmet (other than as the result of a foul by the opponent, such as a facemask), it will be treated like an injury. The player must leave the game and is not allowed to participate for the next play. Additionally, if a player loses his helmet, he must not continue to participate in the play, in order to protect him from injury. Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap who are not in motion are allowed to block below the waist legally without restriction. All other players are restricted from blocking below the waist with a few exceptions (ex: straight-ahead blocks). Players will be prohibited from leaping over blockers in an attempt to block a punt. On onside kicks, any player on the receiving team is given the same kick-catch and fair-catch protection whether the ball is kicked directly off the tee or is immediately driven into the ground and bounces into the air. GATORS at VOLS September 15

4 SERIES HISTORY Series: Florida leads, In Gainesville: Florida leads, 11-5 In Knoxville: Tennessee leads, At Neutral Sites: Tennessee leads, 3-1 Streak: Florida has won 7 Last 10 Meetings: Florida leads, 8-2 Total Points: Florida - 845, UT Year W/L UF UT Rank (UF/UT) Location 1916 L 0 24 Tampa 1921 L 0 9 Knoxville 1928 L Knoxville 1930 L 6 13 Jacksonville 1932 L Jacksonville 1933 L 6 13 Knoxville 1940 L 0 14 NR/5 Knoxville 1944 L 0 40 NR/15 Knoxville 1952 L /7 Knoxville 1953 L 7 9 NR/18 Gainesville 1954 W 14 0 Knoxville 1955 L 0 20 Gainesville 1969 W /11 Jacksonville# 1970 L 7 38 NR/11 Knoxville 1971 L NR/12 Gainesville 1976 W /NR Knoxville 1977 W /NR Gainesville 1984 W /NR Knoxville 1985 W /14 Gainesville 1990 L /5 Knoxville 1991 W /4 Gainesville 1992 L /14 Knoxville 1993 W /5 Gainesville 1994 W /15 Knoxville 1995 W /8 Gainesville 1996 W /2 Knoxville 1997 W /4 Gainesville 1998 L (OT) /6 Knoxville 1999 W /2 Gainesville 2000 W /11 Knoxville 2001 L /5 Gainesville 2002 W /4 Knoxville 2003 L /12 Gainesville 2004 L /13 Knoxville 2005 W /5 Gainesville 2006 W /13 Knoxville 2007 W /22 Gainesville 2008 W /NR Knoxville 2009 W /NR Gainesville 2010 W /NR Knoxville 2011 W /RV Gainesville #-1969 Gator Bowl PREVIOUS MEETINGS 2011 No. 16 FLORIDA 33, Tennessee 23 (Gainesville) Florida claimed its SEC opener for the seventh-consecutive year, as the Gators defeated Tennessee, Florida broke open what was a close game at the half, getting two scores early in the third quarter, a 1-yard run by Trey Burton and an 83-yard, highlight reel touchdown reception from Chris Rainey to take a 30-7 lead. Rainey finished a spectacular day with the first 100/100 game of his career 100 yards both rushing and receiving. He finished with 21 carries for 108 yards and two receptions for 104 yards while also blocking a punt. The Gators finished the game with 347 yards of offense, 213 through the air, and 134 on the ground. John Brantley finished 14-of-23 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns. The Vols did all of their damage through the air, as Tyler Bray finished 26-of-48 passing for 288 yards. Florida held Tennessee to -9 yards rushing on the day No. 10 FLORIDA 31, Tennessee 17 (Knoxville) The Gators beat the Volunteers, 31-17, in Knoxville, Tenn. Florida was led by running back Mike Gillislee, who had two rushing touchdowns for the Gators, one in each half. The first came off a 2-yard run with 11:49 remaining in the second quarter to put Florida on the scoreboard, 7-3. The second touchdown ended a five-play, 40-yard drive with a five-yard rush to give Florida a two-touchdown lead, Florida ended the game with 317 total yards on offense, 150 yards rushing and 167 yards passing. The Gators had 18 first downs and converted 8 third-downs out of 14. The Florida defense had six sacks for 34 total yards to the Volunteers one sack for eight yards. Tennessee had 259 passing yards. Brantley was 14-of-23 with 167 yards. Jeff Demps had 73 yards rushing on 26 carries and 34 yards receiving on three catches. Deonte Thompson had 55 yards receiving on four receptions. Jon Bostic had eight tackles (5 solo, 3 assisted) and one interception for the Gators, while Brandon Hicks contributed six tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a QB hurry No. 1 FLORIDA 23, Tennessee 13 (Gainesville) The No. 1 Florida Gators defeated the Tennessee Volunteers, 23-13, in front of a then-record crowd of 90,894 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. With the win, UF set a new school record with its 13-game win streak. Florida accumulated 208 yards through the air from quarterback Tim Tebow, who completed 14-of-19 passes and also ran for 76 yards and one touchdown, the 46th of his career, tying for second-most in SEC history with LSU s Kevin Faulk ( ). Running back Chris Rainey totaled 64 yards on the ground on nine carries, while tight end Aaron Hernandez led the Gators with four receptions for 26 yards. Kicker Caleb Sturgis went 3-for-3 on the day in his first career field-goal attempts, recording field goals of 37, 29 and 35 yards, one in each of the first three quarters No. 4 FLORIDA 30, Tennessee 6 (Knoxville) The Gators opened SEC play in Knoxville, topping the Volunteers, The UF win evened the overall series record with the Volunteers at Quarterback Tim Tebow led the charge for Florida, completing 8-of-15 passes for 96 yards, connecting with both tight end Aaron Hernandez and wide receiver Percy Harvin for touchdowns on the day. Harvin led the Florida receivers with two catches, good for 49 yards and one touchdown, while Hernandez additionally tallied two receptions for 15 yards. Running back Emmanuel Moody led all UF rushers with 9 attempts for 55 yards. The Gator defense caused three Tennessee turnovers in the first half alone, two of which were in the red zone. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins forced a fumble on Tennessee s opening drive. He also had his first career interception on UT s final drive of the first half. Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton finished 18-of-28 passing for 162 yards and one touchdown, while Arian Foster had 14 rushes for 37 yards No. 5 FLORIDA 59, No. 22 Tennessee 20 (Gainesville) Florida improved to 3-0 after defeating conference rival Tennessee, 59-20, in the SEC opener for both teams. Quarterback Tim Tebow finished 14-of-19 for 299 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 61 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Percy Harvin led the Gators in both rushing and receiving, averaging 15 yards per touch, with 9 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown and four receptions for 120 yards. Brandon James returned Tennessee s first punt of the game 83 yards for a touchdown. The return was the fifth-longest in school history, matching George Grandy s 83-yard run against Tulane in The Gator s win was the biggest win for a Florida quarterback in his first SEC start. Florida out-rushed Tennessee, Harvin, Tim Tebow and Brandon James combined for 760 total yards on the afternoon. ABOUT THE OPPONENT The University of Tennessee, located in Knoxville, began playing football in 1891 and the program has an overall record of Head Coach Derek Dooley, in his third year with the Vols, has guided UT to a record since The Vols offense, which returns 10 starters, is highlighted by quarterback Tyler Bray and receiver Justin Hunter. Bray has 4,475 passing yards and 41 touchdowns in his career. Hunter, who was injured early in the matchup with Florida last season, is back at full strength after missing the final nine games in Tennessee s defense lost four starters from a year ago and is led by new defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri, who joins the Vols after spending three seasons at Alabama. The linebacker position, led by the trio of A.J. Johnson, Herman Lathers and Curt Maggitt, is the most veteran unit on the defensive side. TENNESSEE SCHEDULE 8/31 vs. NC State W, /8 Georgia St. W, /15 Florida 6 pm 9/22 Akron 9/29 at Georgia 10/6 Bye 10/13 at Mississippi St. 10/20 Alabama 10/27 at South Carolina 11/3 Troy 11/10 Missouri 11/17 at Vanderbilt 11/24 Kentucky GATORS at VOLS September 15

5 SITUATIONAL RECORDS Under Muschamp Since 1990 Opponent scores < Rushing for 150+ yards Rushing for < 150 yards Rushing for 100+ yards Rushing for < 100 yards Opp. rushes for < 100 yards Back rushes for 100+ yards Out-rushing opponent Out-rushed by opponent Scoring first Opponent scores first Leading at the half Tied or Trailing at the half Blocking a punt Opp. is unranked at game time Playing in the state of Florida Playing in Gainesville Playing in Jacksonville Playing in Miami Playing in Orlando Playing in Tallahassee Playing in Tampa EXPERIENCE AMONG THE SEC After being one of the youngest teams in the conference in 2011, the Gators now have much more experience among contributing players. Using the opening-day depth charts of the 14 SEC teams, UF currently has 28 upperclassmen on its two-deep depth chart. Total SR JR SO FR Upperclassmen Arkansas Tennessee Vanderbilt FLORIDA LSU Alabama Texas A&M Georgia Ole Miss South Carolina Mississippi St Auburn Kentucky Missouri ON THIS DATE: SEPTEMBER 15, 2007 NO. 5 FLORIDA 59, TENNESSEE 20 (Gainesville, Fla.) The Gators are 5-1 in games played on September 15, including three wins on the road. The last game played on this date was in 2007, when Florida hosted SEC rival Tennessee. The 5th-ranked Gators ousted the Volunteers, 59-20, in the Swamp. Gator great Tim Tebow got his first SEC start and added to his eventual Heisman-winning campaign by going 14 for 19 with 299 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 61 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns. Percy Harvin led the team in rushing and receiving with 75 yards on nine carries and one touchdown along with four receptions for 120 yards. FROM THE LAST GAME TEAM NOTES Florida claimed its SEC opener for the eighth-consecutive year since a loss at Tennessee on Sept. 18, The Gators extended their winning streak in SEC road openers to eight in a row dating back to the setback at Tennessee in Florida got its first win when trailing at the half under head coach Will Muschamp, as the Gators had been 0-5 last season. Before the Texas A&M game, the last time that Florida had an SEC opener in Week 2 was in 2004 at Tennessee. Saturday marked the third meeting on the gridiron between the Gators and the Aggies (UF, 42-6 win in 1962; Texas A&M, win in 1977 Sun Bowl; UF, win today). It was Florida s 11th game in the state of Texas, first since the 1982 Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston against Arkansas (28-24 loss). The victory improved the Gators to all-time in the Lone Star State. The Gators totaled three sacks in the game after Texas A&M gave up just nine sacks all of last season. Before today, the Aggies were last sacked three times at Iowa State (Oct. 22, 2011). Only twice last year did A&M allow multiple sacks in a game. Florida s defense forced Texas A&M to punt on all six drives of the second half, including four three-and-outs. Offensively, UF had 21 first downs (9 rushing, 9 passing and 3 via penalty). The Gators won the time of possession battle, 35:07-24:53, and out-rushed the Aggies by a margin. Without counting yards lost from sacks and kneel downs, the Gators rushed 38 times for 199 yards (5.2 avg). Neither team committed any turnovers. INDIVIDUAL NOTES With Saturday s win, head coach Will Muschamp improved to 2-0 in SEC openers after defeating Tennessee, 33-23, on Sept. 17, Senior Mike Gillislee moved the Gators in front on their first offensive drive of the game with a four-yard touchdown run to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 6:43. The extra point by redshirt senior Caleb Sturgis gave the visitors a 7-3 advantage. Gillislee scored his third and fourth touchdowns after scoring twice on the ground against Bowling Green. His final score against A&M in the fourth quarter was a 12-yard run that gave the Gators a lead that they would not relinquish. Gillislee carried 14 times for 83 yards, good for a 5.9-yard average. Sophomore Kyle Christy had a 48-yard punt in the second quarter and added a season-long 55-yard punt in the fourth quarter. He averaged 47.2 yards on his five punts and put two inside of the 20-yard line. Sturgis connected on a 51-yard field goal late in the second quarter to extend his school-record total of successful field goals beyond 50 yards to seven. He also had a 51-yarder in the season opener versus Bowling Green. Sophomore Jeff Driskel made his first career start at quarterback and sophomore Clay Burton made his first start at tight end. UF started a pair of Burtons on the offensive side of the ball, as junior Trey Burton was lined up at wide receiver as well. Driskel was 13-for-16 for 162 yards (166.3 rating), while redshirt junior Jordan Reed tied his career high of five receptions for 59 yards (11.8 avg.). Florida ran a fake field goal in the first quarter that saw redshirt freshman snapper Kyle Crofoot snap to his older brother, redshirt junior holder John Crofoot, who had a shovel pass to Trey Burton for a three-yard gain. It was the Gators first fake field goal since Trey Burton converted a 4th and 2 with a three-yard rush up the middle against Florida State on Nov. 26, Redshirt sophomore Michael Taylor collected his first career sack on the Aggies final drive of the first half for a loss of nine yards. Driskel was a perfect 6-for-6 for 82 yards in the first half, with a long completion of 30 yards to Reed. Gillislee had a 24-yard rush on the Gators first drive of the second half and Sturgis made a 25-yard field goal to complete the drive and narrow the gap to It marked the second-straight game that Sturgis had made multiple field goals. Redshirt junior defensive back Jeremy Brown saw his first action since the Outback Bowl versus Penn State to complete the 2010 season on Jan. 1, He missed the 2011 season with a knee injury and was slowed during fall camp with a broken wrist. Redshirt senior Omarius Hines had a 39-yard reception, his first catch of the season, to move the Gators into the red zone in the fourth quarter. He finished with two grabs for 46 yards (23.0 avg.). Gillislee scored from 12 yards out and Sturgis kicked the point-after for a lead. It was a four-play, 62-yard drive that took 1:14. Senior Josh Evans led the Orange and Blue with eight tackles, while two of senior Jonathan Bostic s five tackles went for a loss. Bostic, Taylor and redshirt senior Lerentee McCray each had a sack for Florida. CROSSING PATHS Head coaches Will Muschamp and Derek Dooley have spent a lot of time together, working alongside each other at LSU ( ) and with the Miami Dolphins (2005). Florida running backs coach Brian White and Tennessee defensive line coach John Palermo worked together for 11 seasons at Wisconsin ( ). White served as the running backs coach ( ) and offensive coordinator ( ) for the Badgers while Palermo was the Assistant Head Coach/OLB ( ) and the Assistant Head Coach/DL ( ) for UW. Tennessee has 13 players from the state of Florida. The Gators do not have any players from Tennessee. Florida WR Solomon Patton attended Murphy High School and Tennessee LB Willie Bohannon attended Blount High School, both in Mobile, Ala., and competed against each other for three-straight years. Tennessee sophomores Trevarris Saulsberry and Jordan Williams graduated from Gainesville High School. Florida senior Earl Okine also went to Gainesville High School. Florida junior Cody Riggs and sophomore Marcus Roberson, along with Tennessee junior Michael Palardy, graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Coral Springs, Fla. Riggs and Palardy played four years together before parting ways to Florida and Tennessee. Roberson played three years with them. GATORS at VOLS September 15

6 SEC AT A GLANCE EASTERN DIVISION Team SEC Pct. Overall Pct. FLORIDA Georgia South Carolina Tennessee Kentucky Missouri Vanderbilt WESTERN DIVISION Team SEC Pct. Overall Pct. Mississippi State Alabama LSU Ole Miss Arkansas Texas A&M Auburn THIS WEEK S SCHEDULE Saturday, September 15 Louisiana-Monroe at Auburn 12:21 p.m. SECN Presbyterian at Vanderbilt 12:30 p.m. CSS Texas A&M at SMU 3:30 p.m. TBD Alabama at Arkansas 3:30 p.m. CBS Florida at Tennessee 6 p.m. ESPN UAB at South Carolina 7 p.m. FSN Arizona St. at Missouri 7 p.m. ESPN2 Mississippi St. at Troy 7 p.m. ESPN3 Western Kentucky at Kentucky 7 p.m. ESPNU FAU at Georgia 7:30 p.m. CSS Idaho at LSU 8 p.m. PPV Texas at Ole Miss 9:15 p.m. ESPN All times Eastern LAST WEEK S RESULTS Saturday, September 8 Auburn 10, at Mississippi St. 28 East Carolina 10, at South Carolina 48 Florida 20, at Texas A&M17 Western Kentucky 0, at Alabama 35 Georgia State 13, at Tennessee 51 UTEP 10, at Ole Miss 28 Washington 3, at LSU 41 LA-Monroe 34, at Arkansas 31 (OT) Kent State 14, at Kentucky 47 Georgia 41, at Missouri 20 Vanderbilt 13, at Northwestern 23 TRACKING THE OPPONENTS BOWLING GREEN (1-1, 0-0) 9/1 at Florida L, /8 Idaho W, /15 at Toledo 7 pm 9/22 at Virginia Tech 9/29 Rhode Island 3:30 pm 10/6 at Akron 2 pm 10/13 Miami (OH) 3:30 pm 10/20 at Massachusetts 12 pm 10/27 Eastern Michigan 3:30 pm 11/3 Bye 11/7 at Ohio 8 pm 11/17 Kent State 12 pm 11/24 Buffalo TEXAS A&M (0-1, 0-1) 8/30 at Louisiana Tech ppd. 9/8 Florida L, /15 SMU 3:30 pm 9/22 South Carolina St. 9/29 Arkansas 10/6 at Ole Miss 10/13 at Louisiana Tech (from 8/30) 10/20 LSU 10/27 at Auburn 11/3 at Mississippi St. 11/10 Alabama 11/17 Sam Houston St. 11/24 Missouri TENNESSEE (2-0, 0-0) 8/31 vs. NC State W, /8 Georgia St. W, /15 Florida 6 pm 9/22 Akron 9/29 at Georgia 10/6 Bye 10/13 at Mississippi St. 10/20 Alabama 10/27 at South Carolina 11/3 Troy 11/10 Missouri 11/17 at Vanderbilt 11/24 Kentucky KENTUCKY (1-1, 0-0) 9/2 at Louisville L, /8 Kent State W, /15 Western Kentucky 7 pm 9/22 at Florida 9/29 South Carolina 10/6 Mississippi St. 10/13 at Arkansas 10/20 Georgia 10/27 at Missouri 11/3 Vanderbilt 11/10 Bye 11/17 Samford 11/24 at Tennessee LSU (2-0, 0-0) 9/1 North Texas W, /8 Washington W, /15 Idaho 8 pm 9/22 at Auburn 9/29 Towson 8 pm 10/6 at Florida 10/13 South Carolina 10/20 at Texas A&M 10/27 Bye 11/3 Alabama 8 pm 11/10 Mississippi St. 11/17 Ole Miss 11/24 at Arkansas 2:30 pm VANDERBILT (0-2, 0-1) 8/30 South Carolina L, /8 at Northwestern L, /15 Presbyterian 12:30 pm 9/22 at Georgia 9/29 Bye 10/6 at Missouri 10/13 Florida 10/20 Auburn 10/27 Massachusetts 11/3 at Kentucky 11/10 at Ole Miss 11/17 Tennessee 11/24 at Wake Forest SOUTH CAROLINA (2-0, 1-0) 8/30 at Vanderbilt W, /8 East Carolina W, /15 UAB 7 pm 9/22 Missouri 9/29 at Kentucky 10/6 Georgia 10/13 at LSU 10/20 at Florida 10/27 Tennessee 11/3 Bye 11/10 Arkansas 11/17 Wofford 11/24 at Clemson GEORGIA (2-0, 1-0) 9/1 Buffalo W, /8 at Missouri W, /15 Florida Atlantic 7:30 pm 9/22 Vanderbilt 9/29 Tennessee 10/6 at South Carolina 10/13 Bye 10/20 at Kentucky 10/27 vs. Florida 3:30 pm 11/3 Ole Miss 11/10 at Auburn 11/17 Georgia Southern 11/24 Georgia Tech MISSOURI (1-1, 0-1) 9/1 SE Louisiana W, /8 Georgia L, /15 Arizona St. 7 pm 9/22 at South Carolina 9/29 at UCF 10/6 Vanderbilt 10/13 Alabama 10/20 Bye 10/27 Kentucky 11/3 at Florida 11/10 at Tennessee 11/17 Syracuse 11/24 at Texas A&M LOUISIANA (2-0, 1-0) 9/1 Lamar W, /8 at Troy W, /15 at Oklahoma St. 12 pm 9/22 Bye 9/29 FIU 7 pm 10/6 Tulane 5 pm 10/16 at North Texas 9 pm 10/23 Arkansas St. 8 pm 10/27 Bye 11/3 at Louisiana-Monroe 11/10 at Florida 11/17 Western Kentucky 11/24 South Alabama 12/1 at Florida Atlantic JACKSONVILLE STATE (1-1, 0-0) 9/1 at Arkansas L, /8 UT-Chattanooga W, /15 Bye 9/22 at Eastern Kentucky 5 pm 9/29 SE Missouri St. 3 pm 10/6 at Tennessee Tech 7 pm 10/13 at Eastern Illinois 1:30 pm 10/20 Tennessee St. 3 pm 10/27 Murray St. 3 pm 11/3 at UT-Martin 12 pm 11/10 Austin Peay St. 3 pm 11/17 at Florida FLORIDA STATE (2-0, 0-0) 9/1 Murray St. W, /8 Savannah St. W, /15 Wake Forest 12 pm 9/22 Clemson 9/29 at South Florida 10/6 at NC State 10/13 Boston College 10/20 at Miami (FL) 10/27 Duke 11/3 Bye 11/8 at Virginia Tech 7:30 pm 11/17 at Maryland 11/24 Florida GATORS at VOLS September 15

7 FLORIDA S OFFENSE 11 of the 13 players who started in the first two games have had previous starting experience. QB Jeff Driskel started the first game lined up as a wide receiver and got his first career start at quarterback at Texas A&M in week two. Tight end Clay Burton earned his first career start at Texas A&M. Florida scored 20 points at Texas A&M in the SEC opener. In 2011, the Gators scored 20 points only one time on the road (48 at Kentucky, Sept. 24). The Gators have scored points in 7 of 8 (87.5%) quarters this season. UF scored a TD in 4 of 8 (50%) quarters. Florida has outscored its opponents 23-7 in the second half this season, including 17-0 in the fourth quarter. UF was outscored 17-7 in the first half at Texas A&M, but shut the Aggies out in the second half and scored 13 unanswered after the break. Florida outscored BGSU, 27-7, over the final three quarters in the season opener. Florida has had 23 offensive drives this season and scored points on nine drives (39% - five TD, four FG). The Gators ran out the final 3:13 of the game against TAMU on their final offensive possession. The Gators have scored on 5-of-6 (83%) red zone chances (three TD, two FG). UF converted 32 of 37 (86%) red zone opportunities into points last season, including 18 of 37 (49%) TD in the red zone. UF has completed 71.1 percent of its pass attempts this season. The Florida QBs had a 56.9 completion percentage last season. Florida has averaged 11.5 yards per completion in its first two games. UF averaged yards per pass completion in 2011, second-best in the SEC and 18th in the nation in Against Texas A&M, five different players had a reception of more than 10 yards. Four players had multiple receptions in the game. In its first two games, UF rushed for 362 yards and averaged 4.0 yards per carry. In 2011, the Gators rushed for 1,859 yards and averaged 4.0 yards per carry as a team. The Gators have converted 8-of-28 (29%) third-down attempts in the opener. Florida converted 51 of 159 (32%) third downs last season. Florida has converted 2-of-3 (67%) fourth-down attempts. In 2011, UF attempted 11 fourthdowns and converted six times (55%). On the season, Florida has averaged 34:08 time of possession, compared to 25:53 for its opponents. In the road win at Texas A&M, the Gators iced the game in the second half by controlling the clock for 20:05 and limiting the Aggies to just 9:55 time of possession. On the final offensive drive at Texas A&M, Florida got the ball with 3:13 on the clock and a lead, while the Aggies still had all three timeouts. UF was able to end the game with an 8-play, 50-yard drive that ran the clock out. In the opener against Bowling Green, UF controlled the clock for 10:29 in the second quarter and 9:26 in the fourth quarter, putting the game away. The Gators have run 128 plays (64.0 per game) and averaged 5.2 yards per play this season. Last season, the Gators ran 789 plays (60.7 per game) and totaled 4,273 yards of offense (5.4 yards per play). UF s 60.7 plays per game in 2011 were the fewest in the nation. Florida had 10 explosive plays (10-yard rush, 20-yard pass) at Texas A&M and eight explosive plays against Bowling Green. UF had 101 explosive plays (7.8 per game) last season: 64 runs of 10-or-more yards and 37 passes of 20-or-more yards. Coach Muschamp has indicated that turnover ratio and big plays are keys to success Florida TO Margin (+1 overall) 2011 Florida TO Margin (-12 overall) In 2 Wins...+1 In 7 Wins...0 In 0 Losses...0 In 6 Losses Florida TO Margin ( ) In 158 Wins In 50 Losses Florida Big Plays Runs (10+ yds) Passes (20+ yds) Totals New offensive coordinator BRENT PEASE took the reins after leading the Boise State offense in Last season, the Boise offense averaged 44.2 points and yards per game en route to a 12-1 record and a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl over Arizona State. Pease also coached quarterbacks last season at Boise. Under Pease s guidance, the 2011 BSU offense ranked in the top 10 nationally in the following categories: Completion Percentage...1st percent Sacks Allowed...t-1st...8 sacks allowed Touchdown Passes...2nd...45 touchdowns Pass Efficiency...4th rating Scoring Offense...5th ppg Total Offensive Touchdowns...t-5th...76 touchdowns Total Offense...9th ypg In the 11 seasons that Pease has served as an offensive coordinator, he has guided six offenses that averaged over 385 yards per game, including four teams that averaged over 400 yards per game. He also led five offenses that scored 30 points per game or more. Boise State (2011) ypg ppg Baylor (2005) ypg ppg Baylor (2004) ypg ppg Baylor (2003) ypg ppg Kentucky (2002) ypg ppg Kentucky (2001) ypg ppg Northern Arizona (2000) ypg ppg Northern Arizona (1999) ypg ppg Montana (1998) ypg ppg Montana (1997) ypg ppg Montana (1996) ypg ppg The Gators will strive to have a balanced attack on offense. Last year, Coach Pease guided a Boise offfense that ran 51 percent rushing plays and 49 percent passing plays. In comparison, UF ran 59 percent of the time in 2011 and passed 41 percent of the time..team... Rushes (Percent).Passes (Percent) Boise State (2011) (51) (49) Florida (2011) (59) (41) GATORS at VOLS September 15

8 RUNNING BACKS Taking out yards lost for sacks and kneeldowns, Florida rushed 38 times for 199 yards at Texas A&M, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Against Bowling Green, the Gators rushed for 220 yards, the fifth time under Muschamp that UF has rushed for over 200 yards. In the first two games, UF has had 15 runs of 10-plus yards (7.5 per game). Last season, Florida had 64 runs of 10-plus yards on the season (4.9 per game). Junior MIKE GILLISLEE has been the workhorse for the Florida offense, totaling 38 carries and for an SEC-best 231 yards with 4 touchdowns (tied for SEC lead), scoring a pair of touchdowns in each of the first two games. With two touchdowns in each of the first two games, Gillislee is the first Gator to rush for at least two touchdowns in two-straight games since Tim Tebow rushed for three scores against Georgia on Nov. 1, 2008 and two touchdowns against Vanderbilt a week later. Tebow actually did it in three games in a row in 2008 Kentucky, Georgia and Vanderbilt (10/25, 11/1, 11/8) and in 2007 Troy, Tennessee and Ole Miss (9/8, 9/15, 9/22). In his career, Gillislee has 1,151 yards on 183 carries (6.3 avg) and 14 rushing touchdowns. Gillislee surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for his career with his first career 100-yard rushing game in the season opener against Bowling Green. He rushed for 148 yards on 24 carries with two scores. He scored UF s first touchdown of the season on a 15-yard run and then added a 38-yard TD less than five minutes later. Gillislee is just the sixth Gator RB since 1996 to run for 148 yards or more in a game (Fred Taylor 3 times, Ciatrick Fason 3 times, Earnest Graham 3 times; Jeff Demps twice; Bo Carroll 1 time) Against BGSU, Gillislee averaged at least 6.0 yards per carry for the 15th time in 27 games in which he carried the ball. His 24 carries and 148 yards are both career highs. Sophomore TREY BURTON is listed as a running back, but will see action all over the field on offense and special teams. Burton has seen time at quarterback, fullback, wide receiver, tight end, h-back and on kickoff and punt coverage. He has 475 rushing yards with 14 rushing TD and 387 receiving yards and 2 receiving TD in his career. He has scored a TD every 8.1 rushes in his career. In 2010, Burton set a UF record and an SEC freshman record, by scoring six TD in a single game against Kentucky (5 rushing, 1 receiving). Six TD in a single game were the most for any player QUARTERBACKS On the season, Florida has completed 71.1 percent of its passes (27-of-38) and averaged 11.5 yards per completion. The Florida QB Rating is (27-of-38, 310 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT). Sophomore JEFF DRISKEL made his first career start at quarterback on the road at Texas A&M and led the team to a road win in its SEC opener. Driskel completed 13-of-16 passes for 162 yards and did not turn the ball over. On the season, Driskel is 23-of-32 (71.9%) passing for 276 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. In his career, he is 39-of-66 for 424 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Against Bowling Green, Driskel completed 10-of-16 passes for 114 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown pass to Frankie Hammond. Driskel made his first career start against BGSU, lining up at wide receiver, and proceeded to play the rest of the first quarter at quarterback. Driskel made his Gator debut in the 2011 season opener against FAU, completing 4-of-6 passes for 42 yards. On the season, Driskel was 16-of-34 for 148 yards with 2 interceptions. Against Alabama, Driskel scrambled for 31 yards, the third-longest run given up by the Tide last season. JACOBY BRISSETT started the opener at quarterback and completed 3-of-5 passes for 31 yards. In his career, he is 21-of-44 passing for 237 yards with 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Brissett became the first true freshman in school history to take his first career snap as the starter, getting the nod at LSU in He became just the fifth true freshman quarterback to start in UF history, joining Wayne Peace (1980), Donald Douglas (1989), Jesse Palmer (1997) and Chris Leak (2003). Brissett completed 8-of-14 passes for 94 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT against LSU in his first career start. His scoring pass was a 65-yard completion to Andre Debose, the longest TD pass by a true freshman in his first start. For the season, he was 18-of-39 for 206 yards with 2 TDs and 4 interceptions (86.93 rating). in the nation since Middle Tennessee s Phillip Tanner scored six against North Texas in Burton scored 12 of UF s 40 TD (30 percent) in 2010 and earned his place in the UF record books along the way. Total Freshman TD (UF History) Freshman Rushing TD (UF History) 1. Jabar Gaffney (2000) Emmitt Smith (1987) Emmitt Smith (1987) Trey Burton (2010) Trey Burton (2010) True freshman MATT JONES, a 6-2, 226-lb back from Tampa, rushed for 17 yards on three carries in his debut against Bowling Green. Jones is the biggest running back at Florida since DeShawn Wynn in 2005 (listed at 5-11, 228 lbs as a senior). Jones has 8 carries for 27 yards on the season with a long of 17 yards against Bowling Green. Redshirt freshman MACK BROWN has 10 carries for 29 yards on the season. He played a key role in helping the Gators run the clock on the final drive at Texas A&M, rushing four times for 11 yards while UF ran 3:13 off the clock. Brown has 25 carries for 94 yards in his career. With 2:09 remaining in the first quarter against UAB in 2011, freshman HUNTER JOYER scored a three-yard TD on his first career carry, becoming the fourth Gator since 2008 to score a TD on his first career carry (Javier Estopinan, 2008; Trey Burton, 2010; Jordan Reed, 2010). Joyer has 20 carries for 83 yards with two TD in his career. He has not had a rush for lost yardage in his career. Against Florida State in 2011, Joyer set three career-highs: 3 rushes for 30 yards with a long of 23 yards. Sophomore CHRIS JOHNSON transitioned from linebacker to running back during the spring of Johnson played running back in high school, signed to play at UF as a safety, moved to linebacker in 2011 and finally has settled at running back for this season. Brissett entered the FSU game after Brantley suffered an injury and completed 4-of-13 passes for 27 yards, including a 9-yard TD strike to Quinton Dunbar. Brissett completed his only pass attempt against Vanderbilt for 40 yards to Omarius Hines, and also scored his first career rushing TD on his only carry. Redshirt sophomore TYLER MURPHY made his collegiate debut against UAB last season but did not record any statistics. True freshman SKYLER MORNHINWEG arrived in June after a stellar career at St. Joseph s Prep in Philadelphia. He is the son of Philadelphia Eagles Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. GATORS at VOLS September 15

9 WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS On the season, four different players have caught at least four passes. The unit has averaged 11.5 yards per reception. Senior FRANKIE HAMMOND, JR. leads all receivers with 5 catches for 89 yards and one touchdown on the season. 3 of his 5 catches have resulted in first downs, with 2 catches converting third downs. He has 46 catches for 603 yards and 4 touchdowns in his career. Hammond reeled in a career-long 50-yard touchdown pass from Driskel in the season opener against Bowling Green. He caught the ball on a simple 10-yard stop route, escaped a tackle and took it the distance for his fourth-career touchdown. He had 15 catches for 181 yards last season, with 10 catches resulting in first downs and 6 catches converting on third downs. Sophomore QUINTON DUNBAR has 4 receptions for 43 yards this season, with two catches for 10+ yards. In his career, he has 18 catches for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He had 14 catches for 216 yards last season and scored his first career TD against Furman on a 29-yard reception. He added a 9-yard TD reception against FSU. He played in two games during the 2010 season before redshirting. Dunbar had a career-long 40-yard reception on the game s first offensive play against UAB and totaled 2 catches for 58 yards. Dunbar made his first career start against FAU and caught two passes for 24 yards. In 2011, junior ANDRE DEBOSE had back-to-back games with 65-yard TD receptions against Alabama and LSU and added TD catches of 80 and 64-yards against Furman. He had 16 catches for 432 yards on the season, averaging 27.0 yards per catch, the highest in the SEC and 3rd in the nation among players with 10-plus catches. Debose was named the MVP of the 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl after setting a Gator Bowl and UF Bowl record with a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD. It was the third kickoff return TD of his career, setting a new Florida record. Debose s 151 receiving yards against Furman were the most in a game by a UF receiver since Andre Caldwell had 164 against Florida Atlantic in His 65-yard catch vs. Alabama was the second-longest play from scrimmage allowed by the Tide last season. Debose has made a huge impact in the return game as well, averaging 27.3 yards on 41 kick returns. Junior SOLOMON PATTON has appeared in 24 games and recorded seven catches for 62 yards in his career. He has yet to make a catch this season, but has rushed 4 times for 37 yards, including a key 12-yard rush to help ice the game in the fourth quarter at Texas A&M. True freshman LATROY PITTMAN has 2 catches for 6 yards this season. OFFENSIVE LINE The Gators used the starting offensive line of LT Xavier Nixon, LG James Wilson, C Jon Harrison, RG Jon Halapio and RT Chaz Green in each of the first two games. In 2011, RG Jon Halapio and C Jon Harrison each started all 13 games. Xavier Nixon (9 starts), Chaz Green (9 starts) and Matt Patchan (7 starts) earned the majority of playing time at the tackle spots. OL Nick Alajajian, OG Kyle Koehne and OG James Wilson each started one game. Florida used eight offensive linemen in the opener against BGSU with only two seniors. Against the Falcons, Xavier Nixon graded out the highest among offensive linemen at 93. Jon Halapio was second at 88. Left tackle XAVIER NIXON is the most experienced Gator on the offensive line with 24 starts for UF. He started nine games last season, all at left tackle. In 2009, he became the first true freshman to start at left tackle for UF since Reggie Green did so in The last true freshman to start at either tackle position was Mo Collins at right tackle in Senior JAMES WILSON earned the start at left guard in the first two games. He has appeared in 40 games with eight starts in his career. Junior JON HARRISON transitioned to center in the spring of 2011 and has started 16 games in his career, including all 13 games in He played guard his first two years on campus (redshirted in 2009). He made his debut in 2010 in the opener and played all 13 games, starting once at left guard in the Outback Bowl. Junior guard JON HALAPIO has started every game this season and graded out a team-best 86 percent at Texas A&M. He started seven games in 2010 at right guard and started all 13 games in 2011 at the same spot. He played in three games in 2009 before redshirting. He was named to the 2010 Sporting News All-Freshman Team. Sophomore CHAZ GREEN earned his first career start against FAU in 2011, lining up at right tackle. He has 10 starts at right tackle and one at left tackle in his career. Junior tackle MATT PATCHAN missed the opener with an injury. He has eight starts in 27 career games. Junior KYLE KOEHNE will be a regular in the rotation this season, seeing time at multiple Tight ends accounted for 47 of the team s 182 receptions (25.8 percent) last season. They also totaled 584 yards, 24.2 percent of the team s 2,414 passing yards. Junior JORDAN REED leads the team with 8 catches for 92 yards this season. He tied his careerhigh with 5 catches (59 yards) at Texas A&M. His 8 catches on the season ranks 10th nationally among tight ends and second in the SEC. He had three catches for 33 yards in the opener and has 42 catches for 478 yards in his career, with three receiving touchdowns. Reed has been targeted 8 times on the season and caught all 8 passes. Half of his receptions have resulted in first downs, and he has 4 receptions of 10+ yards (1 of 20+). Reed made the transition to a more traditional tight end role in As a freshman in 2010, he only caught six passes (79 yds, 1 TD), but he rushed 77 times for 328 yards and five TD. He also saw time at quarterback during his freshman season and went 26-for-46 passing for 252 yards with three TD and one interception. Reed led the team in receptions in five of the 10 games he appeared in in He ranked second on the team with 28 catches totaling 307 yards on the season with two TD. He missed the games against Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida State due to injury. Reed caught a careerlong 31-yard TD pass against Georgia and finished with a career-high 69 yards on four catches. Reed threw his first career TD pass on a 31-yard strike to Deonte Thompson against Vanderbilt last season, becoming the fifth UF player since 1990 to record a rushing, receiving and passing TD in the same season and the first since Andre Caldwell in Reed joined Jacquez Green (1997), Doug Johnson (1998), Travis McGriff (1998) and Andre Caldwell (2006). Junior OMARIUS HINES has 43 catches for 605 yards in his career and two TD. He has proven to be a viable running threat as well, averaging 10.0 yards on 18 carries and scoring two TD. Hines, a native of Corsicana, Texas, provided the game-changing moment in his return to Texas at A&M. Trailing 17-13, Hines reeled in a 39-yard pass from Driskel and the Gators scored a touchdown two plays later to take the lead for good. In the opener, Hines did not catch a pass but rushed four times for 14 yards. Hines posted a season-high 40 receiving yards twice last season, against Vanderbilt (1 reception) and against Ohio State in the Gator Bowl (2 receptions). Sophomore CLAY BURTON made his first career start at Texas A&M but did not record a stat. He appeared in one game as a true freshman last season while making the transition to tight end. Sophomore TEVIN WESTBROOK switched from defensive end to tight end in the summer after seeing action in three games and recording two tackles as a freshman. positions along the line. He earned his first career start against Furman in 2011 at left guard. True freshman D.J. HUMPHRIES, an early enrollee last spring, has seen time at tackle in each of the first two games. The offensive line has paved the way for an average of 5.0 yards per carry since the start of the 2008 season. UF s yard per carry ranks 13th in the nation during the same time span. Team Rushing Leaders (SEC - Since 2008) Team Avg. (Net Yards) 1. Alabama (11,097) 2. FLORIDA (10,727) 3. Auburn (11,034) 4. Missouri (9,372) 5. Ole Miss (9,424) 6. LSU (9,572) Entering the 2012 season, Florida s returning offensive linemen had a combined 79 career starts. That total represents the second-highest among returning offensive linemen since Cumulative Career Starts Among Returning Offensive Linemen (Entering 2011) GATORS at VOLS September 15

10 FLORIDA S DEFENSE Florida is one of 10 teams nationally that has not allowed a passing touchdown through two games played. The Gators opened the year by limiting Bowling Green to 4-for-17 (.235) on third downs, including 2-for-10 (.200) in the second half, and followed that performance by holding Texas A&M to 4-of-14 (.286) on the game and 0-for-6 in the second half. In the first two games, UF limited opponents to a combined 2-for-16 on third downs in the second half. In 2011, Florida held its opponents to 48-of-176 (.273) on third downs, second-best in the nation - the best national ranking in school history. It was UF s best third-down defense since 2001 (.267), when the team ranked fifth nationally. Through two games, Florida s opponent third-down efficiency of.258 (8-for-31) ranks 19th. After scoring a field goal and two touchdowns to begin the game, Texas A&M did not score on its final seven possessions of the game. In fact, the Orange and Blue forced six-straight punts in the second half, including four three-and-outs. UF totaled three sacks for 16 yards lost in College Station, matching the highest total allowed by Texas A&M the last two years. The Aggies permitted nine sacks during the 2011 season. Florida has not surrendered any points during the fourth quarter in the first two games and have held a 17-0 advantage on the scoreboard. The Gators held four opponents under 16 percent on third-down conversions last season: Florida Atlantic was 2-for-13 (.154), UAB was 1-for-10 (.100), Auburn was 1-for-13 (.077) and Florida State was 2-of-15 (.133). Florida s pass defense was third in the SEC and seventh in the country last season, allowing yards per game. The Gators held Florida State to 65 yards passing on Nov. 26 and South Carolina to 84 yards passing on Nov. 12, and have kept foes under 100 yards five times in the past three seasons (also USF, 86, 9/11/10; Mississippi State, 33, 10/16/10; Vanderbilt, 63, 11/6/10). UF limited nine of its 13 opponents last year to under 200 yards passing. The Gators allowed 101 yards rushing to Bowling Green on 27 attempts (3.7 avg.) and gave up 226 yards passing on 52 attempts (4.3 avg. per attempt and 9.0 avg. per completion). UF surrendered 134 yards on the ground to Texas A&M on 38 carries (3.5 avg.) and allowed 200 yards passing on 31 attempts (8.3 avg. per completion). The Aggies totaled 269 yards of offense in the first half but just 65 yards in the second half. Florida was eighth in the nation in total defense (299.5 yards per game) in It was fifth in the SEC and tied for 20th in the nation in scoring defense (20.3 ppg). The Gators were fifth in the SEC and 40th in the country by allowing rushing yards per game. UF was the lone school that did not allow any rushing TD during the first four games. Last season, opponents rushed for 1,725 yards on 507 attempts (3.4 avg.) against UF. The average per carry was the 23rd-lowest allowed in the country. The Gators limited Florida State to 30 yards on 46 carries (0.7 avg.) in the regular-season finale. The UF defense was tied for 21st in the nation in touchdowns permitted (33) and was eighth in opponent yards per touch (5.6 avg.) last year. The Gators have allowed four touchdowns, all rushing, this season and their points per game allowed of 15.5 is tied for 34th nationally. Over the final two games of 2011, the Gators totaled 23 tackles-for-loss (11.0 against FSU, 12.0 against OSU) and 10.0 sacks (4.0 against FSU, 6.0 against OSU). UF opened the season with 5.0 TFL versus Bowling Green and added 7.0 more at Texas A&M. Last year, Florida had a season-high 12 tackles for loss against Ohio State and had eight or more tackles for loss seven times (12 vs. Ohio State, 11 vs. FAU and FSU, 9 vs. Vanderbilt & 8 vs. Kentucky, Auburn and Georgia). The Gators had 94 tackles for a loss of 408 yards, the third-most lost yards in the SEC Tackles-for-Loss Yards (SEC) 1. LSU Georgia FLORIDA Vanderbilt South Carolina Florida allowed just 394 yards of total offense in its final two games last year - 95 to Florida State and 299 to Ohio State. In addition, the Gators led the SEC with 23 tackles for loss in their last two contests and the squad s 10 sacks during that span tied for third in the league. The Orange and Blue forced six of its 14 turnovers during the final four games of the campaign, totaling three fumble recoveries and three interceptions. UF collected two turnovers in its season opener against Bowling Green with an interception and a fumble recovery. The Gator defense limited Florida State to 95 yards of offense on Nov. 26, the first time that the Seminoles had been held below 100 yards in total offense since Nov. 23, 1957, against Auburn. Florida held FSU to seven first downs, tied for the fourth-lowest in school history and the fewest since it allowed five vs. UL-Monroe on Sept. 8, FSU completed just six passes and the 95 yards surrendered by the Orange and Blue was the 10th-best defensive effort in school history and the fewest yards permitted since 82 to Ohio State on Jan. 8, In 2011, 89 of 264 total points (33.7%) opponents scored were the result of UF turnovers. Among all SEC schools, 33.7% was the highest percentage of points scored off turnovers. UF held Kentucky to an 0-for-5 performance on 4th down and teams were 13-for-25 (.520) against the Orange and Blue on fourth downs last year. The 25 attempts by an opponent were tied for 10th-most in the country. With the shutout of UAB last September, head coach Will Muschamp became the quickest Gator coach to record a shutout in his first season at the helm of the UF program since Galen Hall in 1984 (also the second game of the season). UF allowed just three points total in the first two games in The last time Florida had given up three or fewer points over the first two games of a season was Florida limited FSU to 30 rushing yards on 46 attempts (0.7 avg.) - just the seventh time in the last 12 years it held an opponent to 1.0 yards per rush or less and the third time during the season after Tennessee had -9 yards on 21 carries (-0.4 avg.) and FAU gained 30 yards on 30 carries. Before the 2011 season, the last time UF had held two or more opponents to 1.0 yards per rush was 2006 (3 times - vs. WCU, Tenn, UCF). The -9 yards rushing by the Vols was the ninth-fewest allowed by Florida all-time, the seventhfewest by an SEC opponent and the fewest since 2006 by Tennessee (-11). UF s nine QB hurries against Auburn were the most since it had eight versus Alabama in the 2008 SEC Championship Game on 12/6/08. The trio of William Green, Jaye Howard and Earl Okine had two apiece against the Tigers. Florida s 32 quarterback hurries in 2011 were more than twice as many as 2010 (13). De Ante Saunders (S) and Marcus Roberson (CB) both started as true freshmen last season on defense on opening night, becoming the first true freshmen duo to start in the secondary in a season opener. The last time two true freshmen had started in the season opener for the Gators on defense was No SEC defense has forced more turnovers than the Gators since the 2000 season. Florida s 320 turnovers in that span are 11 more than the next closest SEC team. Turnovers Forced (SEC - Since 2000) 1. FLORIDA LSU Creating pressure on the QB will be a big emphasis for the Gators this season. In three seasons at Texas, Muschamp s defense averaged 3.05 sacks, 3.97 quarterback hurries and 1.33 forced fumbles in 39 games. Year School Sacks Sacks/Gm Hurries FF 2008 Texas Texas Texas Totals Year School Sacks Sacks/Gm Hurries FF 2010 Florida FLORIDA FLORIDA Coach Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have consistently emphasized that creating turnovers is a huge key for the team s success Florida TO Margin (+1 overall) 2011 Florida TO Margin (-12 overall) In 2 Wins...+1 In 7 Wins...0 In 0 Losses...0 In 6 Losses Florida Turnover Margin ( ) In 158 Wins In 50 Losses GATORS at VOLS September 15

11 The Gators are tied for third in the nation in interceptions since the start of the 2008 season, picking off 77 passes. They are first in the country with 14 interceptions returned for TD and 1,443 interception return yards during that span. Interceptions (Nation - Since 2008) 1t. Alabama t. Boise State t. Boston College t. FLORIDA t. OhioState...76 Interception Return TD (Nation - Since 2008) 1. FLORIDA t. Alabama t. Connecticut t. Louisiana Tech t. TCU t. Tennessee...12 Interception Return Yards (Nation - Since 2008) 1. FLORIDA... 1, Iowa...1, North Carolina...1, Boston College...1,253 Since 2006, Muschamp-coached defenses rank fifth nationally in true passing yards per attempt, which factors in sacks and sack yardage. In addition, Florida s defense has ranked eighth in the same time frame. True Yards Per Pass Attempt ( ) Att Yds Sacks Yds Lost True Att True Yds True Y/A 1. Ohio State TCU LSU Alabama Muschamp Def Boise State Virginia Tech FLORIDA Penn State USC DEFENSIVE LINE Florida held five of its opponents in 2011 under 100 yards rushing -- FAU (30), UAB (71), Tennessee (-9), Vanderbilt (80) and Florida State (30). The Gators have held 24 opponents under 100 rushing yards since the beginning of UF held Tennessee to -9 yards rushing on 21 carries (-0.4-yard average). The Gators look to get more pressure from the defensive line this season under the direction of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive line coach Bryant Young. In 2010, UF had just 21 sacks, the fewest for a Florida team since 2002 (20 sacks). In 2011, Florida totaled 28 sacks and set a season high with six sacks against Ohio State in the Gator Bowl, its eighth-straight outing with a sack. UF has had 30 sacks in the last 13 games and 14 in the past four, including four this season. Quinn came to UF after serving as the defensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks for two seasons. Florida looked to bring a lot of pressure from the defensive line last season, as the Seahawks ranked sixth in the NFC in total sacks (37.0), with 24.0 of them coming from the defensive line. Seattle had 13 different players record at least one sack in 2010, led by end Chris Clemons, who ranked seventh in the NFC with 11.0 sacks. The 2012 defensive line is led by a veteran group of players. Senior OMAR HUNTER and junior SHARRIF FLOYD have combined for 34 career starts and anchor the interior of the line. Junior DOMINIQUE EASLEY has 14 starts in his career and plays both inside and outside on the line. Junior RONALD POWELL has 13 career starts but tore his ACL in the spring game and will not be active in the early part of the season. Floyd had a career-high 11 tackles at No. 1 LSU, eight versus Georgia, totaled 1.5 sacks in the Gator Bowl and blocked his first career field goal against Vanderbilt and Powell was first on the Gators with six sacks (for 41 yards lost). Easley registered a career-high nine tackles versus LSU, blocked his first career punt against Furman and was fifth on UF with 7.5 tackles for loss in 2011, including his first career sack at Auburn. He came through with the Gators first sack of the year against Bowling Green and had six tackles in the win at Texas A&M. Muschamp served as the defensive coordinator for some of the best defenses in the country before arriving at Florida, ranking in the top 10 nationally in numerous defensive statistics. Top 10 National Rankings Under Muschamp ( , 8 seasons) Total Defense...6 times (including No. 1 in 2003 at LSU) Rush Defense...4 times (including No. 1 in 2009 at Texas) Pass Defense...4 times Pass Efficiency Defense...5 times Scoring Defense...3 times (including No. 1 in 2003 at LSU) 3rd Down Defense...3 times (including No. 1 in 2009 at Texas) Sacks...2 times (including No. 1 in 2009 at Texas) Interceptions...2 times (including No. 1 in 2009 at Texas) Hunter has 20 career starts (11 in 2009, 6 in 2010, 1 in 2011, 2 in 2012), the third-most among Florida defenders. He has 76 total tackles in his career and seven tackles-for-loss. At Kentucky last year, Hunter had a then-season-high four tackles and was credited with his first fumble recovery in the first quarter. He had a season-high five tackles at Auburn, collected his first career sack versus Georgia and added five tackles and a forced fumble in the win over Ohio State. Powell started one game as a true freshman, totaling 25 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sack. He was named to the 2010 SEC Coaches All-Freshman Team. Powell plays the BUCK position in the new defensive scheme, lining up as a hybrid linebacker/defensive end. He had five tackles, two for loss and forced a fumble versus FSU and chipped in with a sack against Ohio State. Filling in for Powell to start the season will be senior LERENTEE McCRAY, who now has seven career starts at linebacker but has moved to the BUCK position. He totaled 24 tackles and had 7.5 tackles-for-loss last season despite missing four games due to injury. McCray came through with a key third-down sack in the fourth quarter at Texas A&M and also forced a fumble. Redshirt junior EARL OKINE, who saw action in all 13 games last year, had a career-high three solo tackles against FAU and two quarterback hurries versus Auburn in the 2011 season. He tied for the team lead with four quarterback hurries. Sophomore LEON ORR has 10 tackles last season in his first action for the Gators and will factor into the interior defensive line rotation. He matched his career high with three tackles at A&M, one of which was a loss of two yards. Junior college transfer DAMIEN JACOBS enrolled at Florida last January and participated in spring practices. He will bolster the interior of the line by providing added depth in GATORS at VOLS September 15

12 LINEBACKERS Last season, the linebacker group was led by JON BOSTIC and JELANI JENKINS and both players return to provide solid leadership for the defense. Bostic has started 21 games in his career at middle linebacker, while Jenkins has 25 career starts at weakside linebacker. In 2011, Bostic led the Gators with 94 tackles (60 solo) and had 10 tackles-for-loss (totaling 57 yards) last year and began the season with a game-high eight tackes against Bowling Green before adding five tackles and team-best two TFL with one sack at Texas A&M. He has 182 tackles, 15.5 tackles-for-loss, 5.5 sacks and three picks in his career. Last season, Jenkins was third on UF with 75 tackles (48 solo) and was second with six pass breakups. He is second in tackles among returners, totaling 158 tackles in his career with 12.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Last year, he equaled his career best of 11 tackles against Florida State and had a 10 tackles against Furman, highlighted by a career-high 75-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. His 75-yard return was the second-longest in school history by a linebacker (81, Darren Hambrick vs. UGA, 1994). It was the longest return by a linebacker in the SEC last year and fifth-longest in the nation. In 2011, sophomore MICHAEL TAYLOR had a career-high seven tackles against LSU and totaled six against Georgia before making his first career start against Vanderbilt. At Kentucky, he recorded six tackles (all solo), two of which were for loss. He snared his first career interception in the third quarter and had a 30-yard interception return that set up a 27-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis. Taylor had a season-best six tackles at Texas A&M, none bigger than nine-yard sack late in the second quarter which knocked the Aggies out of field-goal range. Junior DARRIN KITCHENS made his first career start at the SAM linebacker spot versus Furman last November and delivered a game-high 12 tackles. He had entered the contest with nine SECONDARY Junior MATT ELAM, who started all 13 games at safety, was second on the Gator defense with 78 tackles last year, including a career-high 12 at LSU. He forced the first fumble of his career during the third quarter against UAB that was recovered by freshman Marcus Roberson, had his first career interception to ice the win over Tennessee and added another pick to set up the Gators third touchdown of the opening quarter at Kentucky. Elam had four tackles at Texas A&M and a pass breakup in the end zone on the opening drive of the game. DE ANTE SAUNDERS (S) and MARCUS ROBERSON (CB) both started against FAU in 2011, becoming the first true freshmen duo to start in the secondary in a season opener. The last time two true Gator freshmen started in the season opener on defense was 2007, when both Brandon Hicks and Jerimy Finch started at linebacker. Roberson tallied his first career interception against Georgia. Saunders collected his first career interception against USC and returned a pick 25 yards for his first career TD against Furman. Matching Elam for the team lead with two interceptions, Saunders became the first freshman to lead the Gators in interceptions since Wayne Fields had four picks during the 1972 season. Roberson had five tackles at Texas A&M and is tied with junior JAYLEN WATKINS for the team lead withfour pass breakups. Junior CODY RIGGS started the first seven games last season and totaled 31 tackles. In his career, he has 56 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and one interception. Riggs forced a Bowling Green fumble on a punt return in the fourth quarter and had three tackles at Texas A&M. Senior JOSH EVANS, who has 13 career starts, established a personal best of 11 tackles (all solo) at South Carolina last season, contributed a sack and a fumble recovery against Ohio State and picked off Tennessee s first pass of the second half. He had 51 tackles (38 solo) during the 2011 season and was second on the squad with six tackles against Bowling Green. Evans had a team-best eight tackles in College Station, five of which were solo. Watkins has appeared in 25 games with nine career starts, totaling 46 tackles, and he is tied for the team lead with four pass breakups this year. Sophomore LOUCHEIZ PURIFOY has moved into the defensive backfield rotation in 2012 after starring at special teams in Last season, Purifoy had a team-leading 22 special teams tackles as a true freshman and he made his first career start in the opener against BG. Florida had 22 interceptions in 2010, tied for fourth in the nation, nine of which were returned for 30-plus yards, including four TD. Florida s 538 interception return yards were the most in the country in tackles on the campaign. Sophomore NEIRON BALL returned to the team after sitting out the 2011 season with a medical hardship. Ball will compete for major playing time at the SAM linebacker spot and could also see time at the BUCK position. He had an assisted tackle in the win over Bowling Green. True freshman ANTONIO MORRISON enrolled in January of 2012 and participated in spring practice. He contributed right away with three tackles in the season opener and will see action as a reserve at multiple linebacker spots. In his SEC debut, Morrison tied for second on the Gators with six tackles (five solo). The Gator defense has had 22 interception returns of 30 or more yards since 2008, including nine in 2010, with 15 total coming from the secondary: Will Hill...vs. Georgia ( 10)...89 Joe Haden...vs. Georgia ( 08)...88 Ahmad Black...vs. Penn State ( 10)...80t Ahmad Black...vs. Hawaii ( 08)...80t Jelani Jenkins...vs. Furman ( 11)...75t Janoris Jenkins...vs. Miami Univ. ( 10)...67t Ahmad Black...vs. Georgia ( 08)...64 Justin Trattou...at South Carolina ( 09)...53 Jeremy Brown...vs. Kentucky ( 10)...52t Brandon Spikes...vs. LSU ( 08)...52t Ahmad Black...vs. Penn State ( 10)...49 Jelani Jenkins...vs. LSU ( 10)...47 Brandon Spikes...vs. FIU ( 09)...41t Ahmad Black...vs. Kentucky ( 08)...40t Ahmad Black...vs. Miami Univ. ( 10)...40 Josh Evans...at Vanderbilt ( 10)...36 Justin Trattou...vs. USF ( 10)...35t Major Wright...at Kentucky ( 09)...33 Major Wright...vs. Hawaii ( 08)...32 Marcus Roberson... vs. Bowling Green ( 12) Michael Taylor...at Kentucky ( 11)...30 Will Hill...vs. South Carolina ( 08)...30 GATORS at VOLS September 15

13 FLORIDA S SPECIAL TEAMS D.J. Durkin is in his third season as the Gators special teams coordinator. In 2010, he helped UF finish second in the nation in net punting (40.9 yds). Florida s punt coverage unit allowed just 109 return yards on 51 punts. In 2011, UF allowed 99 punt return yards on 57 punts, fifth in the SEC and 30th nationally. Through two games, the Gators have allowed -5 yards on punt returns, fourth in the country. The Gators returned a punt for TD via block or return for a school-record seventh straight year in PUNTING KYLE CHRISTY punted 30 times and had a 40.9 average last season, which would have been eighth in the SEC if he qualified. Ten were inside of the 20, eight were fair caught and six exceeded 50 yards. His second career punt of 67 yards at Auburn was the longest by a Gator last year and tied for the third-longest on the road in school history. Christy s average of 43.3 yards per punt is 28th nationally and four of his nine punts have been inside of the 20-yard line. He averaged 47.2 yards on his five punts at Texas A&M, highlighted by a season-best boot of 55 yards in the fourth quarter that pinned the Aggies deep. KICKING Senior CALEB STURGIS was 22-for-26 (.846) on field-goal attempts and 31-for-31 on extra points to hold the team lead with 97 points in 11. The Groza Award finalist tied for fourth nationally in field goals made and tied for 28th in kicking points in He has opened the year by making four of his five field-goal attempts, highlighted by 51-yarders against Bowling Green and Texas A&M that extended his own school record for successful kicks beyond 50 yards to seven. Sturgis seven FG from beyond 50 yards leads all active kickers (Chris Boswell, Rice, 6; Trey Farquhar, Idaho, 5). Sturgis has made multiple conversions in both outings this season. He is 1-for-2 between yards, 1-for-1 between yards and 2-for-2 from beyond 50 yards. Before missing a 52-yard attempt in the second quarter against Alabama last October, Sturgis had made 14-straight field goals dating back to 2010 (a streak that was third in school history). The school record for consecutive field goals made is 17, set by Bobby Raymond in Florida had a stretch of 17 field goals made in a row dating back to 2010 end against the Crimson Tide, the second-longest streak in school history. Consecutive Field Goals Made (Florida - All-Time) (made last 18 of 84, first 10 of 85) (made last 5 of 10, first 12 of 11) (made last 16 of 01, first of 02) x (1978, 2000, 2008) Sturgis returned to full health for the 2011 season after missing eight games with a back injury in He was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award in 2009 after converting 22 of 30 (.733) field-goal attempts with a long of 56 yards (vs. Georgia). He became the sixth kicker in UF history to make at least three 50-yard field goals in his career (Berj Yepremian, 4; Jeff Chandler, Matt Leach, Chris Perkins and David Posey each had 3). Sturgis tied Yepremian for the top spot with a 55-yarder in the second quarter against Vanderbilt and passed him with a 55-yarder against Furman last season. Sturgis has converted 101 of 106 (.953) point-after attempts in his career and is 50-for-65 (.769) on field-goal attempts. He has 251 total points in his career to rank third all-time at UF and is second in field goals made (50). Sturgis handles kickoffs for the Gators and had 58 kicks for 3,851 yards and a 66.4 average in 2011, with 10 touchbacks and one out of bounds. In his career, he has averaged 64.6 yards per kickoff with 41 touchbacks, including five this season. BRAD PHILLIPS stepped in for Sturgis against Georgia last year and was 2-for-3 on field goals, GAME-WINNING FIELD GOALS IN UF HISTORY Name Date Opp. Distance Time Final Chas Henry 10/30/10 Georgia 37 OT Caleb Sturgis 1/17/09 Arkansas 27 : Matt Leach 11/1/03 Georgia 33 : Arden Czyzewski 10/7/89 LSU 41 : Brian Clark 11/15/80 Kentucky 34 N/A Wayne Barfield 11/11/67 Georgia 31 N/A Steve Spurrier 10/29/66 Auburn 40 2: Bob Lyle 9/26/64 Miss. State 41 : Billy Cash 10/22/60 LSU 35 N/A making kicks of 43 and 40 yards after missing from 38 yards on the Gators opening drive. RETURN GAME Florida was the only school in nation to have two different players with a 99-yard kick return for touchdowns in 2011, as Jeff Demps had one against Georgia and ANDRE DEBOSE broke off a long scoring run versus Ohio State. Debose was one of four players nationally to have a punt return (career-long 32 yards) and a kick return (38 yards) longer than 30 yards on the opening weekend of the college football season. UF was one of six schools in the nation to have two different players with a KOR for TD during the 2011 season, joining Arkansas, Auburn, Minnesota, TCU and UNLV. After never having two kick returns for touchdowns in the same year in school history prior to 2010, Florida had multiple kickoff returns for TDs in 2010 and In fact, the Gators had just nine KOR for TD in school history prior to 2009 season and have five since. UF s five kick returns for scores since 2009 is tied for sixth-best total in the nation and the Gators four KOR in the last three years is tied for second-best with Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Toledo behind Arizona State (6). Florida returned five kickoffs for 200 yards against Georgia last October, the highest singlegame average (40.0) in the SEC in the 2011 season and second-best nationally (Nebraska averaged 42.2 per return on Sept. 10, 2011, against Fresno State) when having five or more returns. UF s average versus the Bulldogs was its highest in records dating back to 1996 (more than two returns). In 2010, the Gators ranked sixth in the nation in kickoff return average (26.3 yds/return). Debose returned two kicks for TD, tied for second-most in the country, and averaged 28.0 yards per kick return, 15th-best in the nation and second-best in the SEC. Debose had a 50-yard kick return to start the UAB game last September, marking the fourth time in his 22 career returns to that point that he had a return of 50-plus yards. Debose returned 19 kicks last season for 495 yards (26.1 avg.), including a 63-yarder against Georgia and a 99-yard touchdown return against Ohio State. Named the Most Valuable Player of the Gator Bowl, Debose s 99-yard TD in the second quarter was the longest play in the bowl s history and his third kickoff return for a score established a UF career mark. Debose was selected as a Freshman All-American by the Sporting News and named the nation s top kick returner by the College Football Performance Awards. In 2010, Debose recorded an 88-yard kickoff return for a TD against LSU, marking the first for UF since Brandon James took one back in the 2009 season opener against Charleston Southern. Debose became the second freshman in UF history to have a kickoff return for a TD, joining Bo Carroll, who accomplished the feat in Debose then took the opening kickoff vs. South Carolina back for a 99-yard TD, setting a UF single-season record with his second kickoff return for a TD and tying the school s career record (Bo Carroll, Stacey Simmons). Debose tied the UF single-game record with 159 kickoff return yards vs. South Carolina (Tony Lomack, vs. Kentucky, Nov. 18, 1989) in Debose s 154 vs. LSU in 2010 marked the thirdhighest single-game total in UF history. Chris Rainey totaled 148 vs. Georgia in 2011, which is the fourth-highest in team history. SOLOMON PATTON had a season-high 33-yard kickoff return against Alabama last October and also had career highs in kick returns (5) and kick return yardage (132) versus the Crimson Tide. He had 10 returns for 241 yards last season (24.1 avg.). BLOCKED KICKS Florida has blocked six kicks in Will Muschamp s first 15 games as a head coach. SOLOMON PATTON blocked an FAU punt in the 2011 season opener that was returned 22 yards for a touchdown. The score marked the school-record seventh-straight year that the Gators had returned a punt for a TD via a block or return. It marked the second-straight contest that Patton had blocked a punt (2011 Outback Bowl vs. Penn State). SHARRIF FLOYD collected his first career block by swatting a 32-yard FG attempt by Vanderbilt. It was the Gators first field-goal block last year and first since versus Kentucky in DOMI- NIQUE EASLEY notched his first-ever block by getting his hand on a Furman punt last year. FAMILY TRADITION JOHN CROFOOT, who serves as the holder on the field-goal unit, and younger brother, KYLE CROFOOT, are the fourth and fifth members of the Crofoot family to serve as special-teamers at SEC schools, following brothers Clayton (Auburn, ), Chas (Auburn, ) and Ike (South Carolina, ). GATORS at VOLS September 15

14 TITLE CENTRAL Florida is one of two schools in the nation to win three outright national titles since The 2006 and 2008 national championships were decided in the BCS National Championship Game, and Florida was the unanimous pick in all four major polls in Alabama (1992, 2009, 2011) and Nebraska (1994, 1995, 1997) have also won three national titles in that time frame, but the Huskers 1997 title was split with Michigan. National Titles (since 1990) Team Years Titles FLORIDA , 2006, Alabama , 2009, Nebraska , 1995, 1997*...3 Florida State , LSU *, Miami (Fla.) *, Southern Cal *, Nine tied...1 *Split title In addition to their national standing, the Gators have also asserted themselves in the Southeastern Conference. Since the SEC Championship Game was instituted in 1992, UF has won more SEC titles than any other school. SEC Championship Game Wins FLORIDA...7 LSU...4 Alabama...3 Auburn/Georgia/Tennessee...2 SEC Championship Game Appearances FLORIDA...10 Alabama...7 LSU/Tennessee...5 Auburn/Georgia...4 Arkansas...3 Ole Miss/South Carolina...1 COLLEGE LEADERS SINCE 1990 Wins 1. FLORIDA Nebraska Ohio State Boise State Florida State Top-10 Finishes 1. FLORIDA Florida State Michigan...8 Nebraska Tennessee...7 GATORS AND THE POLLS The Gators opened the season ranked No. 23 in the AP Preseason Poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll. Florida will play four teams ranked in the top 10 of the preseason polls. Florida was ranked in the USA Today Preseason Poll for the 22nd year in a row. During that 22-year span, Florida opened the season ranked in the top times, including earning the top spot three times (1997, 2001, 2009). UF has been ranked in each of the past nine AP preseason polls, dating back to That streak ranks third in the SEC behind LSU (12-straight preseason polls) and UGA (11-straight preseason polls). Consecutive Seasons in AP Preseason Poll (Nation) 1. Ohio State 19 (since 1993) 2. Oklahoma 13 (since 1999) 3. LSU 12 (since 2000) 4. UGA 11 (since 2001) 5. Southern Cal 11 (since 2001) 6. FLORIDA 9 (SINCE 2003) GATORS IN THE SWAMP ON THE FIELD Florida s.872 (123-18) winning percentage at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field since 1990 ranks No. 2 in the nation. Best Home Winning Percentage (nation - since 1990) 1. Nebraska FLORIDA Florida State Kansas State Texas A&M Here is how the Gators record breaks down at home since 1990: Overall SEC SEC East SEC West Non-Conference Top-25 Teams Top-10 Teams Top-5 Teams Unranked Teams At Night (6 p.m. or later) Since 1990, Florida has outscored its opponents by a combined 5,647 to 2,186 at home, putting the average outcome at 40.0 to 15.5 in favor of the Gators and making the average outcome a 24.5-point win. The Gators had two significant winning streaks at The Swamp in the 1990s: a 23-game streak from and a 30-game streak from In 140 home games from , UF has scored 31 or more points 97 times and held its opponent to 14 or less points 77 times. IN THE STANDS The Gators sold out all season tickets for the 33rd-consecutive season after averaging 89,061 fans during the 2011 season. Florida broke its single-game attendance record in 2009, drawing 90,907 to The Swamp for the Nov. 28 showdown against Florida State. It marked the largest crowd ever to watch a football game in the state of Florida. The state has hosted 14 Super Bowls, three BCS national title games and has featured 18 bowl games that included a team that went on to win at least a share of the national title. The crowd of 90,888 for the UF-Alabama game on Oct. 1, 2011, was the second-highest single-game total in school history and the most since 90,885 watched the Orange and Blue face South Carolina on Nov. 13, The Gators have ranked among the nation s top-15 schools in average home attendance in each of the last 30 years ( ) and have ranked among the top nine in each of the last 21 years ( ). In addition, UF set a school attendance record during the 2009 season, averaging 90,635 per game, which ranked ninth in the nation. That broke the previous standard, set in 2008 when the Gators averaged 90,544. The largest crowd for a home opener at The Swamp was 90,707 in UF s 2005 win over Wyoming in Urban Meyer s first game as head coach of the Gators. The 2009 opener (90,621) was the second-largest. Top-15 Finishes 1. FLORIDA Florida State...13 Michigan...13 Tennessee Miami (Fla.) Penn State Nebraska...10 GATORS at VOLS September 15

15 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME The University of Florida is the only school in the Southeastern Conference to have two inductees into the NFL Hall of Fame since Former Gator running back Emmitt Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 7, 2010, following Gator great Jack Youngblood into the elite fraternity. Smith was a three-time All-American at UF from He established 58 school records in three seasons, including a career rushing mark of 3,928. Following his junior season with the Gators, Smith was a first-round selection in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He finished his career with 18,355 rushing yards and 164 rushing TD, both of which are NFL records. He was named the honorary captain for the 2011 UF vs. Tennessee game. Youngblood, regarded as the best defensive end in UF history, became the first Gator enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in He was named to the All-SEC team of the decade for the 1970s and was the Most Outstanding Player at the 1971 Senior Bowl. He went on to be a five-time All-Pro player for the L.A. Rams. Youngblood appeared in a Rams record 201 consecutive games and only missed one game in his 14 seasons, that one coming in his final season in Emmitt Smith ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE The University of Florida strives for excellence in the classroom as well as on the field. In , the Gators had 22 players on the SEC Academic Honor Roll and five players named to the SEC First- Year Academic Honor Roll. There are two football players enrolled in graduate school at UF: Tim Clark...Sports Management Combined Deg. Caleb Sturgis...M.S. in Management The following student-athletes are on track to graduate in December of 2012 with their undergraduate degrees from UF: Jon Bostic...Health Education & Behavior Jeremy Brown...Sociology/Criminology/Anthropology Frankie Hammond... Telecommunications, Media & Society Omarius Hines...Anthropology Omar Hunter...Anthropology Lerentee McCray...Anthropology & Sociology Matt Patchan...Anthropology & Sociology Sam Robey...Criminology & Sociology Caleb Sturgis...M.S. in Management UF S LEGENDARY STATUS NATION S ELITE No other school has captured a national title while facing the nation s toughest schedule. According to NCAA statistics, Florida has done so twice, in 1996 and 2006, and also won the 2008 title facing the second-toughest schedule in the country. UF was one of two schools (Arkansas) to face a top-10 strength of schedule four times from UF is the only school to claim three national championships in the past 13 years. The Gators have also played in the national championship game four times in the past 14 years. Florida is one of only two schools in the nation with three quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy and one of two schools nationally to have multiple Heisman winners since Florida is the only school in the nation to post 100 wins during each of the last two decades. UF won 102 games in the 1990s and 100 games in the 2000s. UF is one of only three schools in NCAA history to win 100 or more games in two different decades. The Gators won at least nine games for a period of 12-consecutive years ( ), something only three schools in major college history have done and no other SEC school has done. Florida became one of six schools in major college history to win 100 games during a decade, producing a record in the 1990s. UF again reached that benchmark in the 2000s, going UF is the only school in modern major college history to score 500 or more points for a period of four-straight years ( ). Florida is one of two schools to have a player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft for nine-consecutive years, with a Gator being tabbed each year from (Miami, 14 years, ). UF is one of only four schools in the nation to have multiple recipients of the William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly the Draddy Trophy), which is presented by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame to the nation s top football scholarathlete. (Brad Culpepper, 91; Danny Wuerffel, 96; Tim Tebow, 09) UF is the only school in the nation to have a Heisman Trophy recipient who also received the Campbell Trophy. Wuerffel accomplished both in 1996, while Tebow earned the Heisman in 2007 and the Campbell in SEC ELITE Florida is one of two SEC schools to have three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996) and Tim Tebow (2007). No other SEC school has won at least 10 games for a period of sixconsecutive years ( ), something only three schools in major college history have done. The Gators are the only SEC team to rank in the top 15 of the final polls for 12-straight years, and only four have done it in major college football history. The Gators have the best league record over a 100-SEC-game span, going in SEC play from the beginning of the 1990 season through the seventh conference game of Florida is only one of two schools in SEC history to claim four league championships in a row ( ). Florida has played in 10 of the 19 SEC Championship Games that have been held, winning seven. GATORS IN THE PROS January Bowl Appearances (since 1993) 1. FLORIDA Ohio State Florida State Michigan Penn State Tennessee Nebraska During the 2011 NFL season, UF had 35 players appear on active rosters, totaling 271 starts and 429 games played. In addition, former Gators accounted for the following numbers during the 2011 NFL season: 4,880 passing yards 28 passing touchdowns 1,336 rushing yards 10 rushing touchdowns 4,518 receiving yards 27 receiving touchdowns 536 tackles 24.5 sacks 9 interceptions Florida has seen 20 former players go on to appear in the NFL s Pro Bowl. Of those, 12 made multiple appearances in the all-star showcase. Last season, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was the lone offensive rookie to earn the honor. A Gator has earned a Pro Bowl berth in 32 of the past 36 NFL seasons, including 12 of the past 13 and a streak of 11-consecutive Pro Bowls from At least one former UF player has appeared in the Super Bowl 27 times. Four Gators have appeared in the big game on two occasions (Super Bowls XXX and XLI). Thirteen former Gators have combined to win 20 Super Bowl rings. Don Chandler, Wilber Marshall and Max Starks have each won two, and Emmitt Smith and Godfrey Miles each claimed three. Florida is one of two schools (Pitt) that has two players, Emmitt Smith and Fred Taylor, on the top-15 list of the NFL s all-time top rushers. Percy Harvin earned Offensive Rookie of the Year for his performance with the Minnesota Vikings in He then led the team in all major receiving and kickoff return categories in GATORS at VOLS September 15

16 WHAT THEY ARE SAYING It s going to be a challenge, of course, but I m ready for everything. I m just so blessed and honored too, because when I was at Florida, I played against Andre Caldwell, Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin every day in practice. So playing versus those dudes definitely got me ready for the next level. I think just being able to play against that type of talent will just transfer over and help the transition a whole lot easier. JOE HADEN, Cleveland Browns and former UF cornerback on preparing for his first NFL game NFL GATORS The following 30 former Gator football players made the initial 53-man roster of an NFL team for 2012: ATLANTA FALCONS BALTIMORE RAVENS BUFFALO BILLS CAROLINA PANTHERS CHICAGO BEARS CINCINNATI BENGALS CLEVELAND BROWNS DENVER BRONCOS JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS MIAMI DOLPHINS MINNESOTA VIKINGS NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS NEW YORK GIANTS NEW YORK JETS OAKLAND RAIDERS PHILADELPHIA EAGLES PITTSBURGH STEELERS SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS SEATTLE SEAHAWKS TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS WASHINGTON REDSKINS LB Mike Peterson WR Deonte Thompson WR David Nelson WR Louis Murphy S Major Wright DE Carlos Dunlap S Reggie Nelson CB Joe Haden WR Andre Caldwell DL Jeremy Mincey LB Brandon Siler C Mike Pouncey WR Percy Harvin LB Jermaine Cunningham TE Aaron Hernandez LB Brandon Spikes S Will Hill QB Tim Tebow OG Cooper Carlisle WR Riley Cooper P Chas Henry OT Marcus Gilbert C Maurkice Pouncey RB Chris Rainey OT Max Starks DT Ray McDonald DT Jaye Howard S Ahmad Black QB Rex Grossman OL Maurice Hurt RB Jeff Demps (New England Patriots) and DL Justin Trattou (New York Giants) were placed on injured reserve for the 2012 season. GATORS IN THE NFL DRAFT FIRST-ROUND PROMINENCE The Gators have had 43 players selected in the first-round all time and a total of 314 players taken in NFL Draft history. Florida is fourth since 2007 with eight first-round draft picks. First-Round Draft Picks ( ) 1. Alabama USC LSU FLORIDA Ohio State...6 Tennessee...6 The SEC had 42 selections in the 2012 NFL Draft. The number led the nation for the sixth-straight year. (SEC 42; Big Ten 41; ACC 31; Pac 12 28; Big 12 25; Big East 12; Mountain West 12; WAC 11; Conference USA 10) All 12 SEC teams had a player selected in the Draft. The SEC is the only conference to have had a player selected from every one of its teams. (SEC by team total: Alabama 8, Georgia 7, South Carolina 6, LSU 5, Arkansas 4, Miss. State 3, Florida 2, Kentucky 2, Vanderbilt 2, Auburn 1, Ole Miss 1, Tennessee 1) The 42 selections bring the SEC s total to 279 during the last seven NFL Drafts, an average of 39.8 per year. The SEC by year since 2006: 37 picks (2006); 41 (2007); 35 (2008); 37 (2009); 49 (2010); 38 (2011); 42 (2012). Alabama led the nation in total draft selections with 8, followed by Georgia and Oklahoma with 7 each. Seven teams had 6 selections each, including South Carolina, California, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin and Boise State. GATORS IN DEMAND UF was the only school to have an offensive lineman selected in the first round in both 2010 and Florida was one of two schools to have three offensive linemen taken in the 2011 NFL Draft was the sixth time in school history that UF had three offensive linemen drafted in the same year (also in 1954, 57, 63, 85 and 92). UF was the only school in the nation to have two offensive linemen taken in the first two rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Gators had a nation s best three offensive linemen taken in the top two rounds in the last two NFL Drafts. UF s three defensive backs taken in the past two drafts are tied for the most among SEC teams. (Nebraska and Texas each had 4) The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted 23 former Gators, the most among all NFL franchises. Florida faced five of the first 12 players selected in the NFL Draft during the 2010 season. DRAFT PICKS BY SCHOOL ( ) School Total USC 5 10* 11* 7 9* 3 45 LSU Georgia Ohio St Oklahoma FLORIDA 9* 2 3 9* Texas Iowa Alabama * 27 Miami (FL) *Most in draft year (UNC also had 9 picks in 2011) SEC IN THE NFL DRAFT Arkansas tied an NFL Draft record with three wide receivers taken this year. It ties 1978 Florida and 1983 Tennessee and 11 other teams. Since 2006, the SEC has had 55 first-round selections, an average of 7.86 per year. The 42 total during that span for the SEC is second to the 2010 total of NFL Draft Picks By Conference SEC Big Ten...41 ACC...31 Pac Big Big East...12 Mountain West...12 WAC...11 SEC NFL DRAFT SELECTIONS Total Average SEC ACC Big Ten Pac Big GATORS at VOLS September 15

17 THE WILL MUSCHAMP FILE Age: 41 Birthdate: August 3, 1971 Hometown: Rome, Ga. Education: Bachelor s degree, University of Georgia Master s degree, Auburn University Family: Married to Carol Muschamp (formerly Davis) Two sons, Jackson and Whit COACHING EXPERIENCE Auburn Graduate Assistant 1998 West Georgia Secondary 1999 Eastern Kentucky Secondary 2000 Valdosta State Defensive Coordinator 2001 LSU Linebackers LSU Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 2005 Miami Dolphins Asst. Head Coach for Defense Auburn Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Texas Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Florida Head Coach BOWL GAMES AS A COACH 1995 Outback Auburn 1996 Independence Auburn 2002 Sugar LSU 2003 Cotton LSU 2004 Sugar/BCS Championship LSU 2005 Capital One LSU 2007 Cotton Auburn 2007 Chick-Fil-A Auburn 2009 Fiesta Bowl Texas 2010 BCS National Championship Texas 2011 Gator Florida BOWL GAMES AS A PLAYER 1991 Independence Georgia 1993 Citrus Georgia MUSCHAMP NOTABLES He is the third-youngest head coach in the SEC (James Franklin and Dan Mullen are both 40) Had a 17-inch steel rod inserted in his leg after breaking his tibia and fibula as a junior on his high school baseball team; Keeps the steel rod in a shadowbox in his office to remind players about overcoming adversity Visited Florida as a senior in high school in hopes of earning a chance to walk on to the football team Father, Larry, played football at North Carolina and later coached football in Rome, Ga., at the Darlington School Oldest brother, Mike, played football at Duke and is now a high school coach in Atlanta, Ga., at the Lovett School Older brother, Pat, was an offensive lineman at West Point Was on LSU staff with Jimbo Fisher and Derek Dooley under Nick Saban Was awarded a scholarship at Georgia in the spring of his redshirt freshman season Was teammates with Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart at Georgia Also was on same staff with Smart at Valdosta State Graduated from Darlington High School in Georgia, lettering in football (four years), track (four years), baseball (four years) and basketball (three years) HEAD COACH WILL MUSCHAMP When athletic director Jeremy Foley began his search for the University of Florida s next head football coach, he knew exactly what he was looking for in a coach: someone familiar with the Southeastern Conference, a coach who had competed on the big stage, a relentless recruiter who was familiar with the state of Florida and the SEC and someone with energy and passion. From the very beginning, the search honed in on one person and on December 11, 2010, former Gainesville native Will Muschamp was introduced by Foley as the 23rd head coach in Florida football history. Muschamp, 41, came to UF after being the coach-in-waiting and defensive coordinator at the University of Texas since November He brings 16 years of coaching experience with him, including 12 years in the SEC, eight as a coach and four as a player at the University of Georgia. Muschamp has also served as defensive coordinator at Auburn University ( ) and LSU ( ; he was LSU s linebackers coach in 2001) and was a finalist for the 2007 Broyles Award as the nation s top assistant coach. The son of a football coach, he turned down appointments at West Point and Annapolis to become a four-year letterman as a safety at the University of Georgia from , where he was voted defensive co-captain as a senior. Not only does Muschamp, a highly-respected coach among both his peers and his players, bring collegiate and National Football League experience back to Gainesville, he also brings a wealth of big-game experience. He has coached in two national championship games, winning the ultimate prize in 2003 while defensive coordinator at LSU, and coached in a third BCS bowl game following the 2008 season, when Texas won the Fiesta Bowl. In addition to his national championship past, Muschamp has coached in the SEC Championship Game twice and in the Big 12 Championship Game once, coming out on the winning side in each of those three contests. Muschamp s first season in Gainesville produced the school s 24th consecutive winning season and its 32nd consecutive season of.500 football or better, the longest streaks in the nation. With the victory over Ohio State in the TaxSalyer.com Gator Bowl, UF established a school record with its fourth straight bowl win. Muschamp s first squad will go down as one of the youngest in school history; 15 true freshmen and 52 underclassmen saw action the second most in school history. UF finished the year with 72 scholarship players, including four walk-ons who were awarded scholarships in August prior to start of the season. The Gators opened fall camp with just nine scholarship seniors. Despite returning 37 combined starts on the defensive side of the ball, the fewest in the SEC, Muschamp s defense ranked second in the nation in third down conversion defense (.273) the best national ranking in school history. Florida allowed just yards per game passing to rank seventh nationally and permitted just yards per game to rank eighth nationally. In his five seasons as an SEC defensive coordinator, Muschamp s defenses ranked among the nation s top 10 in total defense every single year, while always maintaining a top-15 rating in scoring defense, including three times inside the top 10. In four of his eight seasons overall as a Division I defensive coordinator, the high-energy coach s team has allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game and has twice led the nation in rushing defense while yielding less than 75 rushing yards per game. His 2003 LSU defense led the country by allowing 67 yards per game on the ground, the best mark by an SEC team in the 2000s, while Texas gave up just 73.1 yards on the ground in 2009 to pace the nation. From under Muschamp s guidance, the Texas defense ranked No. 1 in the nation with 119 sacks for 949 yards lost. His unit also ranked in the top 10 nationally during the same time frame in several other major categories, allowing 2.9 yards per rushing attempt (third), 96.7 rushing yards per game (fourth), yards per game (seventh), all of which are Big 12 bests during that span. He also helped the Longhorns defense to top-20 rankings during his tenure at Texas, with 650 first downs allowed (18th) and a pass efficiency defense (20th). In 2009, the Texas Longhorns advanced to the BCS National Championship Game as Muschamp s charges gave up just 73.1 rushing yards per game, the best figure by any BCS school from The Longhorns also led the nation in 2009 in third-down defense (26.5 percent), turnovers created (37, tied with Ohio University) and interceptions (25) as Texas claimed the Big 12 championship in Under Muschamp s tutelage at Texas, Brian Orakpo claimed the 2008 Rotary Lombardi Award (lineman of the year), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (most outstanding defensive player) and Ted Hendricks Award (top defensive end), while the Longhorns defense saw Sergio Kindle become the first player in college football history to be named a finalist for both the Butkus Award (nation s top linebacker) and the Hendricks Award. Earl Thomas also earned finalist honors for the Jim Thorpe Award in In the 2009 and 2010 NFL Drafts, Muschamp had a combined eight players drafted, including seven in the first four rounds and two firstrounders in Orakpo and Thomas. In a two-year stint as the defensive coordinator at Auburn from , Muschamp s defense ranked third in the nation in scoring defense (15.4 points per game) and fourth in the nation pass defense (170.7 pass yards per game). During the same time frame, Auburn ranked third in the SEC in total defense by holding opponents to yards per game. Muschamp s first full-time coaching experience in the SEC came at LSU as the linebackers coach for one season before being elevated to defensive coordinator from His 2003 defense helped the Tigers to the national championship by leading the nation both in scoring defense (11.0 points per game) and total defense (252.0 yards per game), while finishing second nationally in pass efficiency defense (89.8) and third in rushing defense (67.0 yards per game). The Tigers allowed just 19 touchdowns all season in 2003, three less than the next closest competitor nationally. Between his positions at LSU and Auburn, Muschamp spent a season with the NFL s Miami Dolphins in 2005 as Assistant Head Coach for Defense. He helped the Dolphins finish second in the league with 49 sacks, while leading Miami to top-10 finishes with 4.7 yards per play (seventh), 3.7 yards per rush (seventh) and 6.0 yards per pass (ninth). The 1994 graduate of the University of Georgia moved immediately into coaching following his collegiate playing career, working as a graduate assistant at Auburn from , earning his master s degree in He became a secondary coach at West Georgia (1998) and Eastern Kentucky (1999) before moving on to his first defensive coordinator position at Valdosta State for the 2000 season, where he helped the Blazers to a 10-2 record and the Gulf South Conference championship with an 8-1 league mark. In his playing career at Georgia, Muschamp earned his way from walk-on to scholarship player by the spring of his redshirt freshman season and eventually was named co-captain for his senior season. He also earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in Muschamp and his wife, Carol, have two sons, Jackson and Whit. GATORS at VOLS September 15

18 ASSISTANT COACHES BRENT PEASE Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers A 21-year coaching veteran and a former NFL quarterback. Has served 11 seasons as an offensive coordinator and has coached at his alma mater, Montana ( ), as well as Northern Arizona ( ), Kentucky ( ), Baylor ( ) and Boise State ( ). Was Boise State s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2011 after spending the previous five seasons as the team s wide receivers coach and four as BSU s assistant head coach. Has reached the postseason 13 times in his career, highlighted by a national championship in 1995 at Montana. TIM DAVIS Offensive Line Owns 29 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and NFL levels, including stops at Utah, Minnesota, USC, Wisconsin, Idaho State, Walla Walla CC, Arizona and two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Apart from one season spent as the Dir. of Player Personnel at Alabama, Davis has spent his entire career coaching offensive lines or tight ends. Davis has coached in 15 FBS bowl games, including three Rose Bowls and two Orange Bowls. At USC, the Trojans won a pair of national championships and three BCS bowl games. His o-lines protected two Heisman Trophy winners at USC. BUSH HAMDAN Wide Receivers Hamdan served as the Tight Ends coach at Sacramento State before joining the Gator football staff in January of He also interned for the Maryland Coaching staff during the 2010 season. Hamdan was a back-up quarterback at Boise State from and was awarded the 2008 Bronco Excellence Award as a senior. A highly-decorated high school quarterback, Hamdan was a member of the Super 44 Prep Team and All-Metro in Washington, D.C. During his prep career, he passed for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns. DEREK LEWIS Tight Ends Last season, led a tight end group that totaled 47 catches for 584 yards (12.4 ypc) and three touchdowns. Jordan Reed finished second on the team with 28 catches and third on the team with 307 receiving yards. Tutored Minnesota s Nick Tow-Arnett to an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection following the 2009 season after Tow-Arnett finished second on the team with 37 receptions for 505 yards and three touchdowns. From , Lewis worked at Texas as a graduate assistant and won the 2005 BCS National Title. Coached TE David Thomas who owns UT career records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end. BRIAN WHITE Running Backs A 26-year coaching veteran and 2004 winner of the AFCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year. Has coached in 15 bowl games and served on coaching staffs that have won a national title and two conference championships. In 2011, led a running back group that totaled 2,040 rushing yards on 392 carries (5.2 yards per carry) and 15 rushing touchdowns while transitioning to a pro-style offense. Following the 2010 season, shifted from tight ends coach to running backs coach. IN THE BOOTH Brent Pease (offensive coordinator/qb/wr), Brian White (RB) and Bryant Young (DL) will coach from the booth on game days. DAN QUINN Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Has 18 years of coaching experience, including 10 seasons in the NFL and eight as an NFL defensive line coach. In 2011, led a Gator defense that ranked eighth nationally in total defense (299.5 yards per game), seventh in passing defense (166.8 yards per game) and second in third-down defense (27.12 percent). Helped four different players reach double-digits in sacks in a single season. Seven of his 10 seasons in the NFL saw opponents average less than one rushing touchdown per game, including three seasons of 10 or less total. D.J. DURKIN Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator A 12-year coaching veteran with stops at Stanford, Bowling Green and Notre Dame. Florida s 2011 special teams unit blocked six kicks, which ranked sixth in the nation and marked the fifth time in six seasons, including both of Durkin s seasons, that the Gators led the SEC in blocks. Last season, the kickoff return unit tied for fourth nationally with four returns of 50+ yards, including two 99-yard TD returns. As the Florida linebackers coach, he tutored Jon Bostic, who led the team with 94 tackles, and Jelani Jenkins, who was third with 75 total tackles. TRAVARIS ROBINSON Defensive Backs Coaching stops include Auburn ( ), Western Kentucky (2008), Southern Miss (2009) and Texas Tech (2010). In 2011, guided a UF secondary that ranked seventh in the nation in pass defense (166.8 yds/game). Tutored two Texas Tech defensive backs (Cody Davis, D.J. Johnson) to 2010 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition along with a third (Jarvis Phillips) earning Freshman All-American Honorable Mention from CollegeFootballNews.com. Worked under Will Muschamp for his two seasons at Auburn. BRYANT YOUNG Defensive Line In his first season as the defensive line coach at Florida, Young helped guide a Gator defense which ranked ninth in the nation in total defense ( yards allowed per game). Additionally, Florida s defense held its opponents to a 27.71% third-down conversion rate, ranking second in the nation, the highest national ranking ever for the Gators and the team s best conversion rate since the 2001 season. The UF defense totaled 94 tackles-for-loss, tied for 19th-most in the nation in JEFF DILLMAN Director of Strength & Conditioning Came to UF after serving as the Head of Physical Conditioning at the IMG Performance Institute in Bradenton, Fla., since the fall of Oversaw the strength and conditioning programs for all youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes who trained at the Academy, including NBA and NFL offseason workouts, NFL Combine training and the Madden Football Academy. He oversaw back-to-back national titles as the head strength and conditioning coach at Appalachian State in 2006 and 2007 and also served on the staff at LSU for its SEC and BCS Championships in GATORS at VOLS September 15