Florida Focused On Sending Meyer Out With a Win
Friday, December 10, 2010 | Football, Women's Swimming & Diving, Scott Carter
At the start of the week Florida seniors Ahmad Black and Mike Pouncey knew the Outback Bowl would be their final game with the Gators.
They didn't know it would also be their head coach's swan song. Black and Pouncey received the news during a team meeting Wednesday afternoon. A few hours later, they spoke at Urban Meyer's press conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
While surprised, both players understood where Meyer was coming from in walking away from what is widely considered one of the top jobs the country.
“We're very supportive,'' Pouncey said. “So when coach told us – just like the year before – we were very supportive and we always will be. We're good friends.''
Florida atheltic director Jeremy Foley told the crowd at Thursday's Outback Bowl press conference that the team's focus has quickly turned to sending Meyer out with a win.
"I promise you on Jan. 1 we'll be working real hard to provide you one more memory with Coach Meyer,'' Foley said.
When asked about their favorite memory of Meyer, both players referenced the same game: Florida's 24-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship to win the 2008 national title, Meyer's second in four seasons.
Pouncey recalled Meyer's speech right before the Gators' final touchdown of the game, a drive that secured the victory. Black's memory was his interception of Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford when he stripped the ball from Oklahoma receiver Juaquin Iglesias.
The play went to review before the officials made a final ruling.
“I thought he was going to kill me the way he was asking me did I catch it,'' Black said. “They replayed it, and he was all in my face grilling me, asking if I caught it or not.
“Even if I didn't, I would have still told him yes.''
Black hopes the Gators can get a victory in their final game together Jan. 1 in the Outback Bowl against Penn State.
“That's one of the things that I've been stressing to everyone lately: Let's all go out winners. Even though the season hasn't played out the way we wanted it to, this last game could really make an impact on a lot of different things.''
