Football's Jeff Demps & Mike Pouncey Earn SEC Weekly Honors
Monday, September 13, 2010 | Football
University of Florida junior Jeff Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) and senior Mike Pouncey (Lakeland, Fla.) have each been named as a Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Demps was recognized as the Special Teams Player of the Week, while Pouncey collected the Offensive Line Player of the Week accolade.
Demps totaled a career-high 95 yards on a pair of kickoff returns in last Saturday's 38-14 victory over USF, including a 41-yarder to begin the game and a career-best 54-yard kickoff return late in the third quarter that is the longest in the SEC this year. He ran for a career-high 139 yards on 11 carries, and finished with a career-high 255 all-purpose yards - the highest total in the SEC this season. His go-ahead, 62-yard touchdown run in the third quarter made him the first player in the nation in 2010 to have two rushes of more than 60 yards on the season. In addition, the 139 yards on the ground were the most by a Florida running back since Chris Rainey (Lakeland, Fla.) tallied 142 against The Citadel in 2008.
Through two games, Demps ranks first in the SEC in both all-purpose yards (206.5 yards per game) and kickoff-return average (37.8 yards per return). He paces the Gators with 237 yards rushing on 19 carries for a 12.5-yard average. He is the only player in the country with a rush of over 70 yards and a kick return of over 50 yards this season and has twice as many 60-plus yard career rushes (four) than any other UF player since 1996.
Playing center, Pouncey anchored a Gator offensive line that rushed for 256 yards on 36 carries against the Bulls, good for a 7.1-yard average and a pair of touchdowns. He graded out at team-high 95 percent and provided a key block on Demps' 62-yard touchdown run. On the season, UF's line has permitted quarterback John Brantley (Ocala, Fla.) to be sacked just once.
No. 7 Florida (2-0) begins SEC play at Eastern Division rival Tennessee (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 3:30 p.m. at Neyland Stadium. The game will air live on CBS Sports.
Florida's 2010 SEC Players of the Week (as of Sept. 13)
- Jaye Howard – Defensive Line Player of the Week after Miami University game (9/6/10)
- Jeff Demps – Special Teams Player of the Week after USF game (9/13/10)
- Mike Pouncey – Offensive Line Player of the Week after USF game (9/13/10)
