Gator Bowl Recap: Ohio State 17, Florida 24

Miller couldn't find a rhythm

Florida's defense and special teams came up big in the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, recording six sacks and scoring twice as the Gators beat Ohio State 24-17 on Monday.

Andre Debose returned a kickoff 99 yards -- the longest scoring play in bowl history -- and Chris Rainey blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown. The speedsters helped the Gators (7-6) avoid their first losing season since 1979 and pick up some much-needed momentum after losing six of their previous eight games.

Gator Bowl Live Blog: Ohio State vs. Florida

The 2011-2012 Gator Bowl is finally upon us. Jim Bollman is coaching in his final game. 'nuff said. Enjoy the game, as Ohio State will not be attending a bowl game next year. Join us down below!

The live blog starts at 12:45 PM EST. We hope to see you there cheering on the Buckeyes!

Gator Bowl Preview: Ohio State vs. Florida

The offense relies heavily on Braxton Miller

This was one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory for the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-6, . The lineup changed from week to week due to suspensions and injuries. There was little or no continuity throughout. Against Michigan, though, some things finally clicked for the Buckeye offense in the season-ending loss to the Wolverines as they rolled up 372 yards total offense and 34 points on TTUN.

Quarterback Braxton Miller showed what he could be capable of as he accounted for 335 of those yards (235 passing, 100 rushing) and three touchdowns. Two of those TDs were long touchdown strikes, a 54-yarder to Philly Brown and a 43-yarder to DeVier Posey. That was only the second game the dynamic Posey played during the season because of suspensions. You know Posey will want to go out with a big game and look for Miller to try and find him early and often. Even Fickell and Bollman have admitted to drawing up some plays that feature the senior in some different keyed-in looks. OSU’s passing game ranked 117th (out of 120 teams) at 124.1 yards per game. The good news is that this team has aerial and vertical potential with Posey and Brown at full-go, which they showed against UM.

OSU’s running game was a mixed bag. The Buckeyes ended up 27th nationally at 195.7 yards per game on the ground. Running back Boom Herron was pretty much held in check during the three-game losing streak to end the season, which might explain the disastrous ending for Ohio State. They've relied on the run in November for the past couple of years, and this year it wasn't there to succeed.

Florida boasts an athletic and tough defense, even if there is not a lot of experience – seven of the 12 starters are freshmen or sophomores. The same can be said of the Ohio State offense, though. That youth worked against the Gators as they faltered against top competition in the SEC. Florida was 39th nationally in rushing defense (132.3 ypg), 10th in pass defense (167.3 ypg), ninth in total defense (299.6 ypg) and 25th in scoring defense (20.6 ppg). Key playmakers include MLB Jonathan Bostic and safety Matt Elam, who are all over the field on a consistent basis.

Jake Stoneburner Might Not Play In Gator Bowl

According to Luke Fickell (Per Brandon Castel and Kyle Rowland), Ohio State redshirt junior tight end Jake Stoneburner may not be able to play on Monday afternoon.

In a press conference earlier this afternoon, Fickell spoke to the media about a couple different topics, but the big news was that he said Jake Stoneburner was coming off of a recent surgery ( arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this month) and recently has not been practicing very much at all since then.

Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer also says that even if Stoneburner were to play in the Gator Bow, he would see very limited action. This severely wounds the Buckeyes passing attack, as Braxton Miller will be playing in his first bowl game.

Stoneburner was a set of sure hands, and an outstanding blocker. He also runs very crisp routes, and knows how to get behind defenders for some big plays.

This is a big loss for Ohio State, and now Reid Fragel must step up to the challenge of filling in full time for Stoneburner. Jeff Heuerman is also another option at tight end, but Stoneburner's talents will surely be missed against Florida in the Gator Bowl.


Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news and updates on the Gator Bowl, and Ohio State athletics.

Enemy Blogger Interview: Florida

Gators in the Gator Bowl. Hmph.

The Gator Bowl is only 2 days away Buckeye fans. With that being said, it's time to learn about the 2011 Florida Gators. Andy Hutchins from Alligator Army joins us, and was nice enough to answer our questions about the the Gator squad, and how they match up against Ohio State.

Both Florida and Ohio State did not have the season that either fan bases expected from their team. Will Muschamp and Luke Fickell were both first year head coaches. What do Florida fans think of the 2011 season overall?


In general, Gator Nation's pretty disappointed. Florida's 6-6 record is lower than it ever was, even under Ron Zook, and those years had more exciting offenses and more promise burbling than this year seemed to have.

The Gator Bowl has been called "The Urban Meyer Bowl" for obvious reasons. How do Florida fans feel about Meyer coming out of retirement to coach the Buckeyes, instead of the Gators?


No one has renamed the Gator Bowl but TaxSlayer.com, I think, but Florida fans are in one of two camps on Meyer: Either they have come to terms with him being a mercenary and resigned themselves to wishing him well, or they have taken his decision to coach Ohio State as a defection and branded him a traitor and a liar. I'm more in the first camp than the second.

Urban Meyer's Staff To Be Announced January 3rd

Urban has a plan for his staff

Urban Meyer has been relatively quiet on the media front. While he continues to make headlines with the top level recruits that he is nabbing, Meyer hasn't had much conversation with reporters.

That changed on Monday, when Urban sat down with a couple of Buckeye news reporters, and what he told them clears up some questions about the present and future coaching staff. We were able to track down (Thanks Ozone) some of the Q&A's that were recorded there.

Speculation has been swirling about Luke Fickell to Pitt, and about Mike Vrabel being retained or not. Urban cleared a lot of that up, which you'll find out below.

While Meyer doesn't mention who he has in mind for the rest of his staff, it's only a matter of time before the information gets out. I still have high hopes for Studrawa, but with his recent raise, it might be even tougher for the Buckeyes to land the current LSU Coordinator.

First Look: Gator Bowl

All of your recruits are mine

It has now been over a week since the announcement Urban Meyer would be taking over as head man in Columbus. The rumors began to fly a week before (H/T @11W!) said announcement and for once in my life, those rumors ended up as fact. I am giddy with anticipation as to how fast Urban can turn things around and what the offense might look like next season. I don’t see how this hire won’t be a slam dunk. Urban also brings some much needed sex appeal to the Big Ten which is often viewed as plodding and slow to the rest of the country. I don’t think that is a fair assessment but once you’re labeled as such it is tough to shed that stigma.

The NCAA recently granted the university permission to expand their coaching staff for the bowl season. Fickell will be concentrating on game planning for the Gators while Meyer hits the road in an effort to salvage our recruiting season. I know the NCAA probably would’ve done this for any school but it felt good for our overlords to do something nice instead of launching more investigations. I still think that the Buckeyes are treated unfairly by the NCAA but such is life as a football powerhouse. I’m not the type of person who delves into the world of conspiracy theories. Well, that’s not entirely true. Who doesn’t like a little mystery in their life to keep the wheels turning? I just have a hard time believing that Urban won’t have any input into the game planning for the Gator Bowl.

Initial Gator Bowl Impressions: My Take

Chill, we got thisss

Wow, Gator Bowl against the Gators, this could get interesting. Urban Meyer’s old team against, Urban Meyer’s new team. A rematch of the 2007 National Championship, debacle!!

Let’s be honest two of the more disappointing teams in the nation this year. I have been reading a lot of people saying they have no desire to watch the game, some say the Buckeyes shouldn’t even have accepted a bowl bid. Well, to them I say: “Go Away!” (I could use much stronger language, but anyone could be reading this article).

The players, on this team, not Jim Tressel, not Terrelle Pryor earned this bowl bid. 95% of the players on this team (not exact math) had absolutely nothing to do with the penalties or infractions of the past year, they were innocent bystanders caught in an awful web of lies and deceit. They fought hard all year, won a game (Wisconsin) or two that they shouldn't have, and achieved the necessary 6 wins to become bowl eligible.

The Gator Bowl Meet and Greet: Who Are The Florida Gators?

Florida has some speed

As it was announced Sunday night, Ohio State will take on the Florida Gators in the 2011-2012 Gator Bowl. Both teams are coming off a disappointing 6-6 regular season, but have high hopes for coming out with a win in this game. So let's take a look at who the Florida Gators are.

Coach
Will Muschamp: 6-6 (3-5) 1st Year
On December 11, 2010, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley named Muschamp to succeed current Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer as the head coach of the Florida Gators football program. 

Since that time, Muschamp has led the Gators to a 6-6 season, which is disappointing for a team that has won 2 National Championships in the past 5 years. On January 3, 2011, Muschamp announced the hiring of Charlie Weis, former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, as the Gators' new offensive coordinator. Weis is a four-time Super Bowl champion and a former head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish team. 

The offense isn't as good as Ohio State's (shocking, I know), but their defense is certainly greater than the Buckeyes' attempt this year. Let's take a look at some of those key players after the jump.

Official: Ohio State Will Play Florida In The Gator Bowl

Greg Smith, Chairman of the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl and Jacksonville & NE Florida President of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, announced today that the Ohio State University will play the University of Florida in the January 2, 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.

The last meeting between these two storied programs was in the 2007 BCS National Championship game, which Florida prevailed in a 41-14 victory.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the Big Ten representative, and this match up will mark Ohio State’s second appearance in the Gator Bowl. Their first and only other appearance was in 1978 Gator Bowl (You might remember that game). Ohio State has appeared in 12 different bowl games and the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl will be their 42nd bowl game in their history. 

This is widely considered the "Urban Meyer Bowl" because Buckeye coach Urban Meyer will be coaching against his former team, which he led from 2005-2010. Ohio State is 1-9 vs. the SEC (0-8 if you're not counting the vacated win over Arkansas last year)

The game between the Gators and Buckeyes will be played on January 2nd, mentioned above, at 1:00 PM EST in Jacksonville, Florida. 

If you want to buy tickets, they are going on sale Monday, December 5th (tomorrow) starting at $60 per ticket. 

We'll have all the coverage and info here at ITS, so stay tuned for analysis and news. 

2010 Team Previews: Michigan State

Dont' look at me like that Sparty. I really wanted to rank you higher!

Michigan State, where do I start? It's not like any Big Ten fan can't rattle off some historic moments of "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory". We've almost come to expect it. 4th quarter and down by only a couple points to Notre Dame in South Bend. Just marching down the field. Kirk Cousins is on fire. Michigan State is in the end zone, Cousins fires and misses a wide open receiver in the back of the end zone. Don't panic, still time left and a down or two. Next play, Cousins steps back, fired, picked off. Oh Sparty, why do you toy with our emotions? Why do you try to trick us in to believing you cna pull it off when we all know you're going to screw it up in the last minutes.

This seemed to be a continuing theme in the 2009 series. Much like Purdue, who I covered on Tuesday, Sparty lost it's good share of close games. Six of Michigan's State's Seven losses were by 8 or less points, or basically one touchdown and a 2 point conversion. So close you can taste victory. Close enough that when you fail it hurt worse than the blow out loss to Penn State at home.

2009 was a tough year and there was lots of squandered chances. Even though stud running back Javon Ringer(from Dayton btw, couldn't make grades at OSU) left for the NFL after a season of carrying the ball about 1000 times a game, hopes were still high in East Lansing. Kirk Cousins was the future, and the receiving corps was something to behold. In 2009, Cousins lived up to the hype for the most part. As a sophomore, Cousins threw for 2,680 yards and 19 touchdowns. Along with those 19 TDs came 9 interceptions though, mostly at the exact wrong moment. For MSU to be successful in 2010 Cousins, like many other signal callers int he Big Ten, has to improve. He must relish the moment when the game is on the line, and must make the right decisions.

As Cousins goes, so go the Spartans.

Returning for his sophomore season is running back, and 2009's leading rusher, Larry Caper. Caper as true freshman ran for468 yards on 120 for 6 touchdowns. If you're good at math, like all the braniacs that occupy the computer labs at the Axis of Arrogance Center for Kids That Can't Read Good, that's an average of 39 rush yards per game. In case you didn't know, that's a big drop off from Ringer's 30 million yards on 10 million carries for 1 million TDs in 2008. The drop off in the run game could be a key to what went wrong in 2009. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to recognize that this has to improve for the Spartans to succeed in the 2010 campaign.

Two of the team's top three receivers return in the forms of BJ Cunningham and Mark Dell as well as the teams leader in all-purpose yards, Keshawn Martin. Keyshawn was 3rd int he Big Ten and 11th nationally in kickoff returns. Cousins must be feeling GOOD to have those kinds of weapons at his disposal. I know I would. The question remains; will he have time to throw to them?

The 2010 does return three fifths of its' talent from 2009. However both tackles are brand new. Red-shirt freshman Chris McDonald and Sophomore Jared McGaha(appeared in 13 career games, mostly on special teams) will have their hands full against conference opponents that are chock full of defensive line talent. Hopefully whoever is protecting Cousins blindside is a fast learner, otherwise we could be seeing the back up very early.

On defense? Do you have to ask?! 2010 preseason defensive MVP returns along with fellow senior LB Eric Gordon. Sophomore Chris Norman looks to fill in as the weak side "will" linebacker for the 2010 squad. Also new to the projected starting defensive lineup is CB Johnny Adams (2 starts as a freshman) and DE Tyler Hoover. 3 new starter on a defense loaded with veteran talent, not too shabby.

Poised to make a run in these snazzy new duds. Also: note the further "Oregonification" of college football.

Let's take a look at the Green and White's 2010 schedule and my predicted(and probably incorrect) results, shall we?

Western Michigan (W): Last year Sparty lost to CMU, but Dan LeFevoure doesn't play for this directional school.

Florida Atlantic (W): I'd bet Ian's house on this game.

Notre Dame (W): Sparty NEARLY squeaked this game out last year against a Notre Dame team that had a lot more talent than they do this season. Cousins avenges this loss, but no flags are planted at the 50.(even though I like the swagger)


Bye we... just kidding Northern Colorado (W): win.

Wisconsin (L): Tolzein doesn't make mistakes(that often), and John Clay is a damn good running back. Bucky Badger in a close one.

@ Michigan (W): All signs point to our buddy Velcro Robinson taking over the starting spot from Fivecier. With that said, his accuracy, and just throwing in general leaves a lot to be desired. 3-3-5 defense is weak, Sparty wins!

You get to keep this bearded fellow!!

Illinois (W): Nothing needs to be said.

@Northwestern (W): Chad made a sad face :(

@Iowa (L): Iowa has one of those defensive lines that I was talking about. Big, tough, physical guys that can get to the QB and force mistakes. Ameristanzi and Cousins interception it out, and Ameristanzi wins it. Well, the defensive line wins it.

Minnesota (W): Football shaped locker rooms do not win games, Ahli. Brewster tweets something dumb after this game. Write it down.

BYE WEEK: Finally an athletic department that gets it.


Purdue (W): Purdue is improved over last year, but MSU has better talent from what I can tell thus far. The Boiler secondary will have some game experience under their belts at this point, but MSU has a QB that can gun it. That will pay off.

@Penn State (L): This was a tough one for me. I went back and forth on this game, but went with my first choice in PSU. this game will pit strength versus strength. PSU's only weapon is Evan Royster and the run game, and they'll have to try to smash through Greg Jones and the MSU run defense. Royster doesn't gain over 70 yards, but I think PSU wins. I wouldn't mind being wrong here.

Final Prediction: 9-3 overall, 5-3 in the Big Ten. is 9-3 a disappointment? I'm not sure. could they win 10 games? Absolutely. As I see it now, Sparty has improved, but I still wonder if they've come far enough. The good news? You're goin bowlin!! The Toyo...Konica Minolta Gator Bowl!

Weeee, COPIERS!!!