2009 Florida Gators Football Preview

2009 Florida Gators season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official florida gators football preview as well as the 2009 Florida Gators Football Schedule. We also offer a free odds comparison service of lines and totals on the NCAA football odds page.

Coach: Urban Meyer (5th year at Florida)
Team Name: Gators
2008 Overall Record: 13-1
Returning Starters: 18

At the start of this season, Florida Gator (13- 1 overall, 7- 1 SEC) fans will be shouting, “we’re number one!” That’s because after finishing first in the SEC in 2008 the Gators went on to win the BCS Championship by beating number two Oklahoma 24- 14. Will fans be shouting, “we’re number one” at the end of the 2009 season? Chances are they will be.

QB Tim Tebow (298 ATT, 192 COMP, 2,746 YDs, 4 INTs, 30 TDs), who has won two national titles, is back for a third. Along with being a top passer and premium leader, Tebow can also run. Last season, he averaged 3.8 yards per carry and scored a dozen touchdowns. One concern is the frontline, which must replace two tackles. Additionally, two starters at wide receiver have to be replaced. The hope is that wideouts Deonte Thompson (18 REC, 269 YDs, 3 TDs), Riley Cooper (18 REC, 261 YDs, 3 TDs) and Carl Moore (14 REC, 184 YDs, 1 TD) can fill that gap. TE Aaron Henderson (34 REC, 381 YDs, 5 TDs) is a huge third down threat. There’s depth in the running department but no 1,000-yard back.

While the Gators’ offense put an average of 43.6 PPG (4th nationally) on the scoreboard, their defense allowed just 12.9 PPG (4th nationally). Ten starters return to the defense and that means this group should be even tougher. Junior defensive end Charles Dunlop (39 TKLs, 9.5 SKs, 4 TFL) is one of the best around and senior defensive end Jermaine Cunningham (52 TKLs, 6 SKs, 4 TFL) continues to improve. The secondary may be the best in the country. The four starters totaled 17 picks with strong safety Ahmad Black grabbing seven. MLB Brandon Spikes (93 TKLs, 2 SKs, 6 TFL, 4 INTs) is the emotional leader of the defense and a total player. More help from the outside linebackers would be helpful. The Gators are two-deep at every spot and will field a formidable force on this side of the ball.

The special teams include dual threat Brandon James on returns, who averaged 13.8 YPP and 23.1 YPK. Jonathan Phillips was 78 of 79 on extra points and hit 12 of 13 field goals. Chase Henry (44 Punts, 1,908 YDs, 43.3 YPP, 21 In20) proved to have a strong and accurate leg on punts.

Gators’ coach Urban Meyer (44- 9 in four years with Florida) has done well in recruiting fine talent for the offensive line and linebacking unit. The only loss Florida endured last season was to SEC West rival Ole Miss. They were defeated by the Rebels on September 27 by a score of 31- 30. Ole Miss is not on the docket this year. In fact, the Gators have a favorable schedule that includes early home games versus Charleston Southern (September 5) and Troy (September 12). They play LSU on the road on October 10. That could be Florida’s only regular season loss. The Gators will win the SEC East again and contend for the National Championship.

Florida Gators Football Schedule

Date	Team	Opponent	Site	Line	Total	Points	Opp Points
9/5/2009	Florida	Charleston S.	home
9/12/2009	Florida	Troy	home
9/19/2009	Florida	Tennessee	home
9/26/2009	Florida	Kentucky	away
10/10/2009	Florida	LSU	away
10/17/2009	Florida	Arkansas	home
10/24/2009	Florida	Mississippi St.	away
10/31/2009	Florida	Georgia	neutral
11/7/2009	Florida	Vanderbilt	home
11/14/2009	Florida	South Carolina	away
11/21/2009	Florida	Florida Intl.	home
11/28/2009	Florida	Florida St.	home

 

For more info on the 2009 Florida Gators football program, view the Gators official website or scroll down below to read up on the rest of the SEC competition.