Georgia coach Mark Richt usually opens his weekly press conference by giving a brief description of his team’s next opponent.But with Florida next on the schedule, Richt made an exception.”This is a press conference where you probably don’t have to give out statistics of the team you are playing or talk about the defensive and special teams players you’re about to go up against,” Richt said. “But this game in particular, I don’t know if we need to introduce some of their names because they are household names at this point.”The stakes are always high when the No. 6 Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1) take on the No. 8 Gators (6-1, 4-1). And this year is no exception, as the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division is likely on the line this weekend.But in Gainesville, the game means revenge, as Georgia beat the Gators, 42-30, in a game that saw the Bulldogs wear black jerseys and celebrate as a team in the end zone following their first touchdown.With emotions running high from last year’s loss, Florida coach Urban Meyer put a gag order on his players this week and didn’t allow them to discuss last season’s game to the media.”I think it’s old news, and it has no bearing on this year’s game,” Meyer said. “It’s two teams battling for the SEC East.”There is little doubt this game has been circled on the Gator players’ calendars for a long time.”That’s pretty much the game that everybody wants on their list,” Florida linebacker Brandon Hicks said Monday. BCS meets BCS BusterArkansas welcomed former coach Houston Nutt back to Fayetteville in last weekend’s 23-21 loss to Ole Miss.This weekend the Razorbacks (3-5, 1-4) welcome their former offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn when Arkansas takes on BCS buster No. 18 Tulsa (8-0, 5-0 Conference USA).Malzahn joined the Razorbacks staff in the 2006 season, but an internal dispute between he and Nutt forced him to head to the Hurricanes.The departure has been a productive one for Malzahn, as Tulsa leads the country in scoring offense and averages 56.5 points per game.Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino said Arkansas’ offense has a lot of pressure to perform at a high level to keep up with the Hurricanes’ powerful offensive attack.”Whenever you play a team like this, known for putting up big numbers, it does put pressure on your offense,” he said. “Scoring points is something we have to focus on and is really important in our preparations.”Fulmer on the hot seat?Tennessee (3-5, 1-4) is on pace to have its worst season in coach Phillip Fulmer’s 17-year career.The Volunteers’ poor play has some wondering if this season will be the end of the line for Fulmer, a suggestion the 1998 national championship coach addressed on Tuesday.”We’re in the age of instant gratification and what have you done lately, and I understand that,” Fulmer said. “Hopefully we can give everyone good encouragement about winning and what we’re going to do in the future, with how we play.”Fulmer gets a chance to get back on the winning track this weekend against his former nemesis Steve Spurrier and South Carolina (5-3, 2-3).Spurrier and Fulmer aren’t strangers and had many verbal spats when Spurrier coached Tennessee’s rival Florida.But Spurrier said he’s looking forward to an opportunity to defeat the Volunteers for different reasons than to spite his former rival.”It would be very good to beat teams that have beaten you a whole bunch, that’s for sure,” Spurrier said.Tennessee has beaten the Gamecocks 14 out of 16 games since South Carolina joined the SEC.- – – -Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]
Florida out for revenge after last season’s loss to UGA
By Casey Gisclair
Sports Writer
Sports Writer
October 29, 2008