Carter's Notebook: Debose Shines When Called Upon
Sunday, September 26, 2010 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – One of the most constant questions Gator fans kept asking the first three weeks of the season was: Why isn't receiver Andre Debose playing more?
Florida coach Urban Meyer had his reasons, most notably Debose's performance in practice. Debose started to make strides last week, and it showed on Saturday night when the redshirt freshman from Sanford Seminole caught his first career pass on the Gators' opening drive.
Debose finished with four catches for 36 yards in Florida's 48-14 win over Kentucky. All of Debose's catches came in the first quarter as part of a scripted series to open the game.
“It feels real good,'' Debose said. “I've been practicing real hard all week for that moment and I'm real happy. I was trying to pick up a couple of plays [in practice] and it finally worked out for me.''
Debose arrived at Florida as one of the most hyped recruits of the 2009 signing class. However, he suffered a serious leg injury as a freshman and is just now starting to make an impact. Meyer said Debose's playing time will continue to depend on how well he practices.
“He earned that. All you've got to do is practice well,'' Meyer said. “He was really locked in this week. Debose will be non-existent next week if he doesn't practice well. You earn your right to get on that field, and he actually earned that right this week in practice.''
DROUGHT IS OVER
Florida entered Saturday's game against Kentucky without a point in the first quarter this season. That quickly changed on Florida's first drive when Trey Burton's 11-yard run capped a six-play, 64-yard drive.
The Gators scored another first-quarter touchdown when quarterback John Brantley hit Burton for an 11-yard touchdown pass. “They definitely threw the first punches and we were on our heels for the first couple of series,'' Kentucky center Matt Smith said.
Brantley, who finished 24 of 35 for a career-high 248 yards and one touchdown and one interception, said the Gators walked onto the field determined to finally put up some first-quarter points.
“It was a lot of fun,'' Brantley said. “We wanted to get out to a fast start. We are really happy that happened.''
Prior to Saturday, Florida has been outscored 13-0 in the first quarter. More notably, UF has now outscored Kentucky 73-0 in the first quarter of their last three meetings.
FILM WORK PAYS OFF
Florida cornerback Jeremy Brown says he isn't as fast as he used to be, not since multiple injuries cost him his freshman season.
But Brown looked fine on Saturday night when he snagged a pass from Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline for his third interception of the season and raced 52 yards for a touchdown. Brown made a similar interception in last week's win at Tennessee and credits additional film study time for his recent success.
“I just read a three-step drop,'' Brown said. “I jumped it and it worked out pretty good. I'm more of a mental guy. My body is not like it used to be. I spend a lot more time in the film room. Every chance I get, I try to watch some film. It makes the game a lot easier. The game slows down a lot.''
The Gators intercepted two more passes Saturday – linebacker Jon Bostic also picked off his third pass of the season – to increase their season total to 12 in four games.
ONE MORE MAKES 24
The Gators' win over Kentucky stretched its winning streak against the Wildcats to 24 games. The last time Florida lost to the Wildcats was in November of 1986.
Redshirt junior defensive tackle Jaye Howard said the streak provided Florida with some extra motivation against a Kentucky team that entered the game 3-0.
“A win in the SEC is huge,'' Howard said. “The winning streak we have, we didn't want to be the team to let down the Gator Nation and lose the winning streak.''
MOORE IS MR. CLUTCH
Gators receiver Carl Moore had four catches for 72 yards. But they weren't just run-of-the-mill receptions.
All four of Moore's catches came on third-down conversions, extending his streak of receptions on third down that moved the chains to six. Moore's recent play has helped boost the offense. Florida converted 7-of-11 third downs on the evening (63.6 percent after entering the game converting 41 percent on third down).
EXTRA POINTS
Gators RB Jeff Demps left the game in the third quarter with an apparent foot injury. “He hurt it last week,'' Meyer said. “We're hoping it's just a sprained foot.'' After rushing a career-high 26 times in Florida's 31-17 win at Tennessee, Demps carried just eight times for 57 yards on Saturday … All nine touchdowns scored in Saturday's game were by players wearing No. 8 … Brantley's streak of 156 consecutive attempts without an interception ended when Kentucky linebacker Ridge Wilson picked off a pass in the second quarter.
