Meyer: 'Urgency to get better is what we're all about'
Sunday, October 17, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
Normally during a bye week, Gators coach Urban Meyer gives players Sunday and Monday off to relax.
But after three consecutive losses – the latest a 10-7 Homecoming loss to Mississippi State on Saturday -- the Gators went back to work Sunday to begin preparing for their Oct. 30 game against Georgia in Jacksonville.
“The urgency to get better is what we're all about right now,'' Meyer said Sunday on his weekly TV show. “Get healthy, get better, get that game behind us, and let's get ready for a big rivalry game in Georgia.''
Already hobbled by injuries to several key players – most notably running backs Jeff Demps (foot), Emmanuel Moody (thigh), Mike Gillislee (foot) and kicker Caleb Sturgis (back) -- the Gators suffered four more key injuries in Saturday's loss.
Receiver Andre Debose (ankle), defensive tackle Jaye Howard (foot) and linebacker Jelani Jenkins (concussion) all left Saturday's game in the first half and did not return. Meyer said Sunday that kickoff specialist Brandon Phillips also was injured Saturday.
“I'm still not sure how that happened,'' Meyer said.
With Phillips injured, punter Chas Henry, already filling in for Sturgis, took on extra work. Henry missed a 42-yard field goal with four seconds left that would have forced overtime.
““He had a tough night,'' Meyer said. “But there is not a guy that works harder or cares more than Chas Henry. To say he was prepared to kick off, place kick and also punt would be an inaccurate statement. He is the best punter in America. We just have to get Caleb back as soon as we can.''
The bye week couldn't come at a more perfect time for the Gators, who have lost three consecutive regular-season games for the first time in 22 years. With so many players injured and an offense that has sputtered at times, Meyer is considering making some changes to reverse the team's fortunes.
“We're not very good right now, and that's an obvious statement,'' he said Sunday. “Instead of sacking the bats, we have to find a way to get better. The [SEC] East is still wide open. This is our sixth year in the league and I've never seen it quite like this.
“We are playing a bunch of young players, and we just have to get better and get better fast. We just finished our seventh game. I understand that when we started the season that we were young and a bunch of first-time starters, but we have to make the progress and get a little better.''
BLACK EARNS PRAISE
Defensive Ahmad Black, who led the Gators with 10 tackles against Mississippi State, is not one of the players Meyer is concerned about.
“Ahmad Black is probably our best player,'' Meyer said. “He is our guy who is our leader. He is just non-stop, relentless. He is like our leader on the field.''
OFFENSIVE CHALLENGE
With the Gators 0-3 in October, much of the fan discussion has focused on the offense. The Gators have failed to score a point in the first quarter in six of seven games.
Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio takes much of the heat, but as they did following UF's loss to LSU, the players blame themselves.
“It sucks, because a lot of people thinks it's coach Addazio's play calling,'' center Mike Pouncey said Saturday. “It's definitely not that. He's calling the best plays there are for us.''
Freshman quarterback Trey Burton, who has taken on a great role in the offense in recent weeks, said the Gators are leaving too many big plays on the field.
“We're not executing, I can tell you that,'' Burton said. “We have to learn to execute. We have everybody in the right spot. We're fighting as hard as we can. We just have to execute better.''
As for any major changes on offense before the Georgia game, starting quarterback John Brantley understands the unit must produce at a higher level to snap the Gators' losing streak.
“If that's what Coach Meyer thinks we need to do, we're all on board,'' Brantley said.
BULLDOGS GET RUN-HAPPY
Mississippi State ran 59 plays, 49 of them running plays.
The Bulldogs finished with 212 yards rushing and at one point in the second half, reeled off 24 consecutive running plays to eat up a large portion of the clock.
Gators defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said the effort and scheme was in place to slow down the Bulldogs, but that tackling was an issue.
“We loaded the box,'' Austin said. “We did some things. They got in there, we'd make a couple of hits, and then all of a sudden it would really get jumbled up in there is what I saw from the sidelines. All of sudden, the back would squirt through.''
Mississippi State's Vick Ballard rushed for a game-high 98 yards and quarterback Chris Relf finished with 82.
